2 - Royal Scheming

October 8th, Year 305: Brigsberg Castle Conference Room Entrance

The Conference Room was normally used by officials and important figures. The meetings here were often crucial for the Halfsberg Kingdom regarding military, domestic, or economic matters. The meeting that was taking place at the time, however, had the participants engaging in a very different topic from the usual ones. Nevertheless, the result of the meeting would surely be most consequential for the Kingdom's future. Four young noblemen and a noblewoman, along with each of their escorts were looking at the latest reports from the campaign against the Vestia Kingdom. After noticing the contents all of them had stern expressions, contrary to the expectation one would have from reading a report filled with positive developments. 

"I can't believe it! That incompetent brother of ours is now the talk of the generals, " one of them muttered. "How the hell was he able to make a name for himself? I thought we made sure he wouldn't be able to do so! What exactly is the point of sending him to battle if he ends up profiting from that?"

The young woman tried to calm him down. "Easy, Frederick. It was simply a fluke; he wrote it himself in his report. Even in the battlefield, any man can be carried on by pure luck. That was his case."

"But what if it wasn't just dumb luck? Are you willing to risk having him back in the running for succession?"

"Of course not. But he himself isn't showing a willingness to do it. Just look at the report; either he was truly lucky, or he just tried to hide his accomplishments in order not to stand out. He could very easily make use of these achievements or to claim them as his own."

"Yes, but at this rate, he will start to get noticed by the people. Some nobles may even pressure him to retract his stance on his succession rights, " he insisted, clearly displeased. "After the old man kicked the bucket, the last thing we needed was one more..." Prince Frederick kept on protesting, only for his complaints to be interrupted by the sound of the doors suddenly opening, making them all turn to face the new individual making his appearance.

None of the escorts reacted to the disturbance from the person entering the room. Followed by two women, a man in his forties arrived, his expression serene. Halfsberg Kingdom's Prime Minister Faust Holopien, the person currently in charge of the Kingdom until the succession was resolved, and a new Emperor crowned. After briefly looking at the scene in front of him, the first reaction he seemed willing to show was to sigh in exasperation. However, not only would it be unbecoming for a noble of his caliber to show his true emotions with ease, he was also aware that they couldn't afford to make the meeting even less productive than it already was. 

"My Lady... Gentlemen, " he announced himself, acknowledging the five nobles. "I see you've been informed of the latest battle reports. It seems Alphonse was able to achieve some fine results, even though he was relegated to a support unit. Truly an unexpected development, if I may say so." His declaration served only to further irritate Frederik even more, and an aditional person.

"Damn you, Faust . Are you trying to provoke us...?"

"Far from it, Prince Hubert... I was merely stating the facts. To be honest, I find it completely disgusting when people earn success through luck and not their own merit... However, even if Prince Alphonse was embraced by luck, he still showed enough competence to be able to turn that stroke of luck into a decisive victory for our side in the Vestia Campaign. Both in the ambush tactics he employed to delay progress, and the subsequent swift information relay to the front lines in order for them to adjust accordingly. As much we all loathe to admit it, he performed admirably. A reward is in order, lest the remainder of our troops will lose their motivation, fearing their achievements may go unrewarded, " he concluded. 

"Yes, you are right. This could change the assessment made by the noble on future campaigns. The last thing we need is for them to focus on their domestic affairs and strengthening themselves instead of competing against each other for achievements and being rewarded by us... If they see no gains in their future campaigns, they won't feel any motivation to do so..." 

"It's all great and all, but are we really going to reward our useless brother and allow the other nobles to finally notice him?" one of the princes asked, exasperated. 

"About that... I have a proposal that would address both issues splendidly, " the minister answered, forming what could only be described as a nasty smile, unbecoming of a person in such a high position. 

"You do...? We're listening, my dear Faust, " Cecilia encouraged, a scheming smile finally noticeable.

Finally... she showed some interest, concluded Faust, seeing Princess Cecilia focused on the meeting at hand. She was the second youngest of all the siblings, but she showed the most potential as far as Faust was concerned. She was also the daughter of the late primary Queen, making her also his favorite in the run for the throne. Indeed, she is the most suited candidate... all I need is to remove the... nuisances" in her path.

"We'll simply reward him with entrapment, of course, " Faust declared, as if it were the most obvious and simple action to take. "We will make sure Prince Alphonse stays away from the spotlight and remains completely in the dark from our people, all while still working for the benefit of the Kingdom."

"And how exactly do you propose to do just that, Faust?" asked Prince Ortho. 

"Count Korfell requested an audience a few days ago. I have a good idea of what he will be asking; since his domain extends right next to the Crossroads, I expect him to request some form of military aid. After all, these last few months have been demanding for him and his domain, with our loss of the Town of Verbindeen..."

"That does not answer my question, Faust, " Ortho interrupted, menacingly. 

"I see now... that IS a wonderful idea, Faust. But will he agree with the loss of territory?" asked  Cecilia. 

"He should be delighted, as long as we compensate him appropriately. I was thinking we should compensate him with managing Verbindeen, after we retake it." 

"You two... What exactly are you talking about...?" asked Prince Ortho, nearing the limits of his patience. 

"My, dear brother Ortho. I would not expect such a lack of... understanding, from my older brother." Cecilia gazed at Ortho, openly mocking him. Ignoring the near murderous gaze his older brother was giving, and both his retainers reproachful looks, she continued, "We simply get rid of our noisy brother, hiding it in the form of a reward. If per chance, he were to be presented the lands near the Crossroads he would simply have too much on his hands to earn any more achievements. We can make him accept it as the creation of his domain and with a bit of luck, between the monsters, the bandits or our enemies, something... unfortunate might happen to him. With such dangers, it's is not impossible for even a royal to lose his life do to some... unfortunate ocurrence." 

Faust nodded, confirming Princess Cecilia grasped the plan he had in mind perfectly. Indeed, she seems to be the most suited to rule our Kingdom. Not perfect in her behaviour, but still... Satisfied with his assessment, he allowed the princes debate among themselves.

The remaining princes nodded, as if satisfied with the plan. Not only would they have one less  possible candidate competing for the throne, it would also negate the momentum Alphonse built in the last campaign as all his achievements would now lead to nothing tangible, since he could not follow up with additional success. Furthermore, by sending him to the Crosslands, Alphonse would, at the very least, buy them time to prepare a more organized campaign on those territories by using his new aquired domain to act as a buffer. There was however, one person that wasn't in agreement. 

"I apologize, but I cannot possibly agree with such an incomplete plan."

"Oh? Dear Velmark, what do you possibly mean...?" Cecilia questioned, both amused and slightly annoyed by his intervention. Nevertheless, the young prince showed no signs of being intimidated and ignored her tone completely.

"Cecilia, Faust. Your plan is interesting, though it lacks completion. The goal of all the theatrics is to keep our brother away from any possibility of making a run for the throne, is it not?"

"It is as you say, Prince Velmark. We take this opportunity to provide him with a territory that is impossible to manage and improve without a massive investment, that will not be provided to him. He would need magic, funds, and a fixed, growing population in that area capable of generating tax revenue. In that territory can't obtain any of those on his own," Faust summarized. " We are even taking into account any possible complaint from Count Korfell, hence the territory that we are giving him in exchange will be more prosperous... So we will not be  missing... Oh, I see. You want that to happen as well."

Well, he is her son, after all. This much capability should not have come as a surprise, even if he lacks in the rest of the desired traits. Faust had always considered the former queen to possess an unmatched brilliance, considering to be her greatest asset. He became somewhat preoccupied when he noticed that Prince Ortho, while blessed with his father's talent for martial arts, could only be seen as slightly above average in terms of intellect. Only when Princess Cecilia started showing signs of brilliance despite her young age did he end up feeling relieved. Still, Princess Cecilia realized she missed something in my plan, even if she couldn't figure out exactly what. As for the rest... all of them are no good. The lack of talent from all the rest could be problematic for our Empire. I have no intention of letting any of that lot to get close to the throne. If such thoughts would be ushered loudly, Faust would certainly be hard pressed to deny the accusation of lèse-majesté. Yet, Duke Faust thought nothing of it. Ater all, in his understanding, he was simply making his assessment of the princes and actually protecting the Crown and the Empire from an unworthy successor.  

"Faust, I know you already made plans to tie that loose end. And Count Korfell will probably be delighted to make that trade, in order to gain some influence with the achievements he will acquire by adding Verbindeen to his fiefdom. Do you intend to promote him to a marquis ?"

"Yes, I believe it he would agree to our proposal with just the trade of his territory in the Crossroads for the town we will acquire in our campaign. Raising his noble status will keep him satisfied and also help justify to use him as a figurehead for our future larger campaign against Novus. They will pay for the humiliation of conquering one of our major cities and pillaging the towns in the Crossroads." 

"So, we're opening a new front... is the current one already resolved?"

"Precisely, Prince Ortho. We have received diplomatic summons from Vestia. They intend to negotiate peace terms with us."

"We could simply crush them. Why are we turning in another direction?" 

"Well, we are doing it for two reasons. First of all, the Kingdom of Vestia will still be able to conscript commoners and hold our main forces long enough for this campaign to become very costly, both in terms of expenses and additional casualties. Holding the line and negotiating large ransoms from the captured nobles and war reparations while we fill the Kingdom with our own operatives among the commoners we will return to them as a sign of good faith will yield great short-term financial gains. Additionally, we had no plans to advance on the Kingdom at such an early stage, so the land we already took from them is a great reward in on itself," Faust explained. Prince Ortho seemed pleased with the explanation.

"I see, it is sound indeed. And the second reason...?"

"The second reason is, of course, resources. After losing Verbindeen, our scouts found several previously undiscovered ore veins in the vicinity while searching for weak points that we can exploit to recover the town. Among them, they found..."

"A Magic Quartz mine," concluded Velmark.

"Indeed, Prince Velmark. And I believe you are all aware of the importance of maintaining high amounts of Quartz for military campaigns. Exploring those resources would make our armies that much stronger. I intend to propose a large scale campaign against Blanchenne... as soon as we gather enough materials for it."

"Still, our enemies won't allow us time to build our forces, you know." 

"Indeed. Thus, the reason for us to recover and hold Verbindeen; we will be able to explore the vast resources, while building up our military. Verbindeen will serve as a buffer zone, and Prince Alphonse will serve as bait for our neighbors for as long as possible."

"Faust, that plan is as complex as it is devious," commented Princess Cecilia, looking delighted. "We will be using him while keeping him away from any succession decisions we will make in the meantime. Also, Faust has an additional way to cut his way back in." 

"Which is...?" asked Prince Ortho, showing signs of curiosity. 

"Marriage. Count Albrecht Korfell will offer one of his daughters in marriage." Faust replied.

"That makes no sense. We are talking about a promoted Marquis's daughter here. How will his claim be any weaker? We are actually inviting adding Korfell to our list of problems." 

Faust smiled as Prince Ortho voiced his opinion. In response, he snapped his fingers and one of his attendants produced a small paper. Once every royal in the room analysed the contents, no complaints were issued. 

"Fine. I agree to it, Faust. You have my backing." relented Prince Ortho.
"You had my agreement from the beginning, Faust" noded Princess Cecilia. 

The other princes all nodded in agreement as well. Faust smiled, satisfied. I'll get on with it then; the sooner, the better. The princes all prepared to end the meeting, while Faust and his attendants bowed and left the room as well. 

Well, time to meet Count Korfell. He will probably be delighted after hearing our proposal. Thank God I instructed him to keep the women alive, since they could be of use to us in the future, Faust thought, while going down a flight of stairs, straight into the Royal Meeting Room. 

"Time to get this new plan into motion, girls. Ayna, lead the Count to the meeting room, if you may. Helgia, instruct the maids to prepare some tea."

Both girls nodded at Faust, while watching their master walk towards his private workroom with clear enthusiasm. Helgia showed a slightly troubled look over Ayna, who in turn simply nodded  negatively to her, as if asking her not to think about it too deeply. This meeting will be another big step for Master and his plan. I better hurry and greet the Count, Ayna thought, while heading towards the fanciest waiting room in the palace. I have no qualms with the Prince, and feel sorry for his position, though, since he always treated us very respectfully. I'm sure Helgia feels troubled about it as well.