Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17. Assassination Attempt
Whether a prince evading taxes was a serious matter or a minor one depended entirely on how it was handled.
William had already decided to bring the matter before the Royal Council—a temporary governing body his father had established before leaving the capital.
He did not only want to cause trouble for the Second Prince. More importantly, he wanted to observe the Royal Council’s stance, or rather, see how the First Prince would react.
Early the next morning, William set out for the council hall. After a court knight announced his arrival, he stepped inside.
The five council members present immediately stood to greet him, while a servant hurriedly brought over a chair.
William waved his hand instead and directly handed the bloodstained parchment scroll to the Prime Minister of the Royal Council.
The Prime Minister accepted the scroll and examined it carefully before passing it to the other council members one by one.
After reading it, the group discussed quietly among themselves for a moment. Then the Prime Minister spoke.
“We understand Your Highness’s intentions. We will promptly supervise an investigation into this matter.”
William nodded, said nothing further, and turned to leave.
All he needed was a signal to “set things in motion.” Once the process started, others would naturally fan the flames.
Sure enough, over the following days, a sudden storm swept through the royal capital.
However, what William had not expected was that the actions were carried out in his name.
The scale of the investigation was so large that even William himself was somewhat stunned. Businesses and merchant guilds under the Second Prince’s name were almost entirely targeted—from shop accounts to territorial inventories, everything was being inspected. The commotion spread throughout the entire city.
Before long, people across the capital were discussing the same thing: the Fourth Prince was using the power of the Royal Council to completely tear apart his relationship with the Second Prince.
William stood on the terrace of his palace, listening to fragments of conversation drifting up from below. His brows furrowed slightly.
The First Prince’s move appeared to be helping him, but in reality it had pushed him to the center of the storm.
If the plan succeeded, the First Prince would reap the benefits and weaken the Second Prince’s power. If it failed, all blame would fall upon William, the supposed instigator.
“Quite a clever move,” William murmured, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. None of his brothers were easy opponents.
Now that the turmoil had begun, it was impossible to remain uninvolved.
William looked toward the direction of the council hall in the distance, his gaze gradually becoming resolute.
Since the First Prince wanted to use his hand to suppress the Second Prince, William might as well go along with the plan.
However, the pace of events would be controlled by him.
Yet whether the Second Prince had truly lost his head or someone else was secretly fanning the flames, William was suddenly ambushed on his way to a slave auction house.
Attempting to assassinate a prince in broad daylight, in the very heart of the royal capital, was sheer audacity.
Once the news spread, the entire capital was immediately placed under martial law. The Two-Headed Wyvern Riders of the First Monster Legion circled above the royal palace, while soldiers quickly took control of major roads. The atmosphere grew extremely tense.
William was now sitting by the window, still shaken, his clothes stained with large patches of dark red blood.
If not for the contingency his father had prepared for him, he would likely already be dead.
Five Sky Knights had tried to kill him.
Vivian rushed over almost immediately. The moment she saw the blood on William’s body, her face turned deathly pale. She pulled him into a tight embrace, her voice trembling.
“William! How are you? Are you hurt?”
“Mother, I’m fine.”
William quickly patted her back to reassure her.
“This is the assassins’ blood. I’m not injured.”
Only then did Vivian relax slightly. She helped him sit down and carefully checked him over. After confirming that there were no wounds, she finally let out a breath of relief, though anger soon burned in her eyes.
“Someone dared to attack my son in the royal capital. I want to see who is bold enough to do such a thing!”
“I have already sent urgent word to your father. Let us wait for his reply,” Vivian said in a low voice.
Just then, the Queen, along with the First Prince’s wife and the Second Prince’s wife, hurried over after hearing the news.
William and Vivian immediately stood and greeted them.
The Queen looked around at the mess in the room, her brows tightly knit.
“What exactly happened? Someone dared to assassinate a prince in broad daylight?”
The Second Prince’s wife chimed in as well, though her tone carried a subtle undertone.
“Indeed. It is fortunate that His Highness the Fourth Prince is blessed with good fortune and remains unharmed. But the capital’s defenses… they must be thoroughly investigated.”
William lowered his gaze and said nothing.
He knew the assassination was suspicious. If the Second Prince had truly ordered it, it would have been incredibly foolish. It seemed more like someone had deliberately framed him, hoping to muddy the waters.
And the greatest beneficiary might not be the one making the most noise on the surface.
Vivian quietly stepped in front of William and addressed the Queen.
“Before His Majesty left the capital, he issued a secret order. If such a crisis occurs in the capital, the First Monster Legion may assume control of the city’s defense and thoroughly investigate the source of the assassins.”
“The legion has already taken action. We should have results soon.”
The Queen nodded.
“That is only proper.”
“The matter must be investigated thoroughly. The Fourth Prince deserves an explanation, as do all members of the royal family.”
After escorting the Queen and the two princess consorts out, the room fell silent again.
Vivian looked at William, her expression complicated.
“This incident was likely aimed at you—and perhaps also at… your father’s throne.”
William raised his head. The panic in his eyes had already disappeared, replaced with cold clarity.
“I know.”
“But I did not expect them to truly dare to go this far.”
At that moment, Prince Koren, commander of the First Monster Legion, arrived at the door with a squad of Two-Headed Wyvern Riders and entered the room.
He wore armor embedded with scales, and the shoulder plates bore lifelike carvings of wyverns. A seasoned aura of battlefield authority emanated from him.
Vivian and William rose to greet him. Prince Koren nodded slightly, his gaze settling on William as a hearty smile appeared on his face.
“Little William, are you alright?”
“Was the experience exciting?”
“What your father went through back then was far more dangerous than this.”
William smiled bitterly and nodded.
“I never imagined they would actually dare to attack me.”
“I am only the Fourth Prince. I have no chance of competing for the throne…”
“Competing for the throne?”
Prince Koren burst into laughter, the sound loud enough to make the window frames tremble.
“You think the throne is decided by birth order?”
“Do you know what rank your father held among his brothers?”
William shook his head.
“Thirteenth.”
Prince Koren raised a finger, his tone carrying a hint of reminiscence.
“He had nine elder brothers ahead of him. Every one of them thought he was too young to pose a threat. And what happened in the end?”
“They all became stepping stones for him. Now the grass on their graves has grown several meters tall.”
William felt a shock run through his entire body as he stared at Prince Koren in disbelief.
He had never heard these stories before. In his mind, his father had always been a calm and majestic monarch. He had never imagined such a ruthless past.
Vivian gently patted his shoulder, as if comforting him—or reminding him.
Prince Koren’s smile faded, and his eyes turned sharp.
“In the royal family, whether you have a chance is never determined by birth order. It depends on whether you have the potential to threaten others.”
“You have made quite a few moves recently, and you have gained the favor of the mage Irene. Naturally, they cannot tolerate you.”
He walked to the window and looked out at the martial-law streets below.
“Do not worry. As long as I am here, the capital will not fall into chaos.”
“We have already found some clues about the assassins. Soon you will have an explanation.”
William took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
So this was the brutal truth hidden behind the royal succession.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Prince Koren waved his hand.
“Why thank me?”
“I watched your father grow up. I cannot allow his son to be bullied in the royal capital.”
“Focus on recovering. Leave the rest to me.”
With that, he turned and left with the knights.
Inside the room, William remained silent for a long time. Prince Koren’s words had shattered the last trace of illusion he had about royal struggles.
Vivian looked at his solemn profile and asked softly, “Are you afraid?”
William slowly shook his head. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes.
“No. I simply understand now that some things cannot be avoided.”
If it could not be avoided, then he could only face it head-on.
His father had once been thirteenth in line and still reached the throne. What reason did he have to retreat?
Outside the window, the sunlight grew increasingly intense, as though adding fuel to the flame now burning in his heart.