The Choice

Pressburg, a magnificent yet somewhat eerie castle, stood on a hill by the Danube River.

Inside the castle's study, Royal Inspector Paul Kinizsi sat at a desk, his brow furrowed.

He clutched a quill tightly in his hand, and an unfinished letter lay on the table.

Paul wanted to write, but his hand trembled uncontrollably.

Outside the window, the autumn wind howled, as if foretelling an impending storm that could overturn the entire Kingdom of Hungary.

As he hesitated, Paul couldn't help but recall his youth.

At that time, his hometown, Serbia, suffered greatly, as Hungarians and Ottomanss alternately rampaged through the land.

He resolved to join the army to serve his country, and after several twists and turns, he eventually joined the Hungarian Border Guard in Belgrade, becoming a soldier under Janos.

The rest of the story was cliché: Paul, relying on his bravery and quick wit, distinguished himself on the battlefield and quickly gained Janos's appreciation, rising through the ranks.

After Janos's death, his son, Hunyadi Laszlo, also held Paul in high regard, speaking favorably of him multiple times to Marshal Szilágyi.

This ultimately allowed Paul to command his own army, ascending to the highest echelons of the Hungarian Border Guard.

However, the Emperor's military reduction and reform caused everything to change dramatically.

Marshal Szilágyi was recalled to Budapest, promoted in military rank, and inducted into the cabinet, nominally overseeing Hungarian military affairs.

In reality, he was under strict surveillance by the Emperor, and he held no real power; even returning to his fiefdom in Transylvania required the Emperor's permission.

General Hunyadi's situation was much better.

Although his military power was stripped, he at least inherited his father's position and became the Governor of Transylvania, a powerful regional magnate.

In Paul's view, the Emperor had not treated the Hunyadi Family too unfairly.

As for himself, becoming one of the three Royal Inspectors of Hungary, effectively holding one-third of the Kingdom's military power, was a great favor.

His status also underwent some changes as a result.

Originally, people generally regarded him and some other generals as retainers of Hunyadi, much like his good friend, Giraks.

However, he was now regarded as a direct vassal of the Emperor; even the cabinet could not easily interfere with the affairs of the three major military camps.

The Royal Inspector, as the title suggested, reported directly to the Emperor.

General Hervoye, stationed in Split, had close personal ties with the Governor of Croatia, and most of his troops were Croatian, enjoying a high degree of autonomy and only accepting orders from the Emperor.

General Szécsényi, stationed in Budapest, bore the heavy responsibility of defending the capital; Szécsényi was a trusted general personally promoted by the Emperor, and his loyalty was beyond doubt.

Only he, an ordinary general originally from the Hunyadi faction, was actually assigned to the Pressburg camp, located at the junction of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia.

This made it difficult for him to even determine whether the Emperor truly trusted him.

If he wasn't trusted, why would he be allowed to lead troops stationed in such a crucial position?

But if he was trusted, why would people from Vienna come to inspect the military camp every few days?

Regardless of what the Emperor thought internally, Paul felt grateful to the Emperor, and thus he remained loyal to him.

As for his former lord, Hunyadi, Paul was not foolish; he could perceive the changing times.

Therefore, he inwardly admonished himself that he should draw a clear line with them, but the kindness of old Master Janos made him unable to harden his heart.

It was precisely because of this that he was now hesitating, unable to put pen to paper.

Did he really have to write a secret letter to warn Lord Hunyadi, telling him that over ten thousand Austrian troops had arrived in Pressburg, so he could prepare early?

Paul couldn't make a decision.

He walked to the window, and the cold autumn wind slapped his face, but the distraught inspector was oblivious.

His gaze was fixed on the opposite bank, where the large army from Austria was now stationed across the Danube River.

As dusk fell, cooking smoke rose from the camp, and the majestic double-headed eagle banner fluttered in the wind. This army was to set off for Budapest tomorrow, yet Paul had not received any orders, which was the root of his concern.

To deal with whom would the Emperor transfer most of Austria's standing mercenary army to Hungary?

The answer was obvious—the Hunyadi Family; only they had the capability to make the Emperor take such precautions.

Paul had made this guess almost as soon as he saw the army, speculating that the Emperor might be planning to act against the Hunyadi Family.

Regardless of whether this speculation was true, Paul knew very well that he had to break with the past.

Instead of clinging to old favors from the Hunyadi Family, he should consider how he could distinguish himself in the coming turmoil to gain more opportunities for promotion.

He returned to his desk and picked up the half-written secret letter.

This time, Paul did not hesitate at all; he turned and threw the paper into the roaring fireplace, as if casually discarding a piece of trash.

Next, he only needed to wait for the Emperor's command, and he no longer wanted to think further...

In Budapest, at Szilágyi's residence, a banquet was currently underway.

Szilágyi had specially hosted the banquet to welcome Hunyadi, who had just arrived in Budapest.

Originally, he had also invited Matthias, but Matthias declined his uncle's invitation, citing poor health.

Thus, besides Szilágyi and Hunyadi, only a few nobles close to them attended the banquet.

After the banquet ended and the guests had all departed, Szilágyi pulled Hunyadi into a secret room to talk.

"What is going on with you?" Szilágyi frowned slightly, observing his distracted nephew. "Ever since someone delivered that letter to you, you've been absent-minded. What has happened to distress you so much?"

"Uncle, things seem to be rather bad," Hunyadi said, knitting his brows, and pulled the secret letter directly from his embrace. "My plan in Wallachia… has failed."

Szilágyi's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, and he snatched the secret letter from Hunyadi's hand and began to read it.

This was a letter rushed from Transylvania.

Its content stated that the Wallachian rebels had been ambushed by the Prince of Moldavia, suffering a complete rout, and the fate of the rebel leader, Dan, was unknown.

Szilágyi sighed deeply and said in a low voice, "You still went ahead with it. Why didn't you act after making a more thorough plan?"

Hunyadi argued, "The plan was already thorough enough, and besides, those Saxons were even more impatient than I was. But who knew that damned Vlad would be so lucky? If that attack had succeeded…"

"Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in this world," Szilágyi looked at the anxious Hunyadi with a hint of exasperation. "What do you plan to do now? If you continue to stay in Budapest, the risk is very high. Why not just…"

Hunyadi did not answer; his heart was currently in turmoil, unable to make a decision.