*Ksshhhkk!

The sound of glass breaking resounded in the room.

"Why now!? Just when our plan is so near to completion, this thing happens. Perhaps, we should just go through with it despite…" duke Argent Cross said angrily. They finally have the warden who's overlooking grand duke Charles' food ration in the prison in their pocket. All they have to do now was get rid of the man, pull his son to their side, and start the revolution.

"Your grace, please do not be impatient. Our group has been waiting for this opportunity for 3 decades, what's a few months more? We should not destroy everything we worked for when we're so near." Marquess Maurelle Klaus said in a soothing voice. In fact, he too was angry. Not because of what happened but because of the duke's arrogance. If they didn't need the duke's military force in addition to his own, he would get rid of him first. He shook his head. The man was still one of their strongest pillars.

"Yes, father, please quell your anger. Let us listen to Marquess Klaus' idea first." Christopher said trying to calm his father. Honestly, he too was annoyed. Why did Geoffrey have to announce his engagement to the public now? Even proposing to Serena in one of the balls. Just a few days ago, it was all over the news, and the royal's popularity to the public again soared. 

Just two weeks ago, the news of the war hero being thrown in prison went out, and the public's opinion about the monarchs was in an all time low. It was not enough to spark a revolution, but surely the untimely death of the grand duke inside the prison followed by the death of his son would lead to just that. Well, they're not really going to kill Charlton as they needed his army on their side, but that would have been the press release that they will make.

As the Marquess' brilliant plan was, they would use this chance to blame the royals for the deaths. They will poison the grand duke, try to kill Charlton in a stage set up so that he would blame the monarch, use his face as the image of their cause, have him lead his men to join their cause too, then bam! Revolution to overthrow the monarch. 

In fact, initially, it would have been easier to do that if the king simply executed the grand duke, but with the way things played out, this was the next plan.

Anyway, marquess Klaus spoke again, "There will be no change in the plan, we will just have to delay it. If we persist to do everything now, it won't be very effective. The death of the grand duke would only be overshadowed by the royal wedding. Charles won't be able to escape, he would still remain in prison for the next 5 years, so we can wait a little. Right now, let's leave them with the false sense of security."

"You mean to say that we will have to wait that long!? I might already be feasted on by the vultures by then." Argent exclaimed his eyes wide as saucers.

Everyone in the room looked at the marquess in askance. Many were becoming impatient, the duke was right, another 5 years was not a short time. 

Klaus shook his head, "Not that long. We just need to have the most optimal timing."

Another man spoke as he nodded his head in agreement, "the Marquess is correct. Aside from that, I have seen how much the crown prince's faction has grown. It would not be that easy to penetrate his defenses. We might succeed to overthrow the father, but there is still the son."

"That's the problem, now that Lady Serena is to be married to him, his influence might even become stronger. Lady Serena is very popular to the public, she would also be a hindrance. Maybe we should just…" Another man spoke.

Christopher glared. How dare this filthy man even utter her name? 

Klaus shook his head. "Are you daunted by just the addition of a mere lady? Aside from that, getting rid of her would not be good. How could we lead a revolution with that kind of crime tainting our cause?"

The others hummed in agreement.

"To be frank, I think the wedding of the crown prince is good for us. With him married, he would not be able to dedicate all his time on watching and anticipating the moves of everyone in court. I saw how he looked at her. Like a sick puppy in love. So, I say that lady Serena would be his weakness instead." Someone suggested. 

Christopher noticed that too. He wanted so much to twist Geoffrey's arm that laid claim to the woman he wanted. Serena. He has never found any woman as enchanting. However, it seems that she would need to marry Geoffrey first. 

"Anyhow, how about Charlton's movements in the army? Does he show any form of hatred to the monarchs for the injustice?" Klaus asked.

Christopher sighed. He has planted spies there, and according to their report, contrary to Charlton being hateful, he was dedicated to finding the rebels and serving the crown instead. However, lately, it seems that he's just passing the days in daze. A bit nonchalant, like he's looking for the meaning of life. He shook his head as he sighed. "No. According to reports, he just seems dedicated to finding the rebels. Now though, maybe because he couldn't make heads or tails of where to start, he seems a bit downhearted."

Klaus nodded, that was good. Based on his observations, Charlton was a steady person. He was acting according to his expectations. He would not act unreasonably unless there's no more option or unless his bottom line has been tested. That's why he came up with this plan. For him to be dedicated to the crown and later find out how they tried to get rid of his family, he was sure that he would then join them.

"That's alright. Keep observing him. When the time is right, we will get him to our side."

At the end of their meeting, everyone agreed to delay their plans a little.

--

TBC

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