Coup

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE IGNORED MY CALL?!"

"The letters were delivered with hardship to the North but we have yet to receive a reply from the duchess, your majesty."

"THAT IMP! SHE DARES-!"

"Yelling is not good for your health, my dear."

"HAVING SUCH SUBORDINATES IS NOT GOOD FOR MY HEALTH!"

"I already told you, didn't I? She's not going to listen to you."

"Are you trying to piss me off as well, my dear?" the king asked his wife with fake calm. She gave him a plain look and replied.

"You never listen to me. Here's the result."

"Now's not the time to be smug, my dear," the king ground out. The queen let outa little 'humph' and kept quiet.

The throne room was a place of opulence. The walls were carved out of white Jade, preserved with a soft shine by engraved mana spells. The entire room was about a thousand square feet and the ceilings five meters high, with the Throne at the very end. The high thrones sat on a tall stone stand that took four steps to reach, the floor covered with velvet. Curtains of the royal insignia, hung from the windows which were placed too high for one to reach.

The royal insignia was the silhouette of a man holding a sword pointed at the sky. There was a crown on the man's head and behind the man were three circles increasing in size from smallest to biggest. The man's silhouette was colored blue, the circles red and the crown gold. These were the national colors, worn by generals and royals.

The king himself wore a blue shirt and a red cloak, his colors matched by the queen who wore a long baby blue gown and red gloves. The two wore resplendent gold crown yet they had looks of unsatisfaction on their faces. The soldiers around them, positioned at every corner of the room, kept their eyes diverted from the King and Queen lest they become targets of dissatisfaction.

"Send out another letter with the King's Seal. Let's see if she would defy me then. On your way, send someone to call the Crown Prince here."

"Yes, your majesty."

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Even though they had been snowed in, Aretha still found the time to have tea with her husband in the garden pavilion. The snow was religiously cleared by the soldiers at her behest and a path constructed to the pavilion with the least contact with the cold.

"I was unaware that the import of foreign tea even reached this region."

"They usually send one as a royal tribute. There are a lot of it in the back, preserved by Conan. Tea is more of his interest than mine."

"Hmm."

"What is it? Do you have something to say?"

"It's just...you're a kind person, your grace."

"Kind, huh? People only ever say I'm kind here. To everyone else out there...I'm a monster."

"I don't think you're a monster, at least not the way they do."

"Oh? Then what do you think I am, Caspian?"

"A gift."

"Eh?"

"When you get a gift, it is usually wrapped up and ready to be presented to the recipient who usually doesn't know what they'll get. Sometimes, you think you can tell what the gift by the outline of the wrapping but it's not always what you see that'll be what you get."

"What sweet words. You really are the man most fit to be my husband."

His face blossomed plumply like the roses that already withered beneath the snow. Rather than show him a particularly stubborn garden of weeds, she was more content with seeing his face. She smiled and finished her cup of tea. Unexpectedly, he refiled it.

"You don't have to serve me. You are not my servant."

"Please, allow my impudence. I only...wish to."

Her gaze softened. She sighed, drinking the tea he refiled.

"So, what is it? What exactly do you have on your mind? I simply wanted to enjoy afternoon tea with you but if you're going to be so rigid..."

"I...! I'm not going to ask you to change your plans neither would I ask you to bow your head. However, this plan of yours, many people would die. I understand the royals can be cruel but taking this out on the people is just..."

"Caspian, I do truly cherish you, you know? You're kinder than anyone I've met. But those, whose lives you plead for, are not as kind as you make them out to be. Men, women, children, merchants, farmers, nobles, royals, all of them have cursed the north. Why does the north exist, they ask. Why do we have to pay taxes to support a region drowning in its own fantasy? My ancestors, although they were all bastards, they make a sole promise upon taking up the crown of the Dukedom. They shall not allow a single demon past their territory so the kingdom would even forget they exist. Because my ancestors were so successful, people have forgotten the terrifying existence that sought to destroy humanity once. So, my husband, I simply wish to remind them. Peace is useless without conflict."

Her conviction was strong. Just like he saw then, he was seeing it now. She was like a mountain, unmoving, unchanged. The moment she set her mind to something, she was going to accomplish it, no matter what. Meanwhile, he was the type to live his life completely dependent on others. His choices never mattered if he couldn't enforce them.

"You can't save everybody. This is a brutal lesson I've learned throughout the years. But, thanks to that annoying first prince, some people can be saved."

"Eh?"

Seeing his face brighten up, she laughed.

"You really look so happy."

"C-Can you please explain?"

"To divert the demons from here, a path would be created that links directly to the capital, ignoring the north and its territories. With us protecting it, it'll be the safest place in the kingdom. Those who wish to flee here and stay under our protection would be granted safe passage. However, that would mean they would swear fealty to his highness."

"A coup?!"

"Now we're thinking alike. I hate the royals but there's at least one I can stand. He happens to be the only one that has passed the Lothbridge family test."

"The Lothbridge family test?"

"Yes. It's a complicated test whereby they have to prove that they're worthy of the King Seal. However, the last time the test was taken was 200 years ago. So, the current king and two more generations have failed to pass the test. The royal family...has become to careless."

She was grinning but it seemed to maniacally evil that he flinched. Aretha saw this and coughed to relieve the awkwardness she just caused.

"With the Kingdom's defences being weakened, it would be easier to overthrow that stupid king and place his highness on the throne."

"Wouldn't this place the kingdom in danger? What if we're attacked by foreign forces?"

"Oh! You're asking such impressive questions. You're really amazing!"

"Please don't patronize me."

"Alright. To answer your question, I'll reply with another. Who would be foolish enough to attack a kingdom overrun by demons? It won't be hard for us to deal with the demons since we're already used to dealing with them. But other kingdoms are so far away from the crimson divide that they have barely seen the demons. The reason the kingdom was attacked was because they thought the existence of demons was a myth. Ironically, the demons will ensure the safety of the kingdom."

"It is such a dangerous plan. How would we recover from the damage from being attacked by the demons? We might lose our fertile land and have it turned to a wasteland."

"That's why that person is on our side."

"That person?"

"Her highness. She doesn't look like much but she is a very impressive person. With our combined might, we'll control the damage and make sure the demons head in one straight line leading to the palace. The prince said it was okay to destroy the palace anyway."

Caspian thought about it. From the surface, it seemed like a hasty plan built on revenge. However, the prince and princess didn't look like such shallow people. But then, there was Aretha. She didn't have any desire for the crown. He wanted to know why.

"If you can carry out a coup, why don't you take the throne?"

"Hmm? Do you want to become a king, Caspian?"

"Wha-?! I never said anything like that! Please don't mistake my intentions, your grace! I'm just asking a genuine question. If you're that strong, why don't you take the throne?"

"Renfield would die."

"Eh?"

"Being the ruler of a kingdom requires so much. I'll pile a lot on Renfield and just this is enough to make him exhausted, just imagine what being the Queen's aide would do to him. Killing my aide with too much work just won't do."

"That's not a good excuse. This kingdom doesn't have a shortage of talented people. You can get a dozen more Renfield to do your work for you."

"You're right. Well, I don't really want the throne. As long as Prince Jaime keeps his promises, I won't mind anything that happens."

"I see..."

The two sat in silence, Aretha watching Caspian ponder her words. He felt as if her answer was insufficient but he really couldn't prod too deeply. As for Aretha, she wondered why the tea tasted much better being poured by her husband. It's not an exaggeration to say the two of them had a completely different pathway of thought to the same end.

The calm between them was soon broken by a frantic servant.

"Your grace, a letter arrived from his highness."

"Really? What is about?"

"His Majesty is summoning you to the Capital with the King's Seal."