Chapter 670: The Lion King

While Henwell is hurrying along with his army, a banquet is underway in Silver Peak Palace. Arius has already sensed that something is wrong, but this time he has come with his wife and children, so he can't immediately get away.

At first, he wants to claim poor health and decline tonight's banquet.

But to his surprise, the palace actually sends a carriage and a doctor, as if they are prepared to carry Arius into the palace if necessary.

Arius immediately has his subordinates make preparations. On one hand, he sends people to notify Yosui City and gather his army.

On the other, he sends people south to notify Peace Haven.

After making the other arrangements, Arius dresses in formal attire and takes his wife and children to the palace banquet.

At the banquet, everyone seems to be deliberately avoiding Arius.

No one comes forward to greet him, and even the usual social chatter is gone.

After a while, King Amir comes out to meet everyone and receive their blessings.

Arius notices that, aside from himself, the other princes aren't present.

It seems this killing trap has been prepared specifically for him.

As the youngest prince, Arius naturally has to step forward and offer birthday wishes to his father, Amir.

When Arius approaches, all the nobles around Amir step away, leaving only a few trusted confidants behind.

Arius looks at King Amir. "Your Majesty, will I still have the chance to come wish you a happy birthday tomorrow?"

"Or will this day next year be the anniversary of my death?"

King Amir gives a soft laugh. "Heh... Arius, tell me what you think the situation is. Let me see if you can guess correctly."

Arius frowns and studies this unfamiliar father of his. A moment later, he says, "This is a trap aimed at me."

"At first, I thought something had happened to your health, Father, and that you wanted to settle certain matters before the end."

"But after seeing you today, your spirits are good. There is no sign that you are about to die."

"Then it must be someone else who wants to take a desperate risk. Is it Brother Anthony?"

"He has already gained the most support and received your approval, Father. Is he preparing to remove me, the last competitor?"

Amir asks with a smile, "Why Anthony?"

"Because Anthony is now the commander of the Blood Lion Knights. He is also the candidate supported by Duke Lowel of the Northern Regions."

"The achievements he fought for on the battlefield have given him great prestige in the army."

"We in Vorry revere martial strength. A successor like him, one from the army with real achievements, is very popular."

"By comparison, Brother Christo's foundation is weaker."

"He is famous for his ability in civil administration and public welfare, but what Vorry needs now is a brave monarch, not a monarch who merely guards what already exists."

"More importantly, the only one supporting Christo is Duke Quinns of the Southern Regions."

"With him far away in Tyran City, he can't give Brother Christo much support."

At that, Amir falls silent, his face showing a hint of sorrow. "Christo is dead."

Arius's eyes widen. "What? Who did it? Anthony? How did he manage that?"

Then Arius looks at Amir with a changed expression. "Father, you killed Brother Christo?"

Amir says nothing. He simply lowers his head and drinks a large mouthful of wine.

Arius's expression becomes even more shocked. "Jonathan did all of this? How is that possible? He has supporters?"

Amir says mildly, "An accident is called an accident precisely because it exceeds everyone's understanding."

Arius needs a long moment to digest this heavy news. "But what does Jonathan have that lets him win support from every side?"

Amir says, "Interests. Of course it is interests. It can only be interests."

"He promised the dukes that Vorry Kingdom would become an elector system."

"Dukes outside the royal family, along with their heirs, would all have the right to compete for the throne."

"Lowel of the Northern Regions, Duke Quinns of the Southern Regions, Duke Obiken of the Western Regions, and Duke Marcus of the Eastern Regions have all chosen to support him."

"Do you know why?"

"Because compared with supporting a prince to take the throne, they would rather let their own sons have the chance to compete for it."

"Is the price reasonable? Is it tempting enough?"

Arius's mind goes blank. "B-but... but how can that be allowed? How can you agree to something so absurd?"

Amir sighs. "Ah, my child. Have you still not realized it? I am going to die."

"I have been poisoned. It is a poison made specifically for royal bloodlines. There is no way to remove it."

"And not just me. Anthony and Christo were also poisoned."

"Christo was simply pushed out as a warning. He had been poisoned for longer."

"Jonathan told me I could try any method I wanted to detoxify it. I used many methods, but none succeeded. In the end, I could only watch Christo die."

At this point, Amir looks toward the nobles in the distance and lets out a cold laugh. "Heh... do you understand now?"

"When a king is certain to die, no one cares about his attitude anymore."

"The people around him immediately turn toward a new master. Silver Peak City's Guard army and the standing army outside the city have already pledged themselves to Jonathan."

"With the support of the dukes of the four regions, he can, in essence, already be crowned king."

"Do you know why there has to be a trap aimed at you?"

"It is very simple. Jonathan doesn't want to carry the reputation of killing his brothers and murdering his father, so that burden can only fall on you."

Arius says in a deep voice, "He wants to kill me and seize my territory in Yosui City as well."

"But does he know what will happen after I die?"

"He has ignored Peace Haven's reaction."

"I don't think Henwell is involved in this plan."

Amir asks, "You trust this sworn brother of yours so much?"

Arius says proudly, "Of course. Father, I am different from you now. I still have a few friends who would risk their lives for me."

"If Henwell had known about this plan in advance, he would probably already be on his way here to chop Jonathan to pieces."

"Henwell would never allow Vorry to become a country with an elector system. That doesn't match his principles."

Amir is somewhat curious. "Oh? Should that not be very beneficial to him? He would have a chance to seize the throne."

Arius says, "Henwell once said that even a terrible unified regime is better than the chaos of rule by scattered warlords. That is a tremendous waste of productivity."

Amir is silent for a long time, then lets out a long sigh. "Ah. If I die, which of you could still be a match for Henwell?"

Then Amir looks at Arius. "Although your analysis isn't entirely correct, you do at least have a brain. You can leave here alive today."

"At a time like this, I can still get out of the palace?"

Amir sneers. "Heh. Do you really think I have been king for these past decades for nothing? If I weren't worried that our family's bloodline would be cut off..."

"If I didn't need to see whether you can truly bear the burden of being king, Jonathan would already be buried by now."

"You can't possibly believe I made no preparations at all, can you? Do you look down on me, your king, that much?"