The Traitor of Inlustris

XXV

I lowered myself into the gold seat, getting comfortable on top of the dark green cushions. Prince Linus sat across from me, and at the head of the table was King Rasmus himself.

It was odd to be given compliments every few seconds, but I earned them with every good deed I did. I needed to fight my way out from poverty. My kingdom wouldn't last any longer. They needed a ruler who took all the necessary measures to get them out of their terrible way of living. Soon enough, I'd be able to provide for The Allicere and get my kingdom to the top, and everyone in the Universe will see.

Now that King Rasmus believed that I would never become king of Potentia Flamber, he wanted to offer me a better proposition so I could still help my kingdom. There was still an inkling inside of me that believed that I would marry Queen Antonella eventually, but I would play out the scene in front of me and hope to win all the benefits from all sides. It was a bit of a gamble, but I'd take the risk in order to prevail.

I'll maintain appearances with Potentia Flamber and agree to King Rasmus' terms. One way or another, I'd end up with a good deal on my hands. I was not going to throw away the chance to live the way I was meant to be as a prince, or even as a king. I had great opportunities in front of me, and I was raised to never waste anything.

"I'm sure you heard that we planned a raid on Potentia Flamber." King Rasmus took a swig of his glass of vinum.

"I was not aware of this plan," I said. A servant brought over a plate of the finest delicacies and placed it in front of me. My stomach lurched at the sight of the grilled pork loin and peaches. The biggest fairy tale ending to the people in my kingdom was sitting right in front of me.

"It was supposed to be grand," Prince Linus spoke, shaking his head in dismay at his own glass of vinum.

"Supposed to?"

"Yes, it was a failure," King Rasmus said, poking his own pork loin with his knife. "Those Flambers were prepared to fight. They disarmed all of our men within minutes. There weren't any casualties and the people praised Antonella."

I wanted to correct him for informally addressing my fiancée, but it wouldn't be smart to go against him when he was obviously frustrated.

"How did they disarm your men?" I asked. "Haven't your men been preparing for the attacks for months? Queen Antonella told the general about the war the day she received the letter."

King Rasmus sucked in a breath.

"Magic," Prince Linus explained. "They covered every entrance into the kingdom with a disarming spell. By the time our men got rid of their shock, they were surrounded by armed men and they had nothing."

"The people weren't even there. Antonella chose that day to host an event far from the raid," King Rasmus growled.

I stayed quiet, picking at my meal slowly.

King Rasmus was a careful man, a powerful one at that. I knew he'd been preparing for this moment for a long time. He saw the perfect opportunity to ally the rest of the kingdoms against Potentia Flamber. When he saw that I was to be married to Queen Antonella, he vowed his loyalty to me if I worked with him. (Not that I swore to be loyal to him, but his benefits were appreciated). I knew he had taken deliberate steps to win this war, but it seemed like Queen Antonella was proving to be more than she led on.

"You should have killed her when you had the chance, Father." Prince Linus rolled his eyes. I stared at his face, knowing full well he wanted Queen Antonella dead. They wanted every Feulune out of the picture, away from the Inlustris.

"Oh, she will die. I probably wouldn't even have to plan an assassination. Her own foolishness will be her downfall."

Prince Linus cackled, but I found it hard to smile. If Queen Antonella died, I wouldn't have another plan to fall back on if all else failed.

"What are you planning currently?" I changed the subject.

"Well," King Rasmus started, as his gaze fixated on his vinum, "we need to make her people turn against her. We're planning on making her look like she's been the mind behind the attack as a way to assert her dominance."

"That way her people will think she doesn't care about them and turn to us," Prince Linus said.

I nodded. Their plan to use Queen Antonella's people against her seemed to be well thought out. It was an issue of publicity. King Rasmus was a sorcerer when it came to lacing the news with whatever he wanted to put out. It was scary, but he assured me that he did it out of the goodness of his heart so as to not panic the people of his kingdom and the land alike.

"We need to make sure she admits defeat, Prince Mahli, especially after what she did to you," King Rasmus said. As he finished his meal, a booming alarm pierced the air.

Both King Rasmus and Prince Linus stood up in a holt. Their eyes stared at the doors as servants rushed towards it, pushing them open. Guards ran around, holding their weapons at the ready.

"Intruders!" Someone hollered.

"My King, my Prince, and our guest Prince, we must get you to safety," one servant said, pointing to the back of the room.

"Do not worry," King Rasmus said. "I know our guards won't let anyone get to us."

I peered down from the railing seeing multiple guards running, firing arrows and yelling out different curses. My eyes widened at the sight of visibly disheveled guards running from other guards.

They joined in the middle and ran out in different directions. I pointed to them just as the guard beside me fired an arrow and it embedded itself into one of the intruder's calves. However, that didn't stop the man from limping away.

It all happened so quickly. One minute everyone was a frantic mess, the next the palace was enveloped in an odd silence that no one dared break.

Finally, King Rasmus cleared his throat, gaining all of our attention.

"It seems like we have to upgrade our security around here. We have a gang on the loose," he announced. After a small pause, he turned to me. "Prince Mahli, I insist you stay here while this passes over. I'm afraid it will be too dangerous for you to travel."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I told him. "I'll go tell my rider the news."

The king nodded and a guard escorted me out. I was shaken up due to the possibility of someone finding out about the war, or finding anything else remotely scandalous against us, or even trying to assassinate someone. Gangs were notorious for doing lots of dirty work. I couldn't imagine what those criminals were up to while we were dining oblivious to the world around us.