"The king has requested the presence of all royals within the palace."

--Silence--

.

Has the time finally come?

Ulrich quickly passed a message to his guard to rally his men within the city.

Of course, someone else will also send word to those outside.

If the messenger left, then it would take about 7 more hours on horseback before his men outside arrived in the city.

But was he worried? Nope.

Why? Because he had 3/10th of his men inside the city already.

So they can hold back any troublemakers until the rest arrive.

All this time, he knew that Winston had men outside as well.

But if both sides engaged earlier, then they might just end up losing way more men, allowing people like his uncles, other brothers and sister to take advantage of the situation.

Nonetheless, he ensured that he double the number of men Winston had.

He had 33,000 men hidden outside, while an additional 11,000 were here.

He also knew how many men his sister had, as well as his uncles, 3rd brother Bonivier and the rest who wanted to take his crown.

But since he got here, no news of Henry entering into the Capital had been reported to him.

Could it be that the worthless fool had decided to give up?

He felt that this should be the case, but his heart was growing uneasy instead.

He was scared of people who were called trash because they were the most sneaky of them all.

Landon of Baymard, Sirius of Yodan, and many more had popped out of their shells and reigned supreme, showing that they were just pretending to be pigs when they were wolves.

He felt like if he didn't have Henry's head on a plate, he would never be able to rest his mind on this matter.

Just look at how that brother of his managed to escape his clutches last time and loot him of all his hold in that fortress?

He even gave the people illuminating powder, and now they think that one person took the entire team down back then.

That brother of his was the most dangerous of all.

.

In no more than 4 minutes, mother Lilian's maids became secret beauty agents.

They tied her hair, changed her outfit, gave her a large black royal clock, allowed several tiny bees in a tube to sting her lips, plumping it up, before grazing it with a clear Baymardian lip balm.

Nothing she wore was bright because she had to show that she was in depression since her husband was critically ill.

She quickly pinched her thighs and began crying, making the area around her eyes sore, red and swollen.

Looking at her, one would never have thought that she was the same person from earlier on.

Now, her voice was soft as a dormouse, and her face pale due to the power added.

She looked depressed as if she hadn't eaten for days.

Hey, anything to ensure that her son continues to be the crown prince.

She just hoped that there weren't any surprises when the verdict got read.

Ulrich looked at his mother and smiled.

He knew her true face.

But so what?

She was his mother, and he loved her dearly.

As for his sister, he couldn't be bothered whether she lived or died.

The only reason she was still alive was that he knew his mother would be depressed.

However, if she crossed the line this time, then he would have no choice but to eradicate her.

.

The trio left the courtyard, entered mother Lilian's carriage, and drove towards the largest and tallest building within the palace.

This was Julius' place.

Of course as they advanced, their guards also followed them too.

And along the way, they spotted 3rd Prince Bonivier and his mother's carriage, 4th Prince Joffrey alongside other royals like his uncles; Duke Bulkington and Duke Osias, who have been staying in the palace ever since, refusing to go.

Today, they would all be gathered as a family for the first time in over 13 years.

Instantly, the air was tense.

Everyone looked at each other dangerously while secretly plotting as well.

They rode straight for the building and came out one by one.

All queens wore either black or darkish grey to show their sadness.

They climbed the numerous steps and finally passed through the gigantic pillars before entering the building.

There, they entered a very grand hall.

And because they were coming, the servants had placed several couches for them to sit.

Each family had their own couch.

With that, Lilian hurriedly sat by the one closest to the empty throne chair brought in.

Ulrich smiled and sat beside her on the couch.

His sister Eldora did the same, and their youngest sibling, 15-year-old 9th princess Tatiana also sat with them.

On the other couches, like in the case with 4th prince Joffrey, the couch could only take 3 people comfortably, and they were 6 in number; himself, his mother and his 4 sisters, which were sets of twins.

So unless they squished in, they couldn't all fit, so the sisters stood behind the chairs while he sat.

.

Soon, the doors above open and several guards hurriedly rushed down.

Din Din Din Din Din Din.

They instantly filled the room, taking positions at all angles.

And following that, several men came down the stairs lifting a chair that had Julius on it.

"Husband!"

"Father!"

Everyone went down on bended knees before the thin, frail figure that appeared.

Julius was so pale that he looked like a skeleton.

Those who knew that Winston poisoned him, couldn't help but feel amazed by the results.

He looked like the dead already.

Almost all his hair had fallen out.

And coupled with his thin pale head, the crown looked exaggerated big on his head.

His garments that once fitted his body, giving him a majestic vibe, now looked oversized for him.

The man looked like he was in a lot of pain.

And all this was caused by his son.

But even to this day, he still didn't know who poisoned him.

Of course, he greatly suspected his brothers instead since his sons were always far away in their own territories.

And his brothers always made suspicious moves.

Many-a-times, he had caught assassins who were paid by his brothers.

So all fingers always pointed to them.

It's just that this time, unbeknownst to him, it was his son that poisoned him.

.

"You may sit," Julius said in a frail voice.

With that, everyone did as they were told and looked at him sadly.

But hidden within their gaze were happiness and anxiousness.

It was time for the empire to have a new Monarch!