29 Control

"We should have gotten rid of him when we had the chance!" the loud heir of the Claes Archdukedom yelled angrily the moment they stepped inside the office in Prince Lysander's mansion.

"Adrian, calm down." Lysander chastised.

"Calm down? You saw it, Lysander. Double S class ranking with only 99% breakthrough to be a triple S! He is a threat and you don't seem very worried!"

Adrian is incredibly worried. He never really liked Prince Victor since the moment he met him during the banquet. He was always wary of the royal family except for his cousin, the second prince. When the emperor introduced him, Adrian didn't say anything to him but just nod however he always felt that there was something wrong with the said prince. He wasn't sure at the time but the second time he met him, he noticed it. He realized he couldn't sense anything from him at all.

Adrian has enhanced sensing abilities a magical gift he inherited from his mother's side. It's different from the Avington family's aura reading abilities. His abilities allow him to "sense" a person while an aura reading is more visual. Having sensing abilities allowed Adrian to always know where people are and he is more sensitive to people's intent. This makes them excellent watchers and guards because they can sense a threat from either a human, a beast, or other beings. The more powerful the sensor is the more land it can cover. Being able to hide one's physical body from a sensor is very hard to do, possible but very rare. The fact that Prince Victor was able to hide from him and it seems to be done unconsciously was terrifying. This means in threatening times; he can never see the man coming.

He never told Lysander or anybody about it because he wasn't sure whether it was something to worry about or even if it is a fluke. A man who was able to defeat a horde of demons is powerful enough. He just tried to ignore the fact he couldn't sense the prince because he barely knows the man and he can't exactly make a lasting impression on their first day of the meeting.

Adrian already knows that his cousin has been letting his guard down since the moment the emperor has taken the steps to give way for Lysander to be the crown prince. Adrian still believed that Lysander shouldn't trust the emperor's words. A promise is not exactly a final decision and until his cousin has the title of the crown prince and then the emperor, then that position is not yet set.

He could hear the whispers of all the nobles the moment Prince Victor's mana rank was shown. Even though the result was considered an error because the assessment tool broke and revealed some gibberish words, it still did not stop the nobles from whispering in awe or concern. Some have even thought about the possibility of Prince Victor being the crown prince! They were even some from their faction thinking about it! 'Those disloyal f**kers!'.

All their efforts for the throne are threatened because of this. Ever since the Elrose family has been making massive waves to push the sixth prince to the throne, they have been mitigating it from the shadows. There is no way they are allowing the power-hungry family to get the throne. But ever since Lysander revealed the emperor's plan to push him for the crown prince title, he has been getting many benefits. From being privy to meetings, and getting his involvement with projects, can come and go to the palace without needing a summons from the emperor, and even Prince Lysander's guards and servants are slowly infiltrating the palace in preparation to take over. Some of their spies are also even slowly integrating to take over the council, the church, and even the magic tower.

However, having a powerful man as a potential heir is also a major threat to them. Double S rank and only has 1% left to breakthrough as a triple S rank which is something that no person – after the first emperor – was able to reach in the history of Claes. The problem was that they don't exactly have a clear plan for the mitigation of the third prince. They have considered him in their past plans but never considered him a threat.

A prince who was sent to war at age 11 without any resources, no backers, no proper education, and even now has the least amount of political and influential power compared to the other princes fighting for the throne is not exactly a threat but was seen as a disability. Even if the prince has defeated hordes of demons and possessed the title of a tyrant on the battlefield, without the right resources and backers one could not earn the respect it needs to earn the power of recognition in the capital.

There are only three things to get power in the eyes of Claes. Have the class of nobility, mana ranking level, and money. The higher your class, mana rank, or money, the more power you will have. But while the prince is not monetary rich compared to them, he has the mana level and the title of a prince but has no solid backers or no faction. This doesn't mean it won't happen. Having a double S class rank means some people might shift towards him and form their new faction. Even Grandmaster Sirhosis position has been shaken when he saw the result. That's the only positive thing that happened on this assessment. Now the grandmaster is facing some questions about his power and position which makes it easier for them to swoop in and take over the magic tower.

"The result isn't conclusive Adrian. The assessment tool broke and we all know what happened to the second one." Lysander commented. "For all, we know it could be lower."

"It also could be higher," Adrian mumbled.

Ever since the gibberish results, the council decided to measure the mana a second time. The assessment tool was smaller but will still do the job. The only problem was that the crystal ball exploded when Prince Victor surged his mana into it. It was unexpected but it did rile some hearts and concerns in the audience.

"I already told you that Prince Victor has no intention of getting the throne," Lysander said.

"You believed the whole scheme he has that he hates paperwork?" Adrian snorted while rolling his eyes at his cousin. "That's just an excuse. He is trying to make us underestimate him."

"No," Lysander said. "He said that to me before."

"That doesn't mean anything."

Lysander turned to his cousin and sighed. Even if he argued his stance, his cousin will not believe him. He saw the look Victor had when he saw his result. Most people would be happy when getting a very high mana ranking but when Victor saw it, he looked shocked. Not a good shock but more of disbelief and unhappiness. The man is not happy with the result. How many people do they know that would give a look like that at the sight of a ranking that is higher among the nobility? Nobody. Most people would be thrilled or even brag about it.

When the second assessment did not work, the council became wary of using another assessment tool. Those tools are very expensive and difficult to create and two of them are already broken in one day. He also could not tell Adrian that one of the deals he had with the emperor is that he will leave his brothers (and sisters) alone as long as they don't plan to fight for the throne with him and if possible, ask them what they "really" wanted for their future.

The third prince was already reluctant to the idea to take the throne and was preparing for life outside the capital. Lysander even verified from his spies that the third prince is not acting like someone who is making moves to build power. No business (that might change), he did not bother to increase his army, he wasn't into extravagant things as he heard from his spies that even the hallways of his manor were deprived of any artwork and/or trophies, and most of all, he seems to avoid any interaction with the nobles like the plague except his best friend and his commander. He did hear the only one Prince Victor seems to cater to in his life was his fiancé but even his spies rarely see the bio as he was heavily guarded or spent more time in his room due to his illness.

"We can't just ignore him, Lysander. We have to look into every angle even if Prince Victor is not planning for the throne. You know what happened before." Adrian said as crossed his arms.

True. In the past, Lysander's ancestor, a former emperor had a very powerful brother who became an archduke. People say they had a good relationship. However, that brother betrayed him and took the throne later. That lesson is why there are safeguards in place against the archdukes in the empire including his uncle, the father of Adrian. The Archduke is said to be more powerful than the emperor as well but he was suppressed. The only reason the archduke lately has been getting his way is that he has the backing of the former empress (who is currently residing in his territory), he builds a massive business that brought on significant revenue for his territory and the empire, and lately, he backed the second prince who now has access to the palace and will soon be the crown prince.

"What exactly do you think we should do? So far, all his action has shown he is not a threat. He has no power, no backer, no nothing except his high mana levels." Lysander said.

"We put him in control," Adrian said. "Suppress him if we must."

"And how exactly are we going to that? We all know about his ability to know things even if the assessment did not show anything. Even with his current standing, he is still a prince who has no intention to stay in the capital after his marriage date and we won't have access to him after that." Lysander said.

BANG! The door suddenly opened and a beautiful woman marched into the room like she owned the place along with an entourage of women following behind her.

"Empress!"

"Empress mother!"

The two men stood straight up from their seats.

"I see this is where you are." The woman raised her beautifully carved blonde eyebrows at the two men.

She is Empress Messalina von Claes. She is a beautiful woman who has long wavy blonde hair tied in a tight do, strict green eyes, and wearing beautiful gowns of gold and white. She likes those color combinations and is known for such color schemes. Behind her are her ladies in waiting along with Adrian and Lysander's secret half-sister, Amanda, who is the spitting image of the empress but with dark golden eyes. She smiled and curtsy to her brothers.

"Empress mother, when did you arrive?" Lysander asked.

"I heard about the assessment. Are you all right?" Messalina asked her son.

"Yes," Lysander answered while wanting to roll his eyes. This woman does not seem to understand how bruised his ego is when finding out about someone, his brother, who has surpassed him in his mana ranking after years of him trying to cultivate his mana levels.

"Why are you here, mother?" Lysander asked to shift towards a less formal tone.

"The archduke has decided with what is going on to proceed for the next step," Messalina said. "This includes preparing for your crowning." The woman said very proudly. "Your grandmother is also coming here soon."

"I see." Lysander frowned. He knows this isn't just the reason.

"With the third prince's ranking, we also decided that it is best to find a more mitigating way to keep him in line to avoid him interfering with your title once it is held. Did the emperor say anything? When is the coronation?" The empress said.

"The emperor said by the end of the summer," Lysander answered.

"That's good. A day at the end of the season and before the autumn season is a good one. A good day for a coronation." She said so gladly.

"That isn't final yet, mother." Lysander. "Also, what do you mean by mitigating ways to keep Victor in line? You and the archduke has made plans about it?"

The empress who now sat on one of the sofas with her ladies in waiting preparing tea and biscuits on the small table looked at Lysander happily.

"Why, yes. He doesn't have a lot of backing except for the emperor at this point. We don't know how long that will last. Wasn't he arranged to be married to a bio?" The empress asked.

"Yes?" Lysander answered a little apprehensive about what this is all about.

"Well, with the noble consort bit*h being punished and removed for the arrangements, I can easily take over the role of his marriage. I'm sure he will be happy with my selection of brides for him." The empress said casually as she took out documents and portraits of women.

Lysander's eyes bulged at the sight. "WHAT?!"

NO! This is a bad idea!

*****

"Emperor, the empress has returned to the capital." A shadow guard said so behind the emperor who is currently in his office.

"Oh, that was fast." The emperor said.

"She used the transport array."

The emperor only snorted. "That woman doesn't know the word subtle."

A transport array is not a very popular way to travel. It requires an intensive amount of energy to power with at least 20 mages at both locations and it lights up so bright it is impossible not to notice it. Many nobles don't like it because it attracts the attention of where they are going which can put them in a compromising position if someone is aiming to assassinate them. Luckily this is the empress, and no idiot would try to kidnap or harm the empress so publicly. The emperor just thinks it is a waste of energy (and money) to use the transport array. His brother's territory is not that far. She could have arrived at least 3 days in the capital. Yes, he knows that his wife is in his own brother's territory for years. And yes, he knows they have an affair. He chose to ignore it at first and became numb about it. Now, he just didn't care anymore.

He sighed. He can't believe that he fell in love with that woman but over the years living with her as his empress, she was insufferable. No wonder he finds solace in his other wives. However, after everything that happened, the emperor has not spent any time with his wives at all, leaving them to stay at the harem and do whatever they wanted (within reason). His noble consort is still on house arrest and his holy consort too busy with her charity work to even deal with what is happening in the palace and the empire's ambitious behavior.

"We have received intel that the empress is planning to lead the marriage for the third prince."

The emperor groaned and placed his hand on his forehead. "Of course, she would."

He can't believe this. This is their plan?

"Do you want us to intercept and stop this?"

The emperor looked up. "No. Let's see how Prince Victor will handle this situation."