"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Emperor is very unwell as of now"
Hearing these words everybody is in a state of shock but, concerned as they now are, they know not to interrupt as she is yet to finish her speech.
"Please follow me to the Imperial Throne Room as is Highness is unable to move, and bringing him to here, the council hall, with a litter is unadvised by the medic"
Everyone swiftly and quietly starts following the woman to where the sovereign lies. Demarking the profound difference in status all the nobles keep at least seven meters from her. Only the few that have the right to sit in the first row can follow her closer; Duke Shtern is the only one to actually stay by the empress' side.
"Why didn't you tell us, why didn't you tell me!"
"We intended not to spread panic and rumors"
"You know I'm trustworthy, you know me, I basically raised Allan. If you called for me we could have avoided all this"
"Come on Dan don't put me in a tougher position, it's already difficult as it is; there's more to this"
Replied, her voice slightly shaking and greatly hesitant, having lost all the firmness that characterized her previous speech.
"Than tell me what more there is to this"
As they walk through the palace the ambient gets darker as the sun is setting over the horizon, still hidden behind a thick wall of ominous clouds. The longer they walk the atmosphere gets murkier as they near the intended destination, to the point where as they attain the door that opens to the throne room, not even the artificial lightings seem enough to properly illuminate the surroundings.
"What more is there to this? An Attempt? A Curse? Magic, viruses, food poisoning; what!? Did he fall off a horse? Did he drink too much last night? You know I can heal him, or in the worst case fix him"
They all stand before the imposing gate, the guards waiting for the command to open and announce their arrival. But despite all her attempts, the empress can't keep her pose any longer and falls on her knees crying, whaling and shedding the mature but beautiful look; tears run down her cheeks, the voice is muffled and the breath uneven. Soldiers and nobles alike immediately rush to attend to her but are halted by the duke assisting her by himself.
"It's a heart attack! A heart attack! It was out of nowhere! He went to bed to get some sleep before the council but he never woke up again! The doctor checked and there's no external signs, the maids stood vigilant all the time, along with the soldiers! Even the captain of the imperial guards was outside the room!"
Not a word, not a breath, not a thought in everybody's head.
The longtime friend helps the widow to stand and holds her weight by the shoulders, reassuring and comforting her all the while. Everyone enters the chamber, where the Imperial family is reunited in grief. They surround a small bed, where the lifeless body lays; All the nobles coming from the council room unite their sorrow for the late emperor to the prayers of all the royals coming from the high court.
The unexpected passing of the emperor leaves everybody in disarray, as he was very healthy and took care of his well being; without a central respected figure the empire would soon face serious threats both from within and without.
Despite being called the 'Mild' he was quite loved, equally by peasants and merchants, and nobles alike. His policies were focused at pleasing all parties equally; because of this the stability of the empire, if very slowly, steadily increased over the years. But now, without him, everything is about to fall apart: the immediate successor is his first son Tiber, 15 years old, mature enough but certainly only in terms of age.
He's arrogant, impulsive, lustful and often picks fights, the only aspects he's remarkable in are jousting, swordsmanship and physical prowess. He's particularly unfit for any form of governance or accountability; truly despises all the nobles, Swords or Jewels, as he sees them as an hindrance; an obstacle in his idealistic view of a state where the lord rules over the masses with no one as middleman.
But this wasn't a problem as it was always agreed that his second son, Adrian, only seven years old, once reached adulthood would be crowned as rightful heir; even if just a boy, everyone would be more fit than Tiber to take the throne.
In this moment of eerie disbelief Dan sluggishly but hastily walks up to the candid white bed, silently puts his faintly trembling hand over the lifeless body of the one who he once called Emperor, the one he once called pupil, the one he called friend; the purple irises feebly glow once more. With a low voice softly whispers a spell, as if not to wake the resting man; a light lime green glare emanates from the palm of his hand. Through the use of magic he confirms the cause of death as the one pronounced by the doctor.
He does this to be sure, not because he doesn't trust the court's physician, but to convince himself that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it from happening. Having lost yet another dear one is not the main reason for grief, but the fact that he was not able to properly say goodbye; that is what haunts him the most.
The ones standing in silence closer to the deathbed, if they were to divert their gaze from the floor's paving, looking at him, would have noticed just a drop of water in his tired eyes, hidden behind the cold and proud appearance, obscured by the austere and contained manners.
"W-What will be now…"
Murmurs one of the presents.
"His highness Tiber will be crowned as Holy Kuraurean Emperor, waiting for his Highness Adrian to mature enough to receive the throne as his father intended"
Says one of the adjutants, but everybody in the room knows that Adrian, if left undefended, would never reach adolescence, let alone adulthood. Not even Mathilda, Tiber's own mother, was safe as she evidently preferred the second son over the first and would do anything to keep the latter as far away from power as possible.
The young heir, in the whole room, is the only one to not even fake sorrow before the emperor, his own father; as he knows very well that he now has all the power he ever desired. He could now act revenge on all who looked down on him, punish all who treated him as an inferior, take vengeance on all who prejudged him based solely on rumors. He is anxious, disquieted, barely containing his youthful excitement; looking forward to the day he will show them that he is no lesser, rather, that he is superior to all who came before and will ever after. That is, in his mind, at the very least.
Within the shadows of where the light doesn't reach on his juvenile face, a genuine grin hides from plain view.
Everyone stays in the room for hours, taking turns to give a last salute to the loved Allan. But aloof, in a corner of the vast and intricate throne room, without attracting attention, a particular group of nobles has quietly reunited. They are the nobles of the first row, all the ones who hold the reins of the economy and commerce of the empire; Obviously Duke Shtern and Marquis de la Foix but also Grand Duke Ruae, Duke Ritzberz, Marquis Fjords, Marquis Termuth.
They are about to discuss the future of the crumbling empire that the 'Mild' left behind.
"This is a mess"
"Totally agree, now we don't even know what that lunatic is thinking"
"Wouldn't be surprised if he raised taxes to 60% to found a military campaign against the Alshams Caliphate that will end as one would expect"
Duke Ritzberz and Marquis Termuth start off the conversation.
"So, what are we going to do now?"
Firmly asks Andrue de la Foix.
The response to his answer is dead silence and distorting gazes.
"I… I'm going to do as the Order did. Thousands of years ago, before the empire came, all of Braux was an unified kingdom. I know it will sound presumptuous but I'm going to recreate said kingdom with me as king. I don't want my people dragged into whatever mess is about to happen"
Replies Grand Duke Ruae, lord of the Grand Duchy of Braux and western islands. Unexpectedly to him, his proposal is met with understanding and admiration, to the point that Duke Ritzberz thought it appropriate to do the same with his fief.
"That's a really good idea my friend! Doing so will grant you the power to personally administrate your territories without the intervention nor the taxes imposed by Antaria! I will go and ask my people if they as well desire independence with me as their new king! Obviously if they are loyal to the imperial family I won't impose anything"
Won over by the prospect of autonomy and possible increased prosperity also Termuth, Fjords and de la Foix households come to the agreement that independence is the best way possible, in order to avoid the highly likely disastrous outcome that would come from someone like Tiber as head of the Kuraurean people.
"What about you Dan? You more than any of us would benefit from cutting off the leash. Will the Insolum Duchy go their own way?"
The mysterious man thinks about it for a few seconds.
"Well if everybody's going to leav…"
Then stops, a spark lightens in his mind. For a few seconds his pupils can be seen moving frantically in every direction as he was struck with a brilliant idea, in his eyes at least. He lowers his head and holds his forehead with his hand, not stopping to think.
"No, no, instead…"
"You got something?"
"Well… since you all are going to declare independence, the future emperor, who ever will be, is going to need some strong and reliable allies"
Mutters the man still lost in his thoughts.
"So you are going to help that deranged kid wage wars against us? Not exactly wise of you"
A sinister and uncalled for laughter, especially in this moment. A faint creepy smile appears beneath the duke's hand.
"No. I would never, you are my friends after all"
"At least you still treasure human relationships..."
"Listen here. I'm going to officially remain within the Empire's borders because, as you know, custom duties are pretty hefty to goods coming from outside"
"Oh yeah, I didn't think about that. Taxes are going to be so high it might even be worth staying within the empire's borders..."
Said the grand duke, a bit deluded that his splendid idea was shut down so quickly.
But Marchioness de la Foix, being an uncanny trader and merchant, immediately realizes what his intentions are.
"Damn you can be smart when you put your mind into it! I Might even think you have a moderate amount of brains"
The others stand there a bit confused, and a bit ashamed to admit their lack of understanding. The refined woman takes the floor.
"All right, let me explain: Once we are independent, the world wide commerce and economy will likely plummet. Since custom duties will make it impossible for everyone but major trading companies to sell goods to territories inside the empire's borders, we could trade between us but realistically speaking by excluding the Kuraurean mainland our profits would be short. But here comes into play Dan and his duchy! Since his fief will undoubtedly be the most powerful, influential and prosperous left in the empire without us; he will be able to relatively do as he pleases, so instead of charging 45% of the good's price like it's usual on custom duties, he will keep it at a low price!"
"So all we need to do is redirect all our merchant fleets to the Insolum main Island! All the commerce will go trough there before setting foot into the empire"
"But, how are you sure this is going to work? I mean maybe after hearing that half of the Imperial territories has gone independent they will lower the customs, or maybe they will send the army to force the taxes on the Insolum Dutchy"
Duke Shtern intervenes to complete the explanation.
"And that's where my plan is going to actually give results. For one, they need money, a lot of money, more than you can now imagine; I know because the head of the imperial treasury is an old friend of mine. That's also why they will raise the taxes even more to the remaining territories. They will also need a new army, since three fourth of the actual soldiers are from our territories the crops output will decrease as they conscript peasants. Also I have enough connections or money to buy the senators' vote. And lastly, do you really think that Hereditary Prince Adrian would ever get to the crown? Do you think his brother will just give up the throne?"
"No"
"Not at all"
"He's going to assassinate him sooner or later"
"And that's where I come into the scene! Listen up, this is my plan…
The nobleman in the shades is about to tell his companions the plan but everybody's called forth to swear loyalty to the new emperor.
"We'll meet tomorrow evening at my place"
Said Marquis Termuth before the group starts heading towards the late emperor's resting place. As they wait for everyone to take part in the oath, Duke Shtern approaches the teary widow and his son Adrian apart from the main crowd; they are alone, desperate, terrified. The little boy is too young to fully understand what is going on, but he knows there will be severe consequences to his father's death.
The future is just as unpredictable as death. All they know is that Tiber despises both of them so much that an assassination attempt on his own mother and brother is almost certain, and with no one to rely on they are as if lost at sea, boarding agony and fright like water.
"Your Highness"
She doesn't reply, sobbing and finding it difficult to breathe, as if she is drowning in salty tears.
"Mathilda"
"Y-y-yes?"
"I know this isn't the moment but I have a proposal for the both of you, will you hear me?"
After detailing his plan and explaining the proposal, the woman can be seen struck again by tears, sweet tears this time.
All the nobles are on their knees as they swear once again unending loyalty to their new ruler. Tiber Magnum Remmetico Lidiano Fruasè qui Herskerg, now known as Tiber the 'young'.
And as the midnight strucks, for each of the three bell rings a "Long live the Emperor" resounds in the room, the corridors, the halls of the marble palace; with a soft background smell of purple oak;
Each one of them less genuine than the first.