The Royal Contract

Chapter 1293: The next rightful heir

"I think we all conformed with the plan." Count Julius Ashthorne stood at the table and spoke before the Council members.

He turned to the King in the center, waiting for him to concur before turning to the other men in the room, who nodded in total agreement.

"Then, we have reached a reasonable understanding. We can now conclude the meeting." He closed the file before him. "Thank you all for your time." Ending the Council emergency session.

The King had asked him to expedite the coronation of the next King. Although the situation was unusual, it was not against their law.

In the past, only death would the Crown Prince take the King's place on the throne. But under their law of succession, the King could step down and relinquish his crown to the next heir at any time.

"Are you sure you are ready to step down, my brother?" Duke Frederick asked the man beside him as some Council members exited the room.

Count Julius watched the brothers exchange some words, hearing the King reassure his brother that it was time.

"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." King Edward leaned on his chair, taking a relaxing stance.

"Don't you think so, Julius?" King Edward turned to him.

He halted from gathering the documents on the table and shifted his eyes to the King. He was used to the King asking his opinion on different matters, even sensitive ones.

"Do you agree that Lance is ready to take my place?" The King rephrased his question when he did not answer immediately.

"Besides, you are one of the people who convinced me he was the rightful heir." The King continued before he could utter a reply.

He thought about the question, believing he should answer the King honestly. However, he also debated telling the King one of his biggest secrets.

"Is there something wrong?" The Duke was now onto him. He could see that his friend could see right through him. Continue reading at m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

He might be older than them, but they did grow up in the same circle. They had known each other almost all their lives.

"What makes you think that there is something wrong?" Count Julius acted innocent, still unable to decide if divulging what he knew would be best for everyone.

But if there was someone who could help him, he knew it would be the King and his brother. He knew he could always count on their integrity.

"Because you have been acting strange." King Edward frowned at him, joining his brother in questioning him.

Eventually, he inclined on his chair, relaxing his shoulders and arms. He guessed the weight of his secret had been weighing down on him.

Despite how carefully he tried to conceal it, it still showed. He guessed the truth always had a way of crawling out from its hiding place.

"Am I that easy to read?" He jokingly said with a silly grin on his lips.

"However, an issue could affect the future line of succession." He finally divulged the heart of the problem. Nevertheless, he did not go into detail.

He still did not think that telling them about the secret would be the wise thing to do. He had finally decided to keep the secret until he had a better idea of how to handle the situation.

"Then, what is it?" Fred asked, looking concerned as he glanced at him and his brother.

He could not blame them for worrying. After all, the future of their Kingdom depended heavily on their successful succession.

It was why they had to be careful in naming their next heir. They could not just put anybody on the throne and risk the future of their Kingdom with an irresponsible and unqualified King.

"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 explained to them, imploring their understanding at the same time.

First of all, the secret was not for him to tell. Many lives would get affected if he divulged what he knew. And the last thing he wanted was to ruin the lives of the innocent people involved.

And another thing, although it might be a problem in the future, he had to prioritize the present. He still believed that Lance was the only choice to lead them to the following decades. He could not compromise that.

"If you think you can handle this, we trust you." King Edward looked at his brother for affirmation.

"Yes, Edward is right. We still believe you are the best person to decide on what is best for the future of this Kingdom." The Duke nodded in agreement with his brother.

Count Julius felt relieved that his friends still had complete trust in him. But he had not given them any reason to doubt his words.

He had done his job exceptionally well and gave them reasonable and reliable advice. He had been a loyal and trustworthy servant of the Kingdom.

"Thank you for entrusting this task to me. I promise that I will never let you down." Count Julius assured them that he would do his best to ensure the success of the Kingdom.

But first, he had to plan for the future. If he would put Lance on the throne, he needed a solid backup plan in case things went south.

He could not let the next generation down. He could not allow their Kingdom to burn to the ground just because he had not thought this through.

"You know you will always have our backs. Just like you have ours." King Edward said, knowing he had always supported him throughout his reign.

"So, is it safe to say we still want Lance as our next King?" Duke Frederick asked.

Still, he could see in his friend's eyes that he did not doubt that Lance was the perfect choice for the role.

"Yes." He answered, believing it with all his heart. At least for now, he could safely say the present would be in capable hands.

Nevertheless, he still had a great challenge ahead of him. He still could not comfortably sleep, believing as long as he was alive, he still had to secure the future.

He could not leave this world until he had assured himself that their Kingdom would survive until the next rightful heir sat on the throne.