The Duke's Passion

728  Bound one way or another

[ Karo Royal Palace ]

Under the orders of Prince Heliot, an emergency gathering was held in the royal court. Standing on either side of the aisle, everyone voiced their displeasure at Heliot's plans. The latter stood at the first step of the stairs, going to the empty throne, listening to their complaints.

"Your Highness!" one minister harrumphed. "Our Karo had been affiliated with the Mainland and we cannot simply disregard our century-long affiliation just because of the La Crox!"

"The La Crox had chased away the revered Von Stein from the land they had claimed as theirs! How dare they step foot in the Land of Karo and demand things?!" "Please, Your Highness. Waging a war with the Moriarty and those on the mainland is a huge risk!" another man's voice erupted. "We, our people, and this land the Von Stein Clan built from scratch will never regain peace if we make enemies with those people!" "Your Highness! We are not the people of the La Crox, and therefore, they do not have the right to demand anything from us. This is their problem they must resolve on their own. There was no need to extend our helping hand."

More and more arguments were raised, obviously, showing their displeasure at the thought of the La Crox. For them, this wasn't as simple as building a diplomatic relationship between two kingdoms. But this was the La Crox abusing their powers in their eyes, just like how they greedily claimed the Heart's Kingdom and chased the other pureblood clans who were also the founders of the said land. Heliot remained silent, keeping his stoic expression as usual. He allowed them to voice out their displeasure to their heart's content whilst taking what he needed to hear and ignoring what he deemed unnecessary. When the ministers were finally panting for air, they all turned their attention to Heliot. It was the practice they had already gotten used to. They would voice out their arguments until they were done before Heliot would speak. It was the order they had all followed since everything in Karo had its order in every aspect of life.

"I had heard your concerns and I understand why you do not want to send our people to march to the Spade Kingdom." Heliot's voice was calm and toneless like usual, glossing his eyes over everyone's faces. "However, this isn't about the La Crox."

Heliot's last remarks triggered most of them, but all they could do was smolder in anger. The prince wasn't done speaking yet, and they had to let him speak since Heliot had allotted them time to raise their concerns. "The delegation from the mainland the previous month had been acting strangely, and the movements in the Spade were just as odd. As you all know, our history with the La Crox and the Heart's Kingdom is one of the reasons Karo stands now as a kingdom. I do not give the credit to them, but what my concern is... since we were bound with each other one way or another, it is not a surprise if Quentin, the sovereign of Spade, targets us," Heliot explained in one go, his eyes glinting dangerously. "He is a man worthy to be wary about. Even if the mainland isn't involved, he is still a threat to our Karo."

Silence fell in the royal court after Heliot's last remarks. No one argued, even though what Heliot said was still speculation. The Kingdoms of Karo, Heart, Spade and Cross had never messed with each other's business for centuries after the founders of the Heart Kingdom — the Von Stein, La Crox, Moriarty, and Le Blac — went to their separate ways. If this matter was raised in the past, everyone wouldn't get swayed. That was impossible. Even though those clan leaders of those pureblood families went on their separate ways on a terrible note, they had enough respect for each other to ignore each other. But since time stopped for no one and most of the founding leaders had met their end, no one could tell about the new generations. For instance, although Heliot wasn't the king, everyone had already treated him as one. And therefore, he had fallen into the category of the new generation. Heliot might have planned to continue to ignore those other pureblooded clans the Von Stein clan had a long history with, but there was no telling if the other new clan leaders of those families planned to uphold the same honor the previous generation carried.

Hence, the dilemma that was tearing the ministers of Karo apart. Heliot remained silent for a minute, waiting for anyone to still voice out their opinion, but it was pin-drop silence. Just as he expected, the ministers of Karo weren't foolish and were all quick-witted. There was no way they would argue with everything laid on the table.

"Our Karo had always remained neutral, but just as much as I dislike the idea, we had to take a side before it is too late." Heliot's voice grew firmer as his eyes glinted with resolve. "I do not mind being misunderstood as the La Crox's dog if you truly see me and my principles as that lowly. However, I will not allow anyone — whether they were the La Crox, the Moriarty's, or those from the mainland — to hurt my people or take my land."

"I am giving you another opportunity to object," he added, keeping his silence. When minutes had passed and all he heard was everyone's breathing, Heliot rocked his head. "Prepare your soldiers. We will march to the Spade soon with me in the lead." The minister lowered their head and let out a deep exhale. It wasn't that they were afraid, but more like they didn't want to risk the peace they had kept for centuries. But it seemed this was inevitable. Thus, everyone lowered their head and was about to answer Heliot in unison, only to stop when the entrance produced a loud creak.

Heliot frowned, catching the shadow stretching near his vantage point before his eyes landed on the petite figure standing by the door.