RSTUM 115 (Patreon)

115: The Royal Palace

A/n: Posted 115 before 114, my bad!

Things weren't flowing well in Karanberg following the protests that have lasted for over two months now. The commoners got their hands on a new weapon that can be found just about anywhere, and they used mundane items to make it en masse.

Just some Risen, saw dust, and Dwarven oil, all mixed in a bottle and corked with a cloth. None of what's listed above can even be confiscated from the public, and it was a pain in the ass.

Finally, and after a long meeting with the King, the High Council decided the following:

First, the Northern District is going to be turned into a shantytown, and the city wall will be built in the city to prevent the mobs from causing trouble in the urban areas.

Second, a new force of guards shall be established to keep an eye on the district from the shadows; those guards won't wear any special uniform and will only apprehend and arrest rebels across the city and lock down the Fire Cocktail supply lines. Those will be called the Secret Police.

Third, the new Secret Police force shall select a few loyal and patriotic citizens to help them level up and become stronger. Those citizens would then form Enforcement Groups with the locals to get the people of the Northern District in order.

Finally, the Northern District shall be considered a shantytown, and the city wall separating it from the wilderness will be torn down.

The reason for these four decisions is simple: to regain control over the city. The people have felt weakness from the government and managed to push it into a corner. With public order collapsing, anarchy is bound to spread and harm all aspects of prosperity in the more important parts of the city.

Eden Newman, a leader of the Revolutionary Front, was credited with being the spark of the district's rebellion. The true culprit behind this public unrest, however, was Prince Edward, who was currently being escorted from the High Council by four Royal Knights. His face was ashen, and it seemed that he had been given a task that he didn't seem to like.

"Pacify the masses." The King ordered that.

How can he pacify the masses? Those lowly mongrels, those uneducated rabble, those uncultured pigs!

He could muster every insult there, but that sanity of his was on the brink of collapse because of other matters. Since that damned and blasted day, he has been feeling what can be described as withdrawal symptoms from using the Stone.

What was more infuriating was that man who stood next to the King, the man that the King trusted more than his son and probably the one who orchestrated the punishment of the Prince; he is none other than the Prime Minister of Amber and the King's Right, Duke William Dark.

The King's Right, the King's Left, the King's Shadow, the King's Sword, the King's Shield, the King's Coffers, the King's Word, and the King's Judgment. Those were the core members of the High Council who had the power to move things in Amber.

The King's Right oversees the governing affairs of all the Kingdom.

The King's Left oversees special and arcane affairs.

The King's Shadow specializes in covert affairs and espionage.

The King's Sword is the Marshal of the Army.

The King's Shield is the Leader of the Royal Knights.

The King's Coffers are the tycoons who fund the crown.

The King's Words are the messengers, the masters of propaganda, and the experts on foreign and public affairs.

Finally, the King's Judgment are the lawmakers and juridical experts of the kingdoms.

Each of those titles had a Head that represented the structure of this branch of government. Duke William was the most trusted servant of the King, and so he was the King's Right.

As for the King's Left and the King's Shadow, these were some of the people that the King trusted the least, and they were the other two Dukes, Duke Alistair Merlin and Duke Henry Godfrey.

They say that one must keep their friends close and their enemies closer, and this is exactly what was happening in the High Council of the Kingdom. For that reason, the entire place was filled with mistrust and wariness.

None of the Dukes liked one another; even the other nobles were at odds with each other, and they always competed for honor and resources. In a way, Prince Edward hated how the kingdom functions, but he was well aware that the King himself is the one behind this state of discord. After all, even the King wouldn't be able to endure the opposition of the big houses if they were to come together, and so he had to follow the tactic of divide and conquer.

A strong king knows how to use everyone as pawns and how to seize the true power of the kingdom; a weak king drowns himself in pleasures and leaves the power to others. That's something King August always said to his son, Prince Edward, but the latter couldn't help but find it annoying. After all, what is power if you don't have those who can carry out your work for you?

Another reason why the Prince despised the King's Aides and Advisors was the way they all looked at and treated him. Their eyes always carry strange and negative looks, as if they were disapproving of him for the very breath he takes. It would be no wonder that they would try to limit his power, judging by the way they always criticize him in the High Council, especially that one time after the Academy's Hunting Campaign.

Yes, he messed up. Yes, he will fix it. But why do they have to keep staring at him this way as they gather around in corners, scheming and conspiring like women?

But now that he thinks about it, most of these people had daughters and granddaughters, most of whom would wish to be his next muse. He already had them in his bed once, and even though the stone was there to help him woo his way around these social barriers, he is still the Crown Prince; he is still the most desired bachelor in the party.

He doesn't need that crappy stone; all he needs is to know who he is and how he can impact those around him.

With that, the Prince walked away from the Main Palace building, heading back to the Academy.

Around the same perimeter, a few people watched the unruly Prince with those same eyes he so much despised. Among them was Duke William Dark, who stood listening to a report from his assistant.

He was a tall, lean man with an athletic build. He wore a gray suit and had a large coat hanging on his shoulders as he rested both his hands on his black and silver cane. As for his features, he was black of hair and eyes, sharp-eyed, solemn, and ever-apathetic.

No one could tell what goes in the head of that man even if they kept looking at him all day long.

Still, those who knew him were always aware of his cold nature and his brutal tendencies. Calling this man apathetic is like calling the north or south poles a little bit cold.

"You seem to be making yourself busy doing a little bit of everything, William."

Duke William turned around, and since there was no one other than a few people in the world who would simply call him by his first name, he wasn't very welcoming to whoever came to speak to him while listening to his report.

"If you have something to say, Henry, better say it right away."

The man who walked to Duke William was a bald-headed, macho man with a pointy handlebar mustache. He wore a fencing shirt and had a sword on his hip as he stood behind Duke William.

"Having the reports from the Shadow Hall being reported to you without even asking for permission…"

"Asking for permission?!" Duke William was expressionlessly taken aback as he maintained the neutral tune of his voice: "If some of the esteemed lords of the High Council were working as well as they were supposed to from the beginning, I wouldn't be doing a little bit of everything."

"Ah, this again." Duke Henry yawned as he stood beside Duke William while looking from the same window he was looking from: "Do you really think it is possible to do much work in this kind of climate?"

"It wasn't us who created this climate." Duke William retorted.

"You're really adamant on opening these old wounds, aren't you, old friend?" Duke Henry sneered and held his chin, "Because of you, I have a few of these reports you have been making a fuss about hidden away from the archives."

Duke William seemed bothered as his lips almost twitched, but he had an obvious vein popping on the side of his temple.

"You are really tarnishing the name of the King's Shadow." He said.

Duke Henry almost turned to Duke William, and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face.

"The problem with you, old friend, is that you live in the past. Once we grew up in that phase, we realized that everything we once learned was just…" Duke Henry halted his words and exhaled a long sigh, no longer willing to continue his words.

"We were once on the same boat…" Duke William said, and chose his next words with a bit of contempt, "… old friend."

"A boat that both you and I should have never stepped on." Duke Henry said, "The only difference between you and me is that I regret what I did and backed away while I still could."

The two dukes reached the point they always reach every time they argue. The debate between them would be eternal, and judging by their personal histories, the two had a lot in common.

"I suggest that you grit your teeth, William." Duke Henry said, "Annabelle got Leon, and she will no longer hold her bunches back."

"Wishful thinking." Duke William replied, "Nothing can be done. That woman is…"

But just as the Duke was about to say something, a large man emerged from the door behind them. He was wearing a black suit and had long white hair and a large white beard. His eyes seemed kind, and his smile was soft and caring, but as soon as he left those whom he was meeting in the room and joined the two men, his eyes couldn't help but turn cold as he looked at them.

"Good day to you, teacher." Duke Henry was the first to greet the tall elder.

"Duke Merlin." While Duke William greeted the man formally by raising his head high against this elder from the previous generation.

"Ah, you two." Duke Alistair Merlin reacted calmly to their greeting.

The three Dukes of the East gathered in the same hallway for the first time in a really long while. Anyone who would see this sight would run like a dog and report it to the King, but it left the three men unmoving and solemn.

On one side, there was a man who would sacrifice anything for the Kingdom, including his own flesh and blood. He has done that more than once, and his goal is to keep the country together.

On the other side, there was a man who refused the benefit of the Kingdom when it came to protecting what mattered and knew that the Kingdom needed to be in the hands of someone who was both caring and loving. Someone like his wife, Eleanor.

On a whole different side, there stood a man who raised not only the King but even those two who stood in front of him as he raised his children and watched as all these children grew up to resent and hate each other. He wanted to be part of their petty squabble and lived his days making sure the harm they caused didn't reach those outside this palace.

Duke Alistair looked at the assistant of Duke William, the young nervous secretary, who was reading the intelligence report for his lord, and asked him a simple question.

"How is my daughter?"

The man sweated from every part of his body, but he still stood professionally in front of those three superhumans and replied without a firm voice.

"Reporting to Duke Alistair Merlin. The health of Duchess Annabelle is confirmed to have improved significantly since she was last seen at the Temple of Stormdale." The assistant said.

"And my youngest grandchild?" The old Duke asked again.

"He is doing well, albeit claiming to have lost his memories. Aside from that, he seemed to have been confirmed as a late bloomer, your Grace." The assistant replied.

"Hmmm…" A surprised yet calm smile appeared on the face of the old Duke, "I guess I have to send them a gift."

The old Duke turned away and kept moving through the hallway, no longer minding these children.

"It seems that our old teacher is going to show some fatherly love." Duke Henry said, "I am glad that I took after him at the end of it all."

"You do?" Duke William seemed disapproving of what Duke Henry said: "Our old teacher is always loyal. He was the one who brought us together and taught us loyalty."

Duke Henry shook his head and walked away.

"Not sure if I should agree or not."