Chapter 96

“Have there been any responses?”

“No, sir, we’ve gotten no responses from any of the princesses.” A young boy in a messenger’s livery declared in a loud and clear voice.

“What about… him?”

“Sightings of the prince have been erratic and inconclusive-“

“Do not call him that!” The old man on the chair shouted.

“I-I apologize, my lord.” The young messenger visibly shook.

The old man took a deep breath. It was never a good idea to scare the help. The servants were always your ally when everyone else turned on you. That’s what he believed.

“The King, my brother, has been dead for nearly a month now, and that devil hasn’t shown his face while I’ve done everything to keep this country together. He doesn’t have the right to call himself a prince anymore.”

“Of course, my lord.” The boy nodded, eager to please.

“Lord Kuya should just declare himself king and be over it.” Another man, a close ally, stated. “The people know he’s the best man for the job.”

The man on the throne gave him an appreciative nod, but his words didn’t match his pleased look. “There are still the rights that must be considered. The princesses each have a portion of the kingdom under their control. At the moment, we don’t have a single letter of right.”

“The mark of right is only an arbitrary formality.” Another man stated. “You have control of the majority of the military and the hearts of the citizens. If you declare yourself king, it will be so. Besides, those princesses gave up their right to any part of this kingdom when they were sent away. They belong to Dongeng, Peri, Kurcaci, and Benatong. Even if they were willing, the countries would never allow them to send a letter to you. They would hold onto their stake in humanity. That’s why we must do away with the marks!”

His word ended with shouts of agreement from countless people, but Lord Kuya, brother to the king, and uncle to the princesses knew that these people were mindless yesmen. If he could just cease power consequence-free, he would have done so ages ago. In truth, even if Prince David wasn’t a devil, he was far too young to take the throne. Lord Kuya had needed to run the kingdom for his brother for years already, and in that time, he had gained countless followers and a great deal of power, but even that wasn’t enough.

This was because the marks weren’t just there to convince the human realm, but the other realms as well. It may seem like every realm had only its race to worry about, but the truth was that there was a delicate balance going on between them at all times. A ruler couldn’t be declared from any realm without the unanimous approval of the other realms.

Since they each possessed one of the princesses, they each had a small claim to the human realm. They would never allow Lord Kuya to just take charge. They would immediately protest this, and it might even get to the point where every country simultaneously declared war on the human realm. Their forces were not so powerful that they could survive an onslaught from every other race. Pria would collapse, and there was no saying what would happen to the rest of humanity. In many ways, Lord Kuya was the only man who stood in the way of all-out chaos. If he could pull the realm through this turbulent time, he may even be written down through history as a hero. Lord Kura straightened his fine tunic. Of course, he had no desire to become a hero or anything like that. He simply wanted to protect his realm and the common people.

“My lord, I may have a recommendation?” A man who wasn’t standing in front of Kuya, but besides his chair, spoke up.

His voice was quiet, but the rest of the crowd who were still fighting to speak over each other either with an agreement, praise, or shared vexation quickly shut their mouths and waited. Lord Kuya couldn’t help but nod to the man. He was fairly new to the court, but in the few months he had been there, he had already resolved numerous issues and even quelled a potential revolt. He was surprisingly versatile and clever, and Lord Kuya had come to respect his opinion.

“You have something to say, Sir Dirike?”

The man rubbed his hands together and nodded. “It seems to me that my lord shouldn’t bother with the marks of right.”

Lord Kuya’s mouth flickered slightly. He wasn’t a fool. Most of the men in this court were yesmen and idiots. They would say whatever they thought Lord Kuya wanted to hear. He had thought that Sir Dirike was a bit more clever, but he was going along with the other men on this.

“Oh?” Lord Kuya tried to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Even if you could get one or more of the princesses to abstain the rights to you, you’d be in no better a position to claim the throne than the devil. You’ll be in a worse position. This devil prince won’t hesitate to use external forces. He’ll probably ally with anyone who would have him.”

“Who would ally with a devil?” One of the observing men declared loudly.

“Setan and Neraka, for one.” Sir Dirike responded icily.

“Preposterous! If the devils and demons attempt to rise, we will merely squash them again!”

“Even if the right prince leads their army, and they contain two marks?” Sir Dirike shook his head. “This is assuredly a worst-case scenario, but think about it from the perspective of the other countries. They may choose to use the prince, and they may have at least two marks. They can betray him and take over after my lord’s current regime is overthrown. All I’m saying is that if you depend too completely on just a mark, this realm will be split for sure.”

The man looked like a bug had landed on his nose and he couldn’t swat it, but he kept his mouth shut. The other men muttered unhappily while Lord Kuya thought about Sire Dirike’s words. He wasn’t necessarily wrong. Taking over as king was a complicated business, and direct inheritance was the easiest way.

However, he was merely the brother, and a direct heir existed, which meant that conflict was almost assured. Even if he claimed every other mark, that bastard devil would cling onto his final mark, and it would always leave doubt in some people’s minds. At the very least, it could be used by the other realms to bully him and his potential illegitimacy. This was how troublesome that devil prince was. He did nothing but destabilize the realm through his very existence, regardless of what decision he made.

“What do you suggest?” He finally asked, realizing his thinking was only moving in circles.

“The answer to all of your problems is rather simple, my lord.” Sir Dirike bowed low again before continuing. “Since none of the princesses have shown any move to use their marks and lead this country, then the next person to fall in line should be the first child born.”

Lord Kuya gave a confused look. “Even if one of the princesses were married and pregnant, what does that… you don’t mean…”

Lord Kuya’s eyes widened as understanding went across them. A subtle smile formed on Sir Dirike’s face and he gave a slight nod. Unfortunately, many of the others weren’t as quick-witted and stared around in confusion.

“Who would make a better groom for them than you?” Sir Dirike confirmed that they were thinking the same thing.

“Good gods!” One of the men shouted. “They are his nieces!”

“They are princesses and the daughters of a fairy queen. You’ve seen the animal parts on them the same as I. They aren’t even human, but beastkin. Who is to say how much of them are even related to the king in the first place?”

“That’s traitor talk!”

“That’s only good sense.” He sniffed. “They are all already of marriable age, and it is only because of bogus agreements that they were sent abroad. If Lord Kuya were to marry and impregnant them, then the foreign country would lose all authority to hold onto them. We could bring the princesses back home without creating conflict with the other realms. Furthermore, as the mother of the future king, it would stabilize the line. You would remain as Lord Regent until you deemed your son, your biological son, ready to take the throne. No one would be able to argue against such logic.”

The other men were making noises of disgust or protest, although it was just for show. If Lord Kuya went for the idea, they could always backpedal and be convinced. However, if he was disgusted by such an offer, then they wanted to be on his correct side. This was one of those positions that could ruin a reputation, yet Sir Dirike had suggested such a bold plan without batting an eyelash. Lord Kuya used that time to think through Sir Dirike’s plan, feeling out for any issues or holes. After a sufficient amount of time passed, he lifted his hand, silencing everyone.

“You speak of this like I would seek out multiple women.” He continued not to give his thoughts on the plan overall.

“It would start with one of them. As long as you can marry and bring home one of the sisters, the rest will fall into place. Her child will be enough to validate your claim… as long as none of the others have a child to use in competition. However, once you’ve impregnated one of them, it will buy you quite a bit of time. Impregnating and marrying the first will normalize it among the people. In that time, you can visit the others, impregnant them, and make them your concubines. The people will only see you bringing back the princesses and saving them from their horrible fate in a foreign land. Once you’ve conquered them all, your position will be secure, and you can either dispose of them or play with them to your heart’s content.”

“You go too far!” One of the nobles snapped.

“My apologies.” He lowered his head. “I meant no disrespect. A wise and noble uncle likely will provide his nieces with the finest comforts. They will live far better lives in his harem than they would have as foreign hostages. It won’t be difficult to get the populace to agree. Our princesses belong with a human man, and if he is the Lord Regent, all the better.”

Lord Kuya scratched his beard, hiding his expression even more behind his hand. “You said I must start with one before the others fall in place. I take it you have someone in mind?”

Sir Dirike’s grin grew once again. “In an ideal situation, you would seek the oldest. That would be Lucille. However, she is among the faery with her mother, and it would be difficult to seduce… ahem… I mean consummate your love in such a situation.”

Lord Kuya couldn’t hide the narrowing of his eyes. It wasn’t anything that the other man specifically said, but his mention of the faery queen. Lord Kuya had been in love with the faery queen, and he was never able to express that love. His bother had been the lucky bastard who got to play with that fantastic body, and he had enjoyed the faery queen enough that he even gave her seven children. Lord Kuya would have killed to enjoy her, but she left the capital far too soon, and it was all because of the birth of that devil prince.

All wasn’t lost though, as she left a certain person behind. There was the doppelganger who looked like a human version of the faery queen. She was still beautiful, and what she lacked in that supernatural appeal she gained with a curvy body that seemed to be shaped by the gods. Lord Kuya had often fantasized about the day he’d push her down and have his way with her. However, such things never turned outright. He had tried to put himself into situations where he could have her many times, and every time was thwarted for one reason or another. He’d almost have sworn she was doing it on purpose, but he’d rather say it just wasn’t fate.

Fate… one day he would control fate. When the devil prince lost all of his power and was helpless, Lord Kuya planned to have his mom. He might even take her right in front of the boy. In the meantime, there was also a certain excitement and pleasure over the thought of making each other those princesses submit. Lord Kura might be their uncle, but he was just a man, and he was a man who fantasized about the queen for so long, that tasting her daughters felt like a divine right!

However, Lucille was directly under the faery queen, and there was no way he could hope to claim her there. Sir Dirike was right about that. He would have to come up with a method to claim her later.

“Who do you suggest I pursue now?” He asked.

Sir Dirike’s smile grew as he knew that Lord Kuya was interested. After all, he wouldn’t be asking so many questions if he wasn’t. The others seemed to realize that too, and so their refutations and arguments had quieted down.

“Age still matters, and while Lucille likely will live a chaste life in the queen’s palace, the same could not be said about the 2nd oldest, Arwen. I believe you should seek her out with a visit?”

“Arwen?” Lord Kuya thought about what he could remember regarding the woman.

She was rather beautiful. All of the sisters were. It was a shame they had those filthy animal ears. If he recalled correctly, her ears looked like that of a fox. Lord Kuya figured he could have them removed at some point.

“She’s in Kurcaci. They do not like outsiders. Would they accept a procession from Pria at this time?”

“My lord, you forget. There is one time a decade when they will allow others to enter their territory.” He waved his hand making a letter appear. “You’ve received an invitation earlier today.”

Lord Kuya frowned as he took the letter from Sir Dirike. He was a little annoyed that Sir Dirike had been keeping information from him, especially a letter that had been meant for him. The letter was addressed to the king, but he was the closest thing at the moment. Once he started reading the letter though, excitement surged within him.

“The expo! Is it time again?”

“You know the dwarves and their engineering. They love to show off their talents to the rest of the world. This would be a perfect time for you to connect with your niece. If you recall, the dwarves have a strict policy when it comes to pregnancy.”

“Marriage is required by law!” Lord Kuya stood up excitedly as he recalled.

It was a particularly brutal law, but dwarves were traditionalists. If a man got a woman pregnant, he had to take responsibility and marry her, and a woman who had a child had a responsibility to create a family with the father. Even if it was rape, this was something their law upheld. If anything, such a law decreased the chances of that, since if the woman became pregnant, she could force the man to take care of her for the next twenty years. There was a fad some years ago where women who wanted to force their boyfriends to commit would bring them into Kurcaci’s only trade city and get pregnant there. The man would wake up in the morning to guards who would force the man to say his vows under sword point.

Arwen would have practically been raised under such a law structure. Since she was a foreigner, she likely already was treated as an outcast among the dwarves. Her loving uncle showing her a bit of attention could quickly turn to something more. Even if she wasn’t interested, some various drugs and potions could be used to facilitate the process. Once she was pregnant, Lord Kuya’s hands would be tied. He wouldn’t want to cause an international incident, and the dwarves, by their law, couldn’t keep his wife and mother of his child from him. In other words, this plan was completely genius.

Once he had Arwen at his side, he could claim the throne in the name of his unborn son. Using the leverage that gained him, he could visit the other countries as the new king, seducing each of his nieces as he went. This would strengthen his power, and he’d be the true ruler of the country, guaranteed until he was an old man. He could then pass it on to his son. No, maybe he’d need to arrange for an accident for Arwin so that he could officially marry a human woman and put a human son on the throne. That’s what the realm deserved.

He could practically taste his victory already. He’d have a harem of beautiful women, something even his brother never dared when he was instructed to marry the faery queen. He’d have the kingdom under his control. The devil prince would be imprisoned or put to death, and that doppelganger would become his toy. It was all just too perfect.

He hadn’t realized it, but he had broken into laughter. The nobles around him all looked around awkwardly, except for one. Sir Dirike watched the laughing lord with a small smile of his own.

“I’ll prepare for the trip, my lord.” He bowed. “Leave it all to me.”

This concludes the end of Volume 3. Thank you for joining me on this journey! Stay tuned for the release of Volume 4, coming soon. If you liked this novel and want to see more, please consider continuing to support the author on Patreon.

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