Chapter 89: Royal Capital

Chapter 89: Royal Capital

Warren sat in the study of the Royal Palace, his hands trembling non-stop. The Delegation had been sending messages via falcons ever since entering the Northlands. At first, everything was fine, just like previous years. Then things took a sharp turn for the worse, becoming uncontrollable in just a few days. Luke, his own cousin, actually killed Ryan. How dare he?

Luke had a good reputation in the Royal Capital. Though not physically strong, he was eloquent. His character was decent, and he knew how to act with proper measure. What happened? A simple, routine trip to the Northlands—how did it end up like this?

How dare he? How could he? Ryan was his friend, his partner, his right-hand man, and now he had died so pointlessly.

Now the Northlanders were coming out, and the Dragon Riders were coming out too. What should I do? Warren sat there in distress, his mind a bit muddled.

The incident at the Everspring Riverbank years ago was the origin of it all. The Kingdom’s elite Knights were mostly wiped out in that battle, and the forces loyal to the Royal Family suffered a devastating blow. New family power s began to rise, gradually taking the dominant position. Most of the current major noble families were beneficiaries of that event. In the struggle for power, they banded together, openly and covertly pushing out the Dragon Riders, eventually forcing this pillar of the Kingdom completely away from the center of power. What were the ancestors thinking back then? Warren recalled the Royal Family’s records, but everything was vague.

Or perhaps, the Dragon Riders had already become a threat to the Kingdom back then? When the Kingdom’s strength was greatly weakened, the ancestors went along with the situation. Now, the only solution was to try and find a way with the Northlanders. Ryan had always suggested maintaining friendly relations with the Northlanders. Now Ryan was dead—the one who proposed this idea was just gone like that.

…

There was another piece of news. Though it wasn’t exactly good news, it at least gave Warren some hope. Bran was not a fool; he was a completely normal child. Then, perhaps the Royal Family could ally with the Northlands through marriage. Thinking of marriage, Warren felt a surge of pride. He had both sons and daughters. Though not every one of them was outstanding, they were all sensible.

A 10-year-old child, ruthless and shrewd, highly valued by the Northlanders, with his own Attendant and a luxurious Mountain Villa, and more. Warren frowned as he read the analysis on Bran. This was not an easy person to control. He had someone call for his daughter, Sophie. Then he placed the information about Bran in front of her and waited quietly for his daughter to finish reading.

Sophie was 14 this year. Because of their environment, there were no overly fragile people here. Even as a member of the Royal Family, she still had to receive combat training. Though her figure wasn’t slender, she was tall and straight, with short hair that looked neat and tidy.

Sophie looked up and asked, “He’s a Wizard? So what’s his ability?”

“I don’t know. The people sent to surround and test him all died.”

“What about the Wizards used for spying and observation? How could there be no useful information at all?” Sophie frowned slightly.

Warren sighed. “They were all rendered useless.”

“How is that possible! What about the people we planted in the Caravan? With so many Wizards, surely some useful information should have come back?”

Warren felt helpless and explained, “The messages say they were all made to disappear by that child Bran and his Attendant.”

Sophie looked seriously at her father, then said, “You want me to marry him, to control this child.”

Looking at his daughter, who called Bran a child like a little adult, Warren let out a short laugh. Then a sour feeling welled up in his heart—he truly couldn’t bear to part with his daughter.

“Perhaps you don’t need to marry him. We need to observe more, to see how much power this child really has. We are not like those Nobles; they only need a protector. If possible, it would be best to have a Northlands woman become Queen, to make the Northlanders stand completely on our side.”

“Do not underestimate this child. You cannot control him either. Observe more, and become his friend. The intelligence says he is quite generous to his friends.”

Yet Sophie replied with full confidence, “I will definitely be able to control him. Don’t worry.”

Warren sighed, then added, “Your combat instructor, Ryan, is dead.”

“What!?” Sophie exclaimed in shock. “The Northlanders killed him? I want revenge!”

“No, Luke killed him.”

“Impossible! Ryan could beat him to a pulp with one hand.”

“Luke poisoned his water pouch first, then cut off his head. People always overlook dangers from those close by. You should remember this lesson.”

“I will kill him!” Sophie said through gritted teeth.

“You may go now.” Warren waved his hand.

…

Warren felt powerless. The current Kingdom was a complete mess. He even wanted to abandon everything and run far away. He knew he was not a fit King. He once wanted to become a great Knight, to conquer all directions. In the end, he was forced to sit on this Throne, which he never wanted in the first place.

Warren knew he was not good at handling internal affairs. Yet sitting in this position, he had no choice but to deal with these annoying matters. Just as Warren was wallowing in self-pity, his eldest son Taylor barged in.

“You cannot make my sister marry for an alliance.” Taylor directly voiced his displeasure.

“It’s just to go and look first. Whether there is a marriage or not is not something we can decide either.” Warren felt even more powerless.

“That won’t do either! We are the Royal Family. We are the rulers of this land.”

Warren raised his head and looked seriously at his eldest son. When was the last time they had a father-son talk? Who was in charge of teaching him? He felt a severe headache coming on. He remembered everything was arranged properly. How could such words come from his own son’s mouth?

Warren asked, “Who have you been learning from recently?”

Warren’s question made Taylor’s eyes avoid his gaze. He didn’t answer his father, instead stressing, “That’s not important! You can’t do this to my sister!”

Warren shook his head in distress. No need to ask. It must be his wife disrupting the arrangements again. This had happened more than once. His wife was not from a major noble family. Her mind had always been simple. Back then, it was precisely this simplicity that attracted him, making him overcome all obstacles in the end.

When this simplicity gradually bore bitter fruit, it was already too late. She saw things too simply, like pieces on a chessboard, thinking the King was the greatest, the Queen was the greatest, and everything revolved around them.

He truly regretted not following his parents’ arrangements back then. Now, this Queen could neither help him rule the Kingdom, nor guide their children correctly. And her family—a group of people who hadn’t seen the world—surrounded her every day, treating her as heaven. These foolish people had actually set their sights on his eldest son.

He suddenly realized that his son was beyond saving. This made him feel breathless. He felt everything was so unfair!

He weakly waved his hand. “You may go. Call your brother in…”