"I now understand why you warned us not to say anything to outsiders. If the emperor or a member of the imperial family were to hear what you just said, your head would be cut off," someone said.
When Alex saw who had spoken, he was very surprised. It was because the one who spoke was Richard Eswald, Victoria's second son, and Alex's second uncle.
Richard was the father of Talia, the quietest person Alex had ever seen in his life. Alex was certain he could count on his fingers the number of times he had heard this uncle of his talk.
In his youth, Alex actually thought that he was mute. Thus, hearing him speak for the first time was one of the greatest shocks for young Alex.
He almost never speaks. The proof is that, from the start to the end of the competition, he hadn't opened his mouth to say even one word, even when his children won or lost their fights.
Hearing such a man speak, especially at such a moment, was really surprising, and not just for Alex.
Meanwhile, Richard continued speaking, unbothered by his weird look, "Besides the imperial family, the duke's position is the highest among the nobles. So, when you say you want to elevate the Eswald family beyond the duke position, it's akin to expressing the desire to transform the Eswald family into an imperial family. However, there already exists the Fiore imperial family. Essentially, you're suggesting a rebellion against the empire, correct?"
"Wow, I have never heard you speak so much" exclaimed Alex.
"Believe me, you are not the only one," said Talia as she looked at her father as if he were some alien.
Remembering the question, Alex cleared his throat and replied, "Yes, I plan to lead a rebellion against the Fiore imperial family."
"Interesting," said Richard before shutting his mouth again.
Richard seemed calm despite hearing what Alex planned, but he was the only one in that state. Everyone else took a sharp breath at Alex's revelation.
"Boy, are you conscious of what you are saying?" asked Adrian.
"Yes."
"So, you are conscious that you want to go to war against a whole F*cking empire ?"
"Yes"
"Do you have an idea of the strength the Fiore empire ?"
"No"
"So you want to go to war while you don't know anything about your enemy?"
"It's not like I intend to go to war right now, I have time to study my enemy"
"So, when do you intend to go to war ?" Questioned Victoria.
"In a few years"
"So, you are planning to take down an empire that has been established and has been strengthening itself for centuries in just a few years?" asked Madison.
"With ample preparation, even one or two years would be enough," replied Alex.
"Alex, you know that I will support you in anything, but are you sure you want to go to war against the Fiore Empire?" asked Grace.
"Yes"
"Hmm, okay, you can count on us," stated Grace.
"Speak for yourself," said Victoria with a snort before turning to Alex and asking, "Do you even know what war is and what its consequences are?"
"Sigh, yes, I know what is war, I know it all too well" said Alex with his voice tinged with melancholy.
It was strange, but when people saw the expression on his face as he replied, they felt as if he really knew what he was speaking about.
Alex sighed again, then said, "I know that it might come as a surprise to you, but I know what war means. I know the pain and suffering it might cause."
"Still, you are willing to go to war and involve all of us with you," remarked Robert.
"Yes."
"I want to know, why do you want to go to war against the royal family so bad?" asked Abigail.
Alex raised two fingers and replied, "There are two reasons."
"Which are?"
"The first one is vengeance. You all are not without knowing that the current position of our branch is due to the current emperor colliding with the current patriarch of the Eswald family to frame and kill my father, the previous duke, and head of the Eswald family."
Everyone nodded their heads. They didn't know the details, but they knew that there was a problem between Theodore and the emperor, which is why the emperor had collided with the current patriarch to frame him.
Till this day, the only one that knows what happened is Ava. Even Alex doesn't have all the details of what happened.
After Theodore's death, Ava fell into a mental breakdown that lasted for years. When she managed to pull herself together, she immersed herself in training and never wanted to speak to anyone.
Each time Alex and Amelia wanted to ask their mother the full details of what happened, they gave up on the thought when they saw her hollow eyes.
However, they weren't kids or stupid. As time passed, they figured out for themselves what happened. When Alex heard the details, he swore that if he ever had the strength, he would avenge his father.
"The first reason is vengeance, while the second reason is that I simply don't want to follow the orders of someone else."
As Jack, he had followed orders of his superiors and fought like a maniac to win the war and protect his country. All of that, and for what? Those same superiors whose orders he had followed for years decided to kill him because he might become troublesome. So in this life, he didn't want to follow the orders of anyone.
"Tell me, Alex, you certainly didn't speak about war without having a plan in mind, right?" asked Candace, speaking for the first time.
"It's not perfect, but I indeed have a plan," replied Alex.
"Can you share it with us?"
Alex nodded his head and said:
"To win a war, we need many things, but the thing our branch needs to obtain the most is...money."