"Kneel!!" Garrick uttered in a soft tone. "I beg your pardon!!" Eldric felt that he had misheard. "I said, Kneel before your future King!!"
"Garrick, don't go too far!!" Eldric roared. Seeing this, everyone was surprised, including his own family. Eldric has always been very calm, but this was the first time they had seen Him look this angry. "It seems you don't understand your situation." Garrick made eye contact with one of his Peak 5th-order bodyguards. "Do it!!" Eldric remained stunned as he and everyone witnessed one of his family members's head being severed with a dagger.
The whole thing took place within a few seconds. Eldric was frozen in shock. It looked like he could not believe what he was seeing. His wife, Maria, was crying. Since her mouth was sealed, she couldn't say anything. Other members of her family were also sobbing.
Since their bodies were tied to a chair and their mouths were sealed, no one was able to speak or save their family member. Garrick was watching everything with an amused smile. He loved seeing the mighty and proud Prime Minister looking helpless and defeated. "Good job!! Noah!!!" Garrick casually appraised his bodyguard. He was very satisfied with his bodyguard's action. Noah responded with a small bow. But if one looked at Noah, then one would notice that his expression looked complicated. On one hand, this was very wrong. He felt that his master was playing a very dangerous game. Even if he won right now, once the Emperor learns what he has done today, the consequences are something that his Master won't be able to handle.
But he could not go against the wishes of his master. He was bound to Garrick with a soul contract. If he refused the orders of the Crown Prince, then he was going to die. He did not want to die. So, he had no choice but to do what he was told. The sole reason why he decided to serve the Dune Sovereignty Emperor was because of all the cultivation resources that he was promised. Without these cultivation resources, he wouldn't have been able to reach Peak 5th-order in his whole life. But just because he was going to serve didn't mean he was eager to die for them. He valued his life. If not for the soul contract, then he would have gone to the Main Continent. Garrick did not interrupt Eldric.
There was silence in the living room. He was giving Eldric the time to think properly. Eldric is a very smart man. He should realize it by now that Garrick is very serious about this. This is why he did not hesitate to kill one of his family members. Around a few minutes later, with a look of struggle and defeat, Eldric, the proud Prime Minister of the Dune Sovereignty, kneeled in front of the Crown Prince. "I apologize for my rude behavior."
'Bastard!! Once I get out of this situation, it will be either you or me.' Eldric bowed to take revenge on Garrick. "I accept your apology," Garrick replied in a playful tone.
He casually glanced at the headless body of his family member and remarked. "It seems killing one of your family members was enough to fix that stupid attitude of yours." Eldric just kept his head lowered and did not speak. But his heart was full of anger. "Emma, please pour for wine for me." Meanwhile, Garrick lazily stood up. He glanced at Maria. Her eyes were full of anger. She was still shedding tears, but there was also anger mixed into it. "Eldric, I have to admit that your wife is really charming. I kind of understand why you put your family before the interest of the Dune Sovereignty Empire." Hearing the last part, Eldric's body trembled. He realized that Garrick had noticed this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have targeted his family today. "I have to say this family is full of talented individuals." Garrick received the glass of wine from Emma. "Everyone here works for my Empire." "You all have some kind of high position within my Empire." "Trust me, I don't like killing either. But when it comes to the interest of this Empire, I am willing to make any sacrifices." Garrick's cold eyes met Eldric's. "Even if it means doing this my way." His body trembled to hear this sentence. This sentence basically confirms Garrick's anger towards Eldric.
While Charles had instilled these ideals within Garrick when he was growing up, in some ways, while Charles was more of a prideful and egotistical person, Garrick was someone who lived and breathed by these ideals. He was more extremist than Charles. The history of Garrick is filled with countless incidents where he punished those who did not put the Empire before them. 'But that isn't a strong reason to kidnap my family.' Eldric felt that Garrick was after something else. At the same time, he cannot deny that compared to the Garrick of the past, the current Garrick is much crueler and extremist. 'Why did he suddenly change so much?' Eldric wondered in his mind. "Your Royal Highness, if you let of my family, then I will promise to confess my crimes to His Majesty and accept any form of punishment." Eldric hoped that this much would be enough to calm Garrick down. "Hahaha!!!" Unexpectedly, Garrick started laughing. He nearly dropped the glass in his hand. It was as if he had heard the funniest joke of the year. After a while, he stopped laughing and looked at Eldric. "What I want is something else." "Your Royal Highness, can you please tell me what you're after." As long as Eldric helps Garrick, his family will be safe. "Help me become the next Emperor."
Hearing this, everyone except for Emma and Garrick looked stunned.
The most shaken hearing this was Eldric. "Your Royal Highness, you're confirmed to be the Next Emperor. Sooner or later, His Majesty will step down for you."
Garrick took a long breath while closing his eyes. It looked as if he was barely controlling his anger. "Sooner or Later!!!" "I am tired and sick of hearing these two words."
"I have been hearing these two words for as long as I can remember." Garrick put the glass on the tea table and walked towards Eldric. "I am sick and tired of fake promises."
"Now, I have decided to take matters into my own hands." He said while standing in front of the Prime Minister. Eldric was silent. He knew where this was going. He knew that the outcome of their discussion would be very ugly for him. "So, Sir Eldric, I want you to help me dethrone the Current Emperor, who is my father, and help me become the next ruler."
Hearing this, Eldric felt very helpless. He could have helped Garrick with anything. But the only thing that he couldn't help Garrick with ended up being the one thing Garrick asked of him.
"Your Royal Highness, I really apologize but I cannot help you," Eldric said in a low tone. He also looked defeated. "I can't do anything against His Majesty. I have signed a soul-binding contract. The only thing that I can do is gently pursue His Majesty."
Soul-Binding Contract is a like curse. It is used to make sure that the Emperor's subordinates never betray him. Hearing this, Garrick felt disappointed. "I see.....!!"
"It looks like I was wasting my time." Hearing this, The Prime Minister could not help but feel that there was a chance for everything to end peacefully.
Maybe, Garrick will let go of their family and end this matter here. However, things weren't going to end as Eldric hoped. Garrick's dislike towards Eldric was very deep. "If you can't help me, then you will stand against me." Hearing this sentence, Eldric's face turned pale. He felt he knew where all of this was going. "If you're going to stand against me, then this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate you. That way, I will have one less enemy to fight." At this point, Garrick considered everyone who stood in his path to become the Next Emperor as his enemy. Garrick took out his golden sword and was about to end Eldric's life. But just as Garrick was about to end his life, Emma stopped him. "Your Royal Highness, please wait." "What is it, Emma?" Garrick asked in an impatient tone. "Your Royal Highness, it would be a huge waste if you kill someone with 15000+ years of being the Prime Minister." "But we can't keep him alive. He is a threat." Garrick said while pointing his sword at Eldric. "Your Majesty, instead of killing him, why don't we capture him and hide him somewhere until we kill His Majesty? Once His Majesty dies, the Soul-binding contract will also disappear. At that time, you can make him sign another Soul-Binding Contract and make him your subordinate."
Hearing Emma's plan, Eldric felt a chill running down his spine. "Emma, I like your idea." Garrick looked at her and gave her a smile. "Let's do that!!" "Wait...!! Wait....!!" Eldric shouted in a desperate tone. "What is it?" Garrick asked. He sounded very displeased and impatient. Eldric took a deep breath to calm himself. "Your Royal Highness, if I went missing, then His Majesty will definitely become suspicious. At that time, your actions will be discovered by His Majesty." "Hmph!! His Majesty won't have time to look for you. By tomorrow morning, the Dune Sovereignty will have a New Emperor." Emma said in an arrogant tone. Garrick had a smile on his face, which indicated that he agreed with her. 'This woman!! Just who is she?' He was beginning to feel that the reason why the Crown Prince changed so much was because of this woman. "Your Royal Highness, to keep his Majesty busy for a while, we can also make it appear that Prime Minister Eldric's family was involved with the Istarin Empire." Emma looked at Maria and then Prime Minister Eldric. "We can make it look as if Maria has been secretly sending information to the Dragon Monarch. That way, we can take more time to prepare if needed." "That way, the Prime Minister's missing will be associated with the Istarin Empire."
"We can keep ourselves hidden for much longer." Eldric's face turned pale as he stared at the woman. At this moment, Emma appeared as the source of all evil. 'She is definitely the one who corrupted Garrick.' But Eldric knew that there was no hope. He cannot talk Garrick out of it. She has manipulated Garrick without him even knowing about it. "That's an excellent idea, Emma!! Let's proceed with this plan." This way, Garrick will be able to reignite the Emperor's hatred towards the Istarin Empire.