I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 79: Seeds of Rebellion

Hearing King James’s question about the second advantage, a sneaky, knowing smile spread across Gautam’s sharp face. He leaned forward a little. His voice dropped to a more private, almost secret-sharing tone, making sure his words were mostly for the King and his closest advisors.

"My Lord," Gautam began, moving on from talking about Imperial trials and twisted stories to a more active, aggressive plan, "the second advantage, and the more powerful one for our long-term goals, is found in Estoria’s internal weaknesses. As soon as King Noor IV leaves his kingdom, which he must, and heads for the Empire of the Mountains to go to this... council, we will have a golden, unmatched opportunity." He paused, letting them think about what he meant.

"Right now, as Your Majesty knows, many of the noble families in Estoria are quite unhappy, even openly angry, about King Noor’s recent actions. Specifically, this big, kingdom-wide investigation he is doing against all the nobles in his country, looking for traitors and corruption. It has created fear, suspicion, and a deep, angry feeling."

King James nodded slowly. He looked like he understood grimly. He had indeed already gotten intelligence reports from his minister in charge of espionage. These reports detailed the growing fights and unhappiness between the Estorian royal family and many of its powerful noble houses. The seeds for internal trouble were already planted.

Gautam’s smile widened, and his eyes had a hungry look.

"We must, Your Majesty, take full and immediate advantage of this perfect moment of instability. We must use the noble, Sir Karlos Von Hagen, the one who recently ran from Estoria and asked for safety here in Roland. He is a valuable asset, an unhappy nobleman with connections and reasons to be angry. We need to secretly, and very carefully, send him back to his own kingdom."

"Using him as a leader, a rallying point for the unhappy people, and using whatever remaining power and influence of the Spider Syndicate’s broken network is still available inside Estoria’s borders, we must actively start a rebellion."

He leaned back a little, his gaze sweeping the room.

"Whether this rebellion completely succeeds in overthrowing King Noor or not is, in some ways, not the main point. The main goal is chaos. Even a partial rebellion that is eventually stopped will cause significant, long-lasting damage to our enemy’s kingdom. It will drain their resources, weaken their army, break their internal unity, and keep them busy for years to come. This will make them unable to be any real threat to Roland’s ambitions."

After hearing Gautam’s bold and ruthless words, King James stared at one spot on the polished throne room floor for several long seconds. He looked like he was lost in deep, strategic thought.

The idea of such a plan was huge – openly interfering in the internal business of a neighboring kingdom. It was a high-stakes gamble that could either cripple Estoria or backfire terribly if not handled well. Then, a slow, calculating smile spread across his face, a smile that matched Gautam’s own hungry satisfaction.

"Gautam," King James said, his voice filled with a new admiration for his planner’s cleverness, "you truly are an excellent, and thoroughly ruthless, strategist. I approve. I give this entire responsibility, the secret return of Karlos and the stirring up of this rebellion, to you and to Prime Minister Lebens. Make sure it is done with precision and so we can deny it."

Having agreed to this new, treacherous plan, King James then turned his attention to his First Prince. The Prince had been listening to them talk with a mix of worry and grudging respect for Gautam’s strategic mind.

"And you," King James said, his tone changing from a secret-sharer to a commanding father, "you are to come with me. We leave for the Empire of the Mountains this week. And remember," he added, a slightly softer note in his voice,

"to bring your sister, Lily, with you as well. We are going to the Empire of the Mountains, and after that... council meeting is over, we also need to drop Lily off at the United Academy. She has finished her preparatory studies here, and she is fully prepared to start her time there. It is time she made her mark."

Hearing his younger sister mentioned, a genuine, fond smile appeared on the First Prince’s face. Princess Lily was indeed quite promising, a talented and intelligent young woman, and he cared for her a lot. The idea of her going to the famous United Academy was a source of family pride.

After giving these final instructions, King James looked at the assembled nobles and ministers once more. His expression was now one of decisive, royal authority. "This meeting," he declared, his voice echoing through the hall, "is now adjourned."

Following his announcement, there was a rustle of movement in the throne room as everyone began to leave. Some looked grimly determined, others still uneasy about the dangerous games their kingdom was now playing.

Scene Shift: The Royal Palace of King Noor’s Kingdom – King’s Chambers

The scene shifted back to the troubled Kingdom of Estoria. Inside the private rooms of King Noor IV and Queen Isadora, a heavy silence hung in the air. It was broken only by the distant chiming of a palace clock. The King and Queen were lying in their large, fancy bed, but they couldn’t sleep. The King’s eyes were still wide open, staring blankly at the canopy above. It was late, nearly 1:00 AM, the middle of the night.

The Queen, unable to stand the heavy silence and her own growing anxiety any longer, turned towards her husband. "Noor," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "is there... is there truly no way? No way at all to save Eric from this terrible trouble? From the Emperor’s judgment?"

Without turning towards her, his gaze still fixed on the darkness above, the King replied. His voice was flat, without its usual strength, heavy with a tiredness that was more than just physical.

"Isadora, given the dire situation Eric is currently trapped in, given the accusations from Roland, the power of the Empire, and the Emperor’s known inflexibility on matters of his sacred laws... I confess, I have very little hope that even young Alina’s eyewitness testimony, compelling as it might be to us, will be of much help in an Imperial tribunal. They will twist it, discredit her, claim coercion. Roland will have their own narrative, their own ’proof’."

Hearing the stark, honest despair in her husband’s voice, a feeling she had rarely, if ever, seen, Queen Isadora was deeply disheartened. Tears welled in her eyes, about to spill. She reached out, her hand finding his arm beneath the covers. Her touch was a plea. "Please, Noor," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion, "you must do anything. Anything at all. But don’t let anything happen to Eric. To our son. I... I couldn’t bear it."

Hearing the raw pain and desperate plea in his wife’s voice, something seemed to change inside King Noor IV. He took a deep, shaky breath, the kind one takes before facing an impossible task. He slowly turned his head. His gaze finally met the Queen’s tear-filled eyes in the dim light coming from the moonlit window. A flicker of his old, unbeatable spirit seemed to light up within him.

"Don’t worry, Isadora," he said, his voice now firm, filled with a sudden, fierce determination that pushed back the shadows of despair. "I will not let anything happen to my son. To our Eric." He paused, and his grip tightened on her hand. "Even if the entire Empire, even if Emperor Sir David himself, stands against me. I will find a way."