The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 137: Heroic act

Chapter 137: Heroic act

Military camp

Prince Edward had only been away from the royal city for a little over a month. When he left, although his father’s health was not very good, he had not expected him to suddenly die.

The queen had sent a message to the crown prince as soon as the king died. Because she felt it might put too much pressure on her son, the queen had not mentioned anything about the king being poisoned when he received the message that his wife would be joining the group bringing more supplies.

The crown prince did not think much of his mother’s actions. After all, he had left for war the morning after his wedding. It was only when he received the message about his father’s death that he began to understand the situation. His parents had been trying their best to preserve his throne while he was away.

When he first heard that his wife had been kidnapped, he did not feel much. After all, their relationship was merely political. He married her because his father had commanded it. He thought that if Gube used her to threaten him, he might not pay much attention.

He had even devised a plan in his heart to pretend he cared deeply for Anastasia. That way, the people of Gube might lower their guard, believing they had a valuable hostage, and he could take the opportunity to strike them hard.

They would not expect it, so he expected his plan to succeed. Even though he knew that such actions might cost his wife her life, he did not care. He had even prepared to have people praise him afterward.

He wanted everyone to believe that he loved his wife dearly but still fulfilled his duties as the crown prince. He would risk his wife’s life to protect the kingdom. If Anastasia died, he would even put on a sorrowful expression. That would make his heroic act earn more praise.

What he never expected was that the seal of the king was in Anastasia’s possession. Although she did not know it, his smooth succession to the throne now depended on her.

Although he felt sad about his father’s death, he was more worried about Anastasia now. After all, she and the seal had to be found within a few days at most.

The queen had also informed him of her plans in the letter. While making the royal council believe that the late king had sent his seal to Prince Edward could bring temporary peace to the court, it was a double-edged sword. If the seal fell into the hands of someone disloyal, they could use it as an excuse to usurp the throne.

"Brother, what is it?" the second prince, Lucan, asked. When the war with Gube first began, their father had sent him because he was more skilled in battle than his brother. Although the people of Gube were difficult to deal with, he had managed to protect the border until he was injured and Nixel was forced to sue for peace. When he had been stabbed, he truly thought he would die, but the physician had managed to save him, and their father had even sent two skilled royal physicians to tend to him. He had been in a coma for a few days, and he later learned that the physicians hadn’t expected him to wake at all—but he had, and sooner than they anticipated.

When his condition improved slightly, his mother had wanted him to return to the royal city for proper care. But apart from being too weak, he also wished to continue guiding the border. Although he could no longer lead charges into battle, he could still offer sound military advice. Back then, he hadn’t known that Gube was merely stalling for time.

He felt fortunate he had stayed, helping the soldiers form the best strategies and protect the land.

He did all this while confined to his bed, unable to move much. But in the following days, he had recovered a bit more and could now walk short distances with help.

Prince Lucan and his brother were close, so they got along well when Edward arrived at the border. Prince Edward also understood his brother’s strength and allowed him to listen in and contribute whenever they made plans to attack or defend against Gube.

It was already late at night, so Prince Lucan was surprised when his brother came to his tent. Stranger still, Prince Edward remained standing outside for a long time without coming in, lost in thought. After waiting for a short while with no response, Prince Lucan had no choice but to get up, support himself with a walking stick, and step out of the tent to find out what was wrong.

"Brother," Prince Edward swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. After reading the message from their mother, he had wanted to inform his brother first. There would be a battle between the two armies tomorrow, and Prince Edward did not plan to let the soldiers know about the king’s death—it might lower their morale. But he could not keep such news from his brother.

"Let’s go in and talk," Prince Edward said.

Prince Lucan sensed something was wrong and returned to the tent, with Prince Edward following. The two brothers sat at the table, facing each other.

"Mother sent news from the royal city," the crown prince said in a low voice.

"What happened?" Prince Lucan asked. He could already tell the news was grave.

"Father is dead," Prince Edward said directly, his voice low.

Prince Lucan was shocked. He had not seen his father in months. When he left, the king had been in good health—still able to wield a sword. How could he be dead? Even if they had not been particularly close, he still felt grief at the news.

"How is that possible?" he voiced his doubts aloud.

"Father fell ill a few days ago. After examining him for a while, the physicians discovered he had been poisoned. They were only able to suppress the poison... not cure it," Prince Edward explained, trailing off.

Hearing this, Prince Lucan felt both sorrow and unease. Who could have poisoned the king? And what kind of poison could the royal physicians not cure? Someone was targeting the royal family—and taking precise measures to do so.

"Has a suspect been identified?" Prince Lucan asked, after the initial wave of shock and sadness.