"After I returned to St. Petersburg, I toured every corner of the Russian Empire and saw many tragedies unseen in St. Petersburg.

It was then that I realized the decay and backwardness of Russia. Although she had defeated France, I thought it was merely another barbarian invasion of Rome.

We are still far from reaching your level in every aspect, and our nobles only know how to plunder and flog the serfs..."

Duke Golitsyn spoke endlessly to Marcel Yale about the ugliest side of the Russian Empire, his words filled with love for the Russian land and hatred for the Tsar and nobles who parasitize it.

Marcel Yale listened quietly to Duke Golitsyn’s speech, trying to analyze his character from his micro-expressions.

Only by understanding Duke Golitsyn’s character traits could he truly dialectically analyze what Duke Golitsyn said.

"At that time, I felt deeply ashamed to be a noble living in this country!" Duke Golitsyn’s voice was slightly trembling, and his tone was somewhat choked: "I was desperate to change and frantically searched for people who shared the same ideals as me!"

At this point, a smile appeared on Duke Golitsyn’s face: "With my persistent search, I eventually found them, a group of idealistic and passionate young people; like me, they wanted to change Russia with their own strength! So, I joined them and became a member of the Northern Association in St. Petersburg!"

Listening to this, Marcel Yale realized that Duke Golitsyn was quite the old rebel.

Because the Northern Association mentioned by Duke Golitsyn was the Decembrists’ networking organization established in St. Petersburg.

The Decembrists were able to initiate a networking uprising against the Tsar at St. Petersburg thanks to the assistance of the Northern Association.

However, Marcel Yale was somewhat curious; since Duke Golitsyn had joined this organization, why was he still able to roam leisurely between Russia and France?

It should be known that Nicholas I, at that time, stirred up a bloody purge across Russia to thoroughly investigate the Decembrists.

Many princes (dukes) within Russia suffered greatly because of the Decembrists, with some dukes even being exiled to the Far East for several years before returning.

Duke Golitsyn, being one of the Decembrist participants, could not have stayed out of it.

Subsequently, Duke Golitsyn continued to address Marcel Yale’s hidden doubts, "The Northern Association, after years of development, quickly gathered a large number of military men eager to reform the Russian Empire’s system! Perhaps it was because soldiers are naturally inclined to adventure, the association, which originally intended to accumulate strength gradually and then overthrow the Russian Empire in one fell swoop, began to become more and more radical under the influence of the soldiers.

They were no longer content to remain dormant; many officers began planning to mobilize their respective troops for an armed uprising at the time of Alexander I’s death, thus liberating the entire Russian Empire.

At that time, I disagreed with their plan for an armed uprising because it had been less than four years since the power of the North-South Association was established, and the strength we had was really too weak compared with the Tsar.

A sudden uprising was like a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth, but they were obsessed with the armed uprising and could not listen to any other voice.

Gradually, I was ostracized by the entire association; first, they didn’t let me speak at meetings, and then they deprived me of my right to attend meetings.

This led to me becoming a peripheral figure in the association for the next three years.

At that time, I was also someone unwilling to compromise. Since they wouldn’t let me join the association, I decided to form a new one myself.

Thus, a year later, I secretly established a new association, which was more secretive and more stable than the Northern Association. To avoid the gaze of the Russian Empire’s secret police, I named it the Loyalty Association.

Two years after the establishment of the Loyalty Association, that tumultuous revolution began.

The result was just as I originally thought; an organization that had existed for less than seven years could not possibly accumulate much power!

Although they caught Nicholas I off guard with the uprising in St. Petersburg, the responding Tsar swiftly rallied nearby troops and destroyed them.

Many of my friends were captured in that uprising, while I was still spending the winter in Marseille.

After that, the Tsar intensified his control over the societies within the Russian Empire. Many societies were disbanded, and their members were exiled to the Far East.

During those years, the Loyalty Association I established also had to go underground, and the connections between members gradually diminished.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when Nicholas I felt that there were no longer any groups threatening him within the Russian Empire, and his prestige was gradually built up through battles with the Ottoman Empire, that our association could continue to develop and grow..."

"Your Grace, so you’ve been developing for more than ten years?" Marcel Yale asked Duke Golitsyn.

"That’s right!" Duke Golitsyn proudly responded to Marcel Yale: "After more than ten years of development, the Loyalty Association has formed an extensive network of relationships! From the court to the local areas, our people are everywhere!"

"Since Your Grace possesses such a vast force, why don’t you choose to directly overthrow the Tsar?" Marcel Yale asked Duke Golitsyn.

Duke Golitsyn fell silent for a long time before responding to Marcel Yale with a bitter smile: "After a long period of development, the Loyalty Association has indeed become a powerful force, but the larger the organization, the more it inevitably faces internal divisions.

Some members of the association have become complacent over time, losing their initial enthusiasm, and they think maintaining the status quo of the Russian Empire is not a bad choice!

Meanwhile, another portion of the members pins their hopes on Crown Prince Alexander. They believe that Alexander, with his liberal ideas, can abolish the shackles of enslavement on Russia and let Russia move forward unburdened!

At this point, Duke Golitsyn’s lips curled into a sneer, "They simply don’t understand that expecting a Tsar to relinquish his innate rights is something utterly impossible! Those who have lost their ambition only wish to rely on a heaven-sent savior to save everything, but there are not so many heaven-sent saviors!"

Duke Golitsyn’s voice gradually became hoarse: "Our nation has hoped time and again for the leadership of a Saint Monarch, and what has it brought us? Except for Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and the Holy King, what else have they brought our disaster-stricken nation besides conquest and death? Which one of them has truly cared for our troubled nation? Under the shadow of autocratic worship, Russia yearns for an omnipotent little father who can use their extraordinary power to lead the Russian nation out of adversity, but is there really such a little father? (Duke Golitsyn gave a bitter laugh) Probably not!

Since Russia cannot rely on an omnipotent little father, then Russia should overthrow the authority with its own hands and build a brand new Russia, letting the flowers of freedom bloom in the Russian Empire!"

After listening to Duke Golitsyn’s passionate speech, Marcel Yale couldn’t help but be moved by Duke Golitsyn’s "selfless" idealistic spirit.

If Duke Golitsyn truly acted as he said, then the entire Russian Empire might have to pay the price for his idealistic spirit.

"Your Grace, in you I see the hope of Russia! Rousseau once said: The flower of freedom must be constantly watered with the tyrant’s blood!

In the past, France only completed its transformation by killing a King and driving away countless nobles." Marcel Yale lavishly praised Duke Golitsyn, "I believe that only by being like France in the past can the Russian Empire truly change!"

Duke Golitsyn’s lips twisted into a cold smile, "Mr. Marcel, I fear your purpose is not really to support our ideals, but to incite internal strife in Russia! Only when the Russian Empire falls into civil strife can you reap the benefits."

"Your Grace, if you are unwilling to act yourself, then no matter how much I say, it will have no meaning!" Marcel Yale said in his usual tone: "Moreover, now it is you who need our assistance, not we who need yours!

At most, we will relax the conditions for ending the war a little!

I believe the Russian Imperial Government would be very willing to sign an agreement with us after Nicholas I’s death, and you will only have this one opportunity!"

"Indeed!" Duke Golitsyn nodded: "Once Crown Prince Alexander ascends the throne, he will surely negotiate with you.

After ascending the throne, if he implements some minor reforms, giving some people hope, then the association I painstakingly built will immediately fall apart!

This is my last chance!"

"Your Grace, what do you need us to do for you?" Marcel Yale asked Duke Golitsyn.

"I need you to keep the Russian Army stationed in the Finnish Region, Bessarabia Region, and Crimea Peninsula constrained so that they cannot withdraw from the battlefield, and at the same time pose a threat to the Peterburg Region..." Duke Golitsyn requested Marcel Yale.

"Your Grace, you should know! Your requests require us to pay a great price to achieve!"