Armano punched his desk when heard that news. The Cadia Kingdom is under attack by the citizen who burned in rage.
As the results of that brutally coup, Gideon, the king, beheaded and all of the royal family members were missing. No one know, but they must be facing something worse than the death.
The Nobles ran away and seeking the protection to the nearest kingdom. Not to mention, almost half of them come to Atrazal's Empire asking for justice.
"This is impossible!" Armano snapped and squeezed the reports from the spies he hired.
The citizens of Cadia who never have any military experience nor courage after being abused from their tyrant king, can wipe out every experienced royal knights in just one night.
Armano frowned when he realizes that the leader of the rebellion is the eldest son of a chief who living on the poorest district on that kingdom.
"Then, how could they manage to get that massive number of weapons, mastering it skills or to scheming a strategy to overthrow the palace? It is so strange."
Just when he drowned to his mind, somebody knocking his office door.
He could hear Doctor Hambbel's shaking voice from behind the door, "Yo-your Excellency, the-there is someone, someone who wants to meet you."
"Come in." Armano said while he's hiding the reports in his drawer.
"Long time no see, Duke Lancia." A young man in his early twenty, with dark charcoal hair and a pair of deep golden eyes, appeared.
He has an ideal body preposition, the result of continuous sword training. There is something charming on his warm smile. Even Armano considered this young man as an attractive one.
No wonder Cecilia fall for him, Armano thought.
"I am greeting the brightest stars of the Empire, Your Highness, the Crown Prince." He said with a slight bow to that young man.
Nolan Alistair Cassius Alexander, the crown prince of Atrazal's Empire, smile kindly. "Don't be so tense, Duke. I just want to drop by for a moment. And, Doctor Hambbel, I need to talk with Duke Lancia in privately."
Hambbel nodded and left the room after he bowed to both of them.
Nolan takes a seat on the couch. He let out a relief sigh, "Ah, finally. I can rest for a bit."
"When did you come, Your Highness?"
His brow raised, "Duh, don't call me like that when there are only two of us, Teacher."
"As a humble servant of the Empire, I belie--,"
"You are still stiff like ever. I wonder why did you do something out of your habit."
Armano's gaze lock to his interlocutor. Even if he knew what those words mean, he chose to playing dumb, "I'm afraid that I do not understand."
Nolan combed his short hair with the right hand, "Why don't we try to be honest? For the sake of the past."
Armano take a seat in a couch which located in front of the prince. From the very beginning, he doesn't like this man. There something peculiar behind his handsome face.
After being his sword training mentor and military politics teacher for five past years, Armano know that he has some quality to be an Emperor. But not the generous one.
"Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness, but I do not understand."
"Why did you do that? I mean about your daughter's resignation. Then you send her to that barren land. I thought you loved her."
Armano rose from his couch and asked, "Do you want to drink some wine?"
"Great choice, Teacher. Alcohol could help us to be honest to each other." He shrugged.
Armano smiled faintly when he pours a red liquor to the empty glass, "This is a part of courtesy, Your Highness."
Nolan rolled his eyes while sipping on his glass. "I don't think it was a good idea. To be drunk before we got a lunch."
"I know."
"Then, answer my question. Why did you do that?"
Armano slowly shaking his glass, "My daughter asked it."
"What?"
"It's look like that she's already moving on from the jerk who broke her heart."
Nolan stares at his empty glass, "You did not put some poison in this wine, right?"
"Say, His Highness. My precious daughter got the least support from the nobles fraction because of the rumors of her bad deeds. She isn't going to be chosen as the crown princess. Am I wrong?"
Nolan put his glass on the table and refused to drink anymore. He looks at his former teacher, thoroughly.
Wondering if he already knew that the crown princess was already chosen from the beginning.
But, still, Nolan can't forget Cecilia's face when she confessed her love. Blushing cheeks and sparkling purple eyes. "Honestly, I felt so guilty."
Armano drink all of his wine in one gulp. "If so, don't put her back to the election. People will think that you give her a hope."
"Well, I believe on Emperor's judgement."
"She is growing up. I almost hardly recognize her. Can you just let her go?"
He shrugged. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Let's see what I can do to make it up. So, why did you send her to that barren land?"
"She wanted to help them to find some prosperity."
Nolan snickered. "Cecilia, want to help someone else? Tomorrow, the sun will be rising from the south!"
"Don't be so rude, Your Highness." He said coldly.
"Then, I will visit her later and see how much she grows."
Armano's eyes locked to Nolan's without even say anything. He knows that this Crown Prince must be hiding some card on his sleeve.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. The Emperor asked you to come back to the Capital. Cadia's kingdom will be under my supervision."
"What do you mean?"
Suddenly, Nolan seem odd. He crossed his leg and smile slyly. "I'd like to thanked you. This is because of that passive plan, Duke. At first, I feel disappointed to you. How could the Grim Reaper held down his scythe?
Then, while my father thinks that your plan was great because it doesn't need to spend a hell of cost of money or whatever it was, I think some other ways which more interesting."
Armano's brows furrowed, and he tightens his fist, "Don't tell me…,"
"Oh, so you already know? As I expected from my brilliant teacher." He smiled widely and suddenly, Armano feel nauseated, "You are right. I am the one who scheming that coup."