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nA man laid on a black beautifully crafted couch.

nIn front of him were different foods and fruits all lined up in well crafted wooden bowls, as well as a jug of wine to quench his thirst.

nThe man was also the same age as Eli. He had dark red hair, thick manly eyebrows and light green eyes that looked like that of a cat.

nThe man in the cage, was called Slytherin Cord.

nHe was one of the top intelligence personnels in the empire.... What ever you wanted to know, he would get the information for you... His results were always 97% accurate.

nBecause his siblings had arrived, Eli didn't want to risk them finding out about his involvement with Slytherin Cord.

nAlthough they wouldn't be able to recognize him, one should always prevent unnecessary situations from arising.

nOne year ago, Eli received shocking news about his father. In all honesty, he thought the nan was an arrogant pig.

nHis father had another bastard son other than Landon, and this bastard son was older than Eli by a year.

nThe bastard went by the name the 'the ghostly prince'.

nHis whereabouts were a mystery to those that try to find him. He always wore a giant silver ring on his thumb, as well as a silver metal face mask no matter where he went.

nIt was only a struck of luck that Slytherin found out about him.

nSlytherin was passing through the city of Ganjia and decided to lay low for a while since he was on a mission at the time.

nHe saw the metal faced masked man by a stroke of luck and was curious.

nAfter doing investigations for 5 months he was disappointed. This man had a tight network around him.

nSlytherin then decided to kidnap one of the man's lower ranked knights and tortured him. Although the knight didn't know much, what he did know was still astonishing.

nThis man had been building his army for the past 4 years now. No one knows his base. Not even the knights. Apparently, he keeps knights at different cities and makes them blend in, by letting them work with the city lords and barons.... So basically, the knights worked as double agents.

nEven the king, City Lords and Barons didn't know about his existence.

nFrom Slytherins view, the Ghostly king was a dangerous one. All the men Slytherin sent to locate him, turned up dead.

n'This man was a ghost alright' thought Slytherin.

nEver since Eli had received this piece of news.... he had been planning on killing his father and sitting on the throne fast.

nSmall fries like his royal siblings didn't bother him at all...but this ghostly king....this one was a hard but to crack....

nEli didn't know what the Ghostly king was planning... and neither he did he want to find out.

nHis father had to die fast, before other bastard children pop out again to claim his throne.

n------

n

"Did you finally locate his whereabouts?

"

n

"Not yet. I think he knows that someone is trying to track him down. My next operation might be a setup..... it's too risky.

" Slytherin answered.

n

"Your right.... lay low for a while before you begin again.

"

n

"As you wish, crown prince....oh that reminds me.... there's turmoil in the capital. The left minister has rallied up a lot of nobles to support Prince Connor as the crown prince.

"

n

"Hmm for my brother to make this move, it shows that he is confident about his strength.

n

"What about the Right minister?

"

n

"Recently, our spies have also reported that he had successfully been bribed to side with Prince James for the position of the crown prince... although your the crown prince, your brothers are more popular in the capital than you are.

" Slytherin answered while crunching on an apple.

n

"That's a given, afterall, they took advantage of my absence and worked their way up.

"

n

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"I also heard that prince James and Prince Connor had been giving out money to a lot to the peasants in Hope's of gaining their support.

"

n

"Hahahaa ... what a desperate move to make... at the end of the day, the one who decides who becomes king and who doesn't, is still my father

". Eli responded.

n

"True... I also thought it was stupid... From what I can see, your real competition is the Ghostly king..... That man would be a hard wall to crack. ...Even your father doesn't know of his existence.

"

n

"I know, that's why I need to gather enough forces fast.

"

n

"What about your royal siblings and all the disturbances their causing in the Capital?

"

n

"Why bother over something like this? What does it matter anyway. Soon they'll all be dead.

"

n

"And your bastard brother Landon? ..Do you want me to find out about his situation?

" Slytherin asked.

n

"No no no... that would be a waste of your skills and time..... What can a dying man do? Besides Baymard is a 3 month journey from here....

"

nSlytherin listened and thought that what Eli said made sense. Afterall, Slytherin had personally witnessed Landon being poisoned at his 15th birthday feast.

nEli had sent him there to make sure that his knights did a good job of poisoning Landon. So he had observed from the shadows.

nHe had also continued observing Landon within the 2 day period before his departure to Baymard.

nLandon's complexion had changed to a pale blue-ish color within those two days. Even getting him unto the carriage required help from his knights.

nAnyone who saw this would know that Landon was already a dead man. There was no cure for that poison. Only death awaited him.

n

"Besides..... I need you around here. I need you to keep tabs on Connar, James and Janette. Find out about their every move. ... I want to know, where they go, who they see and what they're doing daily.... don't worry about that bastard Landon..... Soon I will take his land from him.. He is but the least of my worries right now

". Eli continued.

n

"Not a problem..... I'll send my men to secretly follow them on their way back to their territories.

"

n

"As for the ghostly king, make sure no one finds out anything about him.... not even my father. It would be better if his existence remained a secret... And if anyone is curious about his background. Come up with any story you want.... but never mention the fact that he is the king's son

".

n

"As you wish, crown prince

" Slytherin replied.

n

"Good....Soon, I will take care of him as well. By then, I would like to see just how powerful this brother of mine really is.

"

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