The Traitor

The armored Imperial Guards arrived at the gates of the luxurious Hunyadi Family mansion. Ester had even dispatched a squad of soldiers to block the back door and smaller entrances, ensuring no one could escape.

Then, after calling out for a long time with no response, they broke down the main gate, crossed the courtyard, and rushed directly into the mansion to begin their search.

However, after searching the entire mansion, they only managed to apprehend a few trembling servants hiding in the basement.

These were the Hunyadi Family's retainers, responsible for the long-term upkeep of the residence.

When Ester inquired about the whereabouts of their master, the servants were unclear, only telling him that Hunyadi had quietly left the mansion in disguise more than a day ago.

Upon hearing this, Ester's expression turned grim.

Clearly, Hunyadi had received prior warning and was likely already on the run.

Helpless, Ester could only return to the Royal Palace with his subordinates to report.

Under the night sky, the Danube River flowed ceaselessly, and on its waters, a galley was speeding downstream.

Hunyadi Laszlo stood at the bow, his expression far from calm.

He occasionally looked back in the direction of Budapest; although he could no longer see Budapest, he knew it would be very difficult to return there in the future.

Hunyadi was now filled with regret.

It wasn't regret over conspiring to overthrow Wallachia, but rather regret over his naive optimism in coming to Budapest for the Diet.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have to flee like a cornered fox now and could have made more thorough preparations earlier.

Even when Dan failed to eliminate Vlad immediately, Hunyadi had already sensed that this plot was likely to fail.

Even so, upon receiving the Emperor's summons, he still chose to travel to Budapest to attend the Diet.

Thinking back now, he truly hadn't used his brain; running off to Budapest like that was tantamount to placing his life and fortune directly into the Emperor's hands, wasn't it?

At the time, he still held some hope, thinking that Dan might hold out for a bit longer, and during that time, he might be able to persuade the Emperor to stop supporting Vlad and instead support Dan.

Who would have thought that the meddlesome Prince of Moldavia would so easily crush the Wallachian rebels?

With that, he, having just arrived in Budapest, was in danger.

If Dan were captured, if someone leaked information, the Emperor could use it as an excuse to arrest him and put him on trial.

Putting himself in the Emperor's shoes, if he were the Emperor, he would certainly sentence himself to a severe punishment for treason.

Perhaps confiscation of his fief, but most likely, direct execution.

At the thought of this, Hunyadi's heart began to pound rapidly again.

If his uncle hadn't warned him in time, he might already be the Emperor's prisoner, wouldn't he?

Who could have predicted that everything would change so quickly?

From the moment he stepped out of the Budapest city gates, Hunyadi Laszlo clearly realized that he could no longer turn back.

From this point on, the Emperor would surely declare him a traitor, and his escape would become an admission of guilt, leaving no room for defense.

Though he had nothing much to defend.

If he had to say something, it would be that Vlad endangered the territorial security of Transylvania, or that Vlad did not truly submit to the Emperor, which was why he supported Dan in instigating the rebellion.

But these arguments simply wouldn't hold water.

Hunyadi gazed at the surging river under the night sky, narrowing his eyes slightly, and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Father, why is it that what you could easily achieve, I cannot?"

Hunyadi drew his long sword, watching the moonlight cast a cold glint upon it, and murmured in a low, dejected voice.

However, he was answered only by the incessant sound of the Danube River, as if it were mocking him, leaving Hunyadi feeling agitated.

His father had deposed and reinstated the Prince Vlad three times, had conquered Bosnia, and interfered in Moldavia and Serbia.

These things should have been easy, but when it came to him, things became quite different.

At this point, it was meaningless to be indecisive.

Once he returned to Transylvania, to Hunyadi Castle, he would begin to prepare his forces and ready himself to rebel against the Emperor.

Inside the Royal Palace in Budapest, Laszlo heard Ester's report, and his relaxed expression immediately tensed.

"How could he have escaped? Didn't I already send people to monitor the Hunyadi residence?"

Laszlo stood by the window, overlooking the quiet and peaceful night view of Budapest, which was built into the mountainside, and said with some irritation.

Ester was now kneeling on one knee, head bowed, and said self-reproachfully, "Hunyadi had his retainers leave the mansion in batches, and he himself disguised and blended in with them. He has now fled far beyond the city.

Your Majesty, I am incompetent. Please punish me."

"Alright, alright. If he ran a day ago, what does that have to do with you?" Laszlo waved his hand and said, "Get up. There's no need to blame yourself.

Oh, as for the fellow responsible for monitoring Hunyadi, he shall be punished for dereliction of duty."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ester stood up, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

Laszlo's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched into tight fists until his palms turned white from the effort, then he relaxed them.

What a pity, truly a pity.

He was so close to catching Hunyadi, and he even had a witness, the prisoner Dan.

Once it reached the Hungarian Royal Court, it would be ironclad evidence. At that point, no matter how eloquent Hunyadi was, he would be unable to defend himself.

If, before the Diet began, the kingdom's chief noble could be beheaded in front of many nobles... even imprisonment and deprivation of his lands would be enough to create a huge deterrent effect.

At that time, those great nobles who usually joked and bickered with him in the Diet would probably restrain themselves considerably.

However, even if Hunyadi escaped, it wasn't a major problem.

His two armies should soon arrive from Austria.

Counting the days, they would arrive in Budapest soon.

These more than ten thousand troops were not originally prepared for the current situation.

Laszlo had summoned them to intimidate the great nobles in the future Diet, forcing them to agree to tax reforms, and then to suppress any potential rebellions.

Unexpectedly, the Wallachian rebellion was like a farce, easily suppressed, and the conflict with Hunyadi directly erupted as a result.

In fact, if Laszlo knew that historically Vlad had only taken a few dozen days to impale Dan and all his followers, who were supported by the King of Hungary, he would wonder what to think.

In any case, the arrival of the Austrian army happened to coincide with Hunyadi's impending rebellion.

Laszlo pondered for a moment, then said to Archbishop Veszter, who stood beside him, "Hmm, let's handle this as an emergency. Announce the postponement of the Diet until all possible rebellions are quelled, then arrange for the Diet to convene."

"This... Very well, Your Majesty." Archbishop Veszter hesitated for a moment, then complied with Laszlo's arrangement.

After all, this young Roman Emperor and King of Hungary seemed to finally be putting Hungarian affairs first.

Although Veszter could not clearly determine whether this was good or bad.

"Furthermore, issue a nationwide warrant for Hunyadi Ester on charges of 'treason.' Send out your most elite scouts to disseminate this news throughout the country.

Especially to the royal domains and free cities in the Transylvania region, instruct them to firmly resist the Hunyadi Family's rebellion and await my army's arrival for rescue."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Matthias," Laszlo looked at Matthias, who was in a bad mood beside him, and seeing that his loyalty had not wavered, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "You go write two letters. The first letter, in my name, advises Hunyadi not to do anything foolish; he still has a chance to defend himself in court.

The second letter, write what you want to say to your brother."

"Your Majesty… I understand."

Matthias looked up blankly at the expressionless Laszlo. What was the Emperor thinking at this moment?

"Janus."

Laszlo called out the name of the scribe standing at the edge of the room.

Janus didn't expect to be involved and quickly took a few steps to stand before the Emperor.

"Now it's time for your pen to shine. Describe in detail Hunyadi's collusion with the Wallachian rebels and his disruption of the vassal state's order. I want what you write to be made public.

For specific details, I permit you to visit the prisoner held in the Royal Palace castle; you will learn everything from him."

"No problem, Your Majesty."

Janus answered confidently; writing was indeed his area of expertise.

After everything was arranged, Laszlo dismissed everyone and remained alone in the room for a long time.