Delegation of tasks wasn’t as easy as randomly handing them out.
All of Aurelia’s ladies-in-waiting had their own strengths and weaknesses, their own work preferences, their own people underneath them, their own connections, and their own levels of trustworthiness. Aurelia had to learn these properties and give them small tasks first to test them out.
At first, releasing her control of even small tasks was difficult. But slowly, as she accepted it, her mind became freer to work on bigger issues.
After the day’s meetings with allies were complete, Aurelia caught up with what the different ladies-in-waiting had been doing.
Most of them were going through the book that Prince Rian gave her. It had been unexpectedly useful: the spells and formulas contained within all worked. Prince Rian had given Aurelia a way to improve Angio.
No foreign prince would do such a thing without an ulterior motive.
At the same time, the fact that Prince Rian freely gave this to her showed that Sedaveria must have even more advanced techniques.
Angio couldn’t fall behind. After they finished reading the different sections and summarising for her, they had to start improving and innovating upon it.
Aurelia convened with Lady Fortunae who now cross-checked the castle expenditures for Aurelia. Lady Fortunae and a larger team were also designing Angio’s own version of the Sedaverian ‘Royal Healers’ Service.’
Aurelia didn’t go to sleep any earlier than before she started delegating work. But she didn’t go to sleep any later either, while the scope of her actions and impact was growing.
Her secret rumour campaign was getting to the psyche of the people.
Prince Marcus was as bloodthirsty as his father.
Princess Aurelia was providing food aid for the needy.
Princess Aurelia was allowing the common people to check if their loved ones were unrighteously taken for experiments.
Princess Aurelia cared about the people and the country.
Aurelia knew that these rumours could cause civil unrest. She knew that it could lead to more violence across the country. She knew that King Augustus would try to and find the origin of the rumours, but she could hide her traces just as well as King Augustus did regarding the underground tower.
This was for the greater good of the nation. She couldn’t delay the moment she obtained sufficient support and when opinion against King Augustus was strong enough that not many people would protest if someone conveniently took over instead.
She believed that she was on track to a majority support from both the nobility and the common people. She just needed a bit more time.
The next morning, Aurelia came to King Augustus’s quarters, swapping over with Duke Ignis who had stood duty at night while Prince Marcus was still away chasing down Viscount Amethystus.
“Is Aurelia here yet? Bring her in!” came King Augustus’s order.
Aurelia suppressed her emotions. She knocked on the door and entered. “Yes, Your Majesty?” she said as she bowed deeply.
King Augustus growled, annoyed. “Fuck it, contact Prince Rian immediately for me. I shall propose my own contract variation!”
King Augustus wouldn’t suddenly capitulate on the contract matter. No, it was because, in the middle of last night, King Augustus had woken up with the sickening suspicion that Marcus was trying to gain military control in order to enact a coup! Marcus had been much too eager to take some troops with him, even though it would slow him down!
King Augustus was struck with relief that the loyal Duke Ignis was standing outside guarding him that night instead of the traitorous Prince Marcus.
With the real possibility of his throne being unseated beneath him, King Augustus was forced to admit the unpalatable.
There was only one sure method to return his magic properly, and that was to do so within the framework of contracts.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Aurelia said obediently. “I do not have Prince Rian’s direct contact, however. It will take me time to acquire a suitable mirror.”
“Then hurry up!”
“It may take an hour or more. Who would guard you in the meantime?”
“Cancel morning court. I’ll stay here!” King Augustus’s quarters had protective shields that had been strengthened since his magic was restricted. He wasn’t going to enter that den of snakes and foxes without adequate protection. He didn’t know which nobles were now under Prince Marcus’s banner, damn them!
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Cegfilj lwwfvljafis atbeuta bo Zjgdelr Kfggj olgra. Lf kbeiv vfolclafis tjnf Uglcmf Eljc’r mbcajma. Lbkfnfg, tf kjr lc atf Kfggj olfo jcv atfgf kjrc’a j kjs ab ‘ilcx’ eq mbccfmalbcr. Vb atf cfza qfgrbc rtf atbeuta bo kjr Nlrmbecafrr Nfcfcew.
Nlrmbecafrr Nfcfcew tjv agjnfiifv j ktlif klat Uglcmf Eljc. Vtf wluta tjnf ilcxfv tfg mbwweclmjalbc wlggbg klat tlr.
Aurelia was right.
Viscountess Venenum had Prince Rian’s contact, in case she wanted to consult with Earl Rosewood regarding the heat-sensing technique. After hearing that King Augustus wanted to contact Prince Rian, Viscountess Venenum agreed to lend her mirror.
But first, she wanted to speak to Prince Rian in private.
Aurelia allowed her to do so, and then she took Viscountess Venenum back to the castle.
The long-distance meeting was arranged thus: Viscountess Venenum’s communication mirror was propped up on Princess Aurelia’s desk in her study. Princess Aurelia sat at her desk, facing the mirror. Viscountess Venenum stood next to Princess Aurelia, establishing the connection and passing a polite greeting to Prince Rian, before leaving the room.
King Augustus sat on a sofa behind the mirror, where Prince Rian couldn’t see him, but Princess Aurelia could.
Aurelia had to speak and manage her expression extra carefully. It was in her best interest to keep King Augustus without magic for as long as possible. At the same time, she couldn’t show disobedience to King Augustus yet.
“Good morning, Princess Aurelia,” Prince Rian said courteously in Angian. “It feels like it has been quite long since we talked. I hope you’ve been well. What do you wish to talk to me about?”
“Good morning, Prince Rian,” Aurelia said shortly. “We propose our own contract variation.”
“What terms?”
“With all monetary numbers replaced with zero.”
Prince Rian had a faint smile. “It’s customary for the loser to pay something to the winner.”
King Augustus had a sour expression.
“His Majesty King Augustus is clear on the matter. No payment. We simply engaged in a friendly duel,” Aurelia said.
“According to the original contract that I proposed, King Augustus only needs to pay fifteen thousand gold coins. This isn’t a large amount.”
“As you say, the amount is not large. Neither we nor you are lacking such an amount. You don’t need to care about it.”
Prince Rian tilted his head slightly. “If King Augustus had won, would he make the same concession for me?”
Aurelia couldn’t answer ‘yes’ to that question, because she knew very clearly that King Augustus wouldn’t make that concession. Aurelia glanced away from the mirror.
King Augustus’s expression had gotten worse.
Aurelia had to concede. “Prince Rian, we’re trying to reach a resolution to the contract matter. What do you want in order to end the contract? How much can you reduce the fine to?”
“I understand. In that case, King Augustus injured Earl Rosewood after the duel had ended. At the very least, there should be reimbursement for medical care for Earl Rosewood. We were also unable to stay as long as planned, despite the long trip we made to the Angio capital. As such, there should also be compensation for forcing us to end our trip early.”
Aurelia had a bad feeling. “And how much is that?”
“Ten thousand gold coins.”
Across the room, King Augustus looked like he was about to knock over the vase on the small table.
“—If this is too much, then we can set up a payment schedule. One thousand coins each month for ten months.”
“Does he think I’m poor?!!” King Augustus thundered. He slapped the table with a loud ‘bam!’
Prince Rian raised his eyebrows. “Is His Majesty King Augustus in attendance?” he asked.
“Yes,” Aurelia said.
“Then, if His Majesty King Augustus doesn’t want to pay a single gold coin, then I would accept something else in return.”
King Augustus strode forward and rotated the communication mirror to face him instead of Aurelia. “Say it!”
“Instead of gold, the payment would be that Angio and Sedaveria will not go to war or commit any acts of aggression upon each other. If Angio breaks this condition, whether you ordered it or not, Your Majesty’s life is forfeit. I can draft a contract variation.”
“Impossible!” King Augustus was repulsed. “That’s not possible!”
“Are you worried about the inequality? Even if I tie my life to the same contract?” Prince Rian asked mildly. “Or, if you don’t believe I can write a contract that can affect this, then why don’t you sign it?”
“Azure, you know exactly what I mean!”
“Then, you should accept my original contract variation.”
King Augustus’s face was flushed red with anger and embarrassment. He raised his fist. “Damn you—”
Aurelia darted forward and grabbed Viscountess Venenum’s communication mirror before King Augustus could break it.
—Technically, the mirror should have protective spells on it and wouldn’t be breakable by a non-magical punch. But Aurelia didn’t risk it.
“Prince Rian, I appreciate your time,” Aurelia said. “We’ll discuss among ourselves and communicate further steps with you soon.”
“Thank you for talking to me,” Prince Rian said. “Have a good day, Princess Aurelia, King Augustus.“
Aurelia ended the call and put the mirror down. “Your Majesty—”
“WHAT?!”
“A fifteen thousand gold fine isn’t much,” Aurelia said. “It’ll show that Sedaveria is so poor that they’d accept such a sum.”
King Augustus gritted his teeth.
“You could raise taxes and recover much more than this in a year.”
“Tch.”
“Your lawyers can look into the contract variation terms thoroughly before signing. Your magic could be returned within two weeks, depending on how many changes you require and how long it takes to deliver the gold.”
King Augustus turned his head and strode towards the door. “Just do it,” he snarled. “Don’t bother me!”
Aurelia bowed, even if King Augustus didn’t see her do so. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Prince Pollux could immediately tell that something had changed with King Augustus.
King Augustus was starting to have that old, familiar arrogance, combined with a new sense of urgency. After he pestered the mages in the tower, he immediately turned to his team of lawyers.
Pollux confirmed the truth via Aurelia herself.
Aurelia had an unreadable expression when she told him that King Augustus had agreed to follow a contract variation with reduced fine.
Knowing this, Pollux estimated there were two to four weeks left until King Augustus’s magic returned, considering the time it’d take for King Augustus to send the money to Prince Rian.
Well, the countdown begins, Pollux thought.
The next few weeks were going to be the most tumultuous. If anyone wanted to do something to King Augustus, the perfect time was when he was without his powers.
Alone in his room, no one saw Pollux’s expression.
Rian’s meeting with Princess Aurelia and King Augustus in the morning had been unexpected.
Of course, he was obedient and told his Imperial Parents what happened immediately afterwards, telling them that—“Viscountess Venenum called me. I didn’t expect Princess Aurelia to be there, let alone King Augustus. By the time Princess Aurelia greeted me, I didn’t have time to request your presence.”
They didn’t ask why he had a mirror connection with Viscountess Venenum and he didn’t tell them either.
Because of Rian’s impending trip, he handed all relevant powers and contract oversight to King Edric. King Edric could accept the contract fines in his place.
Impromptu morning meeting aside, Rian had a scheduled meeting with Queen Mira in the afternoon.
After lunch, Rian held his stack of proposed law changes and headed into Queen Mira’s study.
“Good afternoon, Imperial Mother. I’m grateful that you could spare time to meet with me today,” Rian said politely.
“Good afternoon, dear,” Queen Mira said. She was sitting at her desk.
Rian walked up to the desk and put down his papers. “Your Majesty, I would like to propose these changes to national Sedaverian law.”
Queen Mira didn’t look at the papers. Instead, her gaze remained on Rian. “Take a seat.”
“Thank you.”
“I wished to meet with you today for other matters.”
Rian straightened. “Yes?”
“There are some rumours that I’ve been concerned about.”
Rian kept track of many rumours. While he suspected what his mother meant, he technically didn’t know for certain. So he blinked his eyes in confusion and asked, “Which rumours? Is this about Angio?”
Queen Mira pursed her lips. “No.” She suspected that Rian was lying, but she was torn between saying it directly and not saying it at all—saying it would give it too much credibility.
“Then what about?” Rian asked.
“Rumours that could affect your trip to the Hraun Nation.”
“Imperial Mother, everything has been well prepared for the trip.” Rian smiled faintly. “As you know, King Firestone of Hraun is much more agreeable than King Augustus of Angio. Earl Rosewood and I don’t have plans to duel King Firestone, though we would very much like to see him work his magic.”
Queen Mira’s gaze was sharp and assessing, but Rian’s body language, facial expression, eyes, and tone of voice were innocent.
But what was he innocent about?
As a noble, as a queen, Queen Mira understood how to tell the truth and avoid strictly lying by careful wording and omission.
And Rian, despite his childish misbehaviour, seemed to know how to play that same game. Or perhaps that ‘childish’ misbehaviour was calculated.
Rian hadn’t been like this until he met Ayden Rosewood. Rian had distinctly changed after he returned from the Rosewood fief, almost three years ago.
Thank you to ale and 1000odysseys for their support!
AND thank you to whoislikeaparadox for this fanart of Ren Xiyang!
He looks a bit like a school delinquent, doesn’t he~! What great foreshadowing 🤭🤭🤭
Two weeks…everyone get going! Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
😏😏😏😏😏 Thank you for reading!
Ouhhhh and the plot thickens! Tysm for the chapterr
Yepppppp! Thank you for reading 🥰
(≧▽≦) dancing, singing, ignoring the foreshadowing comment (/≧▽≦)/
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Rian still hasn’t danced with Ren Xiyang yet… 🤔🤔
true 🤔 Rian danced with other people during his birthday party… ah but, if those two dance 🤭 everyone will know what’s up!
Correct and correct 🤣
he’s so prettyyyy!! artist did a good job painting his awesomeness 👌👌
Yeah!!!! Super awesome!
Thanks for the chapter! I love that art of Ren Xiyang!
Thank you for reading! The art is great ^_^
So… What is queen suspecting about Rian? I guess it is not his romantic relationship with rosewood
😏😏😏 next chapter, next chapter~
Uh-oh.
I really don’t want King Augustus to have his magic back.
Also whatever the hell Queen Mira is thinking, she should stop!
Awesome art.
Thank you for the chapter.
😏😏😏😏😏 We shall see, we shall see~ Thank you for reading!
I may be wrong, but I sort of get the vibe that the Queen thinks ‘Rian’ is not the same Rian? Kind of like possession? That’s how I would justify a dramatic change in temperament if you don’t include personality disorders.
You shall see in the next chapter 😎😎😎
Wahhhh great chapter as always!!! I wonder what the queen is asking about 👀👀👀 and princess aurelia being cunning chefs kiss i love that in a woman she is So Hot. Xbjdhdjdbdjdjdjnd
Thank youuuu!!! Heheh, next chapter~
And I’m glad you like Aurelia 😉
So xiyang ‘s gonna be the schl bully!!🤩
I suspect there will be kids who feel as though he bullied them 🤣🤣🤣🤣
ik ik..all he needs to do is spare them one glare.😌
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
A very pretty pic! Thank you for the chapter; now the REAL fun starts…
Also, like in that old joke, it’s the mother (Queen Mira) who notices every little thing about her children, while the father (the King) be like ‘yeah, there were some small people who resembled me around here somewhere’ 🤣🤣
😏😏😏😏😏
omg…. I fell for the old joke without even realising it… 😅😅😅😅
School delinquent Ren will be a headache for the teachers, but I’ll be more worried about “class President” Rian 🤣🤣
OMGGG indeed, what will Rian do with the power 🤣🤣
😍 I love I love I love. I love so much and I’m saving the next two chapters for a rainy day to make me feel better… or until I get too impatient. 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤗🤗🤗🤗 I’m so happy you like this story so much!!!!