Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!

"DUKE WINCHESTER, I don't think you see the big picture here," Rufus said to Duke Arman Winchester, the leader of the Noble Faction. "I know that you're watching everything unfold with glee because you believe that the monarchy is about to get abolished."

"Well, isn't that the case, Duke Quinzel?" Duke Arman Winchester scoffed. "His Majesty already ran away to the East Continent, and Prince Nero took an oath to step down once he reinstated Lady Juliet Sloane as the empress, and processed His Majesty's divorce."

He sipped his tea before he spoke. "I didn't know that you were this small-minded, Duke Winchester."

"Did you visit my manor just to insult me, Duke Quinzel?"

That was right.

Rufus was the one who visited Duke Arman Winchester.

Thus, he was having tea in the older duke's drawing room. Since they were having a confidential conversation, only the two of them were inside the room while Jaxson Emmett, the vice-captain of his private army, was waiting for him outside.

The Noble Faction didn't show up earlier to beg for Prince Nero's forgiveness. But he had already expected that.

[Prince Nero predicted the Noble Faction's movements.]

And last night, the Crown Prince sent him a letter.

It was a short message and yet, Prince Nero had clearly told him how to deal with Duke Arman Winchester. After all, once he convinced Duke Winchester, the other members of the Noble Faction would follow the older duke's movement.

[Hence, Prince Nero told me that I only need to convince Duke Winchester to follow the plan.]

"I'm not insulting you, Duke Winchester," Rufus said calmly. "I'm criticizing you."

Duke Winchester knitted his eyebrows. "How am I small-minded?"

"The monarchy won't be abolished even if His Majesty and Prince Nero left the Royal Family," he said in a serious voice. "If His Majesty and Prince Nero left, Lady Juliet Sloane would be reinstated as the empress and Lord Calyx Dalton would be declared as the new Crown Prince. Thus, there will only be a change to the succession line. However, the Royal Family will remain and the monarchy will still be the form of government in the empire."

"That's easy to solve since Prince Nero has been generous to us by revealing the weaknesses of Lady Sloane and Lord Calyx," the older duke said haughtily. "Lady Sloane could never run the empire properly since she lost her memories. On the other hand, Lord Calyx doesn't have a Soul Beast. Having an Elemental Guardian can't cover up that fact."

"Like I said, you're being small-minded, Your Grace," he said. "Lady Sloane and Lord Calyx would still become the empress and the Crown Prince respectively because of Marquis Lennox's support. He's the most influential noble in the empire, and you know that."

Duke Winchester flinched.

[Now we're talking.]

It was scary how Prince Nero knew how to make Duke Winchester react to their plans.

"The Twelve Golden Families reign over the empire," he continued in a firm and convincing voice. "House Quinzel, my family, rules the South Region. Count Benjamin Russo, Count Larry Dawkins, Count Tyler Lucchesi, and Viscount Rustin Morrisey rule the North Region."

Yes, those who belonged to the Neutral Faction (Count Russo, Count Dawkins, Count Lucchesi, and Viscount Morrisey) ruled the North Region.

"Your Grace and Marquis Russell Spencer rule the East Region, while Marquis Frank Balasco and Count Emerson Zachary rule the West Region."

That was why the Noble Faction had complete control over the East and the West Region.

"Finally, in the Center Region, we have Marquis Lawford Gibson and Count Sean Dankworth ruling over the lower nobles," he continued. "However, the one who rules the high society in the Royal Capital is none other than Marquis Vincent Lennox. Almost all the upper nobles follow him– including House Wisteria, House Hammock, and even the elusive House Exton. Does Your Grace understand what I'm trying to say?"

Duke Winchester sipped his tea before he spoke. "You think Marquis Lennox would use all the power and influence that he has in order to place Lady Sloane as the empress and Lord Calyx as the Crown Prince?"

"Absolutely," he said firmly. "Marquis Lennox would do it, even if it means waging war against you and your faction, Duke Winchester. Is Your Grace confident that you could win if you fought Marquis Lennox and his faction in a war?"

Duke Winchester paled, but he failed to give a response.

"Just so Your Grace knows, if Marquis Lennox waged war against you, me and the rest of the Royal Faction would support him," he added. "After all, it's His Majesty and Prince Nero's will to reinstate Lady Sloane as the empress, and to make Lord Calyx the Crown Prince. The Neutral Faction would probably remain neutral then, so you can't depend on them."

"Duke Quinzel, is that a threat?"

"Not at all, Your Grace," he said calmly. "I'm simply giving you a glimpse of the future."

"You're being foolish, Duke Quinzel," the older duke said, smirking. "Don't you know that Prince Nero wishes for the monarchy to get abolished? He approached and encouraged me to use this golden opportunity to bring down the Royal Family."

Rufus felt shivers down his spines, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

[Prince Nero, you're truly a terrifying force. How did you lure an old noble like Duke Winchester to fall into your trap with just a few words?]

"Duke Winchester, you're not wrong– Prince Nero truly wishes to abolish the current monarchy," he said, then he sipped his tea before he continued. Of course, everything that was coming out of his mouth was from the "script" that Prince Nero sent to him. "But his purpose is not to completely eradicate the Royal Family."

"I don't understand," Duke Winchester said. "What does Prince Nero want then?"

"A change in government," Rufus said seriously. "Prince Nero plans to dissolve the absolute monarchy in the empire, and turn it into a constitutional monarchy."

The old duke knitted his eyebrows. "Constitutional monarchy?"

"There are countries in other continents that are known for their constitutional monarchy, just like the Kingdom of Suoh in the East Continent as an example," he said to the older duke. "As Your Grace probably already knows, a constitutional monarchy is the system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government."

Duke Winchester, who probably already realized where the conversation was headed to, gulped hard.

[Prince Nero also predicted this kind of reaction from Duke Winchester.]

The Crown Prince was starting to scare him for real.

"Once the empire adapts the constitutional monarchy as our new form of governance, the power that the Royal Family currently has would be split into two," Rufus said calmly. He didn't want to sound excited even though he could tell that Duke Winchester had already fallen into Prince Nero's trap completely. "The Royal Family will be the Head of State. However, the ability to make and pass legislation will reside with an elected Parliament. That means the authority will belong to the Head of the Government– the Prime Minister."

By this time, he could already see the spark of greed in Duke Winchester's eyes.

"The Royal Family will continue its rule of succession, while the Prime Minister will get elected," he continued. "The Head of State and the Head of Government will both be bound by the constitution of the empire."

"In that kind of government, the monarch has no formal authority," Duke Winchester said. "Does Prince Nero truly want that kind of change?"

"Prince Nero plans to turn the Royal Family into an economic powerhouse," he said, as per Prince Nero's instruction, since the Crown Prince also predicted that Duke Winchester would question his decision. "In short, Prince Nero cares more about prosperity than maintaining the absolute power of the Royal Family. Times have changed, Your Grace. The younger generation was born in peace, so their priority differs from our generation. They believe that in the current society, money is the most important thing in the world."

Rufus remembered what Princess Neoma would often say about where the current society was headed to.

[Princess Neoma calls it 'capitalism.']

However, old-fashioned nobles like Duke Winchester would want nothing else in the world other than power and authority.

[Duke Winchester is someone who wanted to abolish the Royal Family because he wanted to rule in their stead. Prince Nero knew that, so he encouraged Duke Winchester to put an end to the Royal Family.]

"Why did Prince Nero choose me when I'm the leader of the Noble Faction?"

Rufus had to hold back his laughter.

[Look at Duke Winchester, Prince Nero. Just like you predicted, he really assumed that you "chose" him for the position of the Prime Minister.]

"Marquis Lennox will never agree to abolish the absolute power of the Royal Family, and that stays true for most of the people supporting them," Rufus explained calmly even though he was laughing inside. "However, the nobles in the Noble Faction are different. You hate that the Royal Family has complete power over the nobles and the population, don't you?"

Duke Winchester nodded as if he acknowledged what he had said about the Noble Faction. "How about you, Duke Quinzel? Why do you support Prince Nero's plan when you're a member of the Royal Faction?"

"It's simple," he said. "My daughter is engaged to Prince Nero. It's unofficial for now, but it will happen in the near future. As long as my daughter becomes the empress, I do not care what kind of government the empire would have by then."

Of course, that was a lie.

[I don't care about power, so I'm fine even if Hanna doesn't become the empress as long as she's happy.]

However, he had to lie in order to deceive Duke Winchester.

"Think about it, Duke Winchester," he said, and he was about to wrap it up since he could see Duke Winchester had already been convinced by Prince Nero's plan. "If Lady Sloane and Lord Calyx become the empress and the Crown Prince respectively, then Marquis Lennox would be the one running the empire since Lady Sloane lost her memories."

"I can't let that happen," the older duke growled.

[It helps that Duke Winchester and Marquis Lennox have hated each other since they were young.]

"I also don't want that to happen because if Prince Nero gets dethroned for real, then my daughter will also lose her position as the future empress," he lied again. "That's why we need to work together to back up Prince Nero, Your Grace. Moreover, we also need His Majesty back. After all, we need the emperor to spearhead the proposal to change our current government since the Crown Prince doesn't have the authority to do that."

"Does His Majesty agree with Prince Nero's plan?"

"Your Grace, Lady Roseheart returned to His Majesty's side after more than a decade," he reminded the older duke. "Do you think His Majesty cares about anything else right now? His Majesty has already abandoned the empire for his lover."

His conscience pricked him.

[I'm so sorry for saying those horrible things, Your Majesty and Lady Roseheart. I am only following Prince Nero's script.]

Duke Winchester scoffed. "You're right, Duke Quinzel. His Majesty already ran away to the East Continent with Lady Roseheart and left everything to Prince Nero."

"Unfortunately, Prince Nero doesn't have enough power to back him up because Marquis Lennox and his own faction openly supports Lord Calyx."

Marquis Lennox had a separate faction of his own aside from the Royal Faction.

"What do we have to do to bring back Prince Nero and His Majesty?" Duke Winchester asked, then he raised an eyebrow at him. "You cannot fool me, Duke Quinzel. I know that you approached me because Prince Nero already has a plan."

Rufus smiled and nodded. "Prince Nero told us to think about what we can offer for him to stay– and I had come up with two things that His Royal Highness might want."

Lies.

[Of course, it's Prince Nero who came up with these offers and not me.]

Also, nobody said the Crown Prince would appoint Duke Winchester as the Prime Minister in the future.

***

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