The Titan Empire: The Game of Power

Volume 1, Chapter 9

"I met with His Majesty's emissary just now. His Majesty is to receive you at Hamilton Palace at 2:00 p.m. There should be no danger, but His Majesty has been discussing you with his staff these days, and we have been told some inside information, namely that they intend to place you under house arrest at Feston Palace, on the northern outskirts of Turin, and that the period of house arrest will be indefinite! These are not certain, but there is indeed a rumor circulating in the palace. Those guys probably still don't intend to just let you go!"

"Are you sure it's the Fiston Palace?" Oscar was a little unconvinced that his luck would be that good.

"Yes! Definitely Fiston Palace, a court chamberlain heard His Majesty mention it himself. Why, is it important?"

Oscar did not answer, he had his own considerations about this, it was a very important piece of news, and he was confident in his ability to fight for the best possible situation. He was a member of the royal family, and his mother, the late Mika. Alpha. Her Royal Highness Princess Morissette was his greatest bargaining chip right now.

"Oh la! What does Lord Father have to say about this matter?" Oscar was still more concerned about his father's attitude.

At this Celia was a bit helpless, her husband was a natural politician and military man like the successive generations of parents of the Anru family. But when it came to dealing with his youngest son's problems, her tiger-like husband showed exceptional weakness, she knew that Dortmund must have his own considerations, but this was too unfair to Oscar.

The duchess didn't know what to say when she thought about it, but she couldn't say that the child's father hadn't done anything, could she?

Oscar saw his silent mother and knew what was going on. Oskar was born with an awareness of politics and the hidden truths therein. Dortmund. ANRU. The Duke of Netagapo had taken what was undoubtedly the most correct approach. Oscar understood the advantages of such an approach.

His Majesty the Emperor was the owner of the Titan Empire, and his every word had a sacred and inviolable authority, and the Duke would not challenge that authority head-on without turning against him. He used silence to express his protest so that the Emperor couldn't find anything to accuse the Duke of, and His Majesty would definitely consider the consequences before making any decisions. I believe the Emperor must be having a huge headache right now, he didn't know what the Duke was thinking or what kind of bottom line the Duke could accept, so he could only keep discussing with his staff about how to keep hitting the Duke without offending him.

Dortmund. Anru. Duke Netagabo held a quarter of the Titan Empire's military power, but no one would care about this number, what people valued was always strength. Over the past four hundred years, in the confrontation with the Porcius cavalry that constantly invaded the borders, the Anru family's army had formed the strongest fighting force in the Western Continent. This force was definitely not something that the inland Titan's close guards who were used to living in peace could contend with.

Titan's fear of the Borsis had a long history, four hundred years ago, the mighty Borsis cavalry swept through the western continent like locusts, the royal family that ruled Titan at that time was pulled down by the nobles amidst internal and external conflicts, that hero that saved the day was His Majesty, the first emperor of the Morrissette Dynasty, and the force that this emperor relied on was the cavalry of the House of Anru. The warriors of the House of Anru fought a duel against an enemy ten times their size on a hill filled with daffodils. The process was simple: the enemy attacked, the warriors resisted, and when the last warrior fell, the enemy was powerless to advance any further. In this battle, all 13867 warriors of the Anru Clan died, and the 100,000 Borsis cavalry finally stopped their invasion after leaving over 40,000 corpses behind. The Titans were awakened by the blood of the heroes! In the days that followed, nobles swore allegiance to the usurping emperor every day, and under the emperor's authorization, the Anru family soon organized a new army, which was officially awarded the title of "Knights of Narcissus" at the swearing-in ceremony held on that unnamed mountainside. The people of Titan had their long-awaited counterattack.

The next ten years were the bloodiest in Titan's history, with His Majesty the Emperor constantly purging the country of opposition in order to consolidate his rule, and the Anru family constantly fighting against the invaders in order to protect their homeland. When the Knights of Narcissus finally recovered the easternmost province of the empire, the imperial power reached an unprecedented peak. At that time, the emperor had only one problem left to solve, that is, in the confrontation with the Borsis gradually strong Anru family, the emperor in this problem is difficult, he wants to completely disarm the Anru family, but also afraid of the people's backlash and Borsis counterattack.

In the end, the emperor took the most feasible solution he thought, politically, to give the Anru family a status that was absolutely in line with his reputation; militarily, to designate the two provinces in the eastern part of the empire as the hereditary territory of the Anru family, and to let the Knights of Narcissus guard this land forever, so that the Anru family would have no time to worry about the west.

Therefore, the monarchs of each generation of the Morissette Dynasty relied on the Anru Family while at the same time were always on the lookout for them. How to deal with the relationship with the Anru Family was a necessary lesson for every emperor before he took the throne.

Othniel. Anru. Morissette arrived at Hamilton Palace at 1:50 p.m. on April 14, 791, he did not pay attention to the tall and magnificent palace, nor did he pay attention to the nobles who were pointing at him in the corridors of the palace, he entered His Majesty's parlor under the guidance of the ceremonial officer alone, it was a palace made of gold and jewels, to which Oskar still did not pay too much attention, and he would face an exceptionally serious test in his life. He was about to face an unusually severe test in his life.

At the door of the small palace Oskar shouted down the guards who wanted to search him, the two colonels on sentry duty for the Emperor, the two officers of the Praetorian Guard were a little angry, they had never been treated like that before.

The atmosphere was a little tense, and in due course His Majesty's voice came from the door, "Invite him in! He is the Duke of Anru's son, do you think the Marshal's son would be an assassin?"

Oscar stepped inside, his eyes unblinking as he found the key to victory in the Emperor's words, and he surveyed His Majesty Alpha III, who was seated high on the floor, almost rudely.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Titan Empire was fifty years old, a man of that age was already showing signs of aging, but the Emperor was well maintained, he had blonde hair and an affable face, only the curve of his mouth showed his majesty. The imperial robes and crown were held in the hands of one of his attendants, His Majesty the Third only dressed for very formal occasions, preferring the fashionable civilian clothes his tailor sewed for him in normal times.

Oscar laughed a little at the seating arrangements in the court, which resembled those of his own trial. More than twenty ministers sat proudly in the drawing room, and Oskar didn't recognize a single one of them except the emperor, but he seemed to grasp something when he saw the emperor's casual attire. There didn't seem to be a place for him in the parlor.

"Dortmund. Anru. Fourth son of the Duke of Netagapo, Ossigne . Anru. Morissette, greetings to His Majesty the Emperor, may you live a long and healthy life, always accompanied by the blessings of the God of Light." Oscar only stopped to salute the supreme being when he had traveled a meter in front of the Emperor, this salute was not the one he would have done when facing the Emperor, some of the ministers around him had already raised their voices to reprimand Oscar for his rudeness.

The Emperor on the throne was also sizing up Oscar, he felt that this child did not match the information that came from Domolga, he was just a chubby lad who was not even old enough to drink. Alpha III nodded slightly after seeing Oscar salute him, that salute was common, but it was the courtesy of a latecomer to an elder, His Majesty the Emperor seemed to grasp something as well, but he wasn't as sure as Oscar was.

Alpha III waved his hand to stop the ministers. He turned to Oscar, ''I heard that you encountered an assassin, it seems to be fine now. You little guy is never reassuring." His Majesty was obviously a bit haunted by Oscar's assassination, for which he had sternly warned the Minister of State who had never given up on sanctioning Oscar, but the Minister swore that it was none of his business, which the Emperor did not take kindly to.

"Thank you for your concern! Your Imperial Majesty! I am even more grateful to you for granting me my freedom, and no one is more merciful than you my Emperor!" Oscar's phrasing was respectful and very respectful.

The Emperor was satisfied, according to the plan, Oscar would definitely say this, then he could proceed with the rest of the conversation.

"But!" The Emperor paused, and Oscar raised his head to meet his gaze. "But! Osne. Anru.

Morissette, my mercy has not the least bit to do with your crimes, I believe you should understand that the sins you once committed would not even be forgiven by the God of Light, and that I can only grant you a limited amount of freedom, so you shouldn't hold a different opinion on my next decree, should you?" That message of his house arrest was purposely put out by the Emperor himself, and I believe that the Anru family already knew about it. No one could deny the Emperor's will, and next Oscar would be trapped by his own words, and since he didn't even have any objections, then whatever His Majesty the Emperor naturally said would be the case.

"Yes! Your Imperial Majesty, if it's the Festoon Palace, I won't be able to wait to move in." Oscar said with a smile.

Now the Emperor's face was a little embarrassed, it should have been him who made the announcement, he stared with some irritation at the teenager who had brought his prestige into disrepute, but just as he was about to pronounce the sentence on Osné . Anru. But just as he was about to pronounce the fate of Othniel Anru Morissette's life, the next words of the teenager blocked out all the words that were already on his lips.

The boy said, "That's wonderful! Uncle! I told you that you were the most compassionate, you must remember that my mother was born in Fiston Palace, right? Geez! I can finally go and be with her! Thank you so much! Before you announce this decision, may I make a request? Really! Just a small request!"

Alpha III was completely stunned! Festoon Palace! It was! It was Feston Palace, and the teenager's words brought back so many memories of where his sister, the lovely Mika, was born! Geez! How could he have forgotten? His young self had been excited about his sister's birth for a long time, they used to be the little devils of the palace, they gave headaches to everyone who took care of them, they climbed trees together, they played tricks on their teachers, they plucked their father's mustache together while he was sleeping. The emperor was caught up in memories he could not extricate himself from.

What began to forget these things? His Majesty the Third knew that he had not forgotten, he had never forgotten, he had only deliberately not touched these memories after he had forced Mika to marry Dortmund. His Majesty's mind drifted back to the last look Mika had given him when she married far away. Agony! Boundless pain made the Supreme Emperor sitting on the throne squirm uneasily.

He had prevented his sister's love affair with a paladin by marrying her for the sake of the royal family to a duke of the House of Anru whom she had only met twice, a duke who was a dozen years older than the princess, and who by that time already had three wives and two sons.

His Majesty walked away for a long time, and those ministers who were present had the clear knowledge that things had changed, and that there was nothing to doubt that the teenager had called His Majesty the Third his uncle. The ministers regretted it very much! They had overlooked an exceptionally important issue, that was the dual identity of this teenager, they used to retaliate against him as the youngest son of the Anru family, but he had turned himself into His Majesty's own nephew at this palace! No one dared interrupt the conversation between the two royals.

One of the attendants beside the Emperor finally couldn't help but cough softly.

Alpha III returned to his senses! "Ah ...... what did you say?" The Emperor was very flustered.

Oscar saw all the changes in the emperor's expression in his eyes, according to his analysis, His Majesty Alpha III was a mercurial person, otherwise he wouldn't have had so many mistresses, even though His Majesty Alpha III fully met the requirements of an emperor in big ways, let's say intelligent, quick-thinking, insidious and ruthless, and unscrupulous, his mercurialism made him have an Achilles' heel.

"Uncle! I am asking you to grant me a request before you declare your will." Oscar already saw victory in sight. He definitely didn't call this "uncle" for nothing.

Alpha III straightened his expression, "Go ahead! As long as it is a reasonable request, I will definitely grant it."

Oscar's demeanor quickly lowered, his eyes already slightly reddened. "You know, uncle, that my mother was most unwilling to model for those court painters when she was alive, and only one portrait of her has survived, the one in your study, for ten years! I've forgotten what my mother looked like! If you still have pity on me, grant me the portrait of my mother! It is my only request."

Alpha III, after recovering with difficulty, was again overwhelmed in an instant by a heavy grief. He loved to linger at those receptions, and he had forgotten how long it was since he had been in that study, where Mica was, and he dreaded the sight of her, and still more the thought of her.

He knew that Mika had not been happy since she had married far away. Then he heard that Mika had gotten pregnant, then had a difficult labor, and after the difficult labor Mika had been very weak, and she had died in the fourth year after giving birth. His Majesty the Third clearly remembers the moment he learned of his sister's death, and he smashed everything in his hand! He wept and cursed Dortmund . Anru. Netagabo, he thought the Duke had failed him, that he had not taken care of his sister! He had allowed her to die at such a young age. From then on, the Emperor and the Duke were at loggerheads.

For the first time the Emperor looked so closely at the child before him. His hair was Mika's, dark brown curls; his nose was Mika's, small and straight; and his lips were Mika's, one on top of the other just as they had been when Mika was a child. Geez! This was little Mika's son.

He did not answer Oscar's question; he was startled by his own observation, that he had always been thinking of ways of suppressing Dortmund . ANRU. Netagapo, he'd been ignoring the kid, and all his shenanigans had centered around Mika's son.

His Majesty the Third suddenly realized that his relationship with the Duke should not be the way it is now, many Emperors of the Morrissette Dynasty in history were close friends with the then Duke of the House of Anru, and he himself could have been friends with the Duke as well, the Emperor finally confronted honestly today with the issue he had been avoiding. That is, he made an unforgivable mistake, he shouldn't have forced Mika to marry the Duke, he shouldn't have taken it out on the Duke after Mika's passing, he shouldn't have used an innocent child to strike at the Duke, oh my god! He'd been running away for so many years only to be back at square one in a flash.

The Emperor didn't know how to answer the child's request, he really didn't! He wanted to see Mika just as desperately now. But the Emperor knew that things should end here, now that he had been able to face up to his mistake, he would not let it continue. The Emperor had understood what to do! The ones he had done in the past were nothing more than a matter of will, and he clearly remembered what the old Emperor had told him on his deathbed, "If someone suggests that you weaken the Anru family appropriately, and if his plan is reasonable, then you should reuse him, and if someone suggests that you destroy the Anru family, remember, don't hesitate to push out that person to be hanged!"

It's over! It's all over! The Emperor whispered in his mind. It was time to end this for Mika's son's sake as well. Fighting with the Anru family wouldn't get us anywhere, it would only chill the lords on all sides of the empire, and it would be cheaper for those villains. The emperor had already decided to replace the minister of state at the right time, that guy had a deep hatred with the Anru family because of little Oscar! But now the Emperor had figured out that he couldn't continue to let Ross do whatever he wanted, and if this Minister of State really wanted to exterminate the Anru, then he would do what his father had instructed him to do. In just one minute, the position of the Minister of State in the Emperor's mind was reduced from the main force in the attack on Anru to a pawn in the check and balance of Anru. The emperor was still wise, someone had to restrain the Anru family, as long as they didn't go overboard like before, and he himself slowly repaired his relationship with the duke, then the future was still full of hope.

Alpha III's mood had finally returned from his grief, and he felt good now! He was all at ease. Years of worry, years of self-blame had all been completely resolved by the words of the child in front of him! His Majesty the Third had some second thoughts about all those ways he had dug his heels in against Anru in the past, and thankfully, the Duke was a sensible man, and His Majesty the Third had learned that the one in the wrong had been him all along. Mika! Poor Mika! Since we have to make amends, let's start with your child!

"Oscar!" His Majesty called out to Othniel. Anru. Morissette's nickname, and he remembered everything now, the lovely Mika! Her former favorite puppy's name was also Oscar! This Mika! Taking the joke all the way to his son's head! The Emperor laughed out loud at the thought, and everyone in the entire court, including Oscar, was a bit baffled.

"Oscar! I can feel your deep sorrow, please tell your father that this is all my fault." As soon as His Majesty's words fell, those ministers below had already drummed up a discussion, they were well aware of the weight of His Majesty's words, they didn't know why His Majesty had changed his previous intentions, and even in the morning, they were discussing with His Majesty on how to dispose of this child. But now, everything had changed! The Emperor had abandoned the policy he had been following for over a decade towards the Anru family.

"Will you please shut up?" These guys were too unruly! Alpha III didn't have a good look for the ministers below who were in disarray.

The ministers knowingly shut their mouths, they knew that since the emperor had already admitted his mistake in public, everything was irreparable and they should stand their ground and reconsider their attitude towards the Anru family.

"Oscar! Please forgive these unruly fellows! Just now you mentioned your mother's portrait! It is! Mika only has that one portrait, and I went to great lengths to get her to sit honestly in front of the painter in the first place! But unfortunately! I can't give you that portrait. It's my trust too. But there is a way to get it to you as you wish. Come forward and listen!"

Oscar took two steps forward, then dropped to one knee at the Emperor's feet.

Alpha III took the crown from the attendant and placed it on his head. His eyes looked around the crowd below the throne, and finally he turned to Oscar, and the hall was so surprisingly quiet that the people didn't even dare to take a breath.

"Here! I repeat!" His Majesty the Emperor purposely raised the volume of his voice, and his majestic voice even reached the corridors outside the palace. "I reiterate! I have pardoned Osne. Anru. Morissette's sins, which means that the Morissette Dynasty re-admits Osgene. Anru. Morissette as a member of the royal family. Oskar, get up! You are already a member of the royal family, you don't need to receive the decree like this."

Oscar straightened his back as he rose! He had won! He had won the honor of his life!

"Alright then kid! Hear me out as Mika. Mika Alpha. Princess Morissette's only son, you shall be the legal heir to all the estates and honors of her late Highness, then I bestow upon you, Osné. Anru. The title of Prince of Morissette!"

The ministers could no longer sit still after hearing the Emperor's reward! They rose up in protest, and the entire hall was instantly thrown into chaos.

Alpha III slapped the armrests on his throne hard a few times, and the ministers finally quieted down, but there were still a few bold ones who whispered their objections.

"Alright! Since all the ministers are against it, I would like to ask which of you is capable of deciding that Mika. Alpha. Princess Morissette's only son's title?"

Deciding the titles of nobles was a right that only the Emperor could exercise, a right that even the Noble Senate could not interfere with, and His Majesty was essentially giving a stern warning to his ministers.

"I don't object to your lords expressing their opinions, but if you say one more word of nonsense, then please never set foot in my palace again." Alpha III's cold voice frightened these lords. They hid in their holes like rabbits, and each of them didn't even dare to raise their heads. The ministers had no way out at all now, their head, that Minister of State, in order to avoid suspicion he didn't show up at all today, I'm afraid that even if he had thought about it, he wouldn't have expected this situation to occur now.

Oscar also did not expect His Majesty Alpha III would reward him in this way, he even wondered if this Emperor knew what he was doing, he had just crowned a Prince! Oscar somewhat underestimated the Emperor's feelings for the Princess, just like him and Sasha, who could truly understand something like emotions?

Alpha III was furious, he knew that most of these people down there were incompetent, and that the truly wise ones had stayed neutral in his confrontation with the Anru family. It was all these guys! If it wasn't for their constant instigation, his relationship with the Duke wouldn't even be as bad as it was now. His Majesty was once again looking for a proper excuse for his mistakes. He's always like this.

"No more opinions? Haha! That's great! You! Right! It's you! Free up a chair for the Prince."

The minister who was named by the Emperor rolled out of his chair in a panic, and he respectfully placed the chair at Oscar's side before bending over and retreating.

Oscar knew that this minister had made the loudest noise in the chaotic protest that had just taken place. He gave a slight bow to the Emperor and sat down quite openly. It was an ordinary chair in shape and comfort, but Oskar did not feel half as aggrieved to sit in it. The Emperor had addressed him as Prince just a few moments ago, so that meant that the matter was settled and no one could threaten him anymore.

The emperor smiled and looked at Oscar, ''Oscar! Haha! Now you are the Prince of Ossigne, oh yes! I said I will let you have your wish, do you know, your mother had a privilege during her lifetime, that is, she can freely enter and exit my palace at any time, now you can inherit this privilege, so that you can enter my study anytime you think of her."

Oscar stood up and he knelt before the Emperor once again. "Thank you Emperor for all you have done for me, my mother in the arms of the God of Light will never forget the grace you have shown me."

The Emperor smiled somewhat to himself. "Grace?" As long as Mika forgives me for the transgressions I committed against her and her son and husband, then that is the greatest grace of all.

"Get up! My son, I haven't finished my words yet!" His Majesty the Emperor took off the ring on his right index finger that was set with a large sapphire, which the discerning eye would have noticed was an exact match to the ruby ring he wore on his left hand.

"Your maternal grandmother, my mother, the kindly Empress Dowager, she once bestowed a pair of unique jeweled rings upon your mother and I. After your mother's death, I took back the ring, you see, and after all these years of wearing it on my person, I now bestow it upon you." With that the Emperor took Oscar's hand and solemnly placed the ring on the index finger of his left hand.

If just now His Majesty the Emperor had only verbally acknowledged Ossian . Anru. Morissette's identity as a Prince, then with the change of ownership of this ring, the Emperor completed the handover of the coat of arms and totem, although this was a symbolic meaning, but the clerk beside the Emperor had already written a heavy stroke in the chronicle of events:

On the 14th day of April, in the year 791 of the Light, His Majesty, the Titan Emperor Alpha III, named Dortmund. Anru. Duke of Netagapo, fourth son of Mika. Mika Alpha.

Princess Morissette's only son, Othniel. Anru. Morissette, the only son of Princess Morissette, is Prince of the Titan Empire, and this decree is effective immediately!