Chapter 280: Secrets of the Court

Henwell and his group find the most luxurious inn in Tusayat and don’t hesitate to rent the entire place outright.

Seeing their imposing appearance, neither the existing guests nor the innkeeper objects to their domineering move.

Especially after Henwell drops a bag of gold coins, the innkeeper beams with delight.

During dinner, Hubert voices his frustration.

“That Lord Fred is way too arrogant, he actually dared to extort us!”

Henwell chuckles.

“Heh… Everyone on the continent probably thinks I’m arrogant now. But twenty years ago, Fred’s reckless deeds were just as wild as mine!”

This sparks curiosity among the group, and they start asking for details.

Orak takes a bite of his steak.

“Twenty-four years ago, Fred was just twenty-one and had been in the army for over two years. Back then, he was only a squad leader, fighting in the first brief clash of the War of the Six Kings. He fought bravely and was promoted to centurion.”

”Everyone was preparing for the much bloodier battles to come years later. The Kingdom of Ika needed to cooperate with the southern Duchy of Lumir, so they sent a young princess—whose mother was from Lumir—as an envoy to Lumir.”

Waintu frowns.

“That doesn’t add up. Ika’s had three queens. The first died long ago, the second over twenty years ago, and none of the three, including the current queen, are from Lumir.”

Orak smiles.

“It wasn’t the current princess, but the princess back then. You’ve forgotten that during the first War of the Six Kings, twenty-four years ago, Ika made a lot of poor decisions. The old king took full responsibility and abdicated to calm unrest, allowing the current King Baleqi to ascend.”

”The princess I’m talking about was the last daughter of the old king. When the old king was seventy, he married a woman from Lumir, which upset the nobles.”

”Whether due to conspiracy or the young queen’s own fate, she died in childbirth delivering the princess. Luckily, the princess survived, but many saw her as an ill omen and wanted to drown her. Then-Prince Baleqi secretly took the princess in and had his wife raise her.”

Orak continues, “When the princess was seven, Baleqi’s first wife died in childbirth with their third child. Gossip grew louder. Despite Baleqi’s protests, the old king sent the princess to Lumir to be fostered. He also arranged for Baleqi to have a second wife.”

”Over the next decade, Baleqi frequently traveled great distances to visit the princess. Though officially his sister, she might as well have been his daughter. Baleqi had just been married a little over a year when the princess was born, so his feelings for her were deep.”

“After the initial battles of the Six Kings War ended, the old king abdicated and Baleqi became king. Among all the princes, Baleqi’s claim was the weakest and least promising. Do you know why he became the new king?”

“It must be because the old king valued his kindness.”

“A righteous prince like that would surely have many supporters!”

“Maybe his second wife’s family gave him strong backing?”

“Could the little princess’s maternal family in Lumir have pulled some strings?”

Everyone offers their guesses, but Orak just smiles and shakes his head.

Then he glances at Henwell, who’s snacking on fruit nearby.

“Why don’t you tell them?”

Henwell rolls his eyes. “You have already told them all the noble stuff. Why do all the conspiracies and scheming about this story fall to me?”

The group bursts out laughing.

Henwell finishes his last bite and says, “King Baleqi’s second wife’s family is indeed powerful. You know Thorn City, right? That’s her hometown, and it’s also the Eastern Territory of Ika, guarded by Duke Sanchez. But contrary to what you might think, the Sanchez family actually opposed Baleqi becoming king.”

Seeing the disbelief on everyone’s faces, Henwell continues explaining.

“The Sanchez family backs their own prince and has already invested heavily. Just because Baleqi is their son-in-law doesn’t mean they’d abandon all that investment.”

”Plus, the old king chose Baleqi mainly because no one thought Baleqi had a real chance at ruling. His power base was weak, and he couldn’t control the kingdom’s powerful nobles. To hold the throne, he had to rely on the ninety-year-old former king.”

”Got it? The old king picked Baleqi because he was easy to control, making it convenient for the old king to act as a retired emperor. Power is like an addictive drug—once you get a taste, you can’t let go. Even your own sons don’t want to share it!”

”This choice also prevented the kingdom’s factions from tearing each other apart over the throne. At that time, the War of the Six Kings was just on a break, and everyone was preparing for a bigger war. Forty-two-year-old Baleqi was a perfect choice.”

”Though king, the kingdom’s affairs were still managed by the old guard. The old king still held all the real power; Baleqi was more of a puppet emperor.”

Henwell adds, “When Baleqi insisted, the little princess was brought back from Lumir. But after only a few years, she was sent back as an envoy. Officially an ambassador, but really to arrange a political marriage. Imagine how hard that was for a father who raised her.”

”Even if she was technically his sister, he treated her like his own daughter and even crowned her the kingdom’s eldest princess. But as a puppet king, his power was limited. He couldn’t change decisions made by the old king and other factions.”

”Maybe that’s why Baleqi truly wanted to secure the throne later, even though it wasn’t originally his desire.”

Barnett leans in. “But what does all this have to do with that reckless Fred?”

Hubert looks puzzled. “Yeah! Weren’t we talking about how arrogant Lord Fred is? What’s this got to do with the royal family of Ika? By this time, Fred was just a centurion. How could he be involved with the royal house?”

Henwell grins mischievously. “Heh… Don’t rush. Now comes the most exciting part of the story!”