"Prime Minister!"
"How dare the Prince threaten nobles?"
The council room buzzed. A minister threw a stack of papers onto the long council table in anger. The buttons of his suit were open, ready to fight. The room was filled with the sound of turning pages. The minister had thrown the papers as 'proof' of the crown prince's disorderly conduct. The minister stood firm. His heart swelled with pride and gloating, seeing the prime minister sitting there without speaking.
The man slammed his hand on the table. "Ha! So, you admit it. The prince illegally..."
His words were suddenly cut off. The prime minister stood up, his expression disappointed. He held the pages the minister had submitted as 'proof', his hand tightening around the flimsy evidence. He glanced at the council, ignoring the minister who was jumping up and down.
*Rustle*
Several ministers passed the papers that were distributed and collected them at one place, forming a stack in front of the prime minister. The prime minister threw the pages in his hand. The thin paper fluttered through the air and fell on the pile of pages. "Is this all you got, Count?"
The prime minister tilted his head, his eyes looking straight at the head of the table. A seat where the King sat. But the prime minister continued to stare while addressing the minister who had accused the prince. His words meant for someone else, but his eyes remained fixed on the main mastermind. "We don't find the proof you submitted credible."
The 'we' in his words referred to the council.
The king couldn't stand the boldness of the crown prince's faction anymore. Not only did the prime minister speak as if he was above him, but day by day the ministers were also changing factions. They were starting to prefer the crown prince. A brat that hadn't even had a coming-of-age ceremony.
He thought after that woman died, he could finally breathe, free from her high and mighty attitude. But the prime minister now repeated her script in his presence, in his court.
*Slam*
The King slammed his hand on the table, his face turning red. The ink bottle placed in front of him spilled, leaving a rather pungent scent. And a sweet aftertaste. "He might be my child and your godson.....But it shouldn't put him above the law, Duke." The king pointed towards the prime minister. Spitting words of fury.
The king hadn't finished his scolding when he looked up. His anger rising further. The prime minister stared at him...he dared to stare at him with cold eyes. And an insolent expression.
"Hah?" The king couldn't express his disbelief anymore. His eyes widened.
"Do you disagree with me, Duke?" He crumpled the papers in front of him. The ink now staining his hands. If the prime minister dared to disagree.... The king bit his teeth.
"I don't disagree either, your majesty." The prime minister bowed. The ministers sitting beside him freezing. Some who were far behind, even starting to murmur.
"Which is why I think the crown prince should follow the law." The prime minister paused, waiting for his words to fall before resuming his argument.
"He should maintain the mourning ritual. Take a few months away from official and political work."
The King didn't expect this. His expression twisted. A few months away from politics. Wasn't this giving him the opportunity to weaken the crown prince faction's influence?
There was no way that the crafty brat and the fox prime minister would give him a handle. "Grief is hard to handle. I can understand it, Duke.
I also lost my wife. But this isn't the opportunity for the prince to run away from responsibilities."
The prime minister's eyes flashed. If it was in private he would have sneered. 'Lost a wife? Ha! Bullsh*t!' He stared at the old king sitting in front of him trying to look disciplined. He clasped the edge of the table. Stopping himself from cursing the king out loud.
Not only did the king take mistresses filling up mansions, using up the royal funds. He went far later on showing up with illegitimate children older than the crown prince. The kingdom of Luxuria allowed polygamy. But not the kind of debauchery the king did.
"Your majesty...." The heated atmosphere suddenly broke with the sound of the door opening. A knight walked inside with a letter. His uniform was soaked with sweat. "A letter from the empire has arrived."
The hot air in the council turned cold. As if it had frozen. The prime minister was first to react, reaching out to the knight and taking the letter. He opened it in a hurry and walked back to hand the letter to the King. It was his way of reading the letter without angering the king further.
The prime minister resumed his position after he was assured. The Inferos empire was their direct neighbour and the biggest empire on the continent. Most of the trade routes that went through Luxuria were partnered with the Inferos empire.
"Tell the crown prince to prepare for a journey to Inferos." The king's words echoed in the room.
The prime minister stood up, his chair falling down.
'The prince had to be informed.'