"You should get some sleep, your highness."
Serpens whispered, his voice almost inaudible like the wind. He lingered close to the door. Not leaving.
The guest room provided by the emperor was warmly lit. A prestige for many, but a ticking clock for Celyn. He sat on the windowsill one knee propped up. His eyes on the clear sky. A rarity in the cold, bleak Luxuria. But mentally he was not there.
"How long do you think Luxuria will last in a conflict against the empire?" Serpens took a step forward thinking about the question. He was the crown prince's aide, a shadow that was always there. "Two months-"
"Wrong." Serpens had never seen the crown prince raise his voice without a reason. He froze, going over what he had missed? But Celyn didn't have the leisure for that. All of his time right now should have been focused on finding the solution.
Before leaving the waiting room. The emperor had warned him.
'Don't make a hasty decision.'
"Less than a month, if the emperor manages to cut off supply." Celyn corrected Serpens' answer. His throat felt heavy.
To paralyze the elephant for a few minutes, the ant might need to die. Why should the life of thousands of people be destroyed? For a ruler's ego. This was a disaster.
"Get me a pen and paper." Celyn instructed Serpens.
"Yes, sir." Serpens moved quickly this time. But Celyn could feel the stiffness. He watched his aide move through the corner of his eye. He was a cruel person....
He got up from the windowsill, walking to the nearby table. His finger touching the cold wood. In this situation he realistically had two choices. First let someone else take the fall for him. Most probably a half-sister or a minister's daughter.
A political marriage with Inferos wasn't a bad idea. A stretch for an illegitimate daughter but if he added other conditions the empire might agree.
A crown prince or a daughter? It was clear who Luxuria was going to choose. But what about the emperor?
Celyn tilted his head back, trying to not worry about the emperor's choice. He couldn't just accept his faith.
Acceptance, meant all the efforts that were put into sculpting him into an heir were now futile? All those years of training, living a life without a second for himself meant nothing....
"I wasn't made for this."
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