As Perfikot was busy receiving the inheritance of the old prince, the Imperial Center expressed great concern over the matter.

Prince Edward's influence among the populace and the court has always been remarkable. Even now, with his passing, the political assets he left behind remain astonishingly substantial.

This has led some members of the Noble Council to worry whether the Lord of the Northern Territory, already pivotal in the Empire's court, will become uncontrollable after inheriting Prince Edward's legacy, potentially threatening the Empire's rule.

From their perspective, Perfikot is already a power minister through and through, one whom the Empire has little restraint over.

If Perfikot wishes, all she controls now is enough to ensure the Northern Territory's independence from the Empire, making her the ruler of a new nation.

Undeniably, this would be a tremendous blow to the Empire, considering its relentless investment and development in the Northern Territory in recent years.

The massive input of manpower, resources, and finances has been a heavy burden even for the Empire.

Were it not for the swift and decisive conclusion of the Seventeen-Day War and the post-war harsh exploitation of the three kingdoms, the Empire's finances might have already been nearing collapse.

Even with these circumstances, the Empire's finances are quite strained now, forcing it to cease a large number of projects and plans deemed "not so important," ensuring its continued substantial investment in the Northern Territory.

From this perspective, Perfikot's secession of the Northern Territory from the Empire would be a monumental blow, indeed, it could be said to be devastating.

After inheriting Prince Edward's legacy and influence, Perfikot's impact on the Empire will be more than just a blow.

The Lord of the Northern Territory, already holding strong power and influence, would qualify to usurp the Empire's highest authority, and in some sense, this is even more likely to occur than Royal Family's heir's rightful succession.

Because the current heir of the Royal Family cannot nominally inherit the throne directly, whereas the Lord of the Northern Territory need only call upon everyone to take charge.

As the inventor of the Steam Knight armor, Perfikot does not lack the military power to seize all of this.

For her, the greatest function of the old prince's inheritance is to provide her with the legitimate mandate to claim all of this.

Even if without all of this, it's not impossible for Perfikot to obtain the Empire's supreme power, but with legitimacy in hand, things undoubtedly become much simpler.

At least she would gain fewer enemies, reducing unnecessary bloodshed.

Even though Perfikot actually does not have such thoughts and is uninterested in the Empire's supreme ruling power, this does not stop her from having the qualifications and legitimate status to compete for that position after being accepted as Prince Edward's granddaughter.

Although an adopted daughter does not have direct inheritance possibilities, at least in the Empire's law, this status has inheritance qualifications, even if this qualification is almost counted among the last.

With the influence and political capital left by Prince Edward, it's natural that Perfikot doesn't rank last in this aspect.

Naturally, everything Perfikot possesses is a great threat to certain people.

This threat encompasses not only Perfikot's full power over the court but also the worry that she could directly control the Empire, becoming its supreme ruler.

Although Perfikot herself actually does not have such thoughts, when you truly possess this ability and opportunity, and the possibility is laid before you, few can resist taking and trying this step.

These doubters and worriers of Perfikot cannot help themselves, so naturally, they assume Perfikot will largely act accordingly.

After all, political struggles and power shifts can never rely on the other party's morals.

In fact, even Eldest Princess Annie, who has enough trust in Perfikot, finds herself wondering when others express doubts and concerns whether Perfikot will really seize the Empire's supreme ruling power.

For Eldest Princess Annie herself, it wouldn't bother her if Perfikot truly desired the Empire's supreme ruling power.

Even though she is the first in line to inherit the Empire's throne at this moment, it does not hinder her from considering Perfikot to be a more suitable choice to inherit everything.

Whether in capability or strength, Perfikot can do so, and Prince Edward's legacy allows Perfikot to inherit the prince's great influence and reputation among the people, and most importantly, the legitimacy in jurisprudence.

With this, even if Perfikot really does so, she wouldn't bear the stigma of a traitor or regicide, but would instead be a power minister seizing control or an heir contending for the throne.

Don't underestimate this small difference; in certain special circumstances, the legality of this identity could mean the difference between life and death.

And the reason Eldest Princess Annie doesn't care about all of this is that she knows what the Empire's future will look like; at that time, the Empire's supreme ruling power won't be a pleasure, but a mission requiring strong capabilities and a noble sense of duty.

If someone could replace her in mastering all this, it would indeed be an unexpected delight for Eldest Princess Annie.

So she wouldn't mind if Perfikot really goes to seize everything; if Perfikot is really willing to do so, she would instead feel compassion for the responsibilities Perfikot would need to shoulder.

However, while Eldest Princess Annie may not care, those nobles cannot afford not to.

They don't know what the Empire's future situation will be like, but even if they did know, they still wouldn't want the "outsider" Perfikot to gain the Empire's supreme ruling power.

In other words, they wouldn't want Perfikot to be able to rise above them and gain the power to rule them.

Therefore, within the Noble Council, suggestions began to arise to restrict Perfikot's power, at least to eliminate or minimize her chances of touching the Empire's supreme ruling power.

The extent of loyalty and patriotism of those proposing this motion is not a topic for discussion.

Because whether out of a desire for power or concern for the country's future, the proposal puts Perfikot in the eye of the storm, simultaneously intensifying the conflict between her and the Empire's nobles, developing into a direct confrontation.

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