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“Additionally, if Prince Callum appears in Yanzy City, no matter what token he presents, it is all fake. Arrest him immediately,” the King ordered.
As he spoke, he handed Wilbur an imperial edict that had already been prepared. “Take the secret edict with you; no one will dare stop you.”
“I receive Your Majesty’s command.”
Wilbur left the side hall, a storm of emotions surging within him.
‘If Prince Callum is in Yanzy City…
Then what is he there to do?‘ Wilbur wondered.
Given the current situation, he simply dared not imagine it.
As if guided by fate, he decided to return and see Margaery once more before heading to Yanzy City, perhaps to gain a different outcome.
This was purely intuition.
The King rose in the side hall and walked toward the bedchamber.
Warren followed behind, his body bent and his voice lowered, as if his back were weighed down by the gravity of the current
situation.
“Your Majesty, this afternoon Lord Thornton went to West Street. By tomorrow morning’s court session, Prince Marcus will be apprehended…
“But now, Prince Nathaniel has just been attacked, Prince Marcus is in trouble, and then Prince Callum as well. Will this not cause turmoil in the court and unrest among the people?” he reminded.
Having served the Emperor for half a lifetime, he knew His Majesty’s ways.
He either held his hand completely or struck with overwhelming force,
Yet this time, the King’s move left even him unsettled.
Deposing the Chancellor and establishing the Cabinet.
This was not merely a reform, but the removal of half the court and the sacrifice of three elder princes in one stroke.
Whenever such upheaval occurred in history, it always ended in internal and external crises, with the royal authority
overturned.
However, in the history of the Eastvale Empire, such cases were always the result of a foolish monarch and passive unrest
This time, however, it was the King who acted proactively
Even so, Warren still felt deeply anxious.
He was afraid in his heart.
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The King walked forward through the snow, his pace measured and steady. “The Southcroft Empire and Frosthelm wish to use this year’s blizzard in the Eastvale Empire to their advantage; we can do the same.”
Warren only half understood these words.
But he dared not ask further.
Upon entering the Imperial Study, Dermot hurried forward to greet the King. “Your Majesty, news from outside the palace: Chester is inquiring about Minister Hadley and Dominic.
“And Tristan has gone to the family crypt to seek Lady Alicia and Prince Marcus.”
Dermot kept his head lowered, his expression grave.
The King listened but walked directly to the desk. “Send Prince Dashnell to see me.”
“Yes!” Dermot replied and quickly departed.
A moment later, Dashnell wheeled himself out from the side hall and approached. “Father.”
The King looked at him, his gaze unlike any before.
He did not speak, but gazed at his youngest son for a long time.
The great hall was so silent that a pin drop could be heard; cold sweat broke out on Warren, for few could endure the monarch’s scrutiny for long.
Dashnell was not entirely unaffected.
Yet he showed little reaction, simply allowing the King to look at him, his expression calm and unhurried, showing no sign of stress.
After a long while, the King spoke, “After you see Margaery this afternoon, take the Dragon Guard and help me with something.”
Some days ago, because Dashnell intervened at the Eames family to help Margaery and revealed his skills, the King withdrew the Dragon Guard.
Later, Dashnell became the Grand Chancellor of the Cabinet, the foremost civil official, and thus could no longer command a powerful force.
By rights, the Dragon Guard should never be entrusted to him again.
Yet at this moment, the King placed the Dragon Guard’s token back in his hand, saying, “I hope you understand its weight”
‘Its weight? Dashnell was confused.
He lowered his gaze, looking at the token in his palm.
The Dragon Guard was the King’s personal guard.
They had no fixed station and were scattered everywhere, so no one knew who they truly were in daily life, only when summoned by special means did they assemble as a formidable force.
The weight of the Dragon Guard was the King’s complete trust.
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If this token was given to a minister, it meant that the minister was absolutely loyal, at least, that was what the King believed.
f given to a prince…
f given to the crippled Dashnell, it proved the King trusted him.
let, Dashnell did not believe the King was unaware of his act in the wheelchair.
so at this moment, there was only one explanation for the token being handed to him.
He would be the true heir to the throne.
f he were the heir, he would bear everything for this nation.
This was the weight of the token.
Dashnell gripped the token tightly, rising from his wheelchair for the first time. “Your son swears to not fail your xpectations, to defend against foreign threats, secure the realm, protect the people, and shield our kin.”
At the top of that list of families, naturally, was the King.
n this role, many things could not be spoken outright and must be understood implicitly.
The King gazed at his son standing before him, momentarily lost in thought.
le recalled his own youth, full of youthful spirit, riding across the land, having loved, suffered, and lost.
Now, the peace and prosperity he sought still did not fully align with his dreams, but that was all right.
Dashnell resembled him greatly.
Years from now, I hope you will remain true to your original aspirations,” the King said.
After a long pause, the King returned to himself and spoke of events from years past. “The day I sent you to the Chapel of Wisdom, my greatest regret was that you could no longer stand.
At that time, I hoped you could, under Christian teachings, learn how to view all of life’s experiences with equanimity, and how to recover from that trauma,”
It was a father’s love, quiet yet fierce.
Now.” The King took a deep breath and looked at Dashnell.
I hope the teachings of the Chapel of Wisdom will enable you to remain humble even after attaining high office, to still see the people after ascending the throne, to recognize the difficulties faced by women even as a man, and to understand the cruelty of war even when commanding great armies…” he said.
“If you feel cold at the summit, regard yourself as a stone; if you feel inflated holding the lives of all beings, regard yourself as a blade of grass,” he reminded.
“If someone praises you as divinely gifted, destined by fate, you must know that praise and criticism are the same. They distort reality,” he warned.
These words, the King had never spoken before.
At this moment, though the words seemed ambiguous, Dashnell felt as if a sudden revelation had dawned on him
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He promised, “Your son will remember.”
Yet it was not a subject promising to his monarch, nor a believer promising to God.
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It was the promise of a junior to an elder; the person before him was no longer merely his father, his sovereign, or his mentor, but his guide.
Dashnell rarely felt sentimental.
Yet when he raised his eyes, they were rimmed with red.
He felt his heart surge with hot blood and deep emotion for having such a father as the King.
This was not the inheritance of the throne.
Itwas a spirit.
It was also the spirit of the Eastvale Empire.
The King closed his eyes briefly and said slowly, “You may leave now.”
The significance of this moment was not so simple; it was not mere instruction, but a handover, a legacy.
From this moment, the succession of the throne in the Eastvale Empire was actually decided, though only four people know.
Dashnell took his leave, feeling his emotions for the King surge like tides, like clouds.
Wordless, yet endlessly flowing.
The King rose to his feet, drawing a long, slow breath before turning to Warren. “Prepare the carriage. We go to the Carey residence.”
Warren wept and said in a trembling voice, “Your Majesty, is there danger of going to the Carey family today?”
That was why the Dragon Guard was given to Dashnell in advance!
If there was truly an accident, this would be the contingency!
The King offered no further explanation, stating only: “Should the need truly arise, inform Dashnell, the token of the Dragon Guard is the key to unlocking the sealed decree.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
