Sylvester didn't hurry too much as it would take a lot of time for the King to get sick. Not to mention, the poison that he had fed to the latter was untraceable, and there was no cure known to anyone other than five people that worked for the Church.
Sylvester rested in the cabin behind while Lady Aurora drove the carriage. They took turns to rest every now and then but didn't stop the whole way after sleeping once at night in a town.
However, Sylvester was more worried about his little furry friend. "Chonky! Are you alright? Do you feel anything?"
He was worried because the poison was very dangerous, and he didn't know if Chonky could ensure that no single drop of it went into his system. So, he held Miraj on his lap, on his back, as he rubbed his belly.
"I… I feel something, Maxy." Miraj replied with a scared impression.
"What?!" Sylvester was alarmed.
Grrr…!
Miraj's tummy growled. With that, a big toothy grin appeared on the cat's face. "Hehe… I feel hungry."
Sylvester breathed a sigh of relief and tickled Miraj's belly crazily. "You bad boy, making me worry for no reason. But, again, you have helped me so much these past few months, and without you, I might have even died a few times by now.
"So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Chonky." Sylvester hugged the cat on his shoulder and patted his back.
Miraj, in return, patted his paws on Sylvester's head. "There, there. You are my little Maxy. After all, I adopted you, so it's my duty to protect you forever."
"..."
Sylvester didn't retort. Whatever made Miraj happy, he was happy to go along with it. But, he had a surprise for the excellent kitty as he had gone secret shopping at night when Miraj was sleeping.
"As promised, you get to eat three bananas today—no need to be quick either. Take your time and savour the taste. I shall take a little nap in the meantime." He handed three ripe, spotless bananas.
Mira's eyes had stars in them as he nodded profusely. "Yes, Yes! You sleep. I will keep a very… good… watch."
Chomp!
Miraj didn't wait a moment and pounced on the three bananas. Where did his love for bananas come from? It was a mystery that Sylvester didn't even dare think about.
He was worried about his next move, as he had not yet finished moving his pieces.
…
While Sylvester journeyed to Fort Sunflower, a crisis is about to erupt inside the River Castle.
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
The wooden bed in the royal chambers of King Riveria made squeaky noises, and the King's frail, old and ugly body pressed onto a young beauty that most men could only dream of ever touching.
While the King grunted with his full might, the woman looked calm, and not receptive to the moving body above her, as if she didn't even feel anything. Certainly, the key was there, but the lock was too deep and tight to react to any movements.
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
Thud!
Merely fifteen seconds later, the King did his deed, and his body fell limp. But, instead of rolling over to the side, he fell on the woman's body, letting his head fall between the hills.
"Your Majesty, please move. I must go and clean." She requested softly while caressing the old man's hair.
"Your majesty?"
But, even after a dozen calls, the man didn't react at all. Finally, she panicked, pushed him to the side, and stood up. Being a noblewoman, she knew a little bit about healing and caring for one. So she checked the King's heartbeat and pulse.
"Oh no!"
Scared, she jumped to her feet, quickly covered herself with the gown and ran outside into the corridor, screaming. "Guards! Call the healer! Quick! His Majesty needs help!"
Her beautiful face had already turned into an ugly mess, as her mascara made her eyes look black, and her lipstick was smudged over her mouth. She was afraid of being blamed if something happened to the King. Not to mention, since she had not given birth to any of the King's children yet, she wouldn't enjoy any immunity or privilege if the King died now. She could only hope that tonight when the King finished, it would make life grow in her belly.
Immediately, the Royal healers, with the whole team, arrived and checked the King. His blood, his body, the room's air and everything else. The food and wine the man had drunk previously were tested, as well as the utensils.
"This is not good! His vitality is fading. The amount of solarium in his body is diminishing—As if his body is rejecting it. Quick! Bring me the most potent solarium crystals in the healer's treasury!" The chief healer ordered.
The entire castle went into a frenzy as the news spread like wildfire. The Harem wing erupted into loud shouts and curses as many women fought each other, declaring themselves the most beloved of the King and their children the true heir.
The court of the King immediately started talking about the second in line. Only the King was against deciding who shall sit on the throne after him as the man was not satisfied by any of his sons.
No one expected the old man to survive this as he was already too old, and everyone knowledgeable knew that this day had been on the horizon for months now.
As for the King, his body kept getting weaker, and signs of his life worsened. However, no poison was found in the blood or food. No ailment was detected outside or inside the body. The situation appeared to be normal, and there was nothing the healers could do.
"I vote for Prince Logarth."
Unofficial voting was cast among the members of the King's court just to see who they favoured the most. If there were a majority, then they'd go with that.
"I vote for Prince Conrad."
"Prince Logarth from me. He may only be ten years old, but he's a sharp fellow with a talent to become an Arch Wizard. Therefore, we can let him take the throne and at the same time advise him on the matters."
The meaning of the words was clear. They wanted to place a puppet king so they could influence various decision-making.
"Prince Conrad is old and has stayed too far away from the capital. He may be a great administrator, but we can't trust him. So my vote goes to Prince Logarth as well."
One after another, the whole court of 10 voted, and except for one, all voted in favour of Prince Logarth, the son of King's eighty's concubine.
"It's decided then. We shall put Prince Logarth on the throne if the King passes away."
…
Sylvester, away from all the scheming and chaos of the River Castle, had just arrived at Fort Sunflower, the seat of Crown Prince Conrad Fitz Riveria.
But, initially, Sylvester was not allowed to enter the castle city, as the guards had stopped all incoming traffic into the city for some reason. But still, Sylvester revealed who he was and who Lady Aurora was, and they were soon given express entry into the city with ten mounted guards escorting them.
However, when Sylvester drove the carriage inside, he smelled anger in the air and was left speechless at the condition. People were on the streets shouting and breaking things, trying to burn things. Many guards were also trying to stop the people and even beating them.
"Riots? What's going on here?" he questioned the closest mounted escort.
The man grimly replied. "They are angry, Lord Bard. Today, the five-year champion of the fighting arena finally lost a battle—resetting his famous ten-year deal for freedom. His defeat angered the people as he is a favourite among all."
"Kaecilius lost?" Sylvester was shocked. "Such a piece of sad news. He had somehow spent five years winning and lost halfway. But we live in a cruel world, and there was bound to be someone too strong for him entering the arena. So what do the people want?"
"They want the fight to be considered invalid and that he be given another chance." The soldier answered.
Sylvester just sighed and relaxed back. "That's asking for the impossible. A deal is a deal. Neither the Duke nor Kaecilius would agree. This is sad… but this is reality."
He silently watched the people riot and drove towards the main castle. The people, thankfully, were not dumb enough to stop a carriage with the Church's flag. Instead, they gave way and allowed them to move smoothly.
By the end, Sylvester entered the castle and was soon guided to the Duke's office on the top floor. It looked as extravagant as ever, but Sylvester didn't eye that wealth anymore as he already had the treasures of one Duke.
The ashen blonde-haired, tall man came and hugged Sylvester without any reservations. "Lord Bard, welcome back to Fort Sunflower. Forgive me for what you saw outside. People are too emotional these days. Come, have a seat. And what happened? You have so many bruises on your face."
Sylvester chuckled and replied. "Your father gave me quite a welcome in the Green City."
Duke Conrad rubbed his face frustratingly. "I apologise on behalf of Riveria. He's a senile fool who knows nothing but to sleep with a new woman every moon."
Sylvester shrugged and sat down, with Aurora beside him, and Prima didn't sit at all, only standing behind the Duke's chair. "Whatever he may be, it won't be for too long. I have good news for you today."
The Duke's face lit up, and he looked at Sylvester with hope. "Is it happening?"
Sylvester shared the letter of the armistice signed by King Riveria. "I suggest you start marching to the capital soon. You have seven days at best. By the end of the week, they might plant a puppet king if you don't take the capital. Then you may have to face some pushback."
Duke Conrad appeared confident, however. "Don't worry about that, Lord Bard. My younger brother and I will march at the same time. There are only two giant duchies in Riveria, one under me and the second under my brother. So we can easily surround the central royal region and force anyone to submit. Not to mention, I have already garnered the support of all the Grand Wizards who serve the family."
That amused Sylvester. "Since when?"
"Since last month. After father declared war on Gracia, everyone knew it was a stupid move that would anger the Holy Land. Not to mention, the father's past actions have already angered the faith. So, everyone wants to relax and wish for a king to heal the relations."
"And what about your extended family? You have too many step-siblings and step-mothers." Sylvester questioned further.
Duke Conrad coldly replied without wasting a moment. Releasing the scent of rage and hatred clearly. "Death… A quick death to all of them shall be my mercy. I am fond of some of them, but all must die for a lasting peace, except my blood brother."
"Is that so?" Sylvester eyed him strangely and finally asked shocking questions. "It wasn't Duke Daemon's wife who killed your step-sister. It was you, wasn't it? You wanted your father to declare war, am I right, Duke Conrad?"
500 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.
1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.
APE TOGETHER STRONG!
