Enthroned (Bloodline, #3)

Chapter 2

02 : Perfect Paradox

The current political impasse created a visceral sense of foreboding across the kingdom of Vrivarya. The staff inside the royal palace had become aware of the heightened tension between the king and I. To make things worse, the animosity between the royal and noble factions had also irreversibly escalated.

Few nights had passed since I visited the queen's chamber. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between us, but that wouldn't be enough to put me on the throne. To realize my grand plans, I needed a strong support from both the royal and noble houses.

"Come in," I said, and my four retainers entered my designated office.

We sat around the meeting table, and they started reporting the results of their observation.

"The house of Kuzlav has been collecting weapons, Your Highness," said Irus. "Although I am still uncertain if it is for Vrivarya's knights or their own."

Every noble house had their own set of armed forces, but they could be accused of treason if they gathered soldiers beyond the allowable number of subordinates. It could be seen as a challenge against other noble clans as well as the royal house.

Half of the military force was under the authority of the Kuzlav clan as Orell was the head of the defense ministry, so it wouldn't be unusual for them to stock up weapons, but given the current situation, they must either be allowed by the king who had the final authority for military affairs, or this was solely the decision of their house.

"Where did they get the weapons?"

"It may be supplied by the Dvorachs since they own the caves that produce iron ore, Your Highness," he replied.

Hah. Those two houses again. Then they must be moving on their own since the Kamilia Dvorach hated the king. She wouldn't offer him any help as long as the queen was on the throne. But it would be a different story if mother would be out of the picture.

"And the other nobles?"

"The Sereka and Estrei clans are staying still, Your Highness," Sigrid reported.

I already had Alexei Revali's support, and it would be up to him to convince his father, but I needed the remaining noble houses' support to ensure my coronation.

From what they had shown for the past few months, those two clans would only stand behind rulers that were worthy in their eyes. From what I had learned, the only time that the five noble clans fully supported the royal house was during King Oswald's reign, the seventh ruler of Vrivarya and father's great grandfather.

Vrivarya lost almost half of its territory due to the retaliation of the magi during King Palev's rule, the sixth monarch, and King Oswald was able to reclaim the land. He even managed to conquer half of Urbedza and Tuzkan's territories and was only stopped when the three holy sanctums joined forces, fearing that Vrivarya would grow too strong if they didn't put an end to their conquest immediately.

If I wanted the Sereka and Estrei houses' support, I needed to make Vrivarya a powerful nation in the eyes of the magi and the other vampiric kingdoms. Perhaps even the bullheaded Dvorachs and Kuzlavs might see my worth as their ruler.

The gears in my head started turning as I devised an effective way to gain their favors, but there were still a lot of factors needed to be considered.

My gaze turned to Moria. "And the magi?"

From her last report, the high sanctums started to move albeit quietly. Elder magi of the sanctums were seen traveling to the southern continent. The vampiric kingdoms speculated that there must be a main headquarters for the leaders to convene, but nobody had ever confirmed its location due to the magi's influence in the south.