"Your Majesty, this is actually an opportunity." Duke Stark wore his usual smile as he spoke, looking utterly confident.
"An opportunity?" King Eric looked at Duke Starr in confusion.
Things in the kingdom had already deteriorated this badly, yet he called this an opportunity? What opportunity?
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Princess Royal Servini gave up her claim to the throne so decisively that, although it made things much easier for you, it also allowed your opponents within the kingdom to remain hidden. When they did nothing, we could hardly identify them with any certainty, much less take action against them. Now this incident has brought them out into the open. Isn't this an excellent opportunity to deal with them?"
A chill ran through King Eric's heart when he caught the dangerous smile that flickered across Duke Stark's face.
Duke Stark appeared unremarkable on the surface, and even wore a perpetually harmless smile, but deep down, he was utterly ruthless.
Perhaps the current situation really was an excellent opportunity for him to purge his opponents. He certainly would not show them any mercy.
But was it truly a good opportunity for Eric as king, or for the Lampari Kingdom as a whole?
Before ascending the throne, Eric had possessed only a basic understanding of the kingdom's overall circumstances. Now, after nearly a year as king, he had gained a much deeper understanding of its true situation.
Previously, he had deeply resented the Xinfei Merchant Guild's refusal to support his bid for the throne. He had always thought that once he became king, he would eliminate the guild completely.
And that was precisely what he had done.
Although the various measures targeting the Xinfei Merchant Guild had been carried out by the nobles, they had all received his full support.
At