Unreliable

A small bar in the middle of the night. Ten men were seated around a table; the atmosphere was heavy. "Are you sure of this news," an elderly man asked. He had his gaze fixed on Ramsey, who was seated at the middle of the table.

"Old General, the Princess told me this herself. Before this meeting, I have asked around, and there was indeed an inner court meeting with the man on the throne," Ramsey said. He did not have the same look and respect he had when he mentioned king Lorenzo at this moment as he did when he was talking to the Princess. One could tell that he did not regard him as his King, given how he presented it.

"I knew it, at the end of the day, that Princess is just like every daughter to be sold for the benefit of her family. So I told you not to take the shortcut; women are unreliable," another man spoke.

"General Bruce, this is not the time to point fingers. What we need is a solution," the old General was displeased.

"That's right, no matter how much our men have grown in the last three years, we can not win agaist Gousho, even if we managed to deal with their dogs in Dumbi. So marrying the Princess is the only way to gain control of the soldiers," Ramsey said.

"Ramsey is right, General Bruce; if we act out of line, we would be exposed. How many generations has it been since we tried to join the inner court of those people? I have failed, and so have you. It's been three generations already, and it was our favour this time to be blessed with an outstanding man like Ramsey. A woman in love is no better than a fool. As long as Ramsey stays in the Princess's heart, even if we cannot stop this marriage, she will still be useful," lord Rickson said. He was a small lord in the kingdom. Before the invasion years ago, his family used to be well respected.

"No, the Princess can not be allowed to marry the second prince. I know the King better than you all; that old fox will not be willing to marry his daughter to him unless he is as outstanding as the rumour said," a lord rejected.

"Yes, I agree with him; if the second prince marries the princess, the throne that was about to return to its rightful owners will be snatched away again," another said.

Most of the men seated around the table nodded in agreement. "Then what can we do?" The old General asked.

"I have talked the Princess into rejecting the King, but this will not hold up for too long. So, something has to be done to fool the man into accepting me or rejecting the proposal," Ramsey said.

"What can we do? For three generations, we have been sowing discord among the two families, yet they have come up with this kind of solution. If we act too recklessly, we might revile our hands and alert the enemy. Never underestimate your enemies," the old General advised.

"The old General is right; a little mistake can ruin all our efforts," a lord said.

"I have a plan; although it is risky, it is our best chance," Ramsey said.

"Share it," General Bruce said. Although he knew Ramsey could be trusted with coming up with schemes because they had not succeeded as much as they did for two generations under his leadership.

"Attack King Lorenzo as the Army from Gousho; the cold war between them has lasted for so long. It does not matter if the King is not fooled; we just need to convince the people and the Princess," Ramsey explained.

"Do we kill the king?" General Bruce asked.

"No, the King can not die so soon. Otherwise, the throne might fall in the hands of the second family. The Princess's uncle has his eyes on the throne; I will risk my life to save the King, making him indebted to me. As a result, the Princess will love and trust me more," Ramsey explained.

The room fell silent as they all thought about the plan. "Attacking the King is not easy; what if we got caught? Although we managed to have two men amongst the King's guards, we certainly know that they are outnumbered. So we can't take such risk that could expose us," an old lord spoke for the first time.

"You have become old and scared," General Bruce mocked the man.

"You... Have you no respect for your elders? It's not that I am scared, but Ramsey could lose his head for this plan. If this happens, what will become our fate?" The old lord was not pleased with being mocked so openly.

"I am confident I would not be caught; we have three months to prepare ahead of king Lorenzo's next visit to Goushe; we shall plan and attack him on his way back," Ramsey sounded confident.

The hall went quiet again, " What is your plan," the old General was convinced, seeing the confidence in Ramsey's eyes.

"In the next three months, we must ensure that the cold war between the two families becomes stronger. To achieve this, we have a few men in Gousho; let them spike a rumour of the Princess having an affair and ensure it gets to the Royal family of Gousho; they will definitely be displeased. After all, no man would want to marry an indecent woman. Meanwhile, the news must be presented in a manner that put king Lorenzo in the know of the Princess's indecent behaviour but supported and shielded her," Ramsey said.

"That... If you destroy the Princess's name like that, it will be a shame to marry her," the old General was displeased.

"This is falsehood, but how do you think the King will feel if the royal family of Gousho looks down on his daughter and question her morality. Do not forget, the Princess is precious to the King," Ramsey said

"You are so smart," the old lord praised. "The King can bow his head for them to step all over him, but, when it concerns his precious daughter... He will never allow such," he nodded his head.

"As long as the king raises his voice and disrespects the crown prince, for this reason, the crown prince will have a reason to seek his head," Ramsey said, and the lords and General had a knowing smile on their lips.