18 Lysander Before the Banquet

"He said that?" a man asked the second prince, Lysander von Claes, both with a look of surprise and disbelief.

"Yes." The prince answered.

The man was Adrian von Claes the son of Archduke, Andrew von Claes, the brother of the emperor. Hence this man is a first-degree cousin. He looked just like his father with his long blonde hair and golden eyes and he is currently the same age as the prince at 25 years. If people were not aware that they were cousins, they would have assumed they were brothers. This was why there have been some speculations that the empress has committed infidelity against the emperor. Although this was not proven, the empress and emperor did not say anything about it. Besides, it is hard to tell whether or not they were brothers and cousins because blonde hair is among the most dominant trait in both the royal family and high nobles and there was no tool to assess someone's relations. Although the Gem of the First can tell whether or not someone is related to the royal bloodline, it does however not indicate in what kind of relationship. Lysander was more impressed by the fact that the gem has certain protection spells that transcend generations that will protect the emperor.

So, the Prince told his cousin about the conversation with the emperor in the vault when Victor was looking around. It turns out the emperor has asked him whether or not he was willing to be the crown prince. That shocked Lysander the most because the emperor has never given an impression that he liked him. He was under the impression that the sixth prince was the most favored or that the emperor will probably not name a crown prince at all.

But why now? And why him? Well, the emperor it seems knew of all of his achievements and his exploits. Even the ones the entire world does not know about. "I may not be old yet but with all these scheming, I would die young. I would rather have the empire in capable hands instead of waiting for who will win a fight among you. You are the most competent among them and I assure you that aside from Belrick, the other princes which include your brother is not interested in the throne at all."

"But…you never give me the time of day at all in the past. I still do not understand." Lysander said, thinking all of these are either a dream or a scheme. Getting the crown prince position would confirm his status as the future emperor and that has been everything, he wanted wouldn't this also put the emperor in a compromising position with the archduke, the empress, and the empress dowager now going to use him at his back? This could lead to a faction war as well (faction wars are normally discreet. Nobles don't want the commoner people to know what happens in the shadows).

"I have expected that. Which is why I have two conditions."

"Oh." Lysander knew it. His father really was just scheming, isn't he? No surprise there.

"Ten years."

"What?"

"In ten years, you will be trained as the crown prince and will work together with me. In those 10 years, when you are still alive by then (hopefully you are), then I will retire and give you the crown."

Lysander looked at the emperor speechless.

"The second condition is to leave your brothers and sisters alone to live their lives peacefully. So long as they don't harbor the throne at all or harm the empire, let them live in peace."

Lysander was even more speechless.

"I will have a written blood contract for this to ensure that we don't go back on each other's word."

Lysander didn't care about the blood contract but was more surprised about the conditions. He expected the emperor to use his throne as a carrot to attract him to his side and stop siding with his uncle but the emperor didn't. "You can have relations with them as a backer. They are still family to you. But when it comes to the training and the work we do, it will still be us. You can share concerns and any feedback from the archduke and the empress so long as they do not compromise the empire. That is all I ask."

There was a long pause with Lysander still contemplating what the emperor has said. "Can I think about it?"

"Yes." The emperor answered. "But you have to give me an answer as soon as possible, hopefully on or before the end of the season. I would like to announce your title before your brother leaves to his territory up north. I am sure when you give the word to your uncle, the empress, and the entire faction you will need to plan your strategies first. If you need more time, I will consider it but I prefer you give me an answer as earlier as possible."

Lysander agreed and they went on with their ways. When Lysander told his cousin this, he was dumbstruck.

"You said you'll think about it? Are you kidding me? You have planned and trained for this and when an opportunity is handed to you on a silver platter, you just say you'll think about it?" Adrian asked incredulously at his cousin.

"The emperor's reason may sound honorable but this is the royal family we are talking about. It is messy, it is full of schemes, and it is less than noble." Lysander countered as the servants helped him dress in his finest clothes for the banquet. The servants were not at all concerned about what the two royals are talking about and Lysander was also not worried about them blabbing it out to the public. They were not only trained to keep quiet but also to know the consequences.

Among the reasons why he still wants to think about is because he resented the emperor. Even now he could not call him "father". He still could not understand how Victor could call the emperor a father even though he was neglected, ignored, and even harmed growing up. It was a miracle that the third prince wasn't easily manipulated and was so unpredictable that everyone in the noble society was afraid. Attempts were made to "woo" him to get them to their side because he is a prince after all and status is everything for nobles. But he has heard how many times his brother was able to see through their schemes, avoided them, or when he could not avoid them, retaliates with words that would leave a noble in tears. There were rumors going on that the prince has spied on every noble for years and know about their darkest secrets which were absurd. Who has the resources and time? Especially with the lack of resources, Prince Victor went through when he was at war.

How the prince knows about it is still a mystery. The way Prince Victor speaks on things even he has no knowledge about made him think he has the gift of foresight but there was no indication that he knows. Whenever someone has a gift of foresight, the magic tower would try to get their hands on them. After all, they have a new monopoly on most of the potions and magical tools. That group of people is the worst. Although made up of nobles, they were not among the good lot.

"Still, wouldn't you think you should accept and think about it later?" Adrian asked.

Lysander just laughed. "That's you. I don't like spontaneity. There has to be at least a plan. It doesn't have to be complete, but at least have a set of objectives to achieve on."

"You really needed to be spontaneous sometimes. Flexibility is very important."

"Balance is more important," Lysander answered back.

Both men grew up together and each has treated each other like brothers. Which is something he could not say the same with his own full-blooded brother. Lysander is the second prince and the imperial monarch's son; he spends more time outside the palace being pressured by his family to claim the throne and build up his own power. Right now, they are both in the second prince's personal manor in the Golden Estates. Most of those living here are descendants of archdukes so it is a very privileged and expensive location. Technically, his cousin also has his own manor but he frequently visits the second prince's so much he practically has his own room. After all, he is also his own advisor. Lysander got his own territory and the title of duke as well due to his previous accomplishments to the empire and with the support of his uncle, his grandmother, and his mother the empress, he easily got the title without any contest from the ministers and the opposing factions.

Princes in Claes can get titles before they become emperors. This is very common for them and normally if they do not become the emperor, their children will still inherit the duchy (or whatever territory it is) but their surnames will no longer carry the royal surname (Claes) but the name of the territory or whatever chosen name if they have changed it. If Lysander could not get the throne and survive, his children will be named von Claude as the name of his territory is known as Claude. They get to keep the "von" as a sign that they were part of the royal family lineage. After all, there was a historical period in which the royal family was wiped out and a cousin of the emperor who was an archduke was able to take over the throne and has to change his name back to the royal household even though he was just a very distant cousin at that point. This is why archdukes if they are brothers of the emperor line can keep the Claes surname such as the case with Adrian. There are only two archdukes who bear it but the other archduke died without an heir.

Lysander always loved history. It's his favorite part in his classes both when he was tutored and in the academy. It's the history that made him learn of the beauty of Claes and its dark side. His uncle has a lot of connections and information about it and he never really sugar-coated it to Lysander even at a young age. History teaches you events and how to watch out for patterns that may cause a negative event and create the right strategy. This is why he was known to like information about the past. The comment about a "museum" interest him and wanted to talk more about it with Victor if there is time. However, he admits that being taught that way did traumatize him since he was a child. He was very young when he was shown the dark side of history. When he said he was shown the dark side, he really meant the darkest sides of it all. And his uncle was not a very warm man. He was a good and just man, but not a warm one nor was he considerate of your age, status, and whatnot when giving lessons. So, imagine the trauma Lysander experienced as a child.

It's also among the reasons why his cousin, Adrian doesn't stay at home with his father. He was a very bubbly, and cheerful man and was the complete opposite of the archduke's personality. He was old enough to make his own path so the archduke just let him. He was a capable heir after all. Adrian is the eldest and the heir of the archduchy since he was the only son of the official wife who died years ago due to sickness. His father only has one wife and one concubine (unusual for an archduke whose status is considered equal to a king) and that concubine was kind of a b*tch to him especially since she has been trying to take over Adrian's status as heir for years and groomed her son, his half-brother, to take over it. He was lucky that the woman was never promoted as the official wife or he will never hear the end of it.

But there was a reason why that woman was never promoted as an official wife. Because his father is in love with the empress of the empire and actually had relations with her. Adrian despised how his father was so cold to him but very warm to his half-sister who is also the half-sister of Lysander because that girl was the daughter of the empress and the archduke. So, the empress did commit infidelity but not Lysander as the result but because of his sister, Amanda, whose cover was the daughter of his uncle's official wife. Lysander was not very happy with his uncle and mother because of that but he needed their backing so he just let it go and swallowed his resentment. He knew they were in love with each other but his mother's status as empress made it difficult to be together. The entire empire will be in an uproar if they are found out and this could affect his status as well.

In Claes, commoners usually have only one wife because of the cost to sustain a family. Nobles, however, have many children mostly to solidify their heirs. This is because it is common for their children to die young or lost their lives due to wars or conflicts either outside or within the family. Having a lot of children ensures that. But this also means that some nobles will have way too many children. This is why some of them who did not become heirs are raised to take careers such as advisors, government positions, ministers, knights, and many prestigious works. There are cases they are even hired as servants – but on a higher position than their commoner counterparts. Most careers are closed to daughters of the nobility. They are mostly used as tools for marriage. The official children have more value because they were the children of the official wife. Although consorts and concubines are below the official wife, they are still considered wives so their children are still legitimate in the eyes of the empire. These concubines also have their own official marriage celebration although not as public nor extravagant as the official wife. But there are situations where a child is born out of wedlock and then that is when they are considered illegitimate. Illegitimate children often do not have a lot of status in the family and take the brunt of the work that the rest of the family refused to take. Just by having illegitimate children nobles' reputations often get tanked (because men can have as many wives as they want, why have a child out of wedlock?). Sometimes nobles name those mistresses as concubines before any word go out just to protect their reputation but inside their household, the mistresses face abuse from the harem.

This is why the most powerful archduke in the empire did not want the world to know that he has an illegitimate child as this could affect his support and his power especially if people found out that the child was also the empress' child. This could be used by the opposing faction against him and the emperor will have a legitimate reason to have his, the empress, and the related family members heads cut off. Lysander might survive or may not but either way, he wanted the archduke's support so he could not really say anything that the young woman is his sister. He wondered if the emperor knows about this or even Victor.

Over the years, he has to admit he was jealous of his sister having the attention of his mother the most. When Victor was born, he never considered him as a brother growing up but seeing him as a competition for the throne. His physical traits and the fact that he was born from the empress made him his strongest competitor.

Ever since he was young, his mother groomed him to be the next emperor and it was immense pressure to put on a child especially knowing that if they lost the fight for the throne, whoever won the throne would eliminate the rest of the competition. It is basically a death sentence for him. However, when he learned from Ernest about the whole story of his brother's exile and punishment, he did have doubts.

It revealed a different story than what he expected. He has always believed himself as honorable and his mother despite her flaws is a kind and just woman. But knowing the circumstances, neglect, and abuse his brother went through and how his mother did that to him, made him think if he wasn't the eldest son, his mother would have abandoned him years ago. This created some questions about the security and unconditional love he has always thought he will have with his mother. And it does make sense when his mother gave more love and care to his sister while giving him nothing but pressure to be emperor.

When Prince Victor was told to return to the capital, he had expected a rugged and etiquetteless man. He didn't expect him to be handsome, neat, and eloquent. He not only put the two-faced noble consort in her place but did so by goading the people around him without making it look like they were manipulated at all. When he asked the requests of the emperor, he was unpredictable but offered his demands in a persuasive way while maintaining poise, respect, and clarity. It surprised him the most and at first, he was terrified of knowing that this person has this much capability and made him question his tactic for the throne because it looks like he was going to be faced with more opponents.

But that all changed when the emperor asked him to be the crown prince. Although he still has doubts that this was a rouse, he did notice that Prince Victor despite his knowledge and capabilities, was not interested in any of the noble affairs. Many tried to approach him but all were rejected except for a few which includes the now-new Marquis Aster who is his commander in the Blue Rose army. He was afraid that if he did take the throne, Victor is still a strong contender as a future emperor which is why he was questioning the emperor's conditions to leave his brothers to live in peace. This is why it is common for the winner of the throne to kill off the competition mostly because of peace of mind.

Sigh. Being a prince can be exhausting sometimes.

The door in his dressing opened and a beautiful woman came inside dressed in a beautiful gold and white gown. Her red violet hair was propped up with beautiful pearls. Her skin is also a beautiful shade of light brown which is common in the Jalaya empire. Her name is Farah Jalaya, the first princess of the Jalaya empire and Lysander's official wife. While she was born from a concubine, her being the favored daughter of the emperor of Jalaya has given Lysander a stronger foothold in the empire because his marriage has made a strong relationship with their neighbor – one that has been a rival for Claes in years. It was a miracle that the emperor didn't award him as crown prince because of that.

With her was a small beautiful girl barely three years old with blonde hair, skin like her mother, and golden eyes. This is their daughter Zalyssa. She was also dressed in his formal clothing of gold and white. The entire family was dressed in the same colors which was a suggestion from his wife. Apparently, women like it when their husbands dressed in the same colors as their gowns during special events as signs that they are a couple. They married six years ago. It was not unusual for people in Claes to get married early especially princes. Lysander has no concubines as of now. He didn't want some noble trying to use him but he is sure if it is announced that he will be the crown prince, the nobles will be pushing their daughters as concubines and consorts to him both for power and spying.

"I believe it is time to go," Lysander said. His cousin, his wife, and his daughter all set out to the carriage heading towards the grand palace to attend the Foundation banquet. It was going to be a festivity of fake smiles, verbal backstabbing, gossip, and trying to fight each other without really physically doing so.