Then, when I became a father of two children, there was a great political upheaval.
The royal Hasse was identified and came to my castle in Maust.
When Hasse appeared before me, she looked uncomfortable.
He was supposed to be twenty-five years old, a little older than me, but he even looked older.
The reason is simple.
Hasse has no title.
He should have been given a dukedom or even a deputy king, according to the precedent of the kingdom, since he is a cousin of the king and his father was on the throne, but the current king, Puffs VI, treated Hasse as a criminal and took away all his titles.
Puffs VI wanted to ensure that his line would succeed to the throne by severing his cousin''s bloodline.
Of course, Hasse is not so good-natured as to admit the fact that he was made a sinner and die for it, but his status as a drifter probably makes him a bit mean-spirited.
It was twelve years ago that his father, the former King Grandola III, retired from the capital after being attacked by his nephew Paphus. Therefore, Hasse has been wandering in exile for 12 years. Grandorah III died of illness three years after he was forced to leave the capital.
"Count Fordneria, I have come to this place because I heard that you would support me. ...... Is it true?"
"I would rather ask you why you doubt. Why should I deceive <>?"
I deliberately used the term "Crown Prince.
"The Crown Prince? Me?"
"Yes, of course. Think about it. Has there ever been a time of peace in the Kingdom of Thirlwil in the more than ten years since the reign of our current king? There''s war everywhere. It is a miracle that the capital has not been burned to the ground.
It is true that the country is in disarray. I could go on and on about what''s wrong.
"Even in the capital, there has been a struggle for leadership, the Prime Minister has been ousted, and ministers have been assassinated. This is evidence that all those who serve under the king think only of extending their own interests and do not care about the people. If you build a hut with rotten wood, it will soon collapse. The only way is to rebuild it. Then--"
I gave Hasse a hard look.
"-The only person who can be king is the Crown Prince. Please accept the throne so that we may rebuild the Kingdom of Thirlwil. I, Arsrod Naevre, will give my life to serve you.
I could see the fire in Hasse''s eyes.
This man must have dreamed of being king. It is not difficult to ignite that fire.
Almost no one wants to be king, no matter how shaky the position may be.
"I understand. I too could not stand the way the king is behaving now. I will become king and make the Kingdom of Serwil a great kingdom again!"
"That''s the spirit, sir. Now then, let it be known to all and sundry that you are the Crown Prince.
"What do you mean?"
If all the lords of the land were to gather under His Highness the Crown Prince, and if they were to take the vassal form, their prestige would shine brightly.
"I see!"
The fire in Hasse''s eyes finally ignites.
All these years, he must have lived his life without knowing what tomorrow would bring. He would be pleased to perform a ceremony that would unite the lords.
"First, let us send letters to the lords of the provinces inviting them to come to Maust Castle to pay their respects. I will send a letter to accompany it.
Needless to say, my prestige will shine brightly when the lords of the land gather at the castle of Maust. At least, if I recapture King''s Landing, everyone will think that I am in a position to be a regent.
Though it will be difficult to carry out this ceremony without a hitch.
I am sure that you will be able to do it.
First, Serafina made a difficult face.
"I understand what you want to do, Master. But you should also consider my father''s position.
Serafina''s father, or my father-in-law, Ailes Kartis, had also been on the offensive and expanding his territory to the north while he was allied with me.
"If I greeted Hasse at the castle of Maust, it would look as if I had joined the master," said Eirs Kartis. It is true that in terms of pure territory size, the Master has a larger territory now. ......
"Yes, I know. Is it not enough that I ask you?"
Nevertheless, the impression will be totally different if Ailes Kartis, an extremely powerful lord in this area, goes there or not. I wanted him to come at all costs.
"He must have brought something substantial with him. Otherwise, I don''t think he would come, saying he was sick or something.
"Okay. I''ll get you something."
I said simply.
And I immediately sent a letter to my father-in-law.
Ailes seemed to agree to the terms.
I said, "Well, I''ll be back in a couple of days.
Five months after Hasse''s arrival at Maust Castle, a ceremony was held to gather the lords.
I am the next king. There is no doubt about this.
Among those who came to the castle of Maust were the lords of the province of Olbia, where Brand Nahum, whom Altia had married, was located, the lords of the province of Icto, where Hasse was originally hiding, and the province of Brantar, which was ruled by Ails Kartys. It is not so much that the lords came from all over the country.
Even so, I and Ailes alone control more than three prefectures, and if we only look at the prefectures of the lords who came to us, the number of prefectures is nearly ten.
Especially the lords of Icto province and the neighboring lands to Ailes, many of them are showing their faces for fear of being attacked for not coming here.
Now we know who is going to follow me and who is going to defy me in the neighboring lands and so on.
It is surely a force that cannot be ignored as a force to oppose the current king.
And a gift is given to Ailes.
"Ailes Kartis is to be crowned prince and marquis in recognition of his loyalty to the crown. The family shall each receive a knighthood. I also appoint Ailes as Governor-General of the Western Patrol of the Kingdom. I ask you to strike down the traitors!"
Ailes accepted his position with "grateful happiness.
Yes, he had taken a position above me. I also gave him a cause for a war of aggression.
Of course, the kingdom wouldn''t approve of such a thing, but it didn''t matter, because the king couldn''t afford to invade this far anyway.
Well, let''s lead the Crown Prince from here and attack toward the east.