“What's this, you wish to learn more about poisons ? Yes, of course, for academic purposes only, I gather. Not for murder, right ! Then you've come to the right place. Well, the first thing you need to know really, is that you'll probably either fail or get caught. Novices like you, you see, they always mess up the measuring. Not enough and the target ends up with a fever and maybe diarrhea. Too much and the target will start to cough blood in a very dramatic fashion in the middle of a dinner with you – you'll be the prime suspect. No, I assure you, it does happen, there's a poison called the 'fingerpointer', precisely because people who swallow it in large amounts – always during dinner, mind you – will have some bloody foam coming out of their mouth, and will use their last seconds of consciousness to point a finger to whoever they believe is the culprit. Just like in these detective novels, yes ! Haha ! So, do you want to buy it ?

-apothecary answering a customer's question”

* * *

Hadrias

The Second Prince was leaning on a massive wooden table, massaging his temple with one hand and holding a small parchment in the other. That piece of paper was a message from one of the Great Sorceress's generals.

Whatever the contents, it should have been brought to the Emperor first, but circumstances were such that Hadrias was, at the moment, the person in charge of everything. Not in name, of course – that would be high-chancellor Latrea – but people were already behaving as if the Second Prince was the ruler.

As he read through the message, he snorted. Setting aside the avalanche of apologies and grovelling, the general was basically informing him of Karia's death at the siege of Pelirise. Which wasn't anything new, of course. Hadrias' spies were doing their job properly, he had been noticed of the Imperial army's defeat as quickly as it was physically possible. But the details, of course, varied according to the sources.

Some said an unidentified opponent suddenly appeared on the battlefield, causing chaos and confusion. Some said that the northerners dabbled in a forbidden ritual to summon a demon with a human shape. Some said that it was a mage named Azcheron, or the Saint, or the Saviour of Pelirise, depending. It wasn't hard to figure the right answer among all the reports. The culprit did warn the Empire beforehand, after all.

And this general here was insisting that a man appeared, introduced himself as 'Azcheron the Rahal Saint', and engaged the sorceress in a magic battle.

Azcheron, you damn fool. Now you've done it.

Hadrias was truly disappointed. Not about Karia, of course – the victory of the north was a good thing to him, even if he'd never admit it in public, because he felt like the Empire was in the wrong. About Azcheron conspicuously declaring himself an enemy of the crown, by giving out his name while blatantly taking sides and killing an emblematic figure of the Empire.

I had plans for him. And I was right about him, he could have become a hero in no time... But now I clearly can't befriend him. The people will put my head on a spike if I do something dumb like pardon him or absolve him of his crimes. Treason can't be washed away so easily.

The Empire had lost one of its heroes, and another potential hero, all at the same time. The northern cities and their lords must have been delighted though. They got rid of their worst enemy, and gained a hero of their own.

“Foolishness,” the prince muttered. “Such foolishness...”

“Your highness ?” Leopold Verald asked from the other side of the table.

Hadrias lifted his head to stare at the chancellor. “And what about you, Leopold ? That niece of yours is now a wanted criminal. A traitor, a murderer, a deserter, even a heretic, in the eyes of the people. And there isn't a single thing we can do. How does that make you feel ?”

Leopold didn't answer immediately and simply glared at the papers on the table. “It is... not to my liking, I reckon,” he eventually replied.

“You were always saying how that girl would bring you trouble or shame, and I always thought these were just petty exaggerations. I see now that perhaps you were right all along.”

“I never expected her to turn against the Empire. I thought she was smarter than that.”

“Well, what's done, is done. Now we'll have to deal with that stain on your name. Rest assured, I shan't alter my plans for you, my friend.”

A lot of people tend not to hold responsible children for their parents' actions. I am grateful for this state of mind, seeing the father the world gave me. But I say there are parents' that shouldn't be held responsible for their children's stupidity either.

“I would perfectly understand if you felt you had to distance yourself from me and my family, your highness.” The chancellor's voice was calm but there was a certain bitterness in it.

“...No. I will be needing your advice and your support, very soon. Things will get difficult from now on, Leopold.”

The man nodded, and as if to answer Hadrias' warning, someone knocked on the door. They were only expecting one type of news at the moment. He motioned for his guards to let the messenger in.

It wasn't a messenger or a servant – it was the Imperial physician. An old man with a stereotypical baldness and a long beard. Wrinkled skin, small frame and a crooked posture. Despite his laughable appearance, he was not only a doctor at the edge of scientific research, but also one of the best healing arts user in the Empire. It was said that there wasn't a lot of things he couldn’t cure, and so the worried frown on his face already spoke of the challenge he was currently facing.

“Your highness, lord chancellor. His majesty's state is rapidly worsening. I still believed there was hope, a month ago, but now the conclusion is painfully obvious. I'm afraid it is an affliction I have no knowledge of.”

...I'm not surprised. Anything that couldn't be identified in a month by the Palace's doctors would stay unidentified...

“How long, do you think ?”

“...I cannot say exactly. Perhaps a couple of days. Perhaps hours.”

Hadrias sighed loudly, as if to cover the sound of his heart beating faster with each second passing. “Keep it a secret for now. The last thing we need is chaos in the Palace.”

“Apologies, your highness, but... your precious sister, the Third Princess, she barged into the room, and we couldn't stop her... I believe her cries and tears have attracted attention.”

Can't she even keep her composure ? Ha, this family. Must they forever be a stain on the Empire's history ?

“I'll go see the Emperor,” Hadrias finally said.

The prince and the chancellor left the room, followed by the physician, and walked the corridors toward the Emperor's chambers. Servants were already running around. It seemed the news had spread widely in that short amount of time. And – as it was already the case, but now it was getting more and more obvious – people were already kneeling when Hadrias came within their sight.

It made somewhat sense, of course, since his access to the throne was now unavoidable. The Emperor was dying, and the First Prince was missing. The two most dangerous pieces of information in the entire nation, and everyone in the Palace was basically aware. So now they were all trying to secure the prince's favours before the others, but it only resulted in a pathetic gathering of sweating, grovelling beggars in fancy clothes with annoying fake smiles.

You can't keep a single secret in this damn place, he cursed, trying to ignore the people kneeling around him as he walked the corridors.

Not that Hadrias' inheritance came as a surprise to anyone here. The Emperor was old enough to allow people to think about the succession, and the First Prince never seemed to have an interest in ruling, in the first place. The succession to the throne was organized around the birth order for as long as anyone remembered, but it wasn't unusual for younger princes to inherit the throne in place of their older siblings.

The pretenders had the option to abandon their succession rights at any given time – and it wasn't rare either to have pretenders step down by persuading or intimidating them. Assassination was a thing, of course, but it was absurdly suspicious for a death to occur in the middle of a succession struggle. Few were those who could get away with such a deed in such a time.

But everyone expected Alcidel to step down all by himself, and perhaps it was what happened in the end. He had been missing for a bit more than a month, and he had yet to be seen anywhere. He didn't leave a note or a message to a servant, he simply vanished one day. An astonishing feat for one of the most important person of the Empire. Hadrias thought that it couldn't have gotten more fishy, but then the Emperor fell sick soon after.

“What's your take on this illness, Leopold ?” he asked in a low voice.

The chancellor seemed to think for a bit, but the prince knew it was merely an act. Almost everyone already had an opinion on the matter.

“My guess would be poisoning, your highness.”

Hadrias nodded. “Do you believe my brother could have done it ?”

Leopold's expression darkened. “I cannot say for sure. The timing is indeed suspicious, but perhaps he is being framed.”

True. And I don't really see why he'd poison our father. The old man hasn't much left to live anyway because he is, well, old. And if there was anyone who'd gladly get rid of the Emperor, that would be me. Maybe that's the goal ? Assassinating the Emperor and making Alcidel disappear, so that I'd have the throne to myself. Then what ?

The culprit could either be an ally or an enemy. If it was an ally, then that was it – having Hadrias crowned was the end goal. That meant it could be any of his supporters, even Leopold himself.

But what if there's more to it ? Will I find myself accused of assassination ? My legitimacy will be challenged. Then... getting me out of the way would allow my younger siblings to pass. But why would it be that convoluted ?

If they poisoned my father, when he is already old, and made my brother disappear, when he already intended to withdraw himself, why can't they simply kill me off too ? It's not as if they couldn't afford to raise suspicions, seeing as it's already obvious for everyone that there's something strange going on.

“Who would gain the most from having me stepping down from the throne...” he wondered rhetorically. His siblings and their backers, of course.

Still, Leopold took a few moments, to follow Hadrias' train of thought perhaps, before answering.

“I might be wrong, but it could be a ploy from the Ravilna house. They are backing your youngest sister, and we both know you are her only competition, after all.”

Indeed, the other two don't have enough supporters for the moment. House Latrea hasn't declared itself for anyone yet, though they'll probably join me, vainly hoping to retain the high-chancellery. But...

“Elana wouldn't resort to such methods. I know her and her morals, she has much in common with me. The disdain for both the current ways of the Palace, and the vile methods used everywhere in this place.”

“I never said the Fifth Princess was directly involved, your highness.”

“...Lord Ravilna ? No... the countess ?” Hadrias paused. She's the kind of woman that could do that, according to Leopold. But then again he seems to have some bias toward her. I get that she is creepy, but it's not reason enough. I would need proof if I'm to take action.

“We need evidence,” he finally continued. “Meanwhile, keep any suspicions you have between us, it wouldn't do to have any more hostility between the houses.”

Hadrias glanced at the Imperial physician, who bowed his head. The old healer's loyalty was sworn to the crown, and he knew better than anyone else that the Second Prince would soon become Emperor. Surely he was on Hadrias's side, unless he was the poisoner himself.

It was a displeasing feeling, not knowing if he really had a single ally in the Palace. He couldn't trust the servants, the guards, the nobles. Even Leopold, his closest friend and advisor, was a potential suspect in this succession matter.

Disgusting self-interest, shitty plots and god-damn schemes. That's all the people here are capable of. I wonder what I hate the most – brainless, lustful imbeciles like my father, or the snickering, the grovelling and the conspiring bastards that gather around him ?

And I'll have to manage a country with these animals surrounding me, soon. I'm not sure I can't do it.

He had been doing it for the past month, in fact, but it was tiring and stressful, and that was only a glimpse of the real deal anyway.

“I'm not sure I can do it, Leopold,” the prince spoke his thoughts, as they arrived in front of the door. Behind it laid the ill Emperor. Behind it laid Hadrias' future chambers.

“Are you having doubts, your highness ? Do you think you are not ready to be called your majesty ?”

“Precisely so. The mere thought is intimidating, really.”

“Good. Pardon me for saying it like that, but that simply means you still have your head. You haven't succumbed to the claws of arrogance, or the abyss of conceit. Ruling a nation isn't a simple task. It will ask a lot of you. It will require courage and stamina. It will challenge your wits and your morals. It will demand that you be sometimes fair, and sometimes cruel.” Leopold chuckled faintly, which was a rare sight. “It may sound convenient, especially coming from me, but just as you cannot keep the nation from collapsing if you are evil, you cannot survive if you are only good. You have what it takes to become the ruler we need, and you have the ability to doubt yourself. In a way, admitting that you aren't ready is the first step toward being ready. Now, your highness, do not waver, and do not flee from your duty.”

Leopold Verald approached the door and put his palm on the wooden panel. He then turned to face the prince. “Behind that door lays an example of what it means to fail as a ruler. We both know you won't end up like him.”

He then neared the prince, and kneeled before him. Hadrias' guards suddenly did the same, probably spurred by the chancellor's actions. “I know it, and to prove it I have bet everything on you. The nation's future, and my own, rest on your shoulder. You may doubt yourself all you want, your majesty, for it is the purpose of men like me to support you in your moments of hesitation.”

Hadrias looked down at his feet and exhaled deeply. As he lifted his gaze back on the door, he stepped forward and reached for the handle. He'd meet his father one last time, before taking his place.