Netori SSS-Emperor: All Queens Shall Be Mine!-Chapter 82: A Rebellion And More

After Wolf was done meeting with Kukei, he arranged a meeting with Alta. She'd spoken about some news relating to the rebellion in the bazaar–something that had affected her personally since whenever she was free from the burden of the castle's job, she would bake sweet treats like she always used to and then sell them on her usual spot.

"But they're blocking the streets now, and whenever someone tries to do something about it, their group huddles together and pushes all retaliation back." As she explained to the king everything that she'd seen herself, her tone grew more and more desperate, almost as if she was pleading for help. However, it wasn't herself that she was worried about as she already had a job in the castle. Instead, her concern lay with folks whose only bread and butter was on that main bazaar road. "I think that bay master Rostei is also working with them and that woman, Layla, she's giving speeches like sermons!"

"People are definitely flocking to her, false promises go a long way after all..." Sola added, seeing through the facade that Layla was putting up.

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Offering salvation from a ruler that was commonly disliked by the general public, she had garnered more and more influence from bay masters and the likes backing her; nobody but the king himself could stop her.

"Having a word with her won't be a bad idea. Maybe strike a deal and get her to shut up?" Renee suggested, leaning against Wolf's chair inside his old room.

Pondering for a moment, the king reached the same conclusion. As long as Layla could be separated from the rebellion, the rest of the crowd would be easier to dissipate. And if a deal was made with the face of the rebellion, then the names of her backers could easily be extracted.

"I've heard she likes jewelry. Maybe a bit of coxing would help shut her up?" Having been around Robert's wife once or twice during events, Sola remembered quite vividly how lavish she dressed and how much she loved to flaunt her jewelry and her chest.

"Or we can always just get rid of her, but that won't be easy given the amount of people she's currently surrounded with," Renee commented.

Their ideas were as good as Wolf's own. There was no way to avoid conflict without at least trying to talk to Layla first. Only after learning about her demands could the king take any action. But then again, what if she had no demands but the dethroning of the current monarch? With so many people marching behind her and the oligarchs pushing her forward, there was a real chance of a coup and the power to fall under the rebels' hands.

"Bring her here by tonight, I'll talk to her. Kidnap her if you have to. I need her in the castle anyhow." Relaying his orders to the whisperers, Wolf leaned back into his chair and looked around. Astoria was missing from the crowd, and it reminded him of William since she often spent her free time either praying or trying to talk to her insane son.

'Hopefully, he comes to his senses soon...' As he grew a bit distracted, one of the Whisperers leaned closer to his ears and relayed yet another piece of bad news.

"Katherine has taken our immigrating citizens hostage, my lord." Wolf's eyes widened at the news, and he jumped out of the chair. "The beast's maneuvering skills are unmatched at the sea, and while our fleets tried their best to cut off her path, she managed to bring that weapon closer to the citizens before the general could help them pass."

Clenching his fist, Wolf cursed under his breath and looked in the direction of the whisperer.

"You said hostage. Does that mean she's making demands?" The whisperer nodded, and since Wolf couldn't see her, she hummed positively in response. Clicking his tongue, the king urged Zosa to relay Katherine's demands.

"She wishes to speak to you directly, my lord. Just you on her ship–for now, those are the terms for the release of the hostages." With no clue as to why she wanted to meet him, Wolf wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to fulfill her demands, but leaving the citizens at the barrel of the magic cannons sounded much worse than putting himself in the line of danger.

"We leave right now for the ship, and when I return, I want Layla in my regular meeting hall!" Shouting out that command, Wolf marched out of the room with his companions in tow. Most of the work was already left to the whisperers, and thus, the only thing he needed to do was get ready to leave and be at the island's bay.

However, with the bazaar blocked off, the whisperers decided to use a decoy first to draw the rebels away from the king's real carriage, which would soon ride down the same road. They hadn't been told to do any of this, and yet with years of experience in the same, the group understood the necessary steps that needed to be taken to ensure the king's safety.

Even as the carriage was prepared and Wolf got in, they masked the carriage under the illusion of Luna's magic. To the commoner, it would appear no different than a regular worn down carriage when in reality it was the crested carriage of Aestonian royalty.

However, in the end, the disguise proved unnecessary. The rebels were chasing after the false king and banging on his door in an attempt to intimidate him. But by the time the door opened it was already too late for both Wolf and his companion were already off the mainland by a ship.

The only one left behind was the queen; however, unlike Wolf, they had no intention of firing things up against the queen. Either way, with the king gone, a window of opportunity had appeared. And although Wolf hadn't realized it yet, perhaps it will add more fuel to the flame?