novelraw Chapter 194: Two Key Men
Chapter 194: Two Key Men
If my plan succeeded, the Alnault family would be nothing but a shadow of what it was and my parents would finally get what they deserved. As for the role that the Alnault family was fulfilling right now, I was certain that there were countless other noble houses that couldn’t wait to rise up to take its place. I didn’t favor any of the other noble houses but I didn’t mind if they would benefit from the success of my plan.
I waited nervously for Bradon to react to my thoughts. His face was an unreadable mask as always and that was a sign that he was on guard. This wasn’t a casual conversation that we were having naked in bed together as lovers after performing the deed, it was a political conversation that pitted my interests against his.
If this negotiation breaks down, what is going to happen to us?
I pursed my lips tightly together without bothering to hide my anxiousness at Bradon’s silence. He was thinking things over and I didn’t mind giving him the time. This was a serious and sensitive topic. Bradon must have realized that some things can’t possibly be mended once broken. After all, how do you mend broken trust?
“I see. It does make sense. So, how will you go about these two things?” he asked after a moment of silence.
That was a very good question in which I had spent countless days and nights trying my best to figure out. There was no point in having a goal without a plan to achieve it. It wasn’t easy because there were so many moving pieces and uncontrollable factors. The two keys to my plan succeeding happened to be two very formidable men: the crown prince and Bradon.
“I think this sudden change in the king’s health is the right opportunity to try this. As you said, the king might abdicate and that would mean that Prince Desmond would take over. I have to find some way to convince the prince to stop supporting the Alnault family when he becomes king. After all, there are other noble families that can probably do a better job than my father...” I explained what I had in mind.
“It won’t be easy,” Bradon pointed out something that I already knew all too well.
“Do you think that the prince may do things differently from his father?” I asked while harboring hope.
“I wouldn’t know. Possibly...” Bradon replied in short.
“I see. I guess you don’t know the prince...” I murmured.
It made sense given how secretive Bradon’s existence was supposed to be that he wouldn’t have met or been in contact with someone so out in the open like the crown prince. Perhaps, Anthony would know something but I had no idea where he was or how to get in contact with him.
“I need to meet the prince,” I stated the conclusion that I had arrived at.
There was no other way. If I wanted the prince to even start entertaining my idea, I needed to meet him and convince him some way or another. I thought that what I had suggested was the obvious course of action but the dark look that crossed Bradon’s face told me that I had just ran right into a wall.
He’s not agreeing with me...
“I’m sure that if we request to meet the prince as Anthony and Diana, he’ll grant us an audience with him,” I suggested brightly.
“He may, or he may not...” Bradon replied while sounding unconvinced.
“True, but I guess we won’t know until we try,” I argued.
“What are you going to say to the prince when you meet him?” Bradon asked although he didn’t look interested.
“Well, about that...I’m not so sure. Don’t worry, I’ll surely think of something when the time comes. I think the first step is to get a date for us to see him...” I replied while I started to feel a little more confident.
“So, you’re telling me that you’re proposing that we try to see the prince without a plan? Is that what you’re saying?” Bradon asked and I could tell that he was displeased.
Something about how the air around him seemed to have shifted made me feel like I was walking on very thin ice.
What I said must have sounded quite foolish to him. Regardless, I didn’t think that Bradon would be so strongly opposed to my suggestion for us to see the prince. I couldn’t think of another way apart from meeting the prince and I doubted that Bradon had a better idea.
“I don’t think anything can be accomplished by meeting the prince just once. What we should do is meet him to assess his overall reaction to this. If we can get him to talk about these plans, we could learn something,” I continued defending my proposal.
“You clearly haven’t thought this through, Dahlia. You have no way of knowing if the crown prince is the righteous man that you believe him to be,” Brandon said with a dismay shake of his head.
A bitter taste filled my mouth when I realized that convincing Bradon was turning out to be much harder than I could have ever imagined. I had no idea why he was so against us meeting the prince when we didn’t have anything to lose. The worst that could happen would be us returning empty-handed without learning of the prince’s intention. I narrowed my eyes as I sensed that something suspicious was going on.
Does the Vulkan family not have a good relationship with the crown prince? Is something like that even possible?
“What’s the risk of trying? What do we even have to lose?” I challenged as I glared straight at him.
Bradon stared back at me in silence and I could tell that he had many arguments that he wanted to present. I waited to see what kind of reasons or excuse he would come up with but all he did was shake his head slowly before heaving a long sigh.
–To be continued...