“Those are copies, and some things have been omitted to guarantee our privacy. The main   parts are still there, and you can get the general picture. We cut our relations with both our houses, while maintaining all the benefits and properties. We know how the duke treated your wife, his daughter, before she fled, and how he administered the house leading it to bankruptcy. The state we live in is rotten, and we can’t keep these rotten apples among the healthy ones, otherwise all the batch will become putrid. None of us want that. You may examine this for as long as you want, but you can’t take this document away from this office. Although it’s a copy, its content is still sensible and must be confidential, at least for the time being”.  

“Understood. If you could wait a few minutes, I would like to dutifully examine these before we continue this conversation”.  

“Of course. I will ask for some tea. Don’t worry, our discussions will be private, nonetheless. All the servants who attend this room are of the highest esteem and trust. You can talk freely with them around, and no word will get out”.  

After he said that, a man, tall with shoulder length black hair and wearing round glasses, got inside. The prince introduced him, Itzal, and commanded him to serve us tea. The beverage had floral and citric touches and was smooth on the tongue.  

 “I imagine this was brought by the Amin family, wasn’t it?”, I asked.  

“Yes. The Amin Family will join us for dinner, you can ask them about it later. They say it’s one of the main exports from the Shah Empire. Although they don’t produce it directly, they are on good terms with the producers and use the same trading routes. Sometimes, they even work together”. The prince said while taking a sip.  

“You don’t need to convince me to join your plan of a commercial route with the Shah Empire”.  

“I don’t?”, he asked, sarcastically.  

“I’m already convinced. I still need to discuss that with Cerys, since she is the one in charge of finances. But I believe she will agree”.  

“That’s good”. He smiled.  

When I finished reading the contract, I understood the situation a little better. The prince pointed out that the idea was initially Astrea’s, but they talked about every detail together. It was ambitious, but gave us – somehow, I already considered myself an ally – a head start in the fight for the throne. The second prince was the apparent heir only because the King favored him; otherwise, he would be irrelevant. He was born with high-level mana, but it stabilized as an adult; his technique was high for a noble, but only regular compared to a fighter; his fighting technique was only basic, and he had no military accomplishments to back him; he married early and had many kids to inherit his position. In conclusion: he was a regular noble, spoiled and with no real-life knowledge. Compared to the Vilhjálmr and Laukkanen, houses that were proud of the warriors they generated, the second prince was underwhelming.  

The first prince was also a bad bet. He was born with medium/low level mana, so his father basically abandoned him after the second prince was born. Academically, he had some success. Some of the nobles chose him as their candidate, but mostly because they didn’t want to choose the second prince; or wanted something first in exchange for their support. He was a losing horse, and there was no point in dutifully supporting him.  

Keeping the title and his spot on the competition, and slowly gaining power was a good strategy. The Laukkanen have kept themselves out of the court business because the families had a poor view of us, and our support or opposition didn’t affect the game. And, since our relationship with the Scevola House, the royals, has been sour for generations, it was better for them to stay away from us. Unfortunately, that has had a bad impact on the North, as a whole. The Vilhjálmr have a better connection with the other houses for economic reasons but prefer to stay isolated, since their traditions are closer to the Northeastern houses. After Persok became the Second General, their relationship with the other members of nobility greatly improved. Still, they don’t have enough backing to make the biggest decisions. Ergo, the houses that should be under Vilhjálmr protection are slowly decaying. To worsen our situation, we have lost land to monster invasions six times in the last decade. Also, some villages have recently suffered from famine and lack of basic supplies.  

Another important aspect was the First General position. Persok Vilhjálmr has long coveted it, but Konrad Rhydderch was a stonewall on his path for ascension. However, even if Konrad was removed, the King and high nobles don’t want a North's house in such a high position. It must be observed that among the responsibilities of the First General is the acting position of Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. Although, theoretically, this role should be performed by the King, in the last fifty years the First General has enjoyed enormous freedom of action, with little to no interference. Seldom, the King will use his authority for political means, in other words, to oppress his enemies and keep the noble houses in place. But due to his lack of knowledge, and interest, in warfare, he delegates most decisions to the First General.  

However, if everything works as the contracts stipulates, and even more if they can comply to the additional clause, we will have a good friend in an optimal position, capable of giving us the best equipment available and even redirecting the troops to help us.  

“Have you finished reading?”, the prince asked while pouring me another cup. The butler had already brought us another tea for us to savor. 

“Yes. Do you really think the King will comply with all your demands?” 

“If he doesn’t want to die”.  

“It’s a magical contract?” 

That explains why they were so certain of their victory.  

“Yes. And the King signed it without even noticing that. He may try his best, delay everything and search for a more favorable interpretation. But, in the end, he can’t run away from his responsibilities”.  

“With all due respect, this is an idiot’s contract. No one in their right mind would sign it, so...” 

“How did we make it? Well... the King is a drunkard and a fool”. 

“Makes sense". I laughed. 

“So, would you be willing to fully join our alliance? Along with what I already pointed out; we’ll agree to divert some soldiers to the North as soon as I become the First General”. 

“Well, that isn’t a certainty. What if you never become one?” 

“That’s supposed to be a secret, so I hope this information doesn’t leave this room. Astrea is already close to a month and a half pregnant. The Amin family and Sybil already know that. We trust them and believe they will keep this, because, as you may expect, many people will try to erase this child if they find out their worth. However, there are two more families who need to be aware of this, since it’s our best bargain”.  

“Vilhjálmr and Rhydderch”.  

“Yes”. 

“But Rhydderch is also one of the most complicated families, since they are also the grandparents of the second and first princes”. 

“That’s also true. Nonetheless, the relationship between the Rhydderch house and the royals may be more complicated than what they show”. 

“Explain”.  

“The current King had had three wives: Arianwin Rhydderch, mother of the first and second princes and the first princess; Kjersti Arud, my mother; and Elidi Argyris, mother of the second and third princess and current queen. Chosen either by the amount of mana or the economic support their families could offer, they were all short lived, except for the current queen. The royal family is superstitious and blindly believes in a two-hundred-year-old prophecy. The First King decree says that only an emperor-level magician can be crowned Emperor, and none of the Kings spared efforts to breed a high-mana child. But, as you may know, birthing a child that is powerful takes a heavy toll on the mother’s health. Hence, the women married to the Scevola were treated as nothing but incubators. Both my mother and the first queen died at childbirth. The only reason the present queen is still alive is because she is too old to have any more kids. There were even rumors that he may divorce her and marry a younger woman if the Argyris don’t pay him an annual maintenance fee”.  

“So, you believe the Rhydderch are, in fact, resentful towards the royal family and will rather go against him? That sounds like a good argument, if the Second Prince wasn’t already the Rhydderch champion”. 

“And why do you believe he is, apart from him being Queen Arianwin’s son?” 

“Why would he not?” 

“Because he is not a Rhydderch, he is a Scevola. He doesn’t share the Rhydderch values, or even their abilities. His view of the world is the same as father’s. His first wife is the best proof of that. He divorced her because she was infertile. After his divorce, he got married in less than a month. The second wife died with his still-born son. He and his third wife haven’t been together for a long time, but he already has four kids. The noblewoman say they never saw her without a baby in her belly. Does it sound anything like the heavenly appraised Rhydderch?” 

“Go back a little. What you mean he doesn’t have the Rhydderch abilities?” 

“Oh, I forgot this isn’t public”. 

The Rhydderch were named dukes when the First King, former Scevola Emperor, unified the Five Light Nations. The Kingdom was renamed Glæma, the ray of light, and, to appease the revolting forces, the outstanding members of each of the four conquered nations were granted nobility titles. The four dukes and four marquises were great leaders in their regions but had to submit to the First King to grant a pacific transition and their people's safety. The Vilhjálmr were great warriors and renown conquerors of Terrors; the Conwenna were great farmers who could feed the whole nation; the Etxeberria were constructors that could build wonderful palaces; and the Rhydderch was a family of prophets, and each of their business was a grandiose success.  

Individuals with unique abilities were rare, and a few families had such characteristics. Those families were mainly recognized by those abilities, and many said that a kid born without those abilities couldn’t be considered a true member of the family. Hence, having a Rhydderch without the premonition ability, is like having a Korhonen who couldn’t shriek or a Hellström who wasn’t a psychic.  

“Does it mean he hasn’t had any premonition?” I asked. 

“He can’t have any premotion. He was born with a minimal spiritual energy. Since the royal family doesn’t care about spiritual energy, he never cultivated it, to the point that it completely disappeared. Without spiritual energy, there can be no premonitions. He may have never said it openly, but more than once he claimed to be thankful for not inheriting Rhydderch’s blood. That the emotional wave that accompanies each prediction is a liability no King should ever have”.  

“Did he say that to the Rhydderch house?” 

“Probably not, he still gains a lot from the Rhydderch support”.  

“But if they stop supporting the Second Prince, they could just turn to the First one”.  

“Everyone knows that the First Prince, Addrin, is a losing bet. He never wanted to be part of the dispute for the crown and has been absent from social gatherings for a long time. In fact, all his time was invested in his research. His greatest wish is to be a full-time professor at Hodžic Academy. After realizing that Attiko, the Second Prince, is not a good fit to defend the Rhydderch interests, they will need someone who abides by their values and who can give them power and visibility”.  

“And you think they will give up on the crown?” 

“They’ll, once they notice that even if they win the dispute, they’ll lose the war. Attiko is a mess, and Addrin a coward. Do they really want those kids to represent them and bring down the country in their name?” 

“When you say it like that, it does sound pretty bad”. I laughed.  

“Back to the general. Konrad Rhydderch has been looking for a chance to retire for a long time now. He is too old to be in the field and has too much to protect back home. A wife, children and even grandchildren. It’s time for him to enjoy a more pacific way of life”.  

“And you’re certain you can push him to step down?” 

“As we talked before, the army has been a mess for a long time. An aristocratic meritocracy, where all the money ends up in the hands of the noble officials. The common people who form the base have crumbs for a salary. The decisions on the payment, unfortunately, come from outside sources, like the Minister of Finances, the Prime Minister and Parliament. The military budget has been controlled by the noble houses for too long. Still, Konrad Rhydderch did his best to deal with it. I saw him work closely, and I know he is efficient, and his premonitions are of great use for the office. However, he doesn’t have the guts to take charge and challenge the houses. But if he has a backer who can shoulder the badmouthing and scorn from the nobles, he may be able to act more seriously”.  

“So, you plan to take his office, but keep him close. Like make him your adviser or something like that?” 

“Something like that. I’ll let him use me as his shield, for now. This way, Rhydderch will keep their power and authority, and even be able to expand it without suffering the aftermath for their decisions”.  

“Won’t that put too heavy a weight on you?” 

“They already put me on this chair. There isn’t much more for them to do against me”. 

He may have suffered the aftermath of his many wars; he was abandoned and ostracized by his family and the noble community. But the longer I stayed by his side, the more I believed that who I was looking at was the legendary Tiger General.