Chapter 247
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Days before the war with the Neil Clan, there was a visible change tension inside the palace as the emperor and empress were feeling the nerves.
Both the first and second prince had been given advance notice by them, and Prince Frazer was no longer in the palace, instead leaving for the frontlines.
The servants that served the royal family felt the change as well, and it was reflected in attitude by everyone walking around more carefully even if they had no idea what was about to happen.
Was there some sort of event going on that they weren't privy to?
The unknown made the servants more nervous and careless, and they made doubly sure not to make any mistakes that could be called out.
The troops had already finished gathering up everything that was needed, and the war was about to start any day now.
Alistair only watched on without any visible change in his current behaviour, acting like he was smitten with 'Alexander' and keeping himself scarce from the war preparations and in general just not having anything to do with the war at all.
Neither the emperor nor the empress reacted negatively to this as they would rather he keep busy in the palace away from other eyes than go around spilling information to someone else had he gotten drunk.
There was too much riding on the war for them to take it easy regarding Alistair's loose mouth.
Any information that was given out by the prince could lead to their defeat, which was plainly unacceptable.
Everything regarding the war had been handed over to the second prince Frazer instead of the first prince, but no one found anything strange with that.
Both ruling monarchs would have been looking for an excuse to hand off the responsibility to the second prince anyway, and Alistair keeping busy with Alexander just made it easier for them.
As such, Alec and Alistair were mainly left alone to do their own things, and the two were currently discussing in one of Alistair's many bedrooms.
"Are you really not going to return to help your clan in the war?" Alistair asked with confusion. He'd have thought that Alec would at least return to take part in the war between the royal family and his clan.
Instead, the other looked perfectly at ease staying deep in Rhys City, which was far away from the war that was about to happen.
The troops had already long since moved out from their original location, stealthily approaching the place where the Neil Clan was stationed over the period of two months.
If this was a world without any magic whatsoever, then two months would have been a short time for a country to prepare to go to war, but as this world had magic, that long and tedious process was drastically reduced.
Even so, it spoke about the Rhys Royal Family's power to be able to gather a sizable army so quickly even for the scale of this world.
However, as the Neil Clan's traitor, Sarah, was still feeding them false information, they had yet to realize that there was something wrong.
As of now, the royal family still thought that the Neils were in the dark regarding their plans.
Alec slowly blinked. He really didn't think that there was any problem with him not participating in the war.
It wasn't that the army that had been gathered by the Rhys Royal Family was weak, but not only did the Neil Clan have both home ground advantage, they also had the advantage of intelligence and preparation.
Not only that, well, the people in the Neil Clan never shied away from battle, and it would give them valuable experience in modern warfare.
While they were experienced in fighting monsters and creatures, it was a whole different experience to be involved in a war.
It was also something that Vincent didn't mind, speaking as the head of the clan rather than as a clan member.
Of course, it was possible that they might have been able to stop this entire war before it began, but that wasn't in the clan's best interests right now.
They were sorely lacking in power right now, after the execution of so many elders, so if they wanted to make the first move, that would have been most unwise.
Instead, allowing the enemy to come attack them right in the clan compounds would give them a much better chance as well as possibly being able to elevate themselves further.
Alec concurred with Vincent's judgement.
Besides, if the Rhys Royal Family thought that the Neil Clan was going to go down so easily with just numbers, they would be in for a rude awakening.
Seeing the strange tint to the smile on Alec's face, Alistair didn't even need a reply to his question, though he did wonder what made the other so confident of the clan's winning chances.
The army that the royal family had managed to gather was nothing to scoff at. Still, he would have done his best to sabotage the royal family's army if Alec had requested him to do so.
Of course, since the other made no such request, he was fine with that as well.
Alistair was pleased enough with this.
The day for him to make his move was drawing near, and despite how calm he usually was, Alistair was feeling anticipation as he waited for the day to arrive.
With the war being so important to the royal family's prestige, it meant that neither the emperor nor empress could afford to hold back their resources for the war.
Of course, this also meant that the inner palace was incredibly weak as compared to its usual defences.
Not only that, Alistair was in the perfect positions to carry out his plans.
Alistair was glad that he'd been able to rope in Alec to help with his plans as well.
The force that he brought to the table was much greater than he originally expected, which meant that he could indeed make a move.
Previously, Alistair's people had not been enough to cover the majority of the palace, but with both Alec and Dominique, he felt like it was worth a shot even if he didn't have complete confidence.
He could have done either the empress or the emperor in, but not without alerting them to each other's demise, which would have allowed them to mount a defence.
"Four days," Alistair said. According to his sources, that was how long it would take for the war between the Neil Clan and the Rhys Royal Family to begin in earnest.
Alec nodded.
That was also the day where they would make their move, where the security of the emperor and the empress was at its lowest.
Both Alistair and Alec hashed out the plan yet again, discussing the possible things that could go wrong, as well as possible alternatives.
Right now, they were rather certain of what would happen, but the wild card here was Princess Ophelia, who had originally been slated to join the war on the frontlines together with Frazer, but the princess threw a fit since Alexander was still in the palace with Alistair.
Both the prince and the System were having headaches over the haughty princess and how she wasn't conforming to their expectations.
Ophelia had well and truly become obsessed with Alexander, and she (annoyingly) wasn't showing any signs of giving up.
Not even when Alistair and Alec showed their obviously 'lovey dovey' side to the public, as well as blatantly right in front of her face.
Alec never even gave her a second look, but it all seemed to add to her obsession with him instead.
Alec was helpless.
Frankly, he was not in any way trained to deal with this situation, and his grasp over other people's emotions was unstable at the best of times.
Most of the time he still had no idea what was going on in people's minds.
The only reason why he'd done so well in this 'seduction' was because there had been a guideline that had been taught to him earlier on, but now that things had derailed to this state, he didn't know how to prevent it from escalating further.
Alistair too was helpless against the obsession that Ophelia was showing.
No matter how blatant they shoved their 'relationship' into her face, she just chose to ignore it, and when Alec rejected her, she started crying, but still persistently clung onto his arm.
"I'll leave Ophelia to you. Do as you see fit," Alistair finally threw in the towel.
Her actions had been much too unpredictable lately to account for everything.
She had been steadily getting worse, and with that, her temper had also grown in proportion.
The looks that she gave him were truly venomous, as if she regretted that she could not kill him with her stare alone.
Alistair frowned with annoyance when he thought about Ophelia.
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Days before the war with the Neil Clan, there was a visible change tension inside the palace as the emperor and empress were feeling the nerves.
Both the first and second prince had been given advance notice by them, and Prince Frazer was no longer in the palace, instead leaving for the frontlines.
The servants that served the royal family felt the change as well, and it was reflected in attitude by everyone walking around more carefully even if they had no idea what was about to happen.
Was there some sort of event going on that they weren't privy to?
The unknown made the servants more nervous and careless, and they made doubly sure not to make any mistakes that could be called out.
The troops had already finished gathering up everything that was needed, and the war was about to start any day now.
Alistair only watched on without any visible change in his current behaviour, acting like he was smitten with 'Alexander' and keeping himself scarce from the war preparations and in general just not having anything to do with the war at all.
Neither the emperor nor the empress reacted negatively to this as they would rather he keep busy in the palace away from other eyes than go around spilling information to someone else had he gotten drunk.
There was too much riding on the war for them to take it easy regarding Alistair's loose mouth.
Any information that was given out by the prince could lead to their defeat, which was plainly unacceptable.
Everything regarding the war had been handed over to the second prince Frazer instead of the first prince, but no one found anything strange with that.
Both ruling monarchs would have been looking for an excuse to hand off the responsibility to the second prince anyway, and Alistair keeping busy with Alexander just made it easier for them.
As such, Alec and Alistair were mainly left alone to do their own things, and the two were currently discussing in one of Alistair's many bedrooms.
"Are you really not going to return to help your clan in the war?" Alistair asked with confusion. He'd have thought that Alec would at least return to take part in the war between the royal family and his clan.
Instead, the other looked perfectly at ease staying deep in Rhys City, which was far away from the war that was about to happen.
The troops had already long since moved out from their original location, stealthily approaching the place where the Neil Clan was stationed over the period of two months.
If this was a world without any magic whatsoever, then two months would have been a short time for a country to prepare to go to war, but as this world had magic, that long and tedious process was drastically reduced.
Even so, it spoke about the Rhys Royal Family's power to be able to gather a sizable army so quickly even for the scale of this world.
However, as the Neil Clan's traitor, Sarah, was still feeding them false information, they had yet to realize that there was something wrong.
As of now, the royal family still thought that the Neils were in the dark regarding their plans.
Alec slowly blinked. He really didn't think that there was any problem with him not participating in the war.
It wasn't that the army that had been gathered by the Rhys Royal Family was weak, but not only did the Neil Clan have both home ground advantage, they also had the advantage of intelligence and preparation.
Not only that, well, the people in the Neil Clan never shied away from battle, and it would give them valuable experience in modern warfare.
While they were experienced in fighting monsters and creatures, it was a whole different experience to be involved in a war.
It was also something that Vincent didn't mind, speaking as the head of the clan rather than as a clan member.
Of course, it was possible that they might have been able to stop this entire war before it began, but that wasn't in the clan's best interests right now.
They were sorely lacking in power right now, after the execution of so many elders, so if they wanted to make the first move, that would have been most unwise.
Instead, allowing the enemy to come attack them right in the clan compounds would give them a much better chance as well as possibly being able to elevate themselves further.
Alec concurred with Vincent's judgement.
Besides, if the Rhys Royal Family thought that the Neil Clan was going to go down so easily with just numbers, they would be in for a rude awakening.
Seeing the strange tint to the smile on Alec's face, Alistair didn't even need a reply to his question, though he did wonder what made the other so confident of the clan's winning chances.
The army that the royal family had managed to gather was nothing to scoff at. Still, he would have done his best to sabotage the royal family's army if Alec had requested him to do so.
Of course, since the other made no such request, he was fine with that as well.
Alistair was pleased enough with this.
The day for him to make his move was drawing near, and despite how calm he usually was, Alistair was feeling anticipation as he waited for the day to arrive.
With the war being so important to the royal family's prestige, it meant that neither the emperor nor empress could afford to hold back their resources for the war.
Of course, this also meant that the inner palace was incredibly weak as compared to its usual defences.
Not only that, Alistair was in the perfect positions to carry out his plans.
Alistair was glad that he'd been able to rope in Alec to help with his plans as well.
The force that he brought to the table was much greater than he originally expected, which meant that he could indeed make a move.
Previously, Alistair's people had not been enough to cover the majority of the palace, but with both Alec and Dominique, he felt like it was worth a shot even if he didn't have complete confidence.
He could have done either the empress or the emperor in, but not without alerting them to each other's demise, which would have allowed them to mount a defence.
"Four days," Alistair said. According to his sources, that was how long it would take for the war between the Neil Clan and the Rhys Royal Family to begin in earnest.
Alec nodded.
That was also the day where they would make their move, where the security of the emperor and the empress was at its lowest.
Both Alistair and Alec hashed out the plan yet again, discussing the possible things that could go wrong, as well as possible alternatives.
Right now, they were rather certain of what would happen, but the wild card here was Princess Ophelia, who had originally been slated to join the war on the frontlines together with Frazer, but the princess threw a fit since Alexander was still in the palace with Alistair.
Both the prince and the System were having headaches over the haughty princess and how she wasn't conforming to their expectations.
Ophelia had well and truly become obsessed with Alexander, and she (annoyingly) wasn't showing any signs of giving up.
Not even when Alistair and Alec showed their obviously 'lovey dovey' side to the public, as well as blatantly right in front of her face.
Alec never even gave her a second look, but it all seemed to add to her obsession with him instead.
Alec was helpless.
Frankly, he was not in any way trained to deal with this situation, and his grasp over other people's emotions was unstable at the best of times.
Most of the time he still had no idea what was going on in people's minds.
The only reason why he'd done so well in this 'seduction' was because there had been a guideline that had been taught to him earlier on, but now that things had derailed to this state, he didn't know how to prevent it from escalating further.
Alistair too was helpless against the obsession that Ophelia was showing.
No matter how blatant they shoved their 'relationship' into her face, she just chose to ignore it, and when Alec rejected her, she started crying, but still persistently clung onto his arm.
"I'll leave Ophelia to you. Do as you see fit," Alistair finally threw in the towel.
Her actions had been much too unpredictable lately to account for everything.
She had been steadily getting worse, and with that, her temper had also grown in proportion.
The looks that she gave him were truly venomous, as if she regretted that she could not kill him with her stare alone.
Alistair frowned with annoyance when he thought about Ophelia.
Days before the war with the Neil Clan, there was a visible change tension inside the palace as the emperor and empress were feeling the nerves.Both the first and second prince had been given advance notice by them, and Prince Frazer was no longer in the palace, instead leaving for the frontlines.The servants that served the royal family felt the change as well, and it was reflected in attitude by everyone walking around more carefully even if they had no idea what was about to happen.Was there some sort of event going on that they weren't privy to?The unknown made the servants more nervous and careless, and they made doubly sure not to make any mistakes that could be called out.The troops had already finished gathering up everything that was needed, and the war was about to start any day now.Alistair only watched on without any visible change in his current behaviour, acting like he was smitten with 'Alexander' and keeping himself scarce from the war preparations and in general just not having anything to do with the war at all.Neither the emperor nor the empress reacted negatively to this as they would rather he keep busy in the palace away from other eyes than go around spilling information to someone else had he gotten drunk.There was too much riding on the war for them to take it easy regarding Alistair's loose mouth.Any information that was given out by the prince could lead to their defeat, which was plainly unacceptable.Everything regarding the war had been handed over to the second prince Frazer instead of the first prince, but no one found anything strange with that.Both ruling monarchs would have been looking for an excuse to hand off the responsibility to the second prince anyway, and Alistair keeping busy with Alexander just made it easier for them.As such, Alec and Alistair were mainly left alone to do their own things, and the two were currently discussing in one of Alistair's many bedrooms."Are you really not going to return to help your clan in the war?" Alistair asked with confusion. He'd have thought that Alec would at least return to take part in the war between the royal family and his clan.Instead, the other looked perfectly at ease staying deep in Rhys City, which was far away from the war that was about to happen.The troops had already long since moved out from their original location, stealthily approaching the place where the Neil Clan was stationed over the period of two months.If this was a world without any magic whatsoever, then two months would have been a short time for a country to prepare to go to war, but as this world had magic, that long and tedious process was drastically reduced.Even so, it spoke about the Rhys Royal Family's power to be able to gather a sizable army so quickly even for the scale of this world.However, as the Neil Clan's traitor, Sarah, was still feeding them false information, they had yet to realize that there was something wrong.As of now, the royal family still thought that the Neils were in the dark regarding their plans.Alec slowly blinked. He really didn't think that there was any problem with him not participating in the war.It wasn't that the army that had been gathered by the Rhys Royal Family was weak, but not only did the Neil Clan have both home ground advantage, they also had the advantage of intelligence and preparation.Not only that, well, the people in the Neil Clan never shied away from battle, and it would give them valuable experience in modern warfare.While they were experienced in fighting monsters and creatures, it was a whole different experience to be involved in a war.It was also something that Vincent didn't mind, speaking as the head of the clan rather than as a clan member.Of course, it was possible that they might have been able to stop this entire war before it began, but that wasn't in the clan's best interests right now.They were sorely lacking in power right now, after the execution of so many elders, so if they wanted to make the first move, that would have been most unwise.Instead, allowing the enemy to come attack them right in the clan compounds would give them a much better chance as well as possibly being able to elevate themselves further.Alec concurred with Vincent's judgement.Besides, if the Rhys Royal Family thought that the Neil Clan was going to go down so easily with just numbers, they would be in for a rude awakening.Seeing the strange tint to the smile on Alec's face, Alistair didn't even need a reply to his question, though he did wonder what made the other so confident of the clan's winning chances.The army that the royal family had managed to gather was nothing to scoff at. Still, he would have done his best to sabotage the royal family's army if Alec had requested him to do so.Of course, since the other made no such request, he was fine with that as well.Alistair was pleased enough with this.The day for him to make his move was drawing near, and despite how calm he usually was, Alistair was feeling anticipation as he waited for the day to arrive.With the war being so important to the royal family's prestige, it meant that neither the emperor nor empress could afford to hold back their resources for the war.Of course, this also meant that the inner palace was incredibly weak as compared to its usual defences.Not only that, Alistair was in the perfect positions to carry out his plans.Alistair was glad that he'd been able to rope in Alec to help with his plans as well.The force that he brought to the table was much greater than he originally expected, which meant that he could indeed make a move.Previously, Alistair's people had not been enough to cover the majority of the palace, but with both Alec and Dominique, he felt like it was worth a shot even if he didn't have complete confidence.He could have done either the empress or the emperor in, but not without alerting them to each other's demise, which would have allowed them to mount a defence."Four days," Alistair said. According to his sources, that was how long it would take for the war between the Neil Clan and the Rhys Royal Family to begin in earnest.Alec nodded.That was also the day where they would make their move, where the security of the emperor and the empress was at its lowest.Both Alistair and Alec hashed out the plan yet again, discussing the possible things that could go wrong, as well as possible alternatives.Right now, they were rather certain of what would happen, but the wild card here was Princess Ophelia, who had originally been slated to join the war on the frontlines together with Frazer, but the princess threw a fit since Alexander was still in the palace with Alistair.Both the prince and the System were having headaches over the haughty princess and how she wasn't conforming to their expectations.Ophelia had well and truly become obsessed with Alexander, and she annoyingly wasn't showing any signs of giving up.Not even when Alistair and Alec showed their obviously 'lovey dovey' side to the public, as well as blatantly right in front of her face.Alec never even gave her a second look, but it all seemed to add to her obsession with him instead.Alec was helpless.Frankly, he was not in any way trained to deal with this situation, and his grasp over other people's emotions was unstable at the best of times.Most of the time he still had no idea what was going on in people's minds.The only reason why he'd done so well in this 'seduction' was because there had been a guideline that had been taught to him earlier on, but now that things had derailed to this state, he didn't know how to prevent it from escalating further.Alistair too was helpless against the obsession that Ophelia was showing.No matter how blatant they shoved their 'relationship' into her face, she just chose to ignore it, and when Alec rejected her, she started crying, but still persistently clung onto his arm."I'll leave Ophelia to you. Do as you see fit," Alistair finally threw in the towel.Her actions had been much too unpredictable lately to account for everything.She had been steadily getting worse, and with that, her temper had also grown in proportion.The looks that she gave him were truly venomous, as if she regretted that she could not kill him with her stare alone.Alistair frowned with annoyance when he thought about Ophelia.
