Chapter 284 - Council of five
As soon as Bian stepped into the room, the gentle smile he had worn in the palace disappeared from his face. His expression hardened into an irritated frown as he walked toward the table and took the seat at its head. He glanced at the five people gathered around him, letting his eyes pass over each of them before speaking.
"How are you, gentlemen? I hope your day has been going wonderfully."
None of them had even managed to answer before Bian continued, his pleasant tone turning sharply bitter.
"Because mine has been the worst. I have been unable to find something I desperately need, and honestly, you lot are not helping much."
"P-Prince Consort, I have already sent ships toward the nebulae closest to us." The man dressed in rich red velvet spoke anxiously. His fingers fidgeted restlessly near the hilt of the sword at his waist. He was Marius, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and unlike the others in the room, he looked as though he was already regretting getting involved in this mess. "My men were almost discovered by the Crown Prince’s faction. This is becoming too risky. This search simply isn’t worth it."
Bian’s palm slammed against the table.
"It is worth it because I say it is worth it!" His voice echoed through the dark room. "You had better listen to my word. I want a Grayling, and I want one right now!"
The men around the table exchanged uneasy glances.
"This seems like an unreasonable request, Your Highness," the man sitting to Bian’s right said calmly. He didn’t appear particularly bothered by Bian’s outburst. Instead, he leisurely lifted his goblet and took another sip of wine. "Might we know why you need a Grayling so desperately?"
Bian’s eyes narrowed as he stared at him.
Of course.
This man was none other than the High Chancellor, Sir Loraine.
A tricky snake of a man who served no one except himself.
The power-hungry bastard had only taken Bian’s side because he wanted to bring down the present emperor, claiming that the emperor had wronged him by refusing to grant him access to a mining planet. At least that was the reason he had given everyone, anyway.
There was another rumor circulating through the palace, however.
Some said Loraine had once set his sights on the deceased empress herself. The woman had rejected him outright and instead married the man who was now the emperor.
Whether that rumor was true or not, Bian couldn’t care less.
He clenched his fist beneath the table.
Whatever Loraine’s real reason was, it didn’t matter. The five people sitting around this table all shared the same goal.
They wanted to take down the current emperor.
That was the only reason they were willing to work together.
And Loraine, in particular, had influence in countless places. He had people scattered throughout the empire, connections within various factions, and resources that could reach places ordinary people could never access.
With his support, finding a Grayling should have been easy.
Convincing him to actually help was another matter.
Bian gritted his teeth and turned his attention fully toward the High Chancellor.
"Sir Loraine," he said coldly, "didn’t you want to topple the crown? Didn’t you want to kill the present emperor?"
Loraine slowly lowered his goblet.
His eyes met Bian’s across the table, calm and unreadable.
Bian held his gaze, refusing to back down.
"If you want the emperor gone," he continued, "then you should be willing to help me get what I need."
"How does that relate to a Grayling?" Loraine asked, raising one eyebrow. "This one wishes to know, Your Highness. Aren’t we all plotting together? Aren’t we supposed to trust each other completely, with no secrets between us?"
A faint, almost impish smile appeared on his face as he lifted his goblet again.
Bian took a slow, deep breath, forcing himself to calm his anger.
"I have my own plans that I do not wish to reveal to anyone," he said evenly. "But I can assure you of one thing. I will never cause any direct harm to the people in this room. Our plan to take down the emperor will succeed. And once the other princes are gone and dead, Dican will take the throne."
Loraine scoffed softly, clearly unconvinced.
"And how exactly will that serve us again?"
Bian’s eyes narrowed, but he answered without hesitation.
"You will be under my care." He leaned slightly forward, his confidence returning. "Dican is under my control completely. He will do exactly as I say."
The High Chancellor studied him silently for a moment. he looked almost amused.
"Even a well-trained dog will eventually bite the hand that feeds it," Loraine said calmly. "How can you be so certain that he is under your complete control?"
Bian’s expression darkened. "I have my ways." He abruptly pushed himself to his feet, the chair scraping against the floor behind him. "Just get me my Grayling," he said, his voice firm and impatient. "Once I have it, we will achieve our goal."
He didn’t wait for a response.
He turned sharply and stormed out of the room, his cape whipping behind him as he disappeared through the doorway.
The five men remained seated around the table in silence.
For several moments, no one said anything.
Loraine simply stared at the doorway through which Bian had disappeared, his fingers lazily turning the goblet in his hand. Then he let out a quiet scoff.
"Well," he muttered, taking another sip of wine, "we certainly chose the short end of the stick."
Marius shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Loraine glanced toward the others, a faintly mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Look at the man we have decided to place our hopes in," he said. "He refuses to tell us what he is planning, demands things without explanation, and somehow expects all of us to simply obey."
One of the others lowered his gaze, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
Loraine gave another quiet scoff.
"And yet here we are."
He leaned back in his chair, completely at ease despite the tension filling the room.
"We have already chosen our side. There is no point pretending otherwise now."
His eyes drifted toward the closed doorway.
"Let us just hope our little prince consort knows what he is doing."
The faint smile on his face disappeared.
"Because if he doesn’t, I’ll make sure he knows what pain feels like."