There was a little smile on Andres's lips when he looked at the ex-official. "It seems like you can't wait to know why," he pointed out and turned to Orius. "I think my cousin should explain."
Every ex-official there knew the identity of the cousin in question. When they looked at Orius, one ex-official abruptly rose from his seat.
"How can you expect us to listen to the one who killed our Crown Prince?!" he exclaimed and pointed his finger at Orius. "He and the Masked Commander who turned out to be his sister are the ones who destroy us!"
Despite maintaining his composure, Crown Prince Andres's face turned darkened. His sharp gaze was fixated on the ex-official who just spoke up when he said, "Then you should also know that I'm the cousin of the two whom you just mentioned."
With the Crown Prince's voice that clearly hinted at rage, the ex-official couldn't say more and complete silence fell upon the chamber where they gathered.
"Everything is fair in a war and if you take those incidents personally, then you can leave," Andres declared, breaking the silence that went on for almost a minute. "I have no intention to help the ones who loath my cousins," he firmly added, showing no sign of backing down.
The Crown Prince waited for a while but when none of them leave or spoke up, he nodded his head. "Good. Each one of you makes your decision, so I don't ever want to hear such a thing again."
With that said, Orius walked closer and Andres took a seat on the left near the window. Now that he finally faced the ex-officials clearly, Orius recognized the faces of some. After all, he dealt with them for a few days after he and Iria conquered Helsia more than a year ago.
Orius knew that no matter what Andres said, they will still loath him. However, their need for help won against the hatred.
"It's getting late," he started. "I will get straight to the point." He briefly paused to look at the officials and then said, "We want you to rebel against the King of Jerivia so that he won't be able to take complete control of your kingdom easily."
"You want to use us a tool so that you can tackle the young King?" one ex-official on the right scoffed, making Orius shift his gaze to him.
"I haven't finished talking yet," Orius coldly stated. "If you can't control your mouth, then you should leave." He looked at Andres and said, "But won't it be too risky to let go of someone who can't control his mouth? It will be better to make sure that he will shut his mouth forever."
Andres Francia simply smiled when he heard his cousin. "You're the one in charge right now. Just do it as you see fit."
The ex-official in question was now starting to fear for his life! He anxiously glanced at the Crown Prince before he turned back to the former Prince of Jerivia who was standing a few steps away from him.
Those cousins... they were the same age as his children but... why were they so formidable?!
Orius quietly glanced at the official before he called out, "Zane."
"Your Grace." The guard who was standing a few steps away on his right promptly responded.
"From this moment, take care of anyone who speaks out of turn again," Orius commanded.
"Yes, Your Grace."
Now, the young Duke's attention was on the ex-officials again. The way they looked at him... he could know that they dread him.
That's a good thing.
Orius flashed a smile as if nothing happened. "I hope you understand and I want to make myself clear," he said. "Your opinions are welcome because to make things work, we must work together. However, if you speak out of turn again or if that opinion is purely based on your hatred for me, then you won't be deemed fit to work with us. One must know how and when to differentiate things, right?"
Seemed like it work out well, no one spoke up even when Orius maintained his silence for a while.
"Then I'll continue," Orius spoke up once again. "If you agree to lead the rebellion against him, we can promise you that we will cover all the cost. If you need wealth for that, we will provide you. If you need our help, we will do our best to help you and even if you need men, our soldiers will be available for that."
The ex-officials exchanged glances with each other when they heard the enticing proposal.
"In return, you must not give up and continue to exhaust the Jerivian King no matter how much he pressures you. In short, you shouldn't betray us." Orius paused and with a low yet serious voice, he added, "Even if your life is on the line."
Orius glanced around the ex-officials who seemed to be weighing their option. Then he slightly smiled and said, "If you have any questions, now is the time to ask."
"Can you give us assurance?" one ex-official who sat on the second row in the left asked. "If we rebel, we will be betting our lives. Then what can you do for us once we succeed?"
"I'll answer that question," Crown Prince Andres promptly said as he rose from his seat. Then he walked closer and stood beside Orius. "Do you know what is Zaro Aventine's purpose when he came here a few days ago?"
Once again, the ex-officials exchanged glances with each other as they didn't know the answer.
"It's to wipe off all powerful remnants of Helsia, starting from King Rozalez." The Crown Prince made a deliberate paused and continued, "That means once he makes a move, each one of you will be dead."
Finally, a murmur erupted in the chamber as the ex-officials whispered among themselves.
"If you don't believe me... " Andres spoke up again and glanced around the ex-officials. "Then you can wait for a few days. I heard that the King is back here. That means he will eliminate each one of you soon and.... if you wait a few days, you might probably be too late."
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