These Side Characters Have More Important Things To Do

After dinner, Count Aegean and Duke Mauveine both cornered Prince Rian and ushered him into Duke Mauveine’s room.

Count Aegean became gloomier when he caught Prince Rian giving Earl Rosewood a look before he was dragged away.

“Has this been your plan the entire time, Prince Rian?” Duke Mauveine said sharply.

“I should have guessed something from the fact that you wanted to go to Angio first, rather than one of our current actual allies,” Count Aegean said.

“It’s not what you think,” Rian said.

Count Aegean’s expression became worse. “And if Earl Rosewood dies? What happens then? I can’t believe he agreed to your plan! And then you suggested duelling King Augustus as well! Do you have a death wish? Do you want to leave the throne to Prince Alexius?”

Duke Mauveine rubbed his temple. “Regardless of who wins and who loses, you have worsened diplomatic relations between Sedaveria and Angio.”

“I think our diplomatic relations with Angians like Marquis Terra are perfectly fine,” Rian said calmly. He gave Duke Mauveine a pointed look. “King Augustus has no plans for diplomacy at all.”  “I know what my Imperial Parents have been doing.”

Count Aegean’s face became bad. “Then why did you suggest a diplomatic visit?”

“Because I wanted diplomacy,” Rian said.

Count Aegean scoffed.

“That was my ideal plan,” Rian amended. “King Augustus is an adult. He was the one who agreed to the duel with Earl Rosewood. He didn’t have to agree to duel me at the same time.”

Count Aegean growled. He wanted to grab Rian’s shoulders and shake! “You make it sound as though you’re certain of victory, Prince Rian. I’m not. Perhaps you won’t die, but then you’ll become like Prince Pollux Lūpiter! What will His Majesty and Her Majesty say?!”

Rian straightened. The aura around him became steely serious. “I believe that Earl Rosewood can defeat King Augustus on his own. Lightning may be a powerful offensive magic type, but Earl Rosewood has ways to negate it. I will function primarily as Earl Rosewood’s helper and as a distraction for King Augustus. We will win. And you should consider the consequences of that, Count Aegean, Prime Minister.”

Duke Mauveine’s face was bad. This was not a method King Edric and Queen Mira would agree to, but it was too late, and they might not be able to retract the duelling challenge even if they wanted to. King Augustus’s temper wasn’t to be trifled with…except Prince Rian had dared to play with it.

“I will write up the contract for the duel,” Duke Mauveine finally said.

“I’ll have one of my servants pass on the draft,” Rian said.

Count Aegean barely restrained his scolding. “Oh, very good. We don’t need to talk to you about what you did wrong, do we?”

“I and Earl Rosewood believe in diplomacy,” Rian said calmly. “And I believe in diplomacy with those who are willing. Not to mention…the debt for the death of the Rosewoods still has not been fully paid.”

Count Aegean was taken aback. The deaths of the Rosewoods? What did that have to do with this?

Rian looked between Count Aegean and Duke Mauveine. Then he smiled faintly. “I’m not sure if my Imperial Parents or the Capital Investigators told you. But the assassins who killed Earl Rosewood’s family were Angian, and the money that the senior Cordovans used to pay them was given by Angian agents. Now, if there is nothing else, I will go.”

“You may leave,” Duke Mauveine said.

Rian bowed. “Thank you.” He opened the door and headed out.

Count Aegean, who had followed him to the door, frowned.

“—And where are you going now, Your Highness?” Count Aegean said sharply. “That’s not the direction to your rooms.”

Rian looked back and smiled. “You know where I’m going, Count Aegean. Earl Rosewood and I need to prepare.”

Count Aegean had an unpleasant face. He closed the door and turned back to Duke Mauveine. “Did you know that?” he accused. The Rosewood murders had been years ago, something that Count Aegean had quickly forgotten. But that was because he wasn’t directly affected.

“…Yes,” Duke Mauveine said. He shook his head. “However, I hadn’t expected Prince Rian or Earl Rosewood to know. Neither of them seems prone to this sort of revenge…”

Count Aegean also felt conflicted. Every time he thought he understood Earl Rosewood, Earl Rosewood would come out and surprise him. Maybe Prince Rian was being truthful about revenge being a major motivation.

“Regardless, I need to write that contract,” Duke Mauveine said.

“I’ll help you,” Count Aegean said, defeated. “I’ve had some experience writing contracts for Prince Rian previously.”

On cue, a servant knocked at the door and offered a few sheets of paper inside a letter file. They contained Prince Rian’s draft duelling contract that he had prepared earlier.

 

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Rian headed to Ren Xiyang’s rooms.

As expected, Ren Xiyang was waiting for him, opening the door just as Rian was about to knock.

“You must like being scolded by Count Aegean,” Ren Xiyang said once they both sat down on the sofa.

Rian reached out to slap Ren Xiyang, but he dodged.

“Count Aegean is afraid that you’ll die,” Rian said, sitting back. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Oh, he’s afraid I’ll be injured.”

Ren Xiyang didn’t laugh. “There are always risks.”

They had been planning this for over two years. They had duelled other lightning mages among the Royal Guards—albeit no one at the level of King Augustus, as Duke Storm never agreed to spar. They had duelled each other using lightning, to gain a hands-on understanding of how this element worked. Ren Xiyang had tested out many different methods to counter lightning. They both had studied healing methods for lightning and electrical damage.

They did everything they could to make it through this duel and obtain the outcome they wanted. But the risks remained nonzero.

“You can’t die, Ren Xiyang. Or else your Rosewood fief could fall into Duke Schauss’s hands,” Rian said.

Ren Xiyang snorted lightly. “In that case, I should put you in my will so that you can take over my fief instead.”

Rian raised his eyes, grinning. “For it to be acceptable, we would need to become family. How would you do that? Will we become brothers? Will I become your son? Or—”

“I don’t think your parents would like that,” Ren Xiyang said drily.

“They use the very floating carriages that we designed,” Rian said. “Whether they like you or not, they accept the things that you can do.”

“Uh-huh. Now, is there anything else, or can I finally get some sleep? I still have to grow, you know.”

Rian reached out and pushed Ren Xiyang’s shoulder down. “So do I, as it turns out.”

Ren Xiyang’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He brushed Rian’s hand off his shoulder. “Good. The taller you grow, the taller I grow.”

Rian’s eyes curved in a smile. “Hm.”

Ren Xiyang’s heart suddenly skipped another beat. His gaze unconsciously lowered before he caught himself and raised it again. “Do you know what helps you grow? Sleep.”

Rian gave a huff of amusement. “I know, I know, you’ve told me many times.”

In the end, Rian didn’t leave right away. Instead, they talked about the dishes they had last night, speculated about the magical mechanism that formed the bridge-stairs up to the castle, and gossiped (with Rian doing the gossiping) about the different princesses and princes and Angian nobles present at dinner.

 

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The next morning, Rian and the others had breakfast with the princesses and princes, but not with King Augustus. Julia Terra and Hadrian Terra were also there. All the servants and guards and staff had eaten elsewhere earlier.

King Augustus Lūpiter had five children. There was no Queen; and the mother of his children, Lady Phaedre Dieus, had suddenly died over a decade ago.

The eldest child was Princess Aurelia, who had taken on many administrative duties already. Next, were the adult twins Prince Marcus Lūpiter and Princess Marcia Lūpiter. Then there was Prince Pollux Lūpiter, who had recently turned 18, and the youngest was Princess Ariadne Lūpiter, who was Rian’s age. The princesses were all tall and strong, as tall as Rian or taller. Prince Marcus was taller again.

The slightest of them all was Prince Pollux, who seemed even smaller in his bulky wheelchair which was pushed by an Angian servant. He had angered his father in the past. The body does not like lightning passing through it.

Without King Augustus present, the breakfast scene would normally be more relaxed. But given last night’s incident, there was tension in the air, and the initial conversation was lilted, limited to bland good mornings and did you sleep well.

“My apologies that His Majesty couldn’t join you all for breakfast,” Princess Aurelia said. “His Majesty and the Angio Court are busy this morning. Please eat your fill, after which Prince Marcus and Princess Marcia will be leading a tour.” Her gaze landed on Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood. “Unless you have other plans?”

The implication was that they needed to prepare for the duel.

Rian smiled. “Allow me to thank Prince Marcus and Princess Marcia for taking their time to accompany us.” He turned to Duke Mauveine. “By the way, have you finished the draft contract yet?”

“I have, it’s currently back in my rooms,” Duke Mauveine said. He turned to Princess Aurelia. “I’ll send it to you after breakfast.”

Princess Aurelia inclined her head.

“As for other plans,” Rian said, “I wouldn’t mind being able to see the duelling field later. And if Princess Aurelia can find someone who could take us to visit your local hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, I would be very grateful.”

“That can all be arranged.”

“If you are free, I would like to have a meeting with you,” Rian said.

Princess Aurelia’s gaze rested on Prince Rian. “A private meeting?”

“You could invite whomever you wish.” Rian turned to the other princesses and princes. “I’m curious to speak to all of you.”

“That can also be arranged.”

Rian brightened. “I look forward to it.”

Prince Marcus snorted lightly. What kind of man would go around smiling like that? His mood worsened when Princess Aurelia gave him a cold look.

Rian suddenly grinned directly at Prince Marcus. “If Earl Rosewood hadn’t suddenly challenged King Augustus yesterday, I would have liked to duel you, Prince Marcus. I heard that you’re strong.”

Prince Marcus puffed up. “Survive tomorrow first, Prince Rian.”

“That should be fine, we brought many Sedaverian healers, after all!” Rian chuckled.

Prince Pollux gave Prince Rian a disdainful look. What kind of person would laugh

at such a matter, unless there was something wrong with him?

Count Aegean wanted to bury his head and pretend he didn’t know Prince Rian, the Prince Rian who tended to laugh in the middle of high-tension stressful duels…

“We look forward to your duel tomorrow,” Princess Aurelia said in her usual expressionless tone.

“As do I,” Ren Xiyang said. “Princess Aurelia, can we see your agricultural fields?”

Everyone except Rian and Florence: “…”

“I’m afraid that cannot be arranged,” Princess Aurelia said.

Ren Xiyang deflated a little and returned to eating.

 

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The rest of the breakfast passed with minor small talk.

After breakfast, Duke Mauveine took a contract draft to Princess Aurelia to pass to King Augustus. He had made only minor amendments to the draft contract that Prince Rian gave him. It showed just how much Prince Rian had planned this from the start.

The contract contained the following points:

Each duellist was in charge of maintaining their own personal shields.

The duel was to end at first blood, regardless of how minor the wound was. A field-wide blood monitoring spell would be used to detect this, tied to this contract.

The loser would have to pay the winner a sum of 5000 Sedaverian gold coins or the equivalent in Angian gold coins.

The loser must accept their defeat gracefully and all participants must stop, otherwise there was a fine of 10000 Sedaverian gold coins or the equivalent in Angian gold coins.

If one duellist killed another, there was a fine of 100,000 Sedaverian gold coins, or the equivalent in Angian gold coins, to be paid to the deceased family or estate.

All sums accrued during or after the duel must be paid within a week.

The results of the duel must be kept within the context of the duel and cannot be used as a reason to: (1) attack any other members of the Sedaverian or Angian convoys, (2) …[…]

If any of these terms were void, the offending duellist would have their magic restricted til the end of this contract.

For every condition voided, there will be an additional three months of magical restriction.

This contract had a lasting period of three months, or until all terms are carried out and fulfilled, whichever is later.

Unlike the mundane duelling contracts that Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood used for each others’ duels, this was a proper magically binding contract. It was written on special magical paper and would require the blood of each signed duellist.

Princess Aurelia read over the contract first. “I will take this to His Majesty.”

Duke Mauveine inclined his head. “My many thanks. I await His Majesty’s comments and any necessary amendments.”

Princess Aurelia took the contract to the topmost room in the castle.

King Augustus took a look over the contract and snorted. “These Sedaverians boys think they can win! I may as well let you and Marcus fight with them instead of wasting my time.”

Princess Aurelia lowered her head. “Perhaps they’re short of gold and are willing to sacrifice their lives.”

King Augustus laughed coldly. “Oh, if they have a death wish, then let them be.”

“However, 100,000 gold coins…” —The 100,000 gold coins fine for causing death was a painfully large amount for the coffers at the moment. Aurelia left the implication hanging in the air.

“As long as I leave them alive, there’s no problem,” King Augustus sneered. He narrowed his eyes at his eldest child, suspicious of an insult in her words. Did she think he couldn’t control his powers to the finest extent? It was easy to control the lightning to cause the exact injuries he wanted. He could easily sever a few limbs while keeping those boys alive to suffer pain for the rest of their lives.

Aurelia’s face was perfectly impassive, showing no emotion.

“But, Prince Rian’s idea of duelling alongside Earl Rosewood is interesting,” King Augustus said lightly. “Perhaps I should have all my children duel me together in the future. The one that survives the longest can become the heir.”

At that, Aurelia’s face twitched, fear and alarm flashing in her eyes. It was the reaction that King Augustus had been looking for.

 

 

 

 

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You know, I set out to write a farming and kingdom-building BL. I didn’t expect to have so much duelling 😆