The Crown's Seduction-Chapter 377: Succession Crisis

Another day passed, and the time for the court meeting had finally arrived. Already, Ahmed could taste the power waiting for him by the empty throne as he took his place in the throne room. Even from where he sat, he felt the throne calling to him, taking him in as if already accepting that he would be its new ruler.

Truly, he would be the one to usher forth a new golden age to Valcrez.

"Now, let us begin the meeting for who would take up the title of king," one of the court officials currently acting as the speaker bellowed out. "With the Ichor Clan no longer being able to provide a proper line of succession, it falls to the court to crown a new king."

Murmurs erupted from the declaration. The room was clearly divided into two camps: those that supported the old rule of Nikolai, and those that wished to see a new clan take the throne. Obviously, Ahmed was on the latter, but he could see Queen Mineah silently positioning herself with the former even if she hadn’t said a single word so far during the meeting.

"Very well, let us start the discussion," the speaker announced.

From there, the floor was opened, letting anyone who had a thought about the situation to air out their opinions and take control of the room. This was exactly what Ahmed wanted, and sure enough, the discussion immediately swerved to the lines of thought that he wanted everyone to have throughout the meeting.

"With the Ichor Clan essentially becoming extinct, I’d say that giving the crown to a new clan would be better for Valcrez overall," Sage said aloud, taking control of the meeting as she stood out from the crowd of officials. "A succession crisis like this wouldn’t have happened if the current royal family actually secured their line of heirs."

"But we still have Queen Mineah to act as Queen Regent," a random official from the other side of the room chimed in. "Why not have her rule for now while we’re looking for a new king?"

"Why would you expect us to just accept a foreign queen to be our Regent?" an official from their side fired back. "Only those belonging to one of Valcrez’s many clans are allowed to hold such a title."

"Ah, but that wouldn’t be the case if the Queen is pregnant with King Nikolai’s child, right?"

An explosion of murmurs erupted within the throne room as that one random statement from a random official filtered through the minds of those present within the room. To Ahmed, however, he had nothing to worry about in regards to such matters. After all, he already knew that such a thing didn’t exist.

"That is assuming that the Queen is even pregnant to begin with," another official scoffed. "In fact, if she was pregnant, then surely news of such would’ve already been spread and this discussion wouldn’t even be happening in the first place!"

"Indeed. Unfortunately, Queen Mineah bore no children for the king throughout their union," Sage smugly stated, adding to their allied official’s argument. "For that reason, she would not be allowed to be Queen Regent."

The side trying to oppose them clearly deflated at their words. Some even began switching sides as they scooted onto their side of the hall. Ahmed couldn’t help but chuckle at their weak conviction.

"Where would that leave us then?" some random official asked those present.

"Our candidates would have to come from a position of power," Sage fielded with a tone betraying little of her true intentions. "A minister, perhaps. Or someone with considerable influence across the kingdom."

"Ah, but who could that person be then?" another official asked. "Most of the ministers currently in power do not come from the clans. Most of them are the late King Nikolai’s Scions, and some of them aren’t even full-blooded vampires."

"There are still others out there that are from other clans, however," yet another official chimed in. "They could be the ones to become king."

"As if they would even be fit for such a position," another random official stated. "There’s clearly nobody left. Our options are limited, so we could probably-"

"If I may."

Ahmed couldn’t help but grin to himself as Eva finally entered the proverbial stage. Their new ally would have some words for the crowd, and from there, he would finally stand up and claim the power he rightfully deserved. After all, having his mother suggest that he take the throne would be obvious, so they might as well let an enemy of the Ichor Clan do it for them instead.

"There is still one candidate that fits everything that a king should be," Eva offered. "Minister Ahmed."

At her suggestion, another round of murmurs echoed across the hall. Clearly, everybody was thinking about the option seriously, and he did everything he could not to look smug as he stood up.

"If it is any help, I do know that I fit every criteria to wear the crown," he began, making sure to sound humble despite his own feelings. "If that is what everyone desires, then I wouldn’t oppose such a responsibility."

The crowd all fell silent, all seemingly judging him before they eventually all began clapping at him. He inwardly smiled at the reception. He had already won.

"So it would seem that a consensus has already been reached," the speaker stated after noticing the unanimous applause. "Very well. All in favor of Minister Ahmed becoming King, please raise your hands."

Sure enough, almost all in attendance raised their hands. Those that didn’t were few in number, and it took him his all not to gloat at them as he kept his expression level and serious. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"With this, the court has decided that the new king will be Minister Ahmed of the Wagner Clan," the speaker announced.

And thus, Ahmed had finally achieved his dream. The throne was his, and now all that was left was to claim his spoils... and his new queen was certainly a part of it even if she currently didn’t know it.