Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 514: High risk operation

The Empress did not allow the moment to settle into false confidence. As the weight of her impending ascension lingered in the air, she spoke again, her tone steady, deliberate, and far more grounded than the optimism that had briefly risen.

"There is another matter tied to Lechia," she said.

Both kings turned their full attention to her.

"When we reclaim it," she continued, "it cannot remain without direction. Power vacuums do not stay empty, not in times like these."

The Blackmare king nodded slightly. "Then you intend to restore its former rule."

A faint pause followed.

The Empress’s gaze did not waver. "No."

That single word shifted the tone again.

"My son will not sit on that throne again," she said.

King Highmoor’s expression hardened slightly, though he did not interrupt.

The Blackmare king frowned, his voice careful now. "You speak of the one currently ruling under the usurpers."

"Yes," she replied. "For now, he holds Lechia in their name."

There was no hesitation in her next words.

"He is unfit to rule."

The statement carried no anger, no visible emotion, only certainty.

"He has betrayed not only me," she continued, "but the very foundation of Lechia itself. He chose power offered by the usurpers over loyalty to his own people. That is not a mistake that can be overlooked or corrected."

King Highmoor remained silent, though his gaze shifted slightly, acknowledging the weight of what she was declaring.

The Blackmare king leaned back, exhaling slowly. "Then reclaiming Lechia is only the first step," he said.

"It is," the Empress replied.

A brief pause followed before she continued.

"Once it is taken back, a new ruler must be established immediately. Someone capable. Someone who understands what is at stake. Someone who cannot be easily turned."

Her eyes moved between the two kings.

"Because I will not be here to oversee it," she added. "Once I ascend, Lechia must stand on its own without internal weakness."

The Blackmare king considered her words carefully. "You have someone in mind," he said.

The Empress did not answer immediately.

Instead, she let the silence stretch just long enough to make it clear that this was not a decision she would take lightly.

"I will," she said at last. "Before we take it back."

King Highmoor finally spoke, his tone firm but measured. "That decision must be made before the campaign begins," he said. "We cannot afford uncertainty after victory."

"Agreed," the Empress replied.

The Blackmare king nodded slowly, his earlier confidence now tempered by the complexity of what lay ahead. "Then this war is not just about reclaiming land," he said. "It is about rebuilding what was lost... properly."

"Yes," the Empress said.

Her gaze hardened slightly, her voice carrying quiet finality.

"And ensuring it does not fall again from within."

The room fell silent after that.

Because the path ahead had just become clearer.

And far more demanding.

King Highmoor remained thoughtful for a moment after the Empress finished, his fingers resting lightly against the edge of the table as his mind moved through possibilities beyond the immediate plan for Lechia. Then his gaze lifted, sharper now, as another path formed.

"There is something else we can do," he said.

Both the Empress and the Blackmare king turned their attention to him.

"A move that does not rely on territory alone," he continued, his tone steady but deliberate. "One that could bring us strength far beyond what we currently command."

The Blackmare king narrowed his eyes slightly. "Speak."

King Highmoor leaned forward just a fraction.

"The Emperor of Rus," he said. "He is still alive."

That drew an immediate reaction.

"In chains," he added. "Locked within the dungeons of his own kingdom after it fell."

A brief silence followed as the weight of that statement settled.

The Blackmare king frowned. "You are certain of this."

"I am," King Highmoor replied. "Our information has not wavered on that point."

The Empress’s gaze sharpened slightly, her interest clearly piqued. "And you intend to change that."

"Yes," he said simply.

He straightened slightly, his voice growing firmer as he laid out the thought.

"We gather a select group," he continued. "Not an army. Not a force that draws attention. Only the best. Those capable of infiltration, speed, and precision."

The Blackmare king’s expression shifted as he began to see where this was going. "A prison break."

"Exactly," King Highmoor said.

The Empress leaned back slightly, considering it.

"If we can extract him," King Highmoor went on, "we do more than rescue a fallen ruler. We restore a symbol. One that still holds influence beyond what we currently possess."

The Blackmare king nodded slowly. "Rus had strong alliances," he said. "If their emperor lives..."

"He can call on them," King Highmoor finished. "And they will listen to him in ways they would not listen to us."

A quiet intensity settled in the room.

The Empress spoke then, her tone thoughtful but sharp. "It is a high-risk operation," she said. "The dungeons will not be lightly guarded. Not for someone like him."

"I am aware," King Highmoor replied. "Which is why this cannot fail."

The Blackmare king exhaled slowly. "If it succeeds," he said, "it could shift the balance faster than reclaiming a single kingdom."

"And if it fails," the Empress added, "we lose some of our best people before the real war begins."

King Highmoor met her gaze. "That is why we choose carefully."

A brief pause followed.

Then he added, "We do not need many. Just the right ones."

Lucas’s name lingered unspoken in the room, though none of them needed to say it.

The Blackmare king leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful now, the earlier hesitation gone, replaced by calculation. "You are proposing two major moves at once," he said. "Lechia... and this."

"Yes," King Highmoor replied. "Because time is not on our side."

The Empress gave a faint nod. "Then we do not move blindly," she said. "We prepare both, and we strike where opportunity presents itself first."

King Highmoor inclined his head slightly. "Agreed."

The Blackmare king remained silent for a moment longer, then gave a slow nod.

"Then we proceed," he said.

The plan was no longer just about defense or reaction.

It was becoming something else entirely.

A coordinated push to reclaim power, gather strength, and disrupt the usurpers before their hold became absolute.