Chapter 17

"In order to solidify the Prince's position, the Empress is looking for a suitable consort."

It was Ruitas who informed him of this. Alek, who was about to lift a cup from the table, momentarily held his breath.

"Who is the candidate?"

It was Amon who asked instead, casting a worried glance at the Prince, who silently lowered his eyes to the cup, and then turning to Ruitas with a stern face.

"Not yet narrowed down.

The name of the first princess of the Sees kingdom and the third princess of the Galantia kingdom have been mentioned.

Or, a noble lady from within the country..."

"Within the country?"

"From the houses of Garius, Bordon, and Cliff... That's what I've heard."

In any case, once the consort is decided, Via, the secondary consort, will have to leave the Crystal Palace for a while.

To solidify the position of the first prince, the consort who will be brought in needs to show appropriate sincerity and consideration, and depending on the political climate, it might become difficult to call back Via, the secondary consort.

"Whether to emphasize the deterrence against the countries that might declare war on Ancheze or to aim for the certain dominance of Ancheze.

The Empress's actions, as always, leave no room for error."

Alek did not respond. He lowered his eyes as if to suppress his emotions and clenched his fist on the table.

From the beginning, he had no choice.

As the first prince of a great nation, a political marriage was inevitable. If he wanted to grasp the throne, he had to marry the most politically valuable candidate as his consort.

If he were the Alek of six months ago, he could have laughed and asked about the princesses being considered. He should have done the same now, discussing the political advantages of forming an alliance with each and laughing about the dowry if the princess was from a foreign country.

But now, his tongue felt frozen, and no words came out. His mind, numb, thought only of the fact that he would soon lose Via.

To keep and protect the woman he loved, something he wanted to do more than anything, was impossible for him. However, he had no reason or right to refuse the marriage. Saying no would be a betrayal to those who trusted and followed him.

"You can say no, you know."

Ruitas, who had approached closely, looked straight into Alek's face.

"Even if you say no, I can't do anything to help.

But at least let off some steam.

If you keep it all to yourself, there's nothing I can do."

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Alek tried to smile but failed, and let out a sigh-like breath.

Even when he was troubled by the sins of his father and grandfather, Ruitas tried to comfort him this way, reaching out to support Alek, who knew his position well.

"There's still time."

It was Gruuk who interjected softly.

"To choose from the countries or from the nobles of Ancheze, it's too early to decide now.

If you make a mistake here, it could be irreparable.

Even if the Empress rushes, it can be stopped for a while."

In other words, he seemed to be saying not to be too discouraged because there was still time.

"Your way of comforting is hard to understand."

Alek couldn't help but smile wryly.

Being born as the first prince of Ancheze was a fact that couldn't be changed by lamenting. He remembered being advised by the still young Gruuk that he had to move forward with the burden on his back.

"I always thought I would never fall in love with a woman."

Alek said this quietly, and Ruitas, with a strangely sentimental agreement, said, "That's right."

"Considering how much you hated women."

"Where did you get that idea?"

Amon, who had been listening silently, interjected with a disapproving frown.

"Think about your past actions. You were a womanizer, not a woman-hater."

Alek, who was taken aback, was ignored.

Ruitas turned to Amon, saying, "You don't understand.

Just because you play around a bit, it doesn't mean you trust women, get attached to them, or value them.

You believed that those who flocked to you were just attracted to your title and would end up alone and old without opening your heart to any woman, which is what I saw from the beginning."

"Say that much!"

Alek was taken aback by the harsh words.

It made him feel foolish for secretly being moved by the idea that those who should have friends would be his friends.

"Wait a minute. What about you?"

"Me?

Unlike you, I actually like women."

"What's so good about a woman ten years older than you?"

What started as a serious conversation had turned into mutual revelations.

While exchanging trivialities, they drank the wine on the table to vent their frustration. Since all four of them were heavy drinkers, a little wine wouldn't get them drunk.

Suddenly, the outside of the door became noisy.

Alek's knight was arguing loudly, and the door was soon knocked on. The three of them readjusted their positions to protect Alek, gripping their swords.

"Enter."

The knight who entered was slightly pale.

"What happened?"

Amon asked sternly. The knight looked up at Alek and reported in a voice filled with bitterness.

"Empress Myaarl has just given birth to a prince."

The next day, the emperor's announcement was unexpected for Alek and the others.

"The birth of a male heir with the right to succession in the royal family is a celebration after thirteen years. A national festival will be held in a month."

It seemed that the announcement was made without delay after the birth of the prince, following the advice of Lord Sezon, which the emperor accepted. The Empress had no chance to intervene.

"You made your move before we did."

Back in the office, Alek could only sigh. Sezon had probably been making moves even before the prince was born.

Given the current power dynamics, the prince born to Empress Myaarl is clearly at a disadvantage.

The Empress, who has long been involved in national affairs and has deep connections with other countries, has significant influence. The only prince born to her, the first prince Alek, who is already an adult and attends the roundtable council with the emperor, is favored by most of the senior ministers who wish to see him as the crown prince.

The engagement of the Dillenmer and Roffman families further solidified this trend.

However, the emperor's power is absolute.

If the emperor clearly expresses his intention to make the third prince the crown prince, the nobles cannot openly oppose it.

"To proclaim the third prince, born to a secondary consort, as an equal heir to the throne with the prince born to the Empress, throughout the country!"

Amon, seething with anger, spat out the words, and Ruitas added in a weary tone.

"Also, in ten days, a three-day banquet will be held, inviting ambassadors from other countries."

"Is that true?"

Ruitas nodded with a bitter expression, and Gruuk shook his head in resignation.

"The ambassadors from other countries, who are not familiar with our internal affairs, might mistakenly believe that the third prince has been chosen as the heir."

At least when the second prince, Seltis, was born, no celebrations were held because Empress Tzitee strongly opposed it.

Furthermore, in the history of the royal family, when the Empress already had a prince, the birth of a prince from a secondary consort was never celebrated so grandly.

"The emperor seems to be particularly unwilling to make me the crown prince."

Alek muttered in a tone that was both self-deprecating and sarcastic.

"That's right. He believes that a second power in the empire is unnecessary."

"Does he not intend to make the prince born to Empress Myaarl the crown prince?"

When Amon asked, Gruuk nodded.

"If the prince born to Empress Myaarl were made the crown prince, Sezon would gain more power. The emperor will not allow that.

However..."

"What do you mean?"

"Sezon is not the type to remain passive and be left in a living death.

To solidify his power, he will use every opportunity to undermine the authority of the Empress and Prince Alek.

We must, of course, closely monitor this as well..."

Gruuk paused and looked directly at Alek.

"Your Highness, what we must be most cautious about is when the time moves."

"When the time moves?"

"For twenty-two years ago, the popular and well-suited Prince Yorm was assassinated by Emperor Palesis.

In other words, Sezon can do the same.

With Reiatoo as his backer and a prince with legitimate succession rights in his hands.

As long as the emperor is healthy, Sezon would never dream of attacking the emperor, who is protected by the imperial guard.

However, if something happens to the emperor, the imperial guard, which has been responsible for the royal lineage, will cease to function, and anything can be done during this period.

Once the crown and scepter are in hand and the coronation is declared, the throne will be in the hands of that person."

The three of them gasped.

"Could the emperor be hoping for that?"

Ruitas, who recovered the fastest, asked Gruuk in a casual tone.

"In other words, he wants to hold all the power while he is alive, manipulate his subjects by dangling carrots, and not care if a succession struggle splits the country after his death..."

"A man who killed his own brother for the throne would think of something like that."

"Your Highness"

Reprimanded, Alek lightly shrugged his shoulders.

How much longer must he be frustrated by that man, Alek wondered to himself.

Why doesn't that man understand the weight of the crown, which should bear the lives and livelihoods of the people?

"If a civil war breaks out, the country will be exhausted. I don't want that to happen."

Alek's words were met with nods from the three of them.

"For now, we need to observe the moves of the other nobles.

And it is crucial that the ambassadors from other countries attending the banquet understand the legitimacy and superiority of Prince Alek's lineage."

Gruuk rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, a habit he had when thinking.

"Another complication is the national celebration to be held in Midas."

Amon said, almost as if to himself, "There might be people who misunderstand."

"Is everything really going to be fine?"

It was Seltis, Alek's younger brother, who answered so nonchalantly to their concerns.

After Alek had worked up a sweat in Antoire to clear his recent frustration and visited Seltis, the younger prince, who was somewhat optimistic like his sister, advised him with an unusually bright voice.

"What do you mean, everything will be fine?"

When Amon frowned, Seltis smiled, saying, "Sister said so."

In other words, Via, who visited Antoire once a month to see her brother, had dismissed the national celebration as a trivial worry when Seltis, concerned about it, mentioned it to her.

"Sister says that Lord Sezon is very unpopular in Midas.

His territory, Cherito, borders Midas, and in recent years, many starving people from Cherito have been flowing into Midas.

It is rumored that the officials are embezzling goods and accepting bribes openly, and that Lord Sezon's greed has seeped into the lower ranks.

With his already poor reputation, if rumors spread that a succession war might break out due to the celebratory mood in Midas, the people will not bless the birth of the prince born to Lord Sezon's consort."

The two of them couldn't help but be impressed.

While Alek had been focused on the palace, this was an idea he hadn't considered, but it might be an interesting perspective.

"There are no people who welcome Midas becoming a battlefield.

Why not spread some really ominous rumors?

Is there no one who is good at that?"

"Perhaps Gruuk would be suitable."

Amon answered, trying to suppress a laugh.

Gruuk would be enthusiastic about it.

If the celebratory mood among the people wanes, Sezon's influence will plummet. He would