Chapter 41

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Over the span of two months, Zayden engaged in court politics, and he managed to gain a substantial amount of political power. He received Sir Vigos' support and quietly gathered many ambitious nobles for his faction. In the blink of an eye, rumors spread like wildfire. With his new presence, Prince Zayden was going head to head with the Crown Prince.

He hid his movements from Celine, who would have strongly opposed his actions. She only discovered his plans when Prince Laith sent an angry letter, questioning her motives and wondering if she was secretly backing up the Second Prince.

Celine couldn't believe what she had read. She set the letter down carefully, and could finally understand how some older women would collapse after hearing terrible news. She gaped at the wall, dumbfounded by the twist of events.

"That sneaky motherf*cker!" Celine finally screeched.

She felt pathetic for not being able to notice Zayden gathering a group of supporters right under her nose!

On the other hand, she was worried for Zayden's safety, especially since his group of supporters were notorious for their greed and dishonorable acts. If he fought for the throne, Celine feared for Zayden's survival. She didn't want to imagine such a situation, especially when the Second Prince failed to rise to the throne in the original timeline. The onset of her thoughts overwhelmed her, and she became anxious again.

Hala entered her room in time and immediately noticed Celine's change in mood.

"What's wrong my lady?" She asked and hurriedly set the plate of food down on the wooden desk.

"Did you know that Zayden was entering politics?" She glared.

"Umm. . . Uhhh. . .H-he w-wanted to be discrete and asked me to keep it a s-secret from the master for the time being. . ."

"You work for me, not him." Celine snapped. "If you keep disobeying me; I'd rather not have a maid anymore. You can go work for him instead."

"I was wrong, my lady! Please forgive me just once!" Hala widened her eyes in shock. 

Celine ignored her. She didn't mean to be rude, yet she couldn't help but lash out. Her own maid had deceived her.

During the next few days, the Second Prince denied her requests to visit and consistently avoided her. Celine decided to wake up early and finally caught him leaving his room at the crack of dawn. Prince Zayden took a step back in surprise.

"Why are you avoiding me." She barged into his room and spun around. She was humiliated and could barely contain her anger. Celine threw the Crown Prince's letter on the ground and continued to stare.

"I promised that I would be stronger." He shrugged, attempting to appear neutral. Unfortunately, Celine could see how flustered he was, as if he was caught.

"You didn't listen to me! I always told you to stay low. Why would you gather supporters, and suspicious ones at that!" She suppressed her voice, and her words came out as a hiss.

"I didn't think you'd be this mad." Zayden defended himself, irritated by her lack of approval. "You don't even want to be with Prince Laith, so why are you against me gaining political power? Aren't I stronger than him since my familiar is a dragon? As an emperor, we won't need to worry over anything and you won't need to marry my brother."

"Yes, you would become an emperor after a bloody fight for the throne! You just can't be an emperor! You don't even love this country!" She exclaimed.

"But the Crown Prince will never protect you. He has a concubine, and you still want to support him?" His eyes darkened. Zayden had been afraid to tell Celine, yet he thought she would support him once she found out.

"Know your place, Zayden. You're not suited to be the emperor. The Crown Prince is Laith, your brother. He possesses the necessary experience to rule an empire, and he has earned the love of the people. He also embodies the appearance of an ideal Zionitte. You can't justify your need to succeed the throne with your current reasonings." She wanted to convince him to stop his involvement with the court, yet the words seemed to flow out of her mouth rather brashly.

Zayden flinched, hurt by her sharp words. "I guess I can't be an emperor because of my ugly appearance. Does a half-Zionitte man rising to the throne bother you that much?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that-" Celine widened her eyes and stepped closer.

"I'm sorry Celine. I must not know my place. However, I still want to protect you. I can't idly stand by anymore. Even if you don't believe in me, I will continue to fight. Why would you educate me if you didn't want me to gain political power anyways?" He spit the words out and marched off, closing the door with a loud bang. 

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