I had imagined that my father would have everything prepared within a day or two but when I received no news for three straight days, I made my way to the study to discuss what was keeping him held up that he forgot the responsibility he had given me. I still had the mentality of a modern guy who had taken quick communication as granted.
When I reached the study, it was surprisingly empty. I inquired with the nearby guards and they informed me that my father was holding court currently and would be busy for the day. If I wished to see him today I would either have to wait till evening or attend court.
In a mediocre kingdom like ours there was no need to hold regular court as the issues would generally not be very big for the day-to-day running's. For my father to hold court it would mean than he would have something important to discuss with the officials or the other way around. I for one could guess the topic of discussion and therefore was somewhat hesitant to go to court and that to without being asked.
If my father would have thought that my presence was necessary than he would have already informed me about this. Since he did not, I thought it better to stay away. On the other hand, one reason could be that he thought I was not ready to face the court, given my request to prevent the officials from poking their noses and questioning me.
I decided to first attend the court proceeding and determine my next step after gauging my father's reaction.
As I approached the throne room, I could hear a middle-aged voice saying that the though he was happy that the young prince has actively asked to take responsibility, the giving of an entire department of the kingdom without much supervision was not a wise decision. Many other voices of consent were heard soon after.
Another middle-aged voice argued that even if the prince asked for such a position, it was not a big deal and praised that the young prince knew his capabilities and was wise enough to ask for power but not while disrupting any other officials' position and eyed for a position that would have no visible effect on the smooth running in the court. Several consenting voices soon followed.
It was clear to me the voices I heard were of the two most powerful officials under my father and they each had their motives. I also remembered that my father had also told me that in this kingdom many people had ambitions to climb, but none were traitors so in the future I can always rely on them without the fear of being betrayed. These officials had many times ridden to war alongside my father to gain such trust.
I had heard enough and walked straight in without waiting for any announcement. Seeing my sudden entry, everyone felt silent and looked at me. I went up to the stairs leading to the throne and greeted my father like was expected of a prince and then greeted the various officials. They returned the polite greetings and my father asked me to sit in the chair of the prince.
After seeing my father's attitude, I concluded that he did not wish to hide this from me, it was just that he thought I did not want to be yet involved in the intricacies of the court.
After I was seated my father began by asking me to explain the decisions and requests that I made to the officials. This was his way of saying, now that you are here you deal with it.
I got up and began my explanation by pointing out that even though I was to rule the kingdom one day, I am no exemplary warrior material, so the only other path of ruling before me was that of prosperity.
This start got an expected reaction from my crowd, SCHOCK. Everyone expect my father was shocked that the first time the young prince takes part in an official court meeting and he is already talking about being king. They quickly turned to look towards their king trying to guess their next moves based on his reactions but after seeing the smile on the king's face they understood in their hearts that the king was already believing in the heir to pass on the kingdom soon.
This changed the whole dynamic on how the court viewed me now. They understood that my word held weight and that I could potentially influence changes throughout the kingdom with such support from the king. I was thankful to my father for having my back in front of the officials.
I continued by saying that in my studies I have learnt that trade is the most important factor in building a nation's' financial prosperity and therefore I had decided it to be my first target.
One of the two high ranking officials interrupted me by saying that according to the information provided to them by the king, I was asking for the construction department and not the trade, so why was I saying that the first target was trade. The underlying meaning was that we are already conflicted in giving you an unnecessary department and here you come intending to take the entire economy in your hands despite being so young and ignorant.
I asked him politely to have patience first and after I have completed my explanation, I would answer each and everyone's doubts. He did not argue back but just sat down giving me a disappointed look.
I continued narrating on how if a kingdom wished to increase and strengthen trade one has to have proper and quick access through the land. If one wished to increase trade, he should be able to provide better, safer and quicker paths for the traders to follow. The traders inherently seek profit and if one kingdom was able to provide them with enough access that they could complete their usually long, treacherous journey within a short period of time and that too with basic safety and security, they are sure to pick that kingdom for trade over others.
Most of them nodded and even the two high officials did not dismiss my theory. Their silence meant that they will hear me out so I should continue.