The Royal Contract

"Bullshit!" Prince Edward shouted as he entered a private room in the palace after attending the Council assembly.

The King insisted he showed up to the meeting. His father had appointed him as the representative of his house in the Council as part of his rehabilitation.

"This is your chance to prove to the Council that you have changed." That was his father's exact words when he tried to convince him to attend the private gathering.

He initially declined his father's order, but his father's threatening ultimatum eventually made him realize he had no choice.

After all, his father was still the King of this Kingdom. And his command was the law that even he had no right to break.

He went to the meeting fashionably late, but at least he showed up. However, he could not stand listening to all of them talking and planning about the upcoming coronation, especially when they were not crowning his head.

Therefore, he excused himself and never returned. Why would he take part in this absurd celebration? He was not stupid enough to humiliate himself more than he already was.

"This is full of bullshit." He angrily burst out, throwing the first thing he grabbed by the door.

He heard the loud smash of the vase on the floor but could not care less. He would have thrashed the place if he thought it would help his rage.

But he knew it would only cause him unnecessary attention and, eventually, more trouble. And he did not need it right now.

"Damn, the Council!" He hated them all for putting him in this degrading situation.

He went straight to the small bar and grabbed a strong drink. He needed something to calm him down because, at that moment, he wanted to kill someone.

"I should be King." He mumbled to himself, clenching his fist at his side while taking a swig of his drink with his other hand.

His eyes stared at himself in the mirror on the other side of the room, seeing the fury in his eyes. He was born and raised to be the next ruler of this land.

But now, he was reduced to an ordinary Prince, entitled to nothing. They had stripped him of his birthright and many of his privileges.

"How could you do this to me?" Prince Edward addressed his anger to the King, whose portrait loomed over him, covering a portion of the wall.

Yes! He was furious at his father for not fighting for his right as the Crown Prince. Instead of defending him, his father reduced his position, turning him into another servant of the Kingdom.

"They should be bowing to me..." He closed his eyes, hating to look at his father's condescending smile.

His father should have fought and protected him from those who wished to rob him of his right. But instead, his father willingly gave up his crown, declaring another heir.

He hated his father. But more than that, he despised the Council and those who had conspired to take what was his, including his entire family.

"Alex!" He loathed even saying his name. "You always valued him more." Walking away from his father's portrait and refilling his glass with more liquor.

He detested the man he had considered his brother when they were young for taking the love and respect of his father away from him.

All his life, he had lived under his shadow. All of them, including his father, praised his cousin for all his accomplishments, while they only saw his failures.

"Now, Lance." Another one of his cousins. "Why him?" Why not me? He asked in frustration.

He thought when Alex declined the throne, his father would come to his senses and restore him to his rightful place.

He never thought they would name Lance as another one of his replacements. He found his father's decision an insult, handing Lance the crown that belonged to him.

"Excuse me, Your Highness." He heard his assistant's voice behind him. "You said to inform you if the meeting is over."

He turned to the older man, seeing his eyes roaming around the room before they landed on the shattered vase on the other side of the tiled floor.

But his assistant did not mention anything about the mess he made, returning his eyes to him. He stood straight and waited for his following instructions.

He guessed that was what he liked about his loyal assistant. He never poked where his nose did not belong and asked too many questions.

"Ok." He responded, finishing the drink in his hand. He turned to look at his father's image before walking out of the room.

He could not think of a better way to waste his day than to sit and wait inside this room, but he still had unfinished business with his father. And that could not wait.

He was glad that most of the Council members had already left, but he still saw a few on his way back to the Council Chamber.

"Your Highness." The two royal guards bowed to him, opening the door for him.

He walked straight to the narrow hallway toward the private room. Once outside the inner doors, he stopped when he heard voices.

He guessed his father still had some company. He leaned closer to the door and heard two familiar voices discussing something with his father.

"I am ready to pass on my obligation to Prince Lance. Besides, I believe he is ready to lead our people to the next generation." He heard his father's voice.

He leaned further into the door, planting his ears on the wooden panel. He was curious about what the King, the Duke, and the Council Chief Adviser were discussing privately.

He hated hearing his cousin's name, but he was more curious about their topic of conversation. What else could they be conferring that was not already covered in the meeting?

But then again, they could just be talking about his cousins and their numerous accomplishments. Then, that would be depressing.

"I think Prince Lance would make a great King. He had the intelligence, the wisdom, and the heart of a true ruler." He heard his Uncle Julius reply to his father.

That was it, he thought. He had had enough of his cousin. First, it was Alex. Now, Lance could do this and that.

He had had enough. He was out of there. He could talk to his father some other time. He was about to leave when he heard another word that stopped him.

"But..." He heard his father ask, noticing the growing interest in the King's voice.

The younger Edward paused and resumed his position by the closed door. Suddenly, his curiosity increased as he waited for the Count's response.

It could be nothing but something in his gut told him to stick around. His sixth sense was tingling, itching him to wait and see.
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"But there is a problem that I can already foresee." The Count continued.

This time, he was more than interested to know what his Uncle had been keeping. He noticed something in his voice that told him he knew more than he had told them.

He moved closer to the door, not wanting to miss anything. But he was cautious not to make a sound, avoiding alerting anybody of his presence.

"If you trust me, you will let me deal with this. But for now, let me reassure you that I am handling this issue with the Kingdom's future in mind." Count Julius spoke to his father.

Frankly, he was disappointed to hear the Count's response as the older man declined to answer the King's inquiry.

However, he hoped his father would force him to spill whatever secret the Count kept from them. He wanted to know what it was.

"If you think you can handle this, we trust you." The King conceded, allowing the Count to deal with the situation.

He wanted to stride into the room and demand that the Count reveal his secret. But he stopped himself. He knew that his father would not take kindly to discover that he was eavesdropping on them.

He hated that he could not do anything about it. But he still waited, hoping something else would come up in the conversation.

"Yes, Edward is right. We still believe you are the best person to decide on what is best for the future of this Kingdom." And the young Prince detested his Uncle Fred for agreeing with his father.

He remained in his position, listening to them rumbling about the new Crown Prince. And he hated every minute of it.

At some point, he wished his father would remember the good things he had done for the Kingdom. But that was too much to ask.

To all of them, he was the black sheep of the family. He was the son who could never measure up to his father. He was a lost cause.

"So, is it safe to say we still want Lance as our next King?" He heard his Uncle's voice amid his silent reverie.

"Yes." Count Julius confidently responded, sealing the deal and closing all his chances for the throne.

But should he accept their verdict? Or should he keep fighting for what was his in the first place? But how could he prove to his father that he deserved the crown?

He believed nothing else would change his father's mind. The King had already set his eyes on Lance as his next in line.

He had nothing unless he could find ammunition against Lance. He needed something he could use to bring him down.

"What is your secret?" He thought to himself. He guessed he would have to find the answer to that.