Chapter 164. A Stratagem, Diverting Trouble Eastward
After the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom was carved up, the surrounding nations appeared to return to their forr calm on the surface. Envoys ca and went, trade resud, and it was almost as if that territorial dispute had never happened.
But William knew very well that this was nothing more than the illusion before a storm.
In secret, they had joined hands and were steadily tightening Kroll Kingdom’s access to resources.
Mineral veins were blockaded, trade routes were intercepted, and even the refugees along the border were strictly forbidden from entering Kroll territory. Their intention was clear: to weaken Kroll’s national strength at its source.
Half a year later, inside the council chamber of the royal palace in the Kroll Royal Capital, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt almost tangible.
Tension in the Kroll Royal Capital had been mounting by the day, and the surrounding nations’ hostility had beco increasingly undisguised.
Caravans were being detained without cause, border outposts were coming under frequent attack, and so kingdoms had even openly declared that “Kroll occupies lands that do not belong to them.” The sll of gunpowder seed to saturate every inch of the air.
Left with no other choice, Kroll II had split up the elite First Gold Legion into several smaller units and stationed them along the various borders.
That barely managed to keep the situation from worsening, but the dispersal of their forces had also left their defenses stretched thin.
Inside the royal study, Kroll II looked at the dense cluster of enemy markers on the map and rubbed his brow. “William, what do you think? If this continues, they’ll tear away all pretense sooner or later.”
William stood at one side, his fingertip resting on the territory of the Kadiya Kingdom on the map. “Father King, I intend to go to Kadiya as an envoy.”
Kroll II froze for a mont. “As an envoy? To Kadiya, at a ti like this?”
“Selena is three months pregnant now.” William raised his eyes, his gaze calm and steady. “I want to use a visit to her holand as the pretext for making a trip to Kadiya.”
A flicker of understanding passed through Kroll II’s eyes, though his tone still held uncertainty. “You an...”
“We’ve dragged this out for long enough. We’ve almost reached our limit.”
William nodded, his tone decisive.
“If we keep delaying, the surrounding nations will inevitably join forces and start a war. When that happens, we’ll be attacked from both front and rear, and we won’t stand a chance. So I want to divert the trouble eastward.”
He paused, then explained further.
“I’ll go to Kadiya with great fanfare and even take the initiative to ask their Court Physicians to examine Selena.”
“Once Selena’s pregnancy is confird, I’ll also help them select a few royal family mbers with high aptitude, just to muddy the waters.”
William’s voice turned colder.
“We need to make them guard against one another, suspect one another, and keep them too busy to aim the spear at us. Only then can we buy ourselves more ti.”
Kroll II fell silent for a while. Looking at the resolve in his son’s eyes, he finally nodded slowly.
“Very well. We’ll do as you say. Whatever support you need, just say it.”
He knew this was a dangerous move, but it was also the only way left to break the deadlock.
“All I need is a ceremonial guard, and the grander, the better,” William said. “Also, have the Shadow Guard spread the news that ‘the Crown Prince of Kroll is returning to Kadiya with his pregnant wife to discuss the follow-up arrangents of the royal marriage alliance between the two kingdoms.’”
Once that news spread, those kingdoms of the Foreign Races would never be able to sit still.
Sunlight filtered through the lattice windows outside the study and fell across the father and son.
Kroll II looked at William’s upright figure and suddenly felt that this son of his was no longer a youth who needed his protection, but the very backbone capable of upholding the Kroll Kingdom.
“Travel safely.” He patted William on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Father King.”
William bowed.
The father and son then discussed the details of the diplomatic mission at length.
From the scale of the ceremonial procession, to the security along the route, to the degree of pressure and restraint to be used in negotiations with the Kadiya royal family, each point was settled one by one. Only then did William take his leave and return to his own palace.
The palace was warm and comfortable. Mary and Zoe were sitting by the window, chatting quietly.
Sunlight fell across their slightly rounded bellies, bathing their brows and eyes in a soft glow. From ti to ti, each of them would gently stroke her stomach while speaking in low voices.
When they saw William enter, both won rose at once. William waved a hand. “No need for formalities. Sit.”
“Your Highness, did you just return from Father King?” Mary asked softly, concern in her eyes.
William sat down beside them and nodded.
“In a few days, I’ll be leaving on a long journey to Kadiya.”
At that, Mary reached out and held his wrist, her fingertips cool.
“It’s a long journey. You must be careful.”
Zoe nodded as well, her tone firm. “Please rest assured, Your Highness. With Mother Queen Vivian watching over the palace, nothing will go wrong.”
Warmth rose in William’s heart, and he patted both of their hands.
“I know. You should take care of yourselves as well.”
Just then, Tos strode in quickly, wearing a sowhat helpless expression.
“Your Highness, Second Prince’s Wife Selena... has co over looking furious. She says she has urgent business with you.”
William imdiately understood. The news that he was going to Kadiya had most likely already reached her ears.
He nodded. “I understand. Take her to the eting room in the Side Hall.”
“Yes.” Tos bowed and withdrew.
William rose to his feet, gave Mary and Zoe a few more words of instruction, then turned and walked toward the Side Hall.
The mont he pushed open the eting room door, he saw Selena standing by the window with her back to him, her whole body taut. She was clearly in a temper.
“I heard you’re taking back to Kadiya?”
She turned around, raised a brow at William, and spoke in a tone filled with undisguised suspicion.
“And you’re using the child in my belly as a pretext?”
William closed the door behind him, and the room fell instantly silent.
He looked at her tense profile, his voice calm and even.
“A pretext? Do you really think I need to use my own child as a pretext?”
Selena turned fully toward him and folded her arms across her chest. The curve of her lower belly rose and fell faintly beneath her dress.
“If not, then what? The Kadiya royal family hates to the bone as this so-called ‘princess.’ If you take back there, aren’t you pushing straight into a pit of fire?”
“Or do you think the child in my belly will make them show leniency for the sake of bloodline?”
“I killed seven or eight princesses to win this opportunity in the first place. This child has to be born safely.”
“If I go back now, those people in Kadiya may not behave themselves. There’s every chance they’ll make sure sothing happens to .”
Selena’s voice suddenly turned cold. Her fingertips had gone pale from the force of her grip, and the old ruthlessness in her eyes flashed into view for an instant.
William looked at her taut profile and suddenly spoke.
“Haven’t you always wanted your child to ascend to the throne?”
Selena rolled her eyes, her voice full of sarcasm.
“Enough. Stop circling around the point, William Kroll. Do you think I can’t see through your little sche? You just want to hand the Kadiya royal family a poisoned cake and make them swallow it even while knowing full well it’s tainted.”
“If I return while carrying your child, they’ll have to accept whether they want to or not. Once they do, they’ll have to draw fire for the Kroll Kingdom. Refuse ? Heh. That’s almost impossible.”
She laid it all out plainly, and the sharpness in her eyes was utterly undisguised.
William looked at the clever woman before him and offered no further explanation. He rely turned away and spoke in a tone that brooked no argunt.
“It’s already decided. In a few days, you’re going to Kadiya with .”
He paused, then added, “This matter is not open to discussion.”
With that, he pulled the door open and strode out, leaving Selena standing there alone.
The mont the door shut, Selena slamd her fist into the table beside her. Her delicate face was filled with conflicting emotions.
She hated William’s calculations. She hated being dragged into this whirlpool. But she also knew all too well that he was right.
This was not only an opportunity for Kroll. It was also an opportunity for her and her child.
Those old stubborn fools in the Kadiya royal family looked down on her as an “executioner,” but once the child was born, carrying both William’s bloodline and Kadiya’s, those people would have no choice but to reassess her worth.
“Detestable man...” she cursed under her breath, yet her hand rose of its own accord to rest on her lower belly, and the look in her eyes gradually turned resolute.
Then so be it.
She, Selena, had clawed her way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Was she supposed to fear a little storm like this?
User Comments
0 comments from readers