Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23. The Queen’s Scheme, The King’s Approval
William led the Palace Knights and hurried toward the palace gates. Their boots struck the stone-paved road with rapid, urgent sounds, but the moment they reached the entrance, they were stopped by two squads of guards.
“Your Highness, please present your exit authorization.”
The leading captain of the guards bowed respectfully, but his tone carried an unshakable firmness.
“I have urgent business. Let me leave the palace first, and the paperwork will be made up immediately afterward!”
William spoke quickly, his eyes sweeping over the tightly shut palace gates, anxiety burning in his heart. Once the marriage letter left the Royal Capital, retrieving it would be nearly impossible.
If this marriage affected his chances of ascending the throne, then he...
But the captain shook his head, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“Your Highness, forgive me, but I do not dare obey.”
“Her Majesty the Queen gave orders in advance. Without proper documentation, no one is to be allowed through—especially you...”
“She even calculated this far ahead?”
William clenched his fists as anger surged from the bottom of his heart.
Force his way through?
There were a full hundred guards at the palace gates, all of them elites. If a clash broke out, it would only play directly into the Queen’s hands and leave him with the charge of “a prince defying orders.”
He stared coldly at the captain, but the man kept his head lowered, utterly unmoved.
“Good. Very good.”
William was so angry that he laughed instead. He let out a cold snort, then turned and strode back.
Each step landed heavily against the ground, as though he were venting the fury that had nowhere else to go.
Before long, he ran into Vivian, who was hurrying over.
“William, did you catch up to him?”
Hope was written all over her face, but when she saw her son shake his head, her expression immediately fell.
“I did not even get out of the palace gates,” William said in a low voice. “Without authorization, the guards would not let me pass. They said it was the Queen’s order.”
He paused and looked at his mother.
“How did you find out about the marriage letter?”
“It was the Queen’s personal maid. Early this morning, she deliberately came to tell me that the marriage letter had already been sent to the western region and told me to ‘make preparations early.’”
Vivian gritted her teeth.
“Thinking about it now, she did it on purpose!”
“She used the maid to notify me first, forcing us to panic and rush after it, then set up a blockade at the palace gates so we could do nothing but watch the marriage letter leave!”
William stopped walking. His expression was strangely calm.
“She intends to make this marriage a fact.”
“Tuso is relying on his army to assert himself, and yet she insists on tying me to him... Once something happens to Tuso, I will be the first one pushed out to take the blame.”
Seeing the coldness in her son’s eyes, Vivian’s heart ached, but it also strengthened her resolve.
“Do not panic.”
“The marriage letter may have been sent, but Tuso may not dare accept it so readily.”
“We still have time. First, we must inform His Majesty and expose the Queen’s unauthorized actions in front of him!”
William nodded and adjusted the sword at his waist.
“Right. We will go to Father.”
“I refuse to believe this royal palace has truly become a place where the Queen alone can cover the sky with one hand. Mother, go back first. Do not worry. I know what to do.”
With that, William ran straight to the Court Relay Station. There, he quickly wrote out the entire sequence of events and handed the letter to a Griffin Rider.
The Griffin Rider accepted the letter, bowed to William, then guided his griffin into the air. It swept past the spires of the royal palace and flew directly into the teleportation array glowing with a faint blue radiance. In an instant, both rider and beast were swallowed by the runes and disappeared.
William returned to his palace and sat stiffly on his bed through the entire night. His fingertips repeatedly rubbed the ring that symbolized his identity as a prince. Only when the first morning light climbed across the window lattice did he hear the cry of a griffin outside.
He shot to his feet and hurried out.
The knight dismounted and presented him with a letter sealed with royal wax.
William accepted it and broke it open with trembling fingers. His eyes swept over the paper, and the color slowly drained from his face.
There were only a few short lines on the page, yet they were written in the King’s own hand—he approved of the marriage and ordered that once William reached the age of ten, he was to wed Marquis Tuso’s daughter.
“How could this be...?”
William stood frozen in place as the letter slipped from his hand.
He could not understand it. His father could not possibly be unaware of Marquis Tuso’s suspicious movements, so why would he still approve this marriage alliance?
Was it to temporarily stabilize the western region through marriage, buying time for the royal family to breathe? Or was there an even deeper scheme at work?
Vivian could not set her mind at ease over William, so she came early in the morning. The moment she entered the palace and saw his dazed expression, she picked up the letter from the floor. After reading it, her face also turned deathly pale.
“His Majesty... how could he agree?”
William slowly came back to himself. Complex emotions churned in his eyes—anger, confusion, and above all, a deep sense of helplessness, as though he were being manipulated by an invisible hand.
“Perhaps Father has his own considerations.”
He spoke softly, his voice slightly dry.
“Tuso is relying on his army to assert himself, but if this marriage can temporarily steady him, then perhaps it can buy time for the royal family to make arrangements in secret...”
Vivian looked at her son’s tense profile, and her heart ached.
“How about we go beg His Majesty again?”
William shook his head. He picked up the letter, his fingers crumpling the edges.
“There is no need.”
“Father’s decisions are not easily changed.”
He took a deep breath, and his gaze gradually became firm.
“Since the marriage has been settled, then I may as well see what role I am meant to play in it.”
William looked at Vivian, and his tone softened.
“Mother, you have not eaten this early in the morning, have you? Come. No matter how urgent things are, we should at least eat something first.”
Vivian looked at the calm mask her son had forced onto his face and felt both comforted and bitter.
He was only six years old, yet he already knew how to hide his emotions and hold himself together like a little adult.
She nodded and followed him to the dining hall.
During breakfast, neither of them spoke. The faint clink of silver spoons against porcelain plates sounded especially clear in the quiet room.
Vivian tried several times to say something, but each time William’s calm gaze stopped her. What he needed at that moment was not comfort, but composure.
After breakfast, William personally escorted his mother back to her Residence. Only after watching her sit down did he turn and leave.
He did not return to his own palace. Instead, he went straight to the western side hall.
On the open ground outside, A'gu and the other eight attendants were undergoing basic training. The moment they saw William approach, they immediately stopped and bowed in unison.
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
William nodded and swept his gaze over them. Each of them stood upright, and their auras were noticeably steadier than the last time he had seen them.
At the side, the Sky Knight Barton stepped forward and cupped his fist.
“Your Highness, these attendants of yours truly possess exceptional talent.”
“At present, three of them are still at Black Iron Rank, but the other six have already successfully advanced to Bronze Rank. At this rate, all of them should break through by the end of the month.”
“Very good.”
William nodded and looked at Barton.
“Evaluate them once a month and report their progress to me.”
Then he turned to the nine attendants, and his voice suddenly grew heavier.
“I want all of you to train with every ounce of your strength. You are not to have the slightest concern about resources. The best magical potions and the finest training equipment—I will provide all of it for you.”
His gaze was as sharp as a sword as it swept across every face.
“But what I want are not useless wastes that do nothing but consume resources. I want blades that can cut through thorns and brambles for me.”
“Do not disappoint my expectations. Do you understand?”
“We understand! We will never disappoint Your Highness’s expectations!”
All nine answered in unison, their voices loud and ringing with the fierce determination unique to youth.
A'gu stood at the very front, and the tightly clenched fists at his sides revealed his excitement. For orphans from the bottom of society like them, to receive such cultivation left them with only one way to repay it—with their lives.
Seeing the fire in their eyes, the gloom in William’s heart eased somewhat.
The marriage had become a settled matter, but that did not mean he was powerless to resist.
These attendants were swords he had personally forged. Sooner or later, the day would come when they would prove useful.
“Continue training.”
He waved his hand, then turned and walked toward the cultivation chamber inside the hall.