Count Avington and the Third Prince

Count Avington frowned when he watched that immature Umbel man leave the Blue Rose camp. Those terms were so unacceptable. Many people, especially those who lack the knowledge and resources to understand the laws of the empire, often fall prey to people like Erchel Umbel. If those terms were given, the people of Aztos would have a life worse than ordinary slaves. If he wasn't here, then Aztos will fall into the hands of that incompetent fool, and the General will be implicated even if he is not the one directly creating such suffering.

It would seem the sixth prince faction is on the move, and recklessly it would seem. The fight for the throne may not be obvious, but the sixth prince probably felt too much pressure from his older siblings gaining traction over him. Ernest chuckled at the thought that the sixth prince thought that gaining more territories would get him the respect he needed to become emperor. A resource taken by force will always come back to haunt you, especially if you don't treat it properly.

Ernest dislikes the sixth prince. He was a scheming, greedy, and violent young man. While scheming is common in the noble world, being greedy and violent will not help you become a proper emperor in the long run. Goddess knows how many times Ernest has to deal with the current emperor's blindness towards the schemes of his concubine and her children. It is not an easy task. He would have preferred Archduke Andrew von Claes, the brother of the current emperor. That man's archduchy would rival the empire if it would, but he never got the throne because the previous emperor was playing favorites. And he likes the other son over Andrew.

He also does not blame Pietro for his lack of knowledge. He, like many disgraced and unloved nobles, did not have the resources to access the formal education that is necessary for a livable life and tackle the complex intricacies of the political world of Claes. Many nobles do this to keep people under control and to also manipulate people, even their fellow nobles. Some of them found glory in the idea of placing someone of noble blood as a servant. But he was surprised during the meeting to find one of the members of the Aztos party was the missing prince of Aztos in disguise. Normally, the royals of the conquered territories are often killed. This was because of past histories where even when they were accepted by the empire and joined the nobles, it only led to rebellion. Soldiers will be loyal to the remaining royal family and not the emperor, and as long as the royal family exists, the people will have hoped that someday they will become independent. He wanted to talk to him in private. That aura he was giving was interesting.

Reading people's auras is a magical talent of the Avingtons. It is not an easy gift to master and, even then, requires significant concentration on his part to use. So, Ernest can read people's auras if they are unguarded. Aura reading is based on people's personality, intent, and magic. This is why Ernest was able to tell Umbel's intentions of the contract and his views about him. This is also why he was able to confirm that the Blue Rose soldiers all have magic in them. It was incredible to see all the colors around the camp even before he entered. The information about the Blue Rose soldiers having magic is now confirmed in his eyes.

He was curious about what kind of aura would the third prince, Victor von Claes, show. His brother, Lysander's aura, was yellow and bright that the sight of him, you'd think he was something divine. Most royals do have golden auras, with the emperor always having the brightest one but the second prince rival even the current emperor.

"Good day, Rufus." Ernest greeted the pink-haired man who was standing in one of the tents.

"Good day, prime minister." The man smiled nervously. They have not seen each other in years. Ernest was impressed by this royal retainer. This man followed his master all the way here, sacrificing a more comfortable life at the imperial palace to continue to serve a disgraced prince. "The prince is waiting for you."

"Thank you." Ernest smiled as he entered the tent. But he was surprised to meet a stunning young man standing straight and respectfully at him. His hair is dark, and his eyes are gold, just like the emperor himself, and he is muscular and looks very strong. Completely different from the man he was expecting. He expected a man who would look rough and uncultured due to his limited education, but instead, he got a man who looked disciplined and very clean. His hair was even brushed and tied neatly, and his face was washed clean.

Ernest even tried to feel the prince's aura but he can't seem to feel or see it. He noticed some blue glow but that instantly disappeared. He was confused about this but did not show it directly.

"Good day prime minister." The prince greeted.

"Good day your highness," Ernest replies as the prince directs him to one of the chairs in the large tent and asked Rufus to prepare some refreshments for the prime minister. The tent looks sparse, a bit dirty but organized in the eyes of Ernest. He was still cautious against the prince. He still could not feel his aura even when they are sitting close.

Ernest decided to proceed with the process. "The imperial palace has decided that you have finished your term of punishment and have requested your return." He said as he slides the envelope with the imperial mark to the prince on the table between them.

The prince just raised one of his eyebrows, took the envelope, opened it, and started to read. He doesn't look surprised or confused at all. Just stoic and cold as he read it.

"So, the palace wants me to return for my "marriage" and a "reward" for my services and also asks me to transition the Blue Rose's dissolution?" the prince asked. He seems doesn't seem to believe the imperial decree.

"I believe so."

"The dissolution will require the rewarding of the general and the rest of the officials of the Blue Rose, correct?"

Ernest paused. Normally it does. Was it not listed on the decree? (Of course, it wasn't. Because in the Prince's first life, the Blue Rose officials have not been given any reward or recognition for their work. The nobles were taking advantage of their common status or lack of awareness as an excuse because most nobles wouldn't really bat an eye even if did. Of course, the prime minister in this life does not know that).

"That should be expected," Ernest answered

"Would the decree of their recognition come after this, or will the empire continue to keep this silent and try to defraud us again."

Count Avington looked at him with surprise. "Defraud? That same accusations you are making your highness." He stated seriously.

"Oh? You are not aware?" The prince said coldly while giving an eerie smile as he leans towards the count. "Only 15% of the funds and support arrived in the camp and that's only in this war. The rest was never sent. We sent so many missives to the imperial palace and received no reply. We did receive a letter from an Earl Demuse asking us to hurry up the deadline." The papers appeared on the table. They have recorded documents and financial statements of Blue Rose. "It seems the empire wanted us to win the war while letting us starve and not having adequate healing capacity."

While Ernest looks through the documents, the prince continued, "Rufus has been helpful in managing our camp's accounts and I assure you, that as my retainer, he has done well in auditing these accounts thoroughly."

"I see," Ernest said, realizing that the papers were accurate. He can't believe he was not aware of the fraudulent activities in the military ministry. "I will look into this after my trip to Agan."

"And the officers?"

"I will also get their decree as well."

There was a long pause. "What will become of the members of the army after the dissolution?" the prince asked.

"There have been some ministries and regiments already sending missives about their willingness to accept them into their ranks."

Pfft. The prince scoffed. "To experiment, no doubt."

Ernest looked at the prince thoughtfully. "You don't seem to have a very positive opinion about the empire."

"You mean the empire who blamed a ten-year-old prince over the accident of the princess?"

"They claimed that such behavior was terrible. The princess was never the same after that." Ernest replied, trying not to sound accusing. He did have a negative view of the prince's behavior. He was away in another territory during that accident and wasn't elected as a prime minister yet. The princess was one of the daughters of the emperor's favorite concubine, Margaret Elrose from the Duke Elrose family, and also the sixth prince's mother. Ernest does not like that woman and he felt sorry for the tiny princess who was pushed into the frozen pond in the middle of the coldest winter in Claes record. The princess grew up very sickly in the palace but is also known for her beauty, grace, and kindness and has retained her position as the emperor's favorite daughter.

"Yes, the action was horrible and justice should be served. Only they blamed the wrong person."

Ernest looked at him confusingly. The details of that case were very thorough. There was proof that the prince was present during the attack and that he was the one who pushed the princess.

"I was in the eastern palace when the princess almost drowned." Prince Victor gave a smile. "The incident happened in the western palace." The prince leaned at him. "Think about, prime minister. If I actually, did it. Why did the guards come to get me in the eastern palace mere minutes after the incident occurred? I couldn't have run from the western palace all the way to the eastern palace that easily."

Ernest was shocked by this information. The western and eastern palaces of the imperial grounds were very far. It is impossible for one to walk or run in between them in a few minutes since on average would take at least 30 minutes to an hour. The guards were able to capture the prince because a magical communication was called from the western palace about what the prince did and they were able to reach the eastern palace in a short time. Due to the whole debacle and the princess's well-being, it seems many people have overlooked this information.

Ernest was furious! He has prided himself on his 'just' leadership and yet so many injustices happened even in the middle of the imperial palace? What nonsense! How was this not discovered? And where were the empress and the second prince in all of this?

"Don't bother thinking about my mother. She probably forgot she has a second child. And as for my brother?" The prince shrugged. "He doesn't really like me very much for an unknown reason."

Ernest was surprised. This was not something he expected from the second prince who is known in the empire for being just, kind, and brave. Even the Archduke and many high nobles sided with him because of those traits. But to let his younger brother suffer such injustice was unheard of! The second prince was no longer a child at that time. He should be able to protect his own brother.

"I will look into this, your highness, and will seek justice for you in this case."

"Thank you." The prince replied.

"May I ask your highness? What are your plans after this?" Ernest asked.

There was a pause. "Return to the capital after I receive the decree for the rest of the Blue Rose official, slap a few faces, get married, and focus on my territory." The prince answered nonchalantly.

'Slap a few faces?' Ernest looked confused about that comment. What did the prince mean by that?

"But to answer your question of whether or not will I be a rival to the second prince? That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On him." The prince answered vaguely. 'And whether he is going to be my obstacle to my goal'. Victor thought but didn't voice out.

"I see." Ernest paused. That did not answer his question at all. As much as he wants to provide justice for the third prince, the second prince is still a more suitable candidate for the throne so far. The third prince lacked a lot of things to be able to fight for the throne so even if he will get the throne, he will be overwhelmed by everything to the point that the nobles will use this as a weakness to take control of an emperor. But he was more worried about how hostile the third prince sees the empire. He understands his hostility but putting him on the throne would be chaos. It was a mistake to send the prince to the Blue Rose.

"Is there anything else you need prime minister?"

Ernest will need to tread carefully for this. "Uh yes. I was wondering, if the prince allows if I could get a look at your aura?"

"My aura?" The prince looked confused.

"Yes. I was surprised to find no presence of an aura from you. But you are a prince and a magic-user, you should have an aura naturally surrounding you."

"I'm afraid, I don't know what you mean, prime minister. I don't think I was aware I had an aura."

'WHAT?! That is impossible!' Ernest thought. Every magic user has an aura and while some people can hide their aura, he has never met someone who has the natural ability to hide their aura at all. This indicates that the prince is either a nonmagical user (which he highly doubts as the prince did attend tutoring in the past) or a person they should guard against. He was hoping to see the prince's aura to get a more accurate reading of the prince's intentions and traits but it is impossible now.

"That is surprising," Ernest said calmly, controlling his emotions as much as possible. "People always have auras and they are not something easy to hide."

"So, the prime minister can see auras?"

Ernest nodded. "Yes. It's one of our family's many gifts. Apparently, your ability to hide your aura may also be your gift."

"Hmm. I suppose that makes me a bit of an enigma." The prince smiled as the two drink their tea and ended their meeting.

******

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!

Once the prime minister left his tent, Victor wanted to roll around his bed in embarrassment. He can't believe he was able to survive that meeting. It's not like the prime minister would kill him, it's just he had to act all cool and eloquent in their meeting so that the prime minister would take him seriously for the demands he wanted to get. And what was that about him as an enigma?! That was wrong! So wrong! Ugh! He was just trying not to divulge too much information about his previous life. This is hard!

He even practiced what to say and winds up saying stuff like this. It required significant effort from him not to immediately show a sign of emotion in any of his mistakes and it was a miracle his face and neck did not turn red from embarrassment from all the formal speech he has to do. And what is up with the aura thing? He didn't know the prime minister could read auras? The novel did not mention that! Is this why the prime minister was so cold to him in his first life because of his aura? Was it bad?

Also, why doesn't he have any?

"The meeting was successful, at least," Rufus said as he watched the overthinking prince cringe at his thoughts.

Yeah, the meeting was successful. Victor was able to air out all the things that he needed to say for their benefit. The recognition of the officials, the misuse of their resources, and of course, he wants to get back at that Concubine Elrose by handing out one of the empire's strictest investigators at her door. It would be fun to watch the woman and her faction squirm.