The Third Prince Of Darkness

A few days later -

Perhaps it's because I've been enjoying some delightful and pleasant times lately, but I feel as though time is passing unusually quickly. At first, I was worried about how I would properly manage each of the women in my harem. Thankfully, I have not faced any major issues so far. Especially thanks to Isabella, all my women have been coexisting peacefully without causing trouble among themselves.

Nowadays, since I've assigned each of them specific royal duties, they no longer have the chance to be bored. Moreover, giving them tasks turned out to be more beneficial for me than I expected. Each one of them is remarkably talented and was raised as a noble, so they excel in matters of governance. Even Catherine, who rarely expressed interest in such matters, told me she wanted to stay busy, so I made her my assistant for the time being, as I hadn't found a suitable task for her yet.

Isabella was managing matters related to the nobles, and in a short period, the number of nobles who swore allegiance to me increased significantly.

Luciana was managing the palace, swiftly resolving issues like security and staff shortages.

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Ellera was in charge of financial affairs, and she excelled so quickly that the royal treasury went into surplus, even while we were in the midst of a civil war. Consequently, I appointed her as one of the three grand advisors of the Asina Kingdom, making her the royal treasurer. Sir William, the former treasurer, would now serve as her assistant.

I tasked Evangeline with managing the capital. Like the others, she performed outstandingly. I could see changes in the capital even from here.

I assigned Kayle to manage the spy network. This role suited her perfectly, and today I received her first report. In just a few days, she had uncovered numerous spies within the palace and was now interrogating them to extract information.

Avanne, already busy with our child Lyra, mentioned she still had ample free time and asked for a task. So, I entrusted her with overseeing the education of children. Avanne's wisdom and gentle demeanor made her the perfect choice for shaping the young generation. While I only have two children for now, this number will surely grow in the future.

I made Ganea the head of the palace servants. Having once been a servant herself, this felt like the best choice for her.

Lastly, I put Roxanne in charge of a newly formed regiment composed entirely of women. Most of these women were either already part of the army or eager to join. Initially, I had something else in mind for Roxanne, but when she approached me asking for permission to form such a unit, I immediately agreed.

Interestingly, Violet, who had been observing all the women working over the past few days, also requested a task. I appointed her as my personal secretary, thinking this could also be a chance to improve our relationship.

Now, to move on to a pressing matter: Fiona's second son, Thaerd, who had declared himself king, accepted my challenge. However, he invited me to a pitched battle instead. He sent me an extremely offensive and insult-laden letter. While I rarely get angry these days, the insults he hurled, especially toward Luciana, managed to provoke me.

The letter's essence was as follows:

**"Ethan Asina Lenistark,

You self-proclaimed king and bastard of no noble blood! Even the mere thought of someone like you eyeing the throne of Asina is a disgrace. This so-called kingdom you seized through deceit, strength, and tyranny will crumble along with your worthless existence.

But perhaps I should blame your mother instead of you. After all, what else could one expect from a harlot? Luciana, who has trampled upon her noble heritage, is nothing but a woman unfit for the palace. Her education and nobility seem to have been squandered solely in the confines of bedrooms. A mother should bring honor and dignity to her son, yet your disgraceful existence is a testament to what she truly is. Her legacy is further tarnished by your shameful presence.

As I write this letter, my only thought is to completely erase you and your family from history. Anyone who eyes my throne will learn that someone feeding on his mother's tainted past can never be my equal. I hereby challenge you to a pitched battle! But we all know you lack the courage to accept this invitation. Your bravery and honor are as nonexistent as your mother's virtues.

This war will not only end in my victory; I will turn you and your family into the laughingstock of all nobles, starting with your mother. I will ensure Luciana's name is on everyone's lips and proclaim to the world who she really is. If you have any pride left, come to this battle and try to cleanse the justified hatred directed at your family. Otherwise, continue watching your mother's name being remembered as a disgraceful harlot!

Thaerd, the true King of Asina and your executioner."**

This is only a summary of Thaerd's insult-ridden letter. I responded with a much shorter letter.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The letter's essence was as follows:

**"To the wretched Thaerd,

I have read your letter. In the past, you escaped my wrath by sheer luck and received pardon. Someone like you has no right to claim kingship in my era. Do you think hurling insults equates to ruling as a king? Did you imagine the insults you threw at my mother would go unpunished?

I have decided to march against you this spring to deliver your sentence. Forgiveness is no longer an option for you. Save yourself the trouble of begging for mercy. From now on, our envoy shall be arrows, and our language shall be swords. For the brazen insults you've hurled at my beloved queen and mother, my blade must be drenched in your blood. If you are a man of honor, come to the battlefield. Do not scurry from hole to hole like a coward. Prepare yourself and do not say you were not warned!"**

I ordered the letter to be sent immediately. As a historian, I knew these letters would intrigue future generations and serve as valuable records, so I wrote carefully, restraining myself. However, thinking about the tortures I would inflict on Thaerd once I captured him helped calm me down.

Following this, I instructed my strongest supporter, Duke Grohandal, to assemble the army at once. I also ordered Isabella to command every noble who had sworn allegiance to me to gather their forces.

My actions weren't driven by anger but by the great opportunity presented to me. Thaerd lacked a competent advisor—or if he had one, they were not intelligent enough. With my second letter, I aimed to provoke him further, ensuring he would march directly toward me. My plan was to lure him to a location of my choosing and finish him in one decisive strike. At least, that was the plan.

After defeating Thaerd, the neutral nobles would likely join my side in a short time. If everything went according to plan, defeating Liam would be a child's play. However, things rarely went as planned. That's why I always knew I had to prepare backup plans.

That night, when I retired to my throne room, I glanced once again at the maps and reports spread across my desk. I weighed the plans I had made against Thaerd over and over in my mind. If he acted recklessly, as I anticipated, victory would be ours. Yet, a strange unease lingered within me; I knew I had to stay vigilant, just in case.

With the help of Luciana, Isabella, and my other women, everything was running more smoothly than ever. However, having so many people taking on responsibilities in the palace brought the risk of differing desires and ambitions emerging. To prevent this, I followed Isabella's advice and organized regular meetings among the women. Everyone was free to express their opinions, which strengthened their loyalty to me and to one another.

While preparations for the battle with Thaerd continued, a new spy report from Kayle briefly interrupted my work. It turned out that some of the palace servants had been leaking information to Thaerd. Kayle had uncovered the identities of the spies one by one and apprehended them. However, what was intriguing was that some of these spies weren't loyal to Thaerd but to Liam.

This was an unexpected development. It raised the possibility that Liam might act simultaneously with Thaerd to weaken me on two fronts. If true, I needed to not only defeat Thaerd but also prepare for Liam's moves. I therefore ordered Kayle to double the palace's security measures and take stricter precautions to root out any remaining spies.

Despite the surrounding chaos, I calmed my mind and assessed the situation, revisiting my plans based on Kayle's reports. If Liam were planning an attack, hoping to exploit my perceived weakness, this war could become twice as dangerous. To preempt the possibility of a two-front war, I assigned Evangeline the task of increasing the number of guards in the capital.

Meanwhile, I instructed Isabella to hold secret meetings with the still-neutral nobles. I knew we could win them over with tempting offers. At the same time, I authorized Ellera to allocate a portion of the treasury's resources for these diplomatic efforts. Time and again, I had experienced how powerful money could be when used at the right time and in the right hands.

As night fell, I decided to take a brief break from my work in the throne room and headed to Isabella's chambers. Tonight was her night. When I knocked on the door, a gentle voice from inside said, "Come in." Entering the room, I found Isabella sitting by the window, holding a book in her hands. When she saw me, a sweet smile spread across her face.