***
Castlebourne.
Telmarath.
Edmund was seen rushing from his chambers to Howard's study. His heart was raging with frustration and disappointment, his eyebrows sharply knitted as he kept his focus forward.
He walked the Castlebourne passage unaccompanied by anyone, just him, still wearing a luxurious suit of shirt and a white furry coat with a golden lion crest.
Arriving before Howard's room, Edmund thoughtlessly opened the wooden door violently. Edmund's eyes witnessed Howard in the middle of a conversation with two men, well-respected businessmen in Telmarath.
Sitting on the couch, Howard immediately turned his eyes to the side, as did the two businessmen before him.
"Prince Edmund," greeted the three of them, standing up from their seats.
"I need to speak with Duke Howard. You both leave!" Edmund ordered.
The two businessmen turned their heads to the right side, trying to glimpse Howard. The Duke of Athalaris nodded slowly with his eyes closed.
They followed Edmund's command, leaving Howard's study with books and cloth bags containing hundreds of gold coins. They wanted to bribe Howard so they could expand their business in Telmarath.
"It was a reckless act. Walking inside without knocking first," Howard declared, walking over to his desk.
As soon as the door was closed, Edmund surprisingly slammed Howard's desk heavily, causing items above the desk to fall.
"Quentin is alive!" snapped Edmund.
"I know. Sir Arnold told me through the raven," Howard replied, looking relaxed as he sat on the chair behind the desk, "If Quentin is alive, Princess Mary might be too."
"We must devise a plan to kill him!" growled Edmund.
Howard smiled a bit, then lifted his head to lock his eyes with Edmund, "Have you ever been to Lanercoast before, My Prince?"
"No, I haven't. What would I do for?" asked Edmund back.
"Ignorance leads to death," Howard replied.
"The area around Lanercoast is a vast area of forest and plains, but as we continue to push through, we will pass through hills of rock where we have never been before," revealed Howard.
"No one in Castlebourne knows the pass to Calden Castle. I'm sure Quentin and Mary must be taking cover there," Howard continued.
"Then are we going to do nothing?! Alexander is still missing, and Quentin is still alive. My throne is at stake."
Edmund again rudely snapped at Howard, creating a tense situation in the place. However, who knows what Howard was thinking, but he seemed very relaxed with everything happening.
"As the fire grows around the mice's nest, the mice will leave to find new homes," Howard retorted.
"Time will tell. I have already placed my Phantom of Council at Redfair and Northcrest," Howard revealed.
"When Quentin comes out of Lanercoast, he will be instantly eliminated by my men," Howard added.
"And what about Alexander?" asked Edmund.
Howard sighed, leaning his back on the chair behind his desk. He had indeed heard certain rumors regarding Alexander among the merchants.
"Those two businessmen. They had overheard rumors about Alexander being held captive by Archibald," Howard explained.
"Archibald? Why are they holding him?" asked Edmund.
"They said Alexander had committed a crime and was imprisoned there," Howard replied.
"They cannot arrest him. He is the Prince of the Kingdom of Athalaris. He is my brother!" insisted Edmund.
"I have sent ravens to the north, asking Archibald to free Alexander if the rumors are true," Howard stated.
"But I think the rumors are likely true. Alexander is a typical wild prince, and Northcrest is a land of conservative values," Howard continued.
"I'm sick of all your blabbering! You always say wait and wait. Alexander has not been found. Quentin didn't get killed. None of your plans worked!" growled Edmund, pounding the table again.
Howard's eyes snapped forward, staring at Edmund with a glare, "Calm down. I know what I'm doing."
"No, you don't. You have absolutely no idea."
"You're just buying time until next month for me to marry your daughter. The king has approved it, and the preparations are almost complete. Are you setting me up this time?" asked Edmund, rudely intimidating Howard.
Howard, who had been holding back his anger, stood up, showing his authority to Edmund, younger than Howard.
Despite his young age, Howard should not underestimate Edmund. He was the Crown Prince of Athalaris. His orders were as powerful as King Otto's.
"I am trying to protect your throne, Prince Edmund. If I send troops to Archibald to seize your damn brother, it would be equivalent to creating a new conflict," Howard insisted.
"We have suffered enough with Highvale and the White Coast conflicts. Don't you even think about creating a new conflict in Northcrest!" Howard countered.
"Oh, I see, huh? Then what about the conflicts in Highvale and White Coast? Did you manage to put down the conflicts there?" asked Edmund.
The prince stepped forward, pointing harshly at Howard's face without the slightest fear in Edmund's heart. He thought his position was higher than a Duke.
"My father assigned you to settle those conflicts, but what are you doing? You're just spoiling here and lazing around, saying time will solve them!" Edmund yelled.
"Be careful, Prince Edmund. I'm trying to be nice right now."
Prince Edmund grinned, nodding a few times as his eyes stared thoughtfully at Edmund.
He knew what he was about to do. Edmund would no longer rely on Howard. To Edmund, Duke Howard was just a wimp who could not do anything with the power he had.
"You know what. I will do it myself!" declared Edmund.
"Don't even think of marching Castlebourne's army to the north, Prince Edmund!" threatened Howard, pointing harshly at Edmund's face.
"Oh, of course I will. I will bring 30,000 Castlebourne troops with me to Northcrest!" declared Edmund, full of confidence.
"I'm a Crown Prince. No one can stop me," Edmund continued.
Howard widened his eyes. The cat he had always guided and used had now transformed into an uncontrollable lion with a vicious temper.
Howard's limited power meant he could not stand in the way of Edmund's plans. The only thing he could do was persuade Edmund with words.
"If you do that, I will swear to the god never to help you again. All your dirty secrets will be revealed to the public, one of which is about the murder plan against Prince Quentin," threatened Howard.
Hearing someone threaten him made Edmund lose his mind. He called out to the guards at the front door, causing the two armored soldiers to arrive after opening the door.
"Prince Edmund," spoke one of the soldiers.
"I command you both to confine Edmund here. He is not allowed to leave his chamber!" said Edmund.
"Prepare water and buckets. He will piss and shit in this place!" ordered Edmund.
"PRINCE EDMUND!" shouted Howard, his frustration no longer contained.
"Nail up all the windows, seal the slightest crack in this chamber. Don't let Howard out of his room before my expedition to the north is over!" ordered Edmund.
"Yes. We shall carry out your orders, Prince Edmund," replied one of the soldiers, walking over to the windows and nailing them closed.
This made Howard's study very dark, illuminated only by the candlelight shining into the place. Howard looked worried. He would have difficulty controlling the Phantom of Council under these circumstances.
"Now tell me. How are you going to tell people?" threatened Edmund.
"You have overreacted, Edmund. You're gonna feel the consequences of your reckless planning!" scolded Howard.
"At least I tried to save my brother," Edmund explained.
Unwilling to stay in that suffocating chamber any longer, Edmund strode away from Howard's study. The guard soldiers began to lock the room and imprison Howard in his own study.
Prince Edmund continued downstairs, about to meet with the commander of Castlebourne's main army, Sir Wallace.
Minister Harold saw Prince Edmund's departure. The man spontaneously walked up to Edmund and asked where Edmund had gone.
"Prince Edmund. Where are you going?" asked Harold Ivo.
"You happen to be here. I am going to Castlebourne's main army headquarters," stated Prince Edmund.
"Main Army? What do you intend to do?" asked Harold, curious.
"My brother is imprisoned in Northcrest. Archibald will not release him. I will bring an army to force his hand," said Prince Edmund.
"But we must not create new conflicts again, Prince Edmund. Especially with House Archibald, who has long been allied with us," insisted Harold.
Prince Edmund stopped walking, sighed, and glanced sharply at the left side, precisely at Harold Ivo.
"So, you have the same view as Howard?" asked Edmund.
"The people are suffering because food prices are rising. You can't be in conflict with Archibald. They provide the food supply for the South!" stressed Harold.
SLAP!
Edmund rudely slapped Harold across the face, startling the man. His cheeks were red, and the corners of his lips were bleeding, showing Edmund was really upset at the moment.
"My brother's life is more important than my people's belly! As his brother, I must go and save him!" Edmund snapped.
Harold was still silent where he was, watching the departure of Edmund, who left the castle towards the main army headquarters. The main army would not be able to refuse Edmund's orders since he was the Crown Prince of Athalaris.
"His ruin was already seen before he took the throne."