"Cough, cough! I have no son who is so unruly, lacks ambition, and abandons his domain to flee." Alaric slammed his cup on the table and coughed heavily.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!" Empress Gretchen said, concerned, patting Alaric’s back.

At over fifty years old, Alaric’s health was deteriorating day by day. Despite the imperial physicians prescribing countless remedies, his condition showed no improvement. This decline in health had led to growing ambitions among the princes in Eldora, each harbouring their own schemes.

Empress Gretchen’s willingness to help Lady Isolde wasn’t solely due to the perfume. As the Empress, she was far from shallow. Her true intention was to secure an additional ally for the Crown Prince, who was gradually losing ground in the struggle for the throne.

Among the twelve princes of the Eldorian Empire, the Third and Fifth Princes, born of the same mother, naturally supported each other. The Second, Sixth, and Ninth Princes had formed their own faction. The Fourth Prince, a highly intelligent man, was currently close to the Eighth Prince and was also trying to win over Simon. All the other princes had already turned up dead.

However, due to Simon’s remote domain, the Fourth Prince maintained a distant relationship with him. Empress Gretchen saw this as an opportunity to secure an external ally for the Crown Prince.

She knew that the support of the Ravencrest family alone wouldn’t be enough to ensure the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne. When Alaric had ascended the throne, he had not only been the Crown Prince but had also gained the support of most of the feudal lords. Even so, some princes had rebelled.

Upon ascending the throne, Alaric had personally led his army to quell the rebellion, defeating the strongest of the feudal lords, the Prince of Thorneval, after five years of war.

This experience had made Alaric deeply suspicious of his brothers, leading to the unjust case of Prince Ezekiel. However, no one dared to mention this case in his presence.

"None of the princes gives me peace of mind. Sooner or later, they’ll be the death of me. How can I take care of my health? Take the Crown Prince, for example. He’s over thirty, yet he spends his days indulging in pleasure, showing no sign of being a future ruler. This morning, I asked him what should be done if the people have no food. Do you know what he said?"

"Your Majesty, though Henric may lack talent, he is kind-hearted." Empress Gretchen defended her son. To her, no other prince could compare to him.

"Kind-hearted! Hmph, indeed he is. He said that if the people have no food, they can eat lamb and beef instead. What nonsense! How can I entrust the empire to such an incompetent Crown Prince? Every day, ministers petition me to depose him and appoint a new heir!" Alaric fumed.

Empress Gretchen’s face turned pale. She said sternly. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the eldest son. Even if he is incompetent, he cannot be deposed so easily. If the Crown Prince is deposed, the princes will vie for the throne, leading to fratricide. Each prince is backed by powerful families. If this escalates, it could lead to widespread conflict."

Alaric sighed deeply. "That’s precisely why I haven’t deposed him. Moreover, I’ve received a secret report from Baldwin. Not long ago, an assassination attempt was made on Prince Simon."

"Assassination!" Empress Gretchen exclaimed. "Why didn’t Lady Isolde mention a word of this to me?"

"The prince probably didn’t tell her. At least he’s considerate enough to spare her feelings." Alaric said. "Though Baldwin’s report was brief, it pointed directly to the Third and Fifth Princes."

Empress Gretchen’s eyes narrowed. This was an opportunity she could exploit. She spoke. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince hasn’t even been deposed, yet the other princes are already turning on each other. If the Crown Prince is deposed, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Having experienced fratricide on his path to the throne, Alaric dreaded the thought of his sons repeating his history. He spoke. "Don’t worry. I won’t depose the Crown Prince. However, he is isolated among the princes. If he wants to secure his position, he needs support."

"Your Majesty, isn’t Prince Simon the perfect candidate? Among the princes, he is the only one who hasn’t openly supported anyone. Moreover, Prince Simon and Lady Isolde have no powerful families backing them, posing little threat to the Crown Prince."

"I’ve been considering this as well. In his letter, Baldwin mentioned that the prince has changed significantly and seems to be genuinely governing his domain. Baldwin wouldn’t lie to me. If this is true, we could use the prince to counterbalance the other princes." Alaric said.

Empress Gretchen was pleased. Alaric’s thoughts aligned with hers. Since the Crown Prince was incapable of winning over the other princes, she had to step in. "In that case, Your Majesty, why not allocate funds to Prince Simon, just as you have with the other feudal lords?"

Before coming here, Alaric had been hesitant. If Simon was incompetent, any funds allocated to him would be squandered. Being naturally suspicious, he hadn’t fully trusted Baldwin’s report.

However, after his trusted envoy returned from Brambleford with confirmation of Baldwin’s claims, Alaric began to reconsider. Still, he hadn’t considered supporting Simon, as the more powerful princes were already causing him enough headaches. Empress Gretchen’s reminder made him realise the need for balance.

With the princes’ rivalries already taking shape, he had to maintain equilibrium among them. The Crown Prince was the weakest, and though he wasn’t sure if Simon had truly reformed, he had to try.

He spoke. "I know Prince Simon’s nature well. He might just be putting on a show. I’ll allocate a portion of the funds to him for now. If he uses the money wisely, I’ll seriously consider supporting him. If he remains as he was, don’t expect him to be of any help to the Crown Prince. He’ll be beyond saving."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Empress Gretchen said, relieved. For the Crown Prince’s sake, she would have to help Simon.

Alaric sighed and drained his cup. Suddenly, he smiled. "I must admit, the wine the prince sent is quite to my liking. Let’s hope he doesn’t disappoint me."

"If Your Majesty is pleased, the prince will surely be overjoyed." Empress Gretchen said, refilling Alaric’s cup.

Thanks to the fine wine, Alaric spent the night in the Crystal Castle. The next day, Empress Gretchen personally visited the Golden State to inform Lady Isolde that the emperor had agreed to allocate funds to the prince.

However, she didn’t reveal her deeper motives to Lady Isolde. She trusted that Lady Isolde, being astute, would understand why she was so eager to help Simon.

With the influence of the perfume and wine spreading in the palace, and Alaric agreeing to allocate funds, both of Simon’s goals had been achieved.

Upon receiving the good news, Gius purchased some items, reunited with Alfred, and eagerly set off back to Brambleford.