The Martial Unity

Claris directed a gaze of measured confidence. “Yes, Your Highness. I believe that you will get some leeway, considering that everybody knows you had very little time to flesh out your political ideology. I can help you shine the edges of your sales pitch with pertinent details that will make it even more credible.”

“I’d appreciate that. More importantly, what were the developments you said you needed to inform me of?”

The older woman’s expression grew more serious. “I have received intelligence that many princes and princesses have gathered to form an anti-Rui faction. These include the Esoteric Prince, the Adventure Prince, the Plural Princess, Princess of Peace, and other prominent royalty. They recently commenced their first meeting and have been trying to identify which prince or princess you are supporting. They are led by none other than the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Princess Ru.”

Rui scratched his head. “…Who?”

“Your half-sister, Princess Ru, was appointed to lead the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by His Majesty two years ago, shortly after the Unfolding,” Claris explained. “She has been serving as one of the leaders of our diplomatic battle and helped your father fight against NOVA in the war for allies.”

Rui frowned. “Why have I literally never heard of this person?”

“That is because you are an outsider to the realm of politics in Kandria and our continent, Your Highness,” Claris straightforwardly told him with a fearless tone. “It has been less than twenty four hours since you decided to step back in to this domain after leaving it a quarter of a century ago. Your liaison with this nation was His Majesty, and you directly consulted him for any and all matters you had an issue with. That is why you do not know anybody else in the government. You are a stranger to them, and they are a stranger to you.”

Rui winced at the criticism. “Fair enough. Still, it’s jarring to me. It feels like this person just fell out of the sky.”

“Princess Ru…” Her gray eyes grew hazy. “…prefers a low profile. I must confess that, if not for your successful bid for my loyalty, I would have likely joined her faction in some capacity. She is the most similar to your father in policy, temperament, and ideology. So much so that there are some conspiracies that she is a clone of your father.”

Rui raised an eyebrow at those words. “…She must be quite similar to him if people are going that far—!”

His ethereal eyes widened when his secretary showed him an image of the princess on her commpad. Her expression was a little softer, while her jaw was a bit more slender, and her head was a little smaller. Her hair was naturally longer, but otherwise…

“…Otherwise, she’s identical,” Rui murmured with a stunned tone, staring at the image in front of him with disbelief.

Even the shade of gold in her eyes and hair was exactly the same. They had the same nose and cheekbones, while their lips were also similarly chiseled.

However, the greatest resemblance they bore was not physical.

It was the look in their eyes.

The expression on their face.

The soft but powerful smile on their face.

“It’s the same…” The faintest whisper escaped Rui. “…A presence that radiates harmony. And… a presence that radiates power.”

She nodded. “…She’s not as prominent as the others in the public eye. She has kept a low profile, but as someone who worked for your father in the government, I know she has gained tremendous influence within its institutions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs may as well be part of her faction in its entirety. Additionally, she has quietly gained complete control over the Department of External Affairs of the Panamic Alliance. She wields tremendous influence over the public relations institutions in the Kandrian Empire and of the Alliance. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has gained complete control over how the people perceive the Kandrian Empire and the Panamic Alliance.”

Rui’s eyes widened at those words. “She couldn’t have done all of that without my father knowing, which means…”

Secretary Claris nodded. “Your father entrusted her with it after she seized control, allowing her to exercise that power as she saw fit while he himself was consumed with the diplomatic battle with NOVA.”

Rui’s expression grew hazy. “…I see. So my father has complete trust in her. This…”

His ethereal eyes sharpened.

“…This feels like he was grooming her to be his heir.”

Secretary Claris remained silent at those words.

Yet, her silence spoke for itself.

Rui heaved a deep breath, dispelling the faint tension that hung in the air. “So I’m right. This woman was intended to be my father’s heir if he ever chose to abdicate the throne. He… must have really trusted her if he helped her keep all of this under wraps.”

“Please do not think ill of your father.” Secretary Claris spoke with a softer tone. “He knew that you wanted nothing to do with politics and the throne, so he respected your will and never brought it up again. But nobody can be Emperor forever, even with all of the immortality and longevity in the world. Your father grew weary of the changing times that had birthed a world that was surreal even to him.”

“Rael…” The Shepherd’s auburn eyes grew a little emotional. “…Brilliant as he was, even his splendor took a toll on him. Maintaining harmony with change for four centuries straight… I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been.”

Claris nodded with a softened expression. “He had begun planning for his eventual abdication, which meant that he needed trustworthy offspring willing to take the throne.”

She glanced at the image of Princess Ru with mixed emotions. “She was who he chose, ultimately. She is the inheritor of his will. If the Kandrian Empire had a chosen successor system, then she would be Empress. And…”

She directed a deep gaze at Rui. “She would certainly become Empress even now if not for your will to ascend the throne. I am certain of her competence in that regard.”

Rui simply gazed at the picture with a softened expression. “…So my half-sister that my father envisioned succeeding him is leading an anti-Rui alliance, is she? Well darn… that’s a blow to my political self-esteem.”

He gazed at the ceiling as he rested his head back, deep in thought, before closing his eyes.

“It looks like I’ll be defying my father’s will even after his death.”