Complicated

Ki nodded and then went on to the next option. "The third option would be to simply watch from a safe distance and continue to gather information on what is happening in the city and who they are meeting privately. This way we may be able to catch any betrayals or suspicious activities by either of the families and put in place several ways to deal with it before any problems are caused."

What she did not say was that.. if it came down to it and her mothers family did try to inflict damage upon them then she could simply find a way to punish them and make it look like it had been the act of the enemy family whether it be a way to injure one of them in the form of an accident or simply find a way to remove their family and place the blame elsewhere so long as suspicion did not fall upon the Bombyx family.

She did not say to her mother that killing them was an option but it was implied that if things came to it, to protect the family and prevent further trouble they may have to be removed.

She could not act upon them right now because she would only be acting prematurely on what she had predicted to happen that would be the worst outcome possible but if they did as she had predicted and it had been found out to be true then she would have to act right away to prevent future troubles.

However this option also had dangers that came with it which was like waiting for a time bomb to go off and having to deal with the aftermath of the explosion.

Elizabeth nodded with a thoughtful look on her face and asked. "It would be best if we do not stop looking into their activities. What about the last option?"

Ki sighed and explained. "This one also requires our split attention and resources to force them out of the city and give up their power but it isn't very viable of an option since your father is so stubborn about remaining even now. If we push too hard then things could take a turn for the worst resulting in a final confrontation or falling so desperately that he would grab the extended hand that offers him help no matter who they are. This would not be good because he may become even more vengeful towards the family after suffering from everything that has been done to them. Although letting them all move somewhere more peaceful is an option, it is not something that would be possible so long as your father is in control and I do not know if your brother would even take up the option to leave if his father no longer had the ability to make those decisions."

Her mothers family was truly on a path to destruction no matter what she did and nothing could really be done to prevent that so long as the old man remained in power but even if that happened it was not guaranteed if his son had the capabilities to make the right decisions even if he had control over the family.

They were stuck within the city and fighting for control but they would not retreat or surrender even if it meant that it could thoroughly destroy them.

Elizabeth was silent for a while and came to a conclusion. "Perhaps.. our family being chased out of the Capital caused too large of a blow to my father after all.."

Ki nodded. "I believe so…"

The old man must have been upset over being removed from the Capital and the idea of retreating once again after many years of effort just to gain some power and stability would be something that he would be most against.

When someone encounters a setback they will either try hard to not repeat it no matter the cost or they will find ways to cope with the setbacks whether it be escaping into various bad habits or simply escaping from the place where there are problems.

Instead of being smart about it and coming up with a backup plan in case of a repeat of the past, he had put everything he had into the city and planted his roots there so no matter what happens, he would not let the same thing happen again and would not experience that shame once again even if it meant risking his and his families lives or even bringing others down with him.

Ki sighed. "It is a complicated issue that needs to be considered carefully, every step taken has their own advantages and disadvantages which cannot be changed when acted upon. We will have to live on with those consequences and carry that burden that has been placed upon us. We just have to be careful to not let it swallow us up."

Elizabeth looked a little tired as she left the room after the discussion.

Now that she had known the direction that her father had chosen, she couldn't help but worry.

Her mother would be caught up in these troubling future events and could not do anything to change it and many others would suffer as a result of her fathers stubbornness but also her fathers failure to raise a good son and grandson.

Even if she wished to help, she would only be taken advantage of again and the Bombyx family would be caught up in her fathers affairs which could damage what has been built over the years.

Even now that she had taken a tough stance against her father, she could not predict what damage her fathers stubbornness would cause to others around him but also her own family like Ki had stated.