A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

Ilmia City, a city located northwest of Aaronlandis.

It is located in the plateau area down from the high mountain area to the north of Aaron Landis, and is relatively far away from the royal city.

Aaron Landis's class status was always strict. The nobles considered themselves to be of noble blood and rarely married to those of a lower class than them. Even among the nobles, they are divided into upper-level nobles and lower-level nobles.

Brown-skinned upper-class nobles belong to the higher race. Although they will marry women from lower-level nobles as concubines, in order to maintain the pure bloodline of the higher race, they will only marry women who are also high-level nobles as their first wives.

Some of the upper-class nobles are particularly stubborn about this kind of thing. They hate having their noble bloodline confused.

Because of this, the lord of Ilmia City became famous among the entire aristocratic class of Aaron Landis for his love interest.

As a higher-ranking nobleman and even with some royal blood in his ancestors, he actually married a woman from a lower-ranked nobleman as his wife. He doted on her extremely much, and he only had such a wife in his whole life.

This incident caused an uproar in the upper-level aristocratic circle. Many people were deeply moved by his behavior. Some were sarcastic, some admired, some ridiculed, and some looked on with cold eyes.

In general, the majority are those who laugh.

Especially when the first child born to the city lord after his marriage inherited his mother's bloodline and had white skin, he attracted ridicule from many superior nobles.

The Lord of Ilmia has always doted on his beautiful wife very much and could endure the ridicule of others for her sake.

However, he did not have such good patience for this child who was born with great hope for him but disappointed him so much.

He felt that this child, who obviously inherited the blood of a lower-level noble, was not qualified to inherit his position as city lord.

Disappointed and under the strange looks of others, he became quite indifferent to his child, and even became a little dissatisfied with the wife who gave birth to the child.

Sensing her husband's dissatisfaction, the city lord's wife, who was completely dependent on her husband for survival, fell into panic and became disgusted with the fair-skinned child who caused her to lose her husband's favor.

She handed the child directly to the wet nurse and ignored it. She concentrated on taking care of her body and wanted to have another child quickly to capture her husband's heart.

So, soon, she became pregnant again.

What made her extremely grateful to the gods of Aaron Landis was that this time, the child she gave birth to inherited her husband's bloodline. Not only did she have brown skin that symbolized a superior race, but her appearance was also very similar to the city lord.

When the child was born, he was happily held in his arms by the city lord. He couldn't put it down and named him "Xinyas", which means "the person protected by the mountains and water".

At the child's full-moon celebration, he directly announced in public that this brown-skinned child was his future heir.

It was completely different from the deserted atmosphere at the birth of the eldest son and the full moon. Under the order of the city lord, the entire city of Ilmia celebrated for three days and three nights.

These two children, who had the same parents but completely different destinies, grew up like this.

As the eldest son, Garlan has been treated coldly by his parents since he was a child, although he lives a prosperous life and is not treated harshly.

His father is okay. Although he is not very close to him, he will still fulfill his responsibilities as a father and send people to take care of and teach him. But his mother rarely had a good look on him, perhaps because seeing him reminded her of the most difficult period when she was terrified and uneasy, and she even felt a little disgusted with him.

She doted on and cared for her youngest son, but she was stingy in giving her eldest son a little warmth.

When Gallan was young, he envied his younger brother for being able to act coquettishly in his mother's arms, and wanted to grab his mother's hand. However, as soon as he came near, his mother would immediately frown and order the wet nurse who took care of him to take him away. Take away.

As he grew older, he would understand his mother's eyes and no longer try to get close to the woman who was called his mother but hated him.

In Aaron Landis, the suffix of the name is "Si", which symbolizes praying to the gods and asking them to protect the child.

Many nobles named their beloved children with "Si" as the suffix, praying to the gods to protect their children.

Garlan.

It means 'sunny day', that is to say, he was born on a sunny day.

Nothing else.

Children are very sensitive and can feel people's hearts more easily than adults.

From a very young age, Garlan has understood that his parents only have eyes for his younger brother. He has learned to stay aside obediently, no longer trying to get close to his parents, and longing for their parents' favor.

Later, King Camos called children with collateral royal blood from all over the country.

His parents did not want to send away their beloved son, so he was sent to the palace.

Later, to everyone's surprise, he was chosen by King Camos to become the king's younger brother and the prince of Aaron Landis.

The child who was treated coldly by his biological parents was favored by his brother Wang, who was not related to him by blood, as much as anyone else.

For a period of time after Garlan was officially established as the king's brother, his father, the Lord of Ilmia, successively requested King Camos to let Garlan go back, and the family reunited for the last time. This request was After King Camos, who had already investigated Garlan's childhood experience, refused, he once again requested to be allowed to come to the royal city in person to meet his child.

Because the hereditary city lord cannot go to the royal city without the king's permission.

King Camos directly told Garlan about the matter and asked for Garlan's own opinion.

At that time, Garlan shook his head and refused his biological father's request to see him.

After receiving Garlan's answer, King Kamos nodded and sent an envoy to Ilmia City. I don't know what King Kamos asked the envoy to say to the city lord. From then on, the city lord honestly never dared to contact Gallan again. Lan.

…

As for his younger brother, Garlan still remembered him.

His younger brother was only more than two years younger than him. When he came to the royal city, he was only about seven years old, while his younger brother was only five years old.

At that time, my brother was just a small, soft ball.

Unlike his parents who were indifferent to him, his younger brother seemed to be very close to him and liked to stick to him.

He still remembered the way the little child grinned and grabbed the hem of his clothes and insisted on running behind him.

Although the birth of this younger brother who completely inherited his father's appearance took away all the favor from his parents, Garlan did not hate this younger brother.

Because he knew that even if Xinyas had not been born, his parents would not like him.

Moreover, his younger brother was born with a thin body. When he was born, he was as small as a cat.

Later, when he grew up, he was also very weak. Not to mention that he was a bit shorter than him. His body was so thin that it looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. After running a few steps, he started to pant heavily, and a cold wind blew on his small face. The lips became pale and pale.

He was nervous to look at it, let alone his mother, who regarded him as an eyeball.

Because of his frailty, his mother protected his younger brother tightly and airtight. She had never stopped taking various tonics since he was a child. He was so nervous even when he fell over that he just wanted to hold it in his mouth.

She also tried to prevent Xinyas from getting close to him, as if to prevent him from killing Xinyas for inheritance rights, but Xinyas was very clinging to him. When she heard that he was leaving, Xinyas even cried and made a fuss. He cried so hard that he couldn't breathe, and fell ill again with a fever, which frightened his mother.

And because of this, he was severely scolded by his mother with an unkind look on his face.

This is all Garlan's memories of 'Garlan' when he was a child.

Next, what Garlan experienced personally was his refusal to let his incompetent city lord father come to see him.

The child was ignorant, but he knew very well that the city lord suddenly changed his attitude towards him just because he became a prince.

He didn't intend to have anything to do with Garlan's extremely partial parents, so he refused politely.

However, five years ago, the lord of Ilmia City died of an illness unexpectedly. He was his biological father after all, so Garlan finally went to Ilmia City.

There, he met his biological mother and his younger brother Xinyas.

The woman's face was the same as in his memory, a little more haggard and uneasy, but because of her extraordinary beauty, it gave people a more pitiful feeling.

She hugged her youngest son tightly and looked at her unfamiliar eldest son with defensive eyes.

Garlan didn't pay much attention to this woman, he just focused his eyes on the child in her arms.

We haven't seen each other for a few years, and Xinyas, who has just turned ten, still looks as thin and small as he remembers, with sparse hair and thin arms and legs, like bamboo poles that can be broken with a little force.

No matter how you look at it, he is a sickly child.

The child looked at him eagerly, with longing in his eyes, as if he wanted to come over and talk to him, but he was hugged tightly by his mother like a life-saving straw, unable to move, just looking at him longingly. he.

The woman's defensive attitude towards him was too obvious, and Garlan had no affection for her. He only planned to stay in the city for one night and leave the next day.

What he didn't expect was that his timid-looking brother would sneak over to him at night.

Although he was only two years younger than him, he was so thin that he was a head shorter than him. When he got closer, he could smell the faint smell of medicine on the child, as if he had been soaked in a medicine jar.

"……elder brother……"

That night, the child timidly tugged at the corner of his clothes and called him weakly and quietly.

"I miss you...brother..."

The child looked at him with a look full of expectation that people couldn't bear to break, so Garlan touched his head and smiled at him.

The child's eyes lit up and he laughed happily.

"Brother~~"

he shouted harshly.

However, he only had time to shout before he was carried back in panic by the maids who came after hearing the news.

Later, Garlan heard that the woman would lose her temper and cry non-stop whenever Xinyas left her sight.

When Garlan set out to leave Ilmia City, the woman naturally did not come to see him off, and of course Xinyas, who was being watched closely, could not show up.

However, on the way back to the royal city, the face of the child who timidly called his brother while holding on to his short robe lingered in his mind.

Also, when the maid who was chasing him took him back, the child looked over the maid's shoulder and looked at him helplessly with his eyes wide open and his small pale mouth pursed.

It looked really pitiful.

Garlan thought for a while, and after returning to the royal city, he asked King Camos to send a doctor with high medical skills to Ilmia City.

Although he has no feelings for his biological parents, there is nothing wrong with that child. When he was very young, he knew that he was protecting his brother, but his body was too weak and he was unable to do many things.

After all, that was also his biological brother in his previous life.

Rounding it all off, he can barely be considered his younger brother...

After the doctor who was sent came back, what he reported to Gallan made Gallan unusually angry.

The doctor said that the reason why the child was so thin was not because of illness at all, but because he had been rarely active since he was a child and was constantly taking medicine.

Because too much decoction is taken, the child has a poor appetite. If he eats less and does not move, he will naturally become severely malnourished.

The doctor frowned and said that if this continued, the child would not live for ten years. But as soon as he said this to the widowed wife of the city lord, the lady cried non-stop and said something that Prince Garlan wanted to harm her. The child must have bad intentions and want to take away the position of the city lord, so he refused to stop the child's medicine no matter what, and even went so far as to lock the child in the house and not let him go out.

The doctor really couldn't persuade him, and in the end he was at his wits' end and had no choice but to return to the royal city and report to the prince.

Not well-intentioned, are you?

At that time, the angry Garlan laughed.

He turned around and went to Shermur, and asked for two priests of Shamash from Shermur, and then asked Brother Camos to borrow a few loyal officials who were good at managing political affairs. Finally, The female official asked Tapti to recommend an old female official with a fierce and upright temper.

Then, he sent all these people to Ilmia City.

As soon as the old female official took action, she used the identity given by King Camos to restrain the wife of the city lord who was just a piece of shit except for her beauty.

The two Shamash priests unceremoniously took the young Lord of Ilmia away from his mother, and used coercive means to gradually train the thin child and teach him martial arts.

Naturally, those officials took care of the political affairs of the city sincerely and patiently taught the young city lord. They all knew that sooner or later they would return to the political center of the royal city to further their studies, so there was no possibility of being greedy for power in the city.

After doing all this, Garlan received a letter from the old female officer not long after.

The letter said that everything was in order. Please rest assured, the prince. The city lord's wife used to rely on her superiority to make others dare not disobey her. Now that they, who represent the king, are gone, she will not dare to make trouble. I can only huddle in my room every day and cry miserably, not daring to say a word.

After seeing this news, Garlan felt much better.

Along with the letter from the old female officer, there was also a text message written in a childish handwriting.

It was a letter written by Xinyas himself. In the letter, he said that he didn't like eating, but the two priests sent by his brother always made him eat a lot.

Xin Yas asked him cautiously in the letter, if he could eat well by himself, he would be able to see his brother in the future?

When he read the letter, Garlan couldn't help but picture the thin child looking at him longingly.

He was actually not sure whether he would meet Xin Yas again in the future, but after thinking about it, in order to make the child obedient, he still replied in a coaxing tone.

Gallan wrote back to Xinyas and said that as long as he eats well and grows tall and strong, he will be allowed to come to see him.

That was Garlan's last memory of his blood brother.

…………

……………………

At this moment, Garlan opened his eyes wide and looked at the man in front of him who was as strong as a calf. His mind went crazy for a moment and he couldn't recover for a while.

He said at that time... that when he grows tall and strong, he can come and see him.

But, there is a limit, right?

Thinking back to the sickly child in his memory who was so thin that he fell over in the wind and was a head shorter than him, and then looked at the strong young man holding him tightly at the moment.

Those strong limbs, well-developed muscles, and being more than half a head taller than him...

Garlan felt that no matter how he looked, he felt like he was seeing the group of Shamash priests who were proud of their fitness and power.

…

Ah, it is indeed the fruit of the teachings of the priests of Shamash.

"...Xinyas?"

"Well, it's me, brother, I miss you so much!"

"You have changed so much..."

Not only is it big, it is almost like two people.

Garlan once again remembered the shock he felt when he saw the handsome young King Kamos in this life.

"Yes, thanks to the two priests you sent me, brother. They taught me how to grow taller and stronger. Because brother, you said that this is the only way to let me come to see you."

The big black dog-like younger brother smiled silly, looking at Garlan with bright eyes, and you could almost see a big fluffy tail behind him wagging vigorously at Garlan.

"Look, brother, I'm already tall and strong." He raised his hand and gestured on his head, "Taller than you -"

Garlan: "..."

The younger brother, who was heartbroken when they first met, didn't want it.

Probably because his speechless expression was too obvious at the moment, the tough face of the young man who originally had a bright smile suddenly collapsed, and the invisible tail behind him seemed to have wilted.

He suddenly let go of the hand holding Garlan and took a step back, his hands hanging in the air awkwardly.

"Brother, do you... don't like me like this?"

He raised his hands and took another step back. He looked at Garlan with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes, and his face was a little at a loss.

He remembered his behavior of rushing over without saying a word just now, with a look of annoyance on his face.

Originally, Priest Raya had repeatedly taught him the etiquette of meeting the crown prince many times. He also told him that even if they were brothers, they were now different kings and ministers. He must first salute his brother after entering.

But when he saw the brother he had been thinking about for a long time, he was so excited that he immediately forgot all the things that Priest Raya taught him, and rushed over to hug him without thinking.

...Does my brother think that he doesn’t understand etiquette, so he doesn’t like him anymore?

Thinking of this, the young man's mind suddenly became confused.

"I'm sorry, brother, no... Your Majesty the Crown Prince, it's me who's rude. I apologize to you. I'm just too excited, uh... because I can finally see you... I've been thinking about it for a long time."

The young city lord of Ilmia looked wilted and whispered, "If you don't like it, I won't be like this in the future."

Regarding this younger brother's behavior, Garlan was indeed speechless at first.

Brother Wang said it was a surprise for him, but Garlan thought it was more like a shock.

To him, this so-called younger brother was like a stranger, but now he suddenly appeared in front of him and was overly enthusiastic about him, which naturally made him feel uncomfortable.

However, his younger brother immediately noticed his confused expression, immediately let go of his hand, and took two steps back.

The way he shrank and stood there cautiously, staring at him eagerly, seemed to overlap with the way the skinny kid looked at him longingly five years ago.

Garlan sighed softly in his heart.

Although my body shape has changed, I don't seem to have grown much on the inside.

With this in mind, he once again looked at his big brother who was half a head taller than him.

He suddenly said: "Squat down."

Xinyas, who was anxiously wondering whether his brother didn't like him, didn't realize it yet, and his body had already subconsciously crouched down obediently.

Shermuer next to him: "..."

Other onlookers: “…………”

Even if he is young, he is still the lord of a city.

Garlan looked at the young man squatting in front of him. Although he had a strong body, his face was still a bit childish. At this moment, the young man looked up at him, with uneasiness written all over his face.

He smiled and reached out to touch the dark brown curly hair of the squatting boy.

"You've grown up, Xinyas."

He smiled at his brother and said,

"You are very obedient and abide by your agreement with me."

When he wrote back, he just sympathized with the child who was raised useless by that stupid woman and coaxed the child to get better soon. But he didn't expect that the child would take his coaxing words to heart.

In just five years, he could change from the frail appearance to the tall and strong appearance now. It can be seen that this child must be working very hard to fulfill the agreement to meet him.

"You worked hard and did a great job."

Garlan touched his head and praised him with a smile.

The squatting boy looked up at Garlan, his eyes bright.

He remembered that five years ago, when he first went against his mother's wishes and secretly ran to find his brother, his brother touched his head and smiled at him in the same way.

"Okay, stand up."

Garlan said as he patted Xinyas on the head again.

The hand touching the head left, and the big black dog Xinyas stood up, wagging its tail vigorously. He smiled at Gallan, and after a long while, he suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Priest Raya said he would congratulate my brother on becoming the crown prince when we meet, but I forgot again."

"Actually, I have been requesting His Majesty to come to the Royal City since the beginning of this year, but His Majesty has never agreed." He said a little aggrievedly, "It was not until this time, brother, that you became the Crown Prince, and His Majesty allowed me to come to the Royal City to have an audience."

Garlan found that this child seemed to have no brain.

Speaking of which, ordinary people really can't take those words to coax a child as an agreement to do such a thing honestly, but this child did it stubbornly.

Too honest and honest.

He thought that it seemed necessary for Shemurr to carefully question the two Shamash priests who were originally sent to Xinyas.

"Your Highness Heymos, it's almost time for us to leave. The trainer is still waiting for us."

A guard came over and whispered to Heimos, who had been watching quietly.

Heimos looked at the brown-skinned boy who kept laughing at Garlan, frowned without any trace, and then shook his head.

"You take Anu back, this afternoon's training is cancelled."

He said,

"I have something to do when I stay here."

"yes."

Shermer and others left first, while Heimos found an excuse to stay.

Perhaps it was because he finally met the brother he had been thinking about, Xin Yas was very excited.

For the whole afternoon, he followed Garlan like a big tail. While following Garlan around, he kept talking about his own affairs in the past few years.

He is just like an ignorant child who pesters his brother very much.

Kayhos looked at the young man who was following Garlan, and then glanced at Heimos on the other side from the corner of his eye.

Heimos sat there quietly, with his eyes lowered and his expression indifferent, as if he was reading a book.

Kayhos chuckled in his heart.

Pretend, keep pretending to be calm.

I couldn't suppress the unpleasant aura emanating from my whole body.

Now you know how King Camos felt when you were clinging to Prince Gallan, right?

In the blink of an eye, it was night and it was time to rest. Kaihos resigned to Garlan and was responsible for sending the young city lord back to Shemuel.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could clearly see that Heimos's expression improved slightly as he also stood up.

The tall boy stood at the door, looking at Garlan reluctantly. He hesitated for a long time, and finally plucked up the courage to whisper to Garlan: "Brother, can I sleep with you tonight..."

Garlan hasn't answered yet.

Caijos still hadn't reacted.

Heimos had already stepped forward, stretched out his hand expressionlessly, grabbed Xinyas by the collar from behind, and dragged him out forcefully.

"Wait, wait a minute, let me go, brother——"

Xinyas danced and struggled hard, but he couldn't get rid of Heimos's hand, so he could only be dragged out of the gate.