As far as Prince Lysander could remember, he had never felt more wronged in his life. Even the day his father got remarried to his late mother's sister didn't feel as bleak as this.
A large procession aligned at the prince's back, carrying coffers of ener crystals and a variety of luxury goods.
Typically, large transfers of ener crystals went from one Sid Card to another—handled remotely by the Ener Banks. But on certain occasions such as a noble's engagements, gifts and donations would be laid bare for the world to see, a custom meant to boost or reduce the noble's prestige based on the gifts they received.
And as they examined the royal family's gifts, the bystanders couldn't help but feel that their majesties had outdone themselves.
Even the dukes didn't receive such wealth for their weddings. But a daughter of mid-level nobility such as Honoria not only received princess-level gifts but also got her future husband promoted to Royal Shadow.
A noble lady marrying a servant and lifting him to the top of the officialdom. To the men and women on the scene, this was like a fairy tale—a disturbing fairy tale considering the noble lady had allegations of sexual assault on her head, but a fairy tale all the same.
To Prince Lysander, however…
"This is a nightmare. A noble lady marrying a servant? With the royal family's blessing? How did things get to this?
The country is morally bankrupt! Servants no longer know their place. Stuff like this is why I hate the servant class. They stink of hard work and sleepless nights, so much so that you can smell them from a mile away, but instead of making themselves discreet, they never lose an opportunity to play gold digger!
When I'm king, I will demote them all to slaves!" Lysander rubbed his swollen cheeks, the man-child grunting as he held back his tears. A youth dressed in a black silk tunic and dark pants appeared at the entrance gate, writing down the gifts before motioning for servants to take them inside.
The moment the youth appeared, all eyes were on him, with the royal gifts now looking insignificant in comparison to that human marvel.
"It's you!" The crown prince snapped and rushed forth, grabbing Mithras by the collar.
"Me what? I don't know what you're accusing me of, but I'm innocent." Poor Mithras replied immediately, the innocent look in his eyes drawing the sympathy of the women in the crowd.
Some brothers too felt bad for poor Mithras, wondering why the crown prince was being so aggressive with that inoffensive brother. Others, however, couldn't help but want to smash Mithras' face—a strange sentiment.
"You're the servant that stole my Honoria!"
"Wrong man. Absolutely wrong. First, I am not even a servant. I'm one of the heirs of this house, and the new custodian, in fact. Second, is your Honoria a pet, a pebble, a toothpick? How can I steal someone who is currently in the royal palace?
You got the wrong man, your highness. I'm just doing my job as custodian of this house. Don't harm the innocent!" Mithras pleaded his case, his honest words making Lysander's eyes narrow in confusion.
"Are you sure it's not you?"
"How are you sure it's me? Have you seen the picture of lady Honoria's husband? That scoundrel is a 100 times more handsome than me, empowered by all the gods and demons of the world to cause trouble in secure marriages!
I am not his match! On the contrary, I hate him too! That bastard came out of nowhere and started robbing holes left and right. Causing a sharp decline in the number of faithful women in the area with his presence alone! What man can stand that devil? I'm just waiting for an opportunity to smash him!" Mithras raised his fist, swinging like a fake tough guy.
And aware of Mithras' real identity, the Astalon servants rolled their eyes, impressed by how honest their boss sounded in the art of bullshitting.
"You seem…sincere."
"Who would dare to lie to the crown prince of this nation? Before you arrived, the stars had already alerted me that a great man would be making his entrance today, bringing the swagger of a hippopotamus, and the manners of the donkey king. Turns out it's you. Your Highness, welcome to House Astalon," Mithras crossed his arms over his chest, giving the prince a polite bow.
At first, Lysander was feeling smug and complacent, but then the "hippopotamus" and "donkey king" parts resounded, and the crown prince's brows furrowed immediately.
"Wait…aren't you insulting me?"
"Details…have a seat, your highness. I can see that you have a lot on your mind and need to unwind. Come on. Talk to me. Why do you have so much anger in your chest? What's keeping you up at night?" Bringing a mahogany throne he'd prepared beforehand, Mithras let the crown sit in the backyard, away from all the noise and bluster.
"It's that servant! Hateful bastard! Not only did he corrupt my Honoria, but he also forced her to marry him!" The moment Lysander sat on his mahogany throne, his anger erupted, overflowing with self-righteous energies.
"Yoooooo! In broad daylight, how can you lie like this?" Mithras snapped immediately, making Lysander look at him with suspicion.
"Why are you getting so worked up? I thought we were on the same side."
"We are! I don't like Mithras either, but a man gotta have a man's honesty. Who doesn't know that Honoria graped the groom? Now you wanna say she is the victim? As a man, don't you feel ashamed for throwing a brother to the wolves for the pretty eyes of a hussy?"
"Grape?" Of all the things Mithras had just said, Lysander's brain stopped here, trying to make sense of that word's meaning in Mithras' sentence.
"The 'g' is silent. It's easier on the ears and doesn't bring the same social consequences. Like wincest, basically. The things we gotta do to stay politically correct and avoid getting canceled.
Ahh, if you know you know…" Mithras sighed, and as the confused prince struggled to make sense of the words, Mithras crouched beside him, returning to his serious tone.
"Moving on. So, you basically want to get rid of Mithras. Right?"
"Who doesn't? There isn't a man in the aristocracy who doesn't want to gut that pretty boy and feast on his entrails! But he is now a Royal Shadow. No one can touch him!" Banging his fist into his thigh, the crown prince snapped, trembling from head to toe.
Royal Shadow was the highest court title, usually granted to the most meritorious civil official and palace attendant on their way to retirement. They all possessed enormous wealth, political and sometimes even military power. As far as the crown prince was concerned, Mithras had none of that and was just a pretty boy. But that title alone made any attempt at his life equal to high treason.
To say nothing of the nobility. Even the crown prince couldn't survive the consequences of assaulting a Royal Shadow. So, while thousands wanted to cut him down, none actually had the courage to make a move on Mithras' life.
It didn't help that Mithras always stayed in House Astalon.
Aware that he wouldn't have the chance to murder the man who had robbed his love, the crown prince boiled in frustration. And sensing the man's frustration peak, Mithras smirked.
"It's actually pretty simple. Who are you?"
"The…crown prince of this nation."
"And what does that make you?"
"The…future."
"Precisely. Your Highness, things have changed since the queen mother's arrival. Just like your dad, you have no rival for the crown. Your position is even more secure than your father's was in his time…because you have no brothers.
You were born to become the king of this nation. It is your destiny…your power.
Till now you've lived under the illusion that so long as your father breathes, your crown prince title bears no actual weight. But that thought progress grossly underestimates your position in the high nobility's heart.
Especially the heads of the high aristocracy.
They have a deep and passionate love for you because they know you're just like them. You do not have your father's ambitions or your grandmother's cunning. You just want to enjoy your privileges and abuse power without worry.
So go ahead and do just that. Abuse your power. Show the dukes and marquesses that unlike your dad, you're not their enemy. That you're the king they want, the leader they need, and you'll find out that there's no limit to what they're willing to do for you," Mithras whispered, the boldness in his words making the crown prince go livid.
"Oh don't be scared. I'm not telling you to overthrow your dad. Just use your position to achieve your goal. You keep the king and queen mother out of the picture for the wedding ceremony. I help you from the inside by making sure Cassandra doesn't attend the wedding. And with those three out of the picture, and the aristocracy to back you up, how can a simple servant such as Mithras escape you?
It's really overkill. But better be safe than sorry.
When he dies, making the queen mother forget the incident won't be that difficult. I will help you every step of the way, but please don't forget my contribution," Mithras explained and whispered a plan in Lysander's ears, instantly making the crown prince shake in excitement.