Figuring out Lord Kazamir’s plan

King Gerold turned his attention to his son prince Alaric, after the throne room had been emptied. "Alaric, I want to hear your thoughts on this proposed marriage alliance," King Gerold said, "What do you make of Lord Kazamir's offer?"

Prince Alaric hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts before speaking. "Father, I think brokering a peace treaty with Calonia could be beneficial for our kingdom and Sealing it with a marriage would definitely strengthen the bond between our two kingdoms."

However, his expression turned skeptical. "But I don't trust Lord Kazamir. He always has an ulterior motive, and I fear he may be using this alliance to further his own interests."

King Gerold's eyes sparkled with interest, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Go on."

"I think we should accept the peace treaty, but we should not select one of Lord Kazamir's children as the bride or groom," Prince Alaric advised. "Instead, we should choose a child from one of the loyal lords or generals. Someone we can trust, someone who will prioritize our kingdom's interests."

King Gerold leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why should we not choose one of Lord Kazamir's children for the marriage alliance? After all, he is the one who brought the ideal of an alliance marriage , and it's only fitting that his child should be the one to solidify the alliance."

Prince Alaric's chuckle slightly as he met his father's gaze. "That's exactly what Lord Kazamir is expecting, Father, he knew you would want to choose among his children,as you won't want to risk choosing among the children of your loyal subjects ," he said, his voice low and calculative. "And that's precisely why we shouldn't play into his hands."

King Gerold's expression turned questioning, and Prince Alaric continued his explanation, his words dripping with conviction. "If we allow Lord Kazamir's child to marry into the enemy kingdom, he'll use that connection to gain power and influence. Mark my words, Father – he'll secretly promise Calonia a share of our kingdom in exchange for their military aid, and then he'll try to overthrow us and take the throne for himself."

King Gerold's raised both his eyebrows, "You think Lord Kazamir would betray us so brazenly?" he asked.

Prince Alaric's nod was solemn. "I'm certain of it, Father. Lord Kazamir has always been driven by ambition, and he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. We can't let our guard down, not even for a moment."

King Gerold purled his lips and sit back comfortably on his throne, "Your speculation may be right, Alaric, but I highly doubt the Calonia army would dare attack us in our own home, not even for a reward from a traitor. We have the strongest military in the region, and our defenses are impenetrable."

Prince Alaric's narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on the table in front of him. "You're underestimating Lord Kazamir's treachery, Father. If he's willing to betray us, he'll stop at nothing to ensure his own survival and success. He'll provide the Calonia army with all the information they need to breach our defenses."

King Gerold's smile and shook his head . "What makes you think he has access to such sensitive information?"

Prince Alaric's smile was grim. "Because, Father, Lord Kazamir has been attending our war councils, pretending to be a loyal advisor. He's been gathering intelligence, studying our battle strategies, and identifying our weaknesses. He'll sell us out, Father, and the Calonia army will be the one to benefit from his treachery.

King Gerold's squeezed his face in anger his voice firm. "I'm not stupid, Alaric. I know Lord Kazamir's reputation for disloyalty, and I wouldn't dare let him near our war strategies. He doesn't have any information about our tactics or weaknesses."

The king's words were laced with finality, his jaw set in a firm line. "I've kept him at arm's length, Alaric. He's been fed nothing but useless information, mere scraps to keep him thinking that he's a part of the inner circle. Trust me, my son, Lord Kazamir knows nothing that could compromise our kingdom's safety."

Prince Alaric stood up from his chair, his movements deliberate and purposeful. He walked over to stand directly in front of his father, his eyes locking onto King Gerold's with an intense gaze.

"Dear Father, that's where you're wrong, Lord Kazamir knows you've never trusted him and didn't count him as a member of the inner circle, so he has eyes, ears, and hands everywhere in our kingdom. I'm afraid the palace is infested with spies working for him.

King Gerold's expression turned from anger to confusion his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "What are you talking about, Alaric?" he asked, clearly still in the dark about what is happening in his palace.

Prince Alaric's gaze never wavered. "I'm talking about the servants, the guards, even some of the nobles. Many of them are secretly working for Lord Kazamir, feeding him information and waiting for his signal to strike."

king Gerold face darkened with rage, his eyes flashing with anger. "How can you be so sure of this?" he demanded.

Prince Alaric's moved back a bit and brought out a parchment from underneath his tunic handling it to his father. "Because, Father, I've been doing some investigating of my own. And what I've found is quite disturbing, to say the least. That is the list of lord kazamir's spies in the palace, and also the nobles working with him. You're be surprised at how easily people's loyalty are bought."

Looking at the list of names in front of him King Gerold's eyes widened in surprise, his face pale as he processed the revelation. He felt like he had been kicked in the gut, his breath knocked out of him.

Prince Alaric's step closer to his father and hold his hands, his jaw clenched in determination. "Do not worry, Father," Prince Alaric said, his voice low and reassuring. "If Lord Kazamir wants our kingdom, he'll have to go through me first. I'll never let him take what's ours, not while I still breathe."

King Gerold's looked at his son, a mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. He looked proud, worried, and grateful all at once. Slowly, he nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"I know I can count on you, Alaric," King Gerold said, his voice filled with conviction. "You're a true son of Vorgaria, a true son of your father and I have no doubt you'll defend our kingdom to the death. But Alaric, I am curious about how you figured out Lord Kazamir's treachery?" he asked, his voice filled with admiration.

Prince Alaric smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I have my ways, Father," he said. "Let's just say I have spies in every nobleman's house, including Lord Kazamir's. Once they notice something unusual, they report back to me, and I investigate the rest."

King Gerold's eyebrows shot up, his face impressed. "You're more cunning than I gave you credit for, Alaric," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "I didn't know you had such a vast network of spies at your disposal.

Prince Alaric smiled at his father and whispered quietly, " I realized that to be a great king I need to know what is happening in my kingdom, and being the prince I can't possibly know everything that is going on so I created my own way of sharing information. And to be quiet frankly I've always been suspicious of Lord Kazamir," Prince Alaric added, his voice laced with conviction. "There's something about him that doesn't add up."

King Gerold's eyes narrowed, his expression thoughtful. "How did you see through his plan with the marriage alliance?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

Prince Alaric's smile was wry. "Because, Father, I would have done the same thing if I wanted to take out a kingdom. Lord Kazamir is using the marriage alliance as a Trojan horse, a way to get his foot in the door and gain access to the only kingdom that actually stood a chance against us."

King Gerold's eyes softened and a warm smile spread across his face. "Alaric, I've always been proud of you, but today makes it even more convincing that you'll be a good and great king," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

He stepped forward, placing a hand on Prince Alaric's shoulder. "Your insight, your cunning, and your determination to protect our kingdom are all qualities that will serve you well on the throne."

King Gerold's eyes shone with pride as he looked at his son. "I have no doubt that you'll surpass me as a ruler, Alaric. You have a wisdom and strength and a courage that I've never seen in anyone else."

Prince Alaric's face flushed with emotion, his eyes dropping slightly as he accepted his father's praise. "Thank you, Father," he said, his voice low and sincere. "I'll do everything in my power to make you proud and to protect our kingdom."