Fateless (4)

"Princess, I implore you to please reconsider! I have dedicated my entire life to the development of this nation!"

Inside the grand hall of the palace, which was used exclusively by the royalty, a council of ministers was watching a man kneeling on the ground in front of a girl.

"Spare me the platitudes, Lord Hadrien. The evidence against you is overwhelming. Embezzlement, extortion, and the exploitation of our subjects in the western provinces. These are not mere rumors."

The princess in question was sitting on the grand throne of the Souvell Empire, only allowed to be touched when a royal would exercise his or her authority. The decisions taken from this throne would be under extreme scrutiny by the whole nation, making this seat also called the throne of thorns and flame.

However, nobody questioned the judgment of the youngest princess. They had no chance to. Out of nowhere, Princess Seraphina had collected indisputable evidence against Count Hadrien about his extortion. It was an open secret known only to a few, but nobody said anything because his tributes and bribes were always enough to let it slip by, and he minded his own business without trying to mess with the political landscape too much.

Simply put, he was tame enough to make bothering him a hassle nobody wanted to go through.

But this all changed suddenly when the princess began making strange movements two weeks ago. Since then, she started to attend and call meetings regarding national affairs and kept herself busy researching various topics. She stopped going to tea parties organized by young nobles and became cold to many of her friends.

The nobles were skeptical of the involvement of another major player in these already messy politics, but her actions only benefited the nation. She had joined the faction of the second prince, who was the leading candidate for the throne.

There were also those who didn't stop their criticisms and worked in the shadows against her. Well, such people had a rather miserable end. Count Hadrien was one such person.

"If I remember correctly, your province is currently going through a famine, right? You look rather... healthy, for living in such a place." Seraphina commented on the obese and chubby size of the count, mocking him for looking like this in a place that lacked food.

"Your people, whom you so generously service, are out on the streets looking like the undead. Riots and theft have become commonplace, and merchants protect their bread more than their gold. Yet you, you shamelessly have the nerve to say you're contributing to this nation.

You disgust me till the end. Your crimes are equivalent to treason in this country. As such, I shall play the role of the mediator of justice personally."

"Treason?! Your Highness, this is too much!" Count Hadrien shouted with desperation and fear. The whole council, who were watching silently, were also shocked at the declaration by the princess. The accusation of treason was the heaviest crime a noble could commit. It was not a word which could be thrown around lightly. The punishment was the execution of the noble and the stripping of the family of their noble rights.

"Your Highness, treason is not the crime-" An elderly minister tried speaking up, but he was immediately interrupted.

"Silence. Knights, restrain Hadrien."

The royal knights moved without a second thought, they were trained to obey the royalty no matter what anyone said. Within seconds, Hadrien was pinned down, unable to move under the might of rank 4 Crafted Experts.

Seraphina stepped down from the throne, with a knight handing her a sword. It was luxuriously decorated, suited for the royalty of an empire.

*step* *step* *step*

The princess slowly walked over to the Count, commanding attention from the entire hall. They knew that the princess was acting differently these days, but everyone was agape at the drastic event happening right now. She was personally going to execute someone.

"Your Highness Seraphina, please, have mercy." Hadrien begged for his life, but the princess's eyes were indifferent. She looked upon him as if looking at a filthy bug. Finally, she stood right in front of the kneeling noble, towering over him despite her small stature.

*SWISH*

The sword strike was clean. The corrupt noble was beheaded, and Seraphina's beautiful blue dress was stained with red. Her visage showed no hesitation, instilling a chill upon all the ministers gathered to witness this moment.

With a bloodied sword in her hands, she looked around with cold eyes, as if daring anyone to question her action. Nobody did. No one wanted to make an enemy of such a terrifying princess.

"Now that is over, I'll be heading back to my quarters." Seraphina announced and left the hall while handing the bloody sword back to the knight. As soon as she was out, she saw the one person whom she did not want to deal with right now.

"You gave quite a performance, youngest."

"Greetings, Second Prince."

"Oh, you're too formal, Seraphina, call me Big Brother Julian like you used to."

In front of the princess was a man who exuded regality. A confident, friendly demeanor that gave this man charisma, and a handsome face to match all those qualities, he looked like the perfect prince of fairy tales. But just like all members of royalty, behind that mask was hidden a master manipulator with burning ambitions for the throne. He had no love for his family members, just usefulness.

This man was standing outside the hall, watching the whole show without interrupting. He was also quite surprised when his little sister decided on such a brutal and rash action, but he knew that she must've had her reasons. She better have her reasons, for what she had done was no small thing.

"Forgive me, but we are in a formal setting, Second Prince."

"Oh, whatever. Still, you must already know why I'm here right in front of you, don't you?"

Of course, Seraphina knew why he was waiting for her. It was to explain her actions. Condemning a noble of treason was a very significant use of authority, and since she belonged to the Second Prince's faction, she had to explain her actions to him.

"Hadrien presented himself as a neutral force, but he was secretly colluding with the first prince's faction. His tributes were also significantly more towards the nobles of that faction."

"Then imprisoning him would've been enough, why did you accuse him of such a crime and execute him?" The prince asked in a kind voice which held no warmth. Seraphina was extremely careful with her words because this man was crucial for her survival.

"I needed to display your power, Second Prince. More specifically, I needed to show the power our faction has now since I joined. I am a member of the royal family, with legally the same authorities as you. I am one of your greatest assets in this fight for the throne.

By executing Hadrien, I gave the impression to the other nobles that I was brutal and merciless, so they would be highly alert and be extra careful in their actions now. This also sent the message that even though my way of doing things is not suited to the throne, I would be a great weapon to you if you became the Emperor.

I know that you have been staying lowkey, but prince..."

Seraphina looked straight into the eyes of the prince, startling him with her coldness, and continued,

"You cannot win the throne by staying inside the shadows forever. Power is meaningless if people don't even know you have it."

Saying that, she walked off towards her room, exhausted from today's ordeal.