Chapter 385: Summon!
The candlelight flickered inside the imperial study.
Emperor Alaric sat in deep thought. He clearly understood what would happen if he removed the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was his eldest son, and born of his Empress, making him the rightful heir to the throne.
If the Crown Prince were deposed, none of the remaining princes would stay calm. At that point, it wouldn’t be about birth order anymore; only strength and ambition would matter.
He glanced at Empress Gretchen and realized she had brought up the blood oath just to stop him from removing the Crown Prince, trying to follow the example of the founding emperor. After all, the blood oath had more symbolic power than actual power.
To be honest, deep down, he didn’t want to remove the Crown Prince either. That was his first son. Empress Gretchen was the woman he loved most. Why would he want to hand the throne over to someone else?
But the Crown Prince had caused such a mess... The memorials asking for his removal would soon pile up.
"Your Majesty, if you really remove the Crown Prince, that means the mastermind behind this plan has won." Said Empress Gretchen, her eyes shining. She clearly understood what Alaric was thinking.
"But how will I explain it to the ministers and the court?" Alaric hesitated. Hearing that, the Empress brightened. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince said he just had a bold dream. He wanted to become the King of the northern tribes. Didn’t the founding emperor once dream of conquering the tribes too, making them submit to the Eldorian Empire?"
"The Crown Prince said that?" Alaric’s expression softened.
"Yes. After you left, that’s what he told me. As for the assassin, it was a mistake. The Crown Prince didn’t vet his people carefully. One of the attackers was a northern tribesman who slipped in. He was framed."
Alaric nodded. His expression returned to normal. He even seemed a little pleased with the Crown Prince again. "You’re right. I should have all the princes come to the castle and sign the blood oath. Whoever refuses must be hiding something. Even if they aren’t the mastermind, they still have bad intentions."
A smile blossomed across the Empress’s face. This was exactly the answer she wanted.
"Your Majesty, the blood oath may not have real power, but if you stamp it with your imperial seal, it becomes law. It can calm the battle for the throne and preserve the Crown Prince’s position. Isn’t that the best way to stabilize the empire?"
Alaric nodded. "You’re right. Tomorrow, I’ll summon all the princes to the castle. I’ll bring Zepher with me; he’s sharp enough to read their expressions."
The Empress smiled and said. "That’s wise, Your Majesty. Zepher is an expert at reading people. He might spot something useful. It’s late now. Let’s stop worrying about this. The baby is kicking again."
"Oh? Come, let me have a look." Said Alaric, helping her up as they walked together toward the inner castle.
Having a child late in life made Alaric very happy, especially since it was with Empress Gretchen. He felt as if the heavens were blessing him.
The next day, a royal command spread through Eldora: all the imperial princes were to come to the castle for a meeting in the imperial study.
After the recent assassination attempt, all the princes were nervous, but they had no choice; they had to obey.
Outside the imperial study, Simon arrived and saw the others: the Crown Prince, Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Prince Gal, Sixth Prince; all seven adult sons were there.
The princes stood silently, each with a wary look on their faces.
The Third Prince moved next to Simon. "Brother, you’re here too? Looks like this isn’t just about the assassination."
"Maybe they want you to identify the attacker." He added with a smirk. "You must have made someone really mad."
Simon glanced at the Fourth Prince, someone who already had a bad history. He replied. "I’ve offended plenty of people. Could be anyone, right, Brother?"
The Fourth Prince’s face changed immediately. He snorted and turned away.
"You’re not wrong." Prince Gal added coldly. "But why drag all of us into it?" He had been peaceful in his own territory, but was summoned back only because Simon received rewards.
At that moment, Carl walked out of the imperial study. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, His Majesty will see you now."
"Hmmm."
The Crown Prince confidently walked in. He already knew what this was about.
Inside the imperial study
Alaric stamped the blood oath with the imperial seal. He had written it earlier that morning. When the Crown Prince entered, he said. "Come here, Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince quickly walked up to him.
Alaric said seriously. "Crown Prince, I hope what you said is true. If not, even with the blood oath, I will still remove you."
"Father, I understand. From now on, I’ll work hard to govern and help ease your burdens."
"Good. Sign your name."
To Alaric, whether the Crown Prince meant it or not didn’t really matter anymore.
This assassination attempt had finally awakened hi;, if he kept letting the princes run wild, disaster was only a matter of time.
The Crown Prince signed and left the study.
Soon, Carl called in the Second Prince.
Outside, the other princes were shocked to see the Crown Prince smiling and even bowing to them one by one.
"Third Brother, Fourth Brother... Simon, I’ll go first." He said.
When he got to Simon, he smiled and said. "Simon, sorry for what happened in the Eastern Castle. I thought you were trying to frame me."
"No problem. As long as you understand now." Simon replied, puzzled. ’What did he eat today? Why is he acting like this?’
The Crown Prince then left alone.
A short while later, the Second Prince walked out with an angry face.
Then came the Third Prince, Fourth Prince... Each one entered nervously and came out looking upset.
"Your Highness, it’s your turn." Said Carl to Simon.
Inside the imperial study, Simon walked straight up to Alaric.
The Emperor simply handed him the blood oath.
Simon was surprised. He carefully read through it; at the bottom, he saw the names of all the other princes.
"Simon, I’m sure you’ve heard of the blood oath," Alaric said warmly.
Simon gave a helpless smile. He hadn’t expected this was the reason for the royal summons. No wonder the Crown Prince looked so pleased; this was a contract forcing the rest of them to give up the throne.
"Father, the founding emperor once used the blood oath too. People still praise it today."
"That’s right. The oath is meant to stop brothers from fighting. You’re smart. I know you understand what I’m trying to do." Alaric said, looking straight at him.