XXVI
"Before we assassinate Fabian, it's important that we find out the other players at hand." James said in the royal language, his pronunciation a slightly lousy after years of little use.
?He tapped his finger against the table, looking around at the men around him.
King William sat at the head, Harrison and Duke Chamberlain sitting across each other on his end.
Out of the other four men, James only recognised two, an Earl and a Marquess.
All of them were varying ages past middle age, except for one man that sat next to the duke.
His resemblance to the duke was vivid, he was probably only a decade older than James himself, probably the Duke's son.
James had never greeted these men before, but he recalled their faces from childhood.
James sat on the other end, opposite the king, sceptical eyes falling on him.
?"Is that really necessary?" one of the older men questioned, laying a napkin on his lap as multiple footmen came round with their meals, setting them delicately in front of each man. "Shouldn't we focus our efforts on speed, killing him before they get wind of our plan?"
?The duke shook his head. "It's going to be impossible to keep this from them entirely, it's possible they already know His Majesty King William is rebelling against their plans. We can only delay our response for so long before they assume we're up to something."
?"Even so," the man cleared his throat, "what could we possibly gain by delaying it? Our relationship with the Espians will only further strain and there might not be anything left to solve in the end."
?"Lord Tenby." James said, sneering a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I agree with your concerns, however, this isn't simply Fabian acting on his own.
His Majesty King William has already discovered ties to Theos royalty which should concern us; and on the night of my father's passing there was an army in the palace.
I believe Fabian was simply following another player's plan.
Simply killing him would only remove a dying leaf from a diseased plant. We ought to uproot the whole thing."
?"And what of our international relations in the meantime?"
?"I believe collecting more information takes priority." James maintained.
?The earl pulled at his collar nervously. "You have no authority to speak to me in that way," he growled, "Duke Chamberlain, you're not really suggesting this mannerless criminal is Prince Julian, are you? He's speaking nonsense."
?James beat the duke to it. "Actually, I do have that authority, Lord Tenby. You may consider my words nonsense but I know better than anyone else what happened. My brother was only twelve, we can't assume he's playing on his own."
?The duke nodded. "Prince Julian is right, killing King Fabian without knowing more is reckless.
His death would not only signal a civil royal disagreement with other countries, leaving us vulnerable, but it'll cause the other players to hide and wait for their second chance to strike when we don't expect it.
Gods forbid the Ashadis catch wind of what's happening, they may feel tempted to join the Espians in an invasion. "
?The duke's son only lent half an ear to the conversation, nodding whenever his father spoke, more interested in the meal in front of him.
?"If the Ashadis invaded we'd be extremely vulnerable." the king said, wincing. "The only thing that keeps our slaves mellow and obedient is the feeling that they've been abandoned by their nation. We can't afford to appear weak."
?"Of course, Your Majesty," Earl Tenby obediently agreed, but James could recognise the tension in his frame. He wasn't happy about the situation.
?James ate, even though he couldn't taste the food he was putting in his mouth. He was too busy reading the men in the room, searching for any exchanges of unsaid words.
?"How would we collect this information in the first place?" Harrisons asked, looking between the men. His eyes lingered on James for a little longer than the others.
?James already had an answer for this problem, but he waited to see what the others would suggest.
?"We could interrogate some of King Fabian's guards." the duke's son suggested when no one else did.
?"Pretty simple." the earl agreed. "Less likely for a plan like that to go wrong."
?"Until they give the wrong information." another man interjected.
?James cocked his head side to side, considering the answer.
"We don't want their guards to go missing, otherwise, if it's not already obvious, they'll know what we're doing," James piped in.
"There's no guarantee that they'll know anything worthy anyhow.
Duke Chamberlain, how many guards know intimate details about this plan?
Because I reckon their royal guards will be the same, kept largely in the dark. "
?The duke nodded and his son frowned.
?"What would you suggest, Your Royal Highness?" Harrison asked, posing the question to James. James felt an uncomfortable shiver at being called that, too long had he posed as a commoner. He was used to commanding respect rather than having an intrinsic right to it.
?"The women." James answered easily, after brushing away his discomfort.
?The king narrowed his eyes and then nodded for James to continue.
?"Fabian's genocide on red eyes was authorised by the Ankaid Royal Council and then upheld by the Elder Council. Somehow the politicians' goals and Fabian's goals were coincidentally aligned, despite how ludicrous they were. Who has the most political power in this kingdom? Women."
?The duke's son frowned. "Women can't vote."
?The other men looked equally baffled, but Harrison was smiling, like he understood perfectly.
?"True, they can't." James made a gesture to the duke's son. "However, men die in war more than women die in childbirth. Who tends to inherit a man's wealth after he passes?"
?"Their wives." the duke said, his eyes wide with realisation.
?James gave a point in confirmation. "The Khearian Kingdom is among the only nations to give inheritance rights to the wives rather than the first born son. Women are overwhelmingly wealthier than men."
?The earl frowned, scratching his beard mindlessly. "Yes, but what does this have to do with anything?"
?"Political campaigns," the duke stated, "am I right?"
?"Exactly that."
?Whilst a politician may have their own goals, they had a very slim chance of succeeding in elections without money.
Most councillors were commoners since nobles were preoccupied with their military responsibilities, which made them eager for funding.
There were a lot of dead husbands since the war and since women couldn't participate in politics through voting, they could only influence it using their inherited wealth.
?"I can bet that some of these men that supported Fabian's desire will have the same women funding them." James continued. "If we plan to interrogate anyone, the politically involved wives of dead nobles ought to be a lot more fruitful."
?The king smiled very pleasantly. "Very good, Prince Julian. You're very much like your father at times like this."
?James automatically smiled at the compliment even though he felt nothing over it.
It had been so long that he hardly remembered his family's faces.
He couldn't bring himself to trust the men in the room, King William included.
They were underestimating him if they thought a few compliments were enough to sway him.
?"The only issue is how we find out who funded who." Harrison mused. Unlike the others, who were eating, he had only a quill in his hand and paper in front of him. He'd taken the odd note, but James theorised he was writing in code, since the page was widely blank.
?"Korcaster," the duke suggested. "They'll have records. All councillors are required to fill out funding reports."
?His son frowned. "That's in Theos jurisdiction."
?"Theoretically we should have the rights to acquire these documents," Harrison said. "But we need to send someone suitable. If any of us went then it would be suspicious."
?"Fletcher Azeus?" James suggested.
?King William sat back in his chair, considering it. "It would have to be. He's the only one who would evade suspicion."
?"He doesn't know what we're doing, though." one of the men said.
?"Fletcher already holds suspicions," James revealed. "I suspect he knows who I am, he's just not sure of it."
?The king's lips twisted into a scowl under his beard, nearly out of view. James hadn't intended to throw Fletcher under the horse, but he was the best person James could think of for this plan.
?"My suggestion is we send a small task force out there with Fletcher and smuggle out those documents before anyone is wiser." James suggested and the king verbally agreed.
?They all more or less seemed to be on board with James' plan, though they brought up numerous points of contention.
?As they went through the specifics, James found himself feeling increasingly sick, his mouth acidic. He couldn't quite pinpoint which emotion was affecting him, but his mind was screaming out how he shouldn't be there. He didn't belong in that place.
?Once dinner was over, James couldn't escape that place quicker. He left promptly before anyone could attempt to make small talk with him, getting tired of speaking the royal language, but unfortunately one of them caught up with him.
?"Your Royal Highness!"
?James put his friendly mask back on and turned around with a smile. The duke's son approached and held his hand out for a handshake. James shook it, hiding his annoyance.
?"I'm Caelan, Duke Chamberlain's second son."
?"Nice to meet you Lord Caelan," James said, he flashed his teeth in what was supposed to be a friendly gesture, but it might have come across a little aggressive since the man's smile slipped a notch. "I have the pleasure of knowing your brother, Lord Alexander."
?Caelan's smile left his eyes, even if it remained on his lips. He blinked once before replying. "We don't look alike do we? My brother is very unique."
?Even if the words were harmless on their own, James could hear the hidden insult in them.
?"That he is. Very unique, indeed."
?"I apologise if my younger brother has ever said anything out of line," Caelan said. "He always struggled with etiquette and sometimes he forgets his place."
?On the contrary, Alex put himself lower than he deserved. Although he cursed a lot, his manners were also a lot more disciplined than the average noble— you'd never see him skipping work to go fuck prostitutes, the same couldn't be said for the rest of them.
?James bared his teeth once again, putting less effort into presenting a real smile. Caelan either didn't notice or took no mind of it.
?"If you don't mind me saying, I feel very honoured to meet you. No one ever would have thought that you survived."
?James nodded, sneering still.
?"I'm very skilled with the sword," Caelan went on. "Your idea to go to Korcaster was one of genius. If you need people to take, I'd be honoured if you selected me to join you. I could be very valuable to you."
?There was no doubt in James' mind that the duke and Caelan had talked about this before the meeting.
Alex was only a chess piece to them, the duke wanted him and Caelan to become close to strengthen the Chamberlain house's influence over him.
Unfortunately for the duke, he was investing in the wrong son.
?"I will let you know if it comes to that," James replied, glibly. "Lord Alexander will do very well on this journey, I'm sure."
?He thought he saw Caelan's eye twitch, it was a very slight movement, and it filled him with glee.
?This was why James wasn't suited for politics, there were too many bastards slithering around, it made him act like an even pettier one in return. He didn't like behaving like a smooth-tongue royal; even more, he hated the fact he enjoyed it. He was good at it.
?"I wish you the best, Lord Caelan." James expressed, then continued his way down the corridor to his guest room, not allowing Caelan to get another word in.
?James had no reason to entertain these games since he planned to flee after killing Fabian anyway. He only needed some temporary allies.
?Alex was a better candidate than all of them combined.