In another world as my waifu #1: Brave New World and the Fallen Prince(ss)

Chapter 39: Once upon a childhood friend in the Kyrie Kingdom part 4

Something had changed while I was away.

Something that had made my father think of such mad strategy as the path we needed to follow.

There was a part of me that considered a third party being involved, someone that was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

But back then I could not think of someone like my father being manipulated.

After all, his mind and heart did not waver even after experiencing the bloody chaos that is the Draconic Front.

He was a good King and a good man.

So, I really wanted to believe that he must have had a reason.

I wanted to put my trust in him, even if I had threatened him with my own authority.

I wanted to believe in him.

Not only as a son, but also as a Knight.

But then there was Ulthane and what he hinted at...

He was loyal to the Kingdom, but my impression of such loyalty was that of someone loyal to the place that let him do as he pleased in the battlefield.

It would not have surprised me if he betrayed a superior just so that he could get a better position and even more freedom to do whatever he wanted.

Thus, giving someone like that control over a bigger position or a Knight's Order was nothing but a foolish act.

My father must have known that and yet everything pointed in that direction.

Of course, I was not planning to stand with my arms crossed and do nothing about it.

Not at all.

I remember being deep in thought as we went to my personal quarters, pondering about the steps I was going to take and even then, my paths were limited.

As such, I focused on what I could do.

First, I was going to assess the state of the other orders and see if they knew about that new order without breaking my promise with Licht. Second, I planned to try and obtain their support against my father's suicidal strategy, even if I did not need them for exercising my authority.

Lastly, I needed to talk with my brother and Miss Hilde.

After all, it was difficult for me to imagine them not opposing such strategy with all the effort they had put in developing the Kingdom and the Capital.

But, even then, I needed confirmation.

"My Prince, I am sorry to bother you when you are deep in thought, but we are almost there."

"It is not a bother Eric; I was just making a clear list of what we have to do. We have a severe and limiting lack of information that needs to be dealt with. Was I too naïve in not leaving some of our members to keep an eye, as they say, on everything here?"

"I do not think so, Prince Erevain. After all, we have never encountered a reason to suspect our surroundings and the people within them. It is something that is still difficult to process, even for me. Furthermore, leaving to subjugate the mutated manticore with less members would have proven to be more difficult. Kristoff's imprudence notwithstanding."

"Indeed, there is no use thinking on what ifs, for what is done is done. At that moment that was the right course of action. This time shall be no different, we shall deal with it as we do with everything. With our utmost effort."

"Yes, Prince Erevain. We will!"

As we discussed such matters, it did not take long for us to leave behind the last set of stairs and step into another large hallway, and there, at the end of it, a black-haired young woman in maid's clothing waited outside of my private quarters.