The Third Prince Of Darkness

"I will give my first orders now. First, immediately establish a new army and increase the number of guards in the city. Tell all the nobles in my kingdom to swear their allegiance and come here to pledge their loyalty. All nobles who have sworn loyalty to me must be ready to establish their own units. I will take the necessary steps to rebuild my kingdom," I continued, sharpening my voice. "Everyone must know their place. These nobles must be ready to fight for the safety of my people. None of them have the right to escape. I want to see each of them fulfill their duties."

"There will be no feast for now. No coronation ceremony either, and there will be no celebration until every traitor in my country is dead! Now, everyone return to your work and focus on protecting your assets." I said, heading toward the other door to the immediate left of the throne.

The genuine issue I needed to focus on was that Fiona's two sons, Liam and Thaerd, had declared themselves kings. This would undoubtedly open the door to another war, but if I eliminated them both as quickly as possible, I could minimize the damage. First, I needed to find out where they were, what areas they controlled, their strength, and who their supporters were.

I immediately ordered a meeting with the two remaining advisors and the only general who had sworn loyalty to me. In just a few minutes, everyone was there. I sat at my place at the table and looked at each of them one by one.

"Sir Orlon, from now on, I have temporarily appointed you as the Minister of war. I hope you will not disappoint me," I said to the general.

General Sir Orlon was responsible for protecting the capital and was a relatively new general. Although I didn't have deep knowledge about him, he was the highest-ranking soldier I currently had, so I had no choice but to appoint him to this position.

Sir Orlon stood up with a serious expression, placing his left hand on his chest and bowing. "I will carry out your orders, Your Majesty. I will work with all my strength to protect your kingdom," he said, his voice firm and strong.

I then turned my eyes to the two other advisors at the table. "Lord William, and Lord George, I would like a detailed analysis of the current situation from both of you. What do you know about the positions, strengths, and supporters of Fiona's sons?"

Lord William, an old and wise man, began to speak calmly. "Your Majesty, Liam declared himself king at Lanvador Castle in the south. He has established a strong defense line on the southern border. Additionally, Lanvador has an economic advantage because it controls trade routes. General Roderick, a former commander, supports him. Roderick is an experienced warrior and has organized Grevador's garrison tightly. Also, Duke Fernnard was the first to pledge his support to him, and with this support, many nobles have sworn allegiance to Prince Liam one after another. It would not be wrong to say that he currently controls our southern region."

Lord George, a younger but more ambitious man, spoke next. "Thaerd, on the other hand, claimed the throne in the northern city of Thalmyr. Although Thalmyr itself has no military importance, it seems he has won the loyalty of the surrounding villages. Duke Leonardo also claimed to support him. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that he has control over a large portion of the northern lands."

The situation was quite dire. We were essentially trapped between two forces, like a sausage being squeezed between bread. Liam was in the south, Thaerd in the north, and I was waiting in the middle, in the capital. However, defeating them wasn't impossible. I remembered that I had managed to pull Duke Leonardo, Thaerd's supporter, to my side, but it seemed like he had changed his mind after the war was lost. Duke Fernnard already didn't like me. But there was still Duke Grohandal, who had remained neutral. If I could gain his support, everything would be much easier.

The silence in the room was heavy with the weight of the decision. All eyes were on me, but I gathered my thoughts and began to speak in a calm, authoritative manner.

"Call Lord Grohandal here immediately," I said. "He may have chosen to remain neutral, but that is no longer an option. We will make it clear to him that he must choose his side for the future of this kingdom. If he stands with us, he will gain great rewards. But if he sides with the enemy, make sure he knows he will be seen as a traitor and share the same fate."

Lord William nodded. "Your Majesty, Lord Grohandal has always been a pragmatic man. He tends to bend to whoever holds power. If we can show him that we are strong enough, we may be able to win his support," he said.

"Exactly why," I responded, turning my eyes to Sir Orlon, "we are prioritizing the restructuring of our army and fortifying the capital. I want actual power, not show. Use all your resources for this. Treasurer, Lord William, handles this matter with care. Also, I will soon bring a large amount of gold from my own companies to the palace, and we will probably have enough money."

Lord William bowed, showing he understood the weight of my plan. "I will carry out your orders to the letter, Your Majesty," he said. Then I turned to Lord George.

"Gather more information about the nobles who have sworn loyalty to Thaerd. I want to know why they pledged allegiance to him. If we can break this loyalty, he will lose his northern support. Find ways to win the hearts and loyalty of the nobles. I want to eliminate the seeds of rebellion before they even sprout."

Lord George nodded slightly. "Understood, Your Majesty. I will conduct a detailed analysis to weaken the loyalty of those around Thaerd. I will develop a strategy that will make them question their allegiance," he said.

There was a brief silence at the table. Everyone agreed with me; arms alone would not win this war, but through clever moves. Finally, I stood up from the table, looked at everyone in the room, and strengthened my voice even more.

"You all know your duties now. Failure is not an option. Our goal is clear: the unity and security of this kingdom. No traitor, no claimant to the throne, will break this unity. Now, return to your work and carry out the orders I have given."

As my advisors and general left the room one by one, I was left alone, and my mind began to race with thoughts. The throne claims of Fiona's sons were not just a matter of power; it was about regaining the trust and loyalty of the people. As much as external support, I also needed a solid foundation from within.

I quickly assigned a guard to bring the head of my newspaper company here. If I could secretly distribute some newspapers to the northern and southern cities, there could be uprisings against Fiona's two children. I also summoned those temporarily managing my other companies to the palace and invited the servant guild. I needed the servant guild, which had the largest espionage network in the kingdom, for this war.

Breaking the heavy silence in the room, I took action to ensure the rapid implementation of the orders. Soon, Madam Madeleine, who was in charge of the Asina Kingdom for the servant guild, was brought to my room, accompanied by her daughter, Althea. When Althea saw me, she seemed somewhat relieved, probably thinking that I had either died or been seriously injured in the war. Despite our unpleasant past parting, she seemed to have not forgotten me.

Madam Madeleine, with her noble and warrior-like posture, bowed before me. "Your Majesty, we have responded to your summons immediately. The servant guild is at your service."

"Madam Madeleine, the fate of our kingdom is at risk right now. Fiona's sons have made throne claims in both the north and the south. We need to weaken their supporters, monitor their movements, and sabotage them when necessary. I need your guild's help for this task."

Madam Madeleine gave a slight nod. "Your Majesty, our guild's network is spread throughout the kingdom. We have reliable sources of information in both the north and the south. However, for such an operation, I will need to mobilize a large part of the guild."

"After this war, if you are successful, I plan to reward you by declaring you a noble. You may choose a position in the rebellious lands of either the north or the south and settle there. Of course, in return, I will ask you to sever your ties with the servant guild and swear loyalty to me."

Madam Madeleine's eyes briefly lit up when she heard my offer. However, maintaining her professional demeanor, she took a deep breath and bowed her head. "Your Majesty, it would be an honor for our guild to continue working with you. However, such a great reward... we will do everything in our power to earn it," she said.

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Her noticeably controlled joy in her tone indicated that my guess might be right. I knew she had once been a fallen noble and was eager to regain that status. But I couldn't predict how strong that desire was or how much it could influence her ties with the guild. Therefore, I realized I needed to take one more step before fully securing her acceptance of the offer.

"This is a great responsibility. While expecting the servant guild to conduct such a wide-scale operation, I trust in the skills under your leadership, Madam Madeleine. But this will only be possible if you succeed. Our goal is clear: to eliminate those supporting Fiona's sons and eradicate these throne claims once and for all."

Madam Madeleine nodded slightly. "I understand, Your Majesty. I will immediately mobilize our networks in both the north and south. In addition to gathering intelligence, we will take actions that will demoralize the enemy."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om