"Now, will you finally tell me what you were talking about earlier?" John asked, his voice tinged with impatience as he stepped into the room, trailing behind the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke closed the door behind him and gestured towards the couch. "Have a seat, John. We have plenty of time, no need to rush. I'll answer all of your questions," he said, his voice calm and measured.
John took a seat, albeit reluctantly, and the Duke began to speak. "Good. Now, first, let me explain a bit about my relationship with your father. I'm sure he never bothered to tell you anything about me, let alone my existence," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of resentment.
John leaned forward in his seat, his curiosity piqued. "That's correct," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of curiosity.
The Grand Duke nodded before continuing. "Let me tell you a bit about myself. As you've probably already guessed, I am the illegitimate son of the High King. In other words, I am your uncle. I did have an older brother, but he's no longer with us. We'll talk more about that another time," he said, his voice tinged with bitterness as he remembered his late brother. He clenched his fists as he spoke, his expression darkening.
The Duke continued, after a brief pause, "I'm not sure if you're aware, but ten years ago, I led a revolt against the emperor. There were multiple reasons, but primarily, I didn't want my brother to take the throne for himself and later pass it down to one of his two idiotic children."
John's mind was in a state of panic. 'A REVOLT? WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT? AHHHHHHHH, WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW?', he thought, trying to keep his expression calm.
Kostas turned to Palas, concern etched on his face. "You better give us a proper explanation after this situation is sorted out," he said, as he saw sweat dripping from Palas' head.
Palas, the dragon lord, let out a frustrated sigh. "Give me some time, will you? I'm also trying to figure this out. It's not like I've used this spell before," he said.
"That was the official reason given to the empire. The real reason was that your father betrayed my trust," the Duke said, pausing for a moment. "He took away the woman I loved from me. That woman was your mother," he added, his voice tinged with emotion.
John's eyes widened in shock as he abruptly stood up, his voice raised in disbelief. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed, in complete shock at the Duke's revelation.
"Calm down, I'm explaining," Dante said, his hand outstretched towards John in a calming gesture.
John took a deep breath and sat back down on his seat, his mind racing with confusion. "Right," he said, his voice still tinged with uncertainty.
"15 years ago, when I was still young and attending the academy, I met your mother, Nadia, the headmaster's daughter," the Duke began, clasping his hands and leaning forward. His eyes were filled with nostalgia as he reminisced the past. "She had just entered the academy then, and my brother and I were both head over heels in love with her. I, however, was a step ahead and asked the headmaster to arrange my marriage with her," he said, his voice filled with longing as he locked his gaze onto John's.
"Hold on, what are you talking about? My mother never told me about any of this," John said, his tone filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Just listen, there's a reason you don't know any of this. Anyway, as I said, your mother and I were engaged to each other and would be married soon after she graduated," the Duke said, his expression becoming solemn. "Well, that was the plan, at least," he added, his voice filled with regret.
"The next year, I graduated from the academy and came to the north as I enlisted in the military by the orders of my father, to protect the northern territories from the hordes of monsters that invade every winter. I spent the next four years forming bonds with the lords and soldiers of the north," he continued, his voice becoming more nostalgic as he remembered his time in the military.
After a brief pause, the Duke's expression became darker and his voice filled with anger. "What I didn't know was that my brother, who I trusted to be a man of his word, would break his promise and lay his hands on the love of my life," he said, his fists clenched in anger.
The Duke paused for a moment, taking a sip from one of the glasses of water he had placed on the table before the conversation. He cleared his throat before continuing to recount his story, his expression becoming increasingly pained as he delved deeper into the past.
"One winter, when the hordes were particularly larger, and the entire north had been isolated in an attempt to keep the damage to the mainland as minimal as possible, my brother put his plan into action," He said, his voice becoming heavy with anger. He clenched his fists as he remembered the past. "He forcibly broke our engagement by kicking out the headmaster from the empire, fabricating some excuses, and as such, forced any and all promises to be null and void. In an attempt to protect the rest of his family, the headmaster pleaded with my brother to stop his madness. My brother put forth his condition: he wanted Nadia," He said, his voice filled with disgust.
John's expression became increasingly shocked and confused as the Duke spoke. "I did not come to know of this until much later on, by then it had been far too late. Nadia was already pregnant with you and I was still in a battle for my life against hordes of monsters," The Duke said, his voice becoming heavy with sorrow.
"Did grandfather do anything about all this?" John asked, his expression partially angry, He couldn't believe that he had never been informed of this, and while the same thing may not have happened to his mother in his past life, he knew that in either life, his mother had not lived a happy life. She had been assassinated when he was nine years old, and throughout his time with her, John had never once seen his mother truly happy.
"He ignored it all, as just a petty feud between brothers. At least, that's what I believe to be the case," the Duke said, his head shaking in disappointment.
John's expression became serious as he pressed for more answers. "But all of this still does not answer any of my questions… Why have you brought me here?"
The Duke's expression softened as he looked at John. "I have brought you here because I know my father's true nature. He would never let you sit on the throne, no matter how deeply he may show that he cares for you or the nation. He would eventually stab you in the back and place one of his legitimate grandchildren on the throne," he explained, his voice filled with concern.
John's confusion was evident on his face as he looked at the Duke. "What are you talking about? Grandfather said that I was the only hope he and Father had to keep the empire stable right now…"
The Duke let out a deep laugh, "Hahaha… Is that how he framed it?" he said, his expression filled with amusement.
"What?" John exclaimed, his tone filled with disbelief.
"In a way, his words are true," The Duke said, his tone thoughtful as he leaned back in his chair. "He would strengthen you to a degree where you would become enough of a threat to the other princes, which would make them likely team up with each other, stabilizing the empire. Then, it wouldn't be difficult to just have the less competent heir killed. Don't you think it would all be convenient? For Father, I mean," He said, his voice filled with sarcasm as he shook his head in disgust. "I'm sure my brother would truly want to place you on his throne as he definitely cared for your mother, at least much more than he cares for the queen, but he too can't compare with Father's brilliance in politics," He explained, breaking down the aspects of the High King's plans with a calculated expression, his eyes scanning the room as if he were trying to see through the walls and into the mind of his father.
John listened attentively, his expression thoughtful as he leaned forward. "But what you say isn't it merely within the realm of speculation, how can you be so sure that he would betray me?"
The Duke sighed before continuing. "That is definitely true, everything I have said up to now could be concluded to be but mere speculation. But it is up to you to decide which side you trust," He said, as he leaned forward in his seat, his eyes locking onto John's with intensity. "Just know one thing, while I would have protected your mother with my life if I could, your father and grandfather refused to do so even though they could have easily stopped the assassination of your mother," He said, his voice heavy with emotion as his expression turned sorrowful. He leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at John with a mixture of sadness and determination. "I may not have all the answers, but I know one thing for certain, I will not stand by and watch you fall into the same trap that your mother did. I will do everything in my power to protect you and ensure that you have a fair shot at the throne," He said, his voice filled with conviction as he looked at John with a determined expression.
"I need a moment to think, and gather my mind… just a moment," John said, his expression deep in thought as he tried to process the information that had been presented to him. The decision he would make now would determine the path he would take in the future - would he trust this person he had never met, or his grandfather, who he now knew wasn't beyond betraying him.
"Take all the time you need, you will have plenty of it for the time," the Grand Duke said as he stood up and patted the young prince on his back, standing between him and the door to his office.
"What are you doing?" John asked, turning to the Duke with a confused expression.
But before the Duke could answer, the High King's scream echoed through the room as he broke down the gate of the Grand Duke's office.
"He's finally here," the Grand Duke said with a smile on his face.
"John, don't trust anything this bastard says, it's pure sophistry," the High King said as he turned his face towards John, who was in shock at the current scene.
"Now, now Father, why don't you just let the child decide who he wants to trust, you or me… Anyway, if you want to fight, let's go outside… and give some time to the kid to think, ey," the Grand Duke said as he pulled out his sword.
"Bullshit, John, come with me. I am taking you home," the High King said as he walked towards John.
"Not so fast Father… This isn't the imperial mainland where you can just do whatever you want… I am the law here," Dante said as his sword came between the young prince and Gallen.
"DON'T ACT ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY DANTE, YOU ARE STILL WITHIN THE EMPIRE," the High King shouted as he pulled out his own sword.
"AND YOU AREN'T EMPEROR ANYMORE, SO DON'T ACT LIKE ONE," the Grand Duke shouted back in retaliation.
"OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. AND JOHN, ONCE I'M DONE DEALING WITH THIS, YOU ARE COMING WITH ME. NO NEED TO THINK MUCH ABOUT WHATEVER THIS FUCKER HAS PUT INTO YOUR BRAIN," the High King shouted with an angry expression as he stormed out of Dante's office.
John was left standing in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. His mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions as he tried to process everything that had just happened. He couldn't believe that his grandfather would betray him, but at the same time, he couldn't fully throw the words of the Grand Duke out the window either. He knew that he needed time to think and weigh his options before making a decision. As the sounds of the High King and the Grand Duke's voices grew louder as they fought outside, John knew that he had to act fast before it was too late.