“Okay, Orion. I see your point. So what do you intend to do, Jarvis told me a group of bandits are slowly taking over the capital city,” Lucretia revealed.

This was also a part of the reason why she thought strengthening the military was very important.

“I would like to discuss the things Jarvis has noticed happening in the capital city with him. This should provide me with the insight I need before taking necessary measures to eliminate the nobles.”

Lucretia nodded in understanding. “I understand the actions you are trying to take, but even if you are right and the nobles are trying to revolt, do you really believe that there’s not a single noble Lord among the four lords who still have a bit of loyalty toward us.”

Orion sighed deeply before replying truthfully. “I’m not sure.”

“Okay, but would you like to listen to my suggestion?” 

“Yes, please.”

“Would you consider taking a diplomatic approach?”

“What are you implying?”

“I want you to send a formal message to the nobles.” 

“And why would I do that?” Orion furrowed his brows. He saw no reason to take a diplomatic approach towards the people he was certain he was going to kill.

“Listen to me, Orion. There are so many benefits to taking this approach.”

“I’m listening.”

“Good, if you do this, you will be able to find allies.”

“You will also be able to gather intelligence, buy yourself some time to prepare for war, and even improve your royal honor.”

“And lastly, you’ll be able to avoid unnecessary intervention from the emperor.”

Lucretia concluded. “I need you to think about all the points that I’ve made.”

Orion pondered over the valid points his stepmother made.

For the first and second points, if he wrote and sent those letters, not only would he be able to identify those nobles who were his enemies, but he would also be able to identify potential allies among the nobles who could create divisions between the nobles who were trying to rebel against him.

These same allies could provide him with valuable information which would be used to tilt the favor toward Orion’s side if a war were to occur in the near future.

As for Lucretia’s third point. ‘This is by far the most important point she made. It is true that if I were to send a message to them, they could see it as me being weak as I plead for a peaceful compromise between us, knowing I would lose against them if a revolt were to take place.

But in actuality, it would give me enough time to create my very own army, loyal to no one but me, and then, I would strike them down before they could even suspect a thing.’

Orion loved the three points Lucretia made, and so he pondered on the fourth point. ‘In respect to upholding my honor as a member of the royal family, it would also be a way for me to send a message to my future allies and soldiers that anyone who decides to go against me would end up in the most brutal way imaginable.’

After thinking of the benefits of the fourth point, Orion considered the fifth and final points which instinctively made his brows furrowed. ‘This is by far the most tricky and crucial point she made. If word got out that I mercilessly massacred the nobles of my own kingdom without giving them an equal chance to express themselves, the emperor would definitely intervene and that wouldn’t favor me.’

‘Besides, if I were to send the letters and the nobles still insisted on removing me from the throne, the emperor wouldn’t assist the nobles if they asked for help after realizing that the battle wasn’t in their favor anymore. This meant that it would give me more than enough justification to hurt them as much as I want.’  An evil smirk briefly appeared on his face before Orion instinctively lifted his gaze towards his beautiful stepmother.

The points Lucretia made were precisely the things he needed to ensure his actions wouldn’t result in unforeseen consequences in the future.

Orion was confident he could successfully eliminate those rebellious nobles if he took into account Lucretia’s suggestions.

Meanwhile, Lucretia noticed that his gaze was fixed on her like a man who had been enchanted by the beauty of an ethereal goddess.

“O-Orion? W-what’s wrong?” she inquired.

“Nothing, it’s just...”

“Just what?” Lucretia giggled, charmed by his gaze, but Orion remained silent. “Come on, say it,” she encouraged him.

“It’s just that now I understand why Father fell in love with you. He must have felt blessed to have someone as wise and beautiful as you by his side.” 

“Oh, please stop that, Orion,” Lucretia blushed deeply with a smile on her face before adding. “I’m not nearly as beautiful or as wise as your mother who taught me everything I know.”

Listening to her words, Orion was moved by Lucretia’s reverence for his late mother. He took her hand, redirecting her focus to him.

“I would like to hear stories one day about how you met my mom.”

Lucretia smiled and tried her best to hold back tears from streaming down her cheeks, but she couldn’t, and she replied while her tears coursed down her cheeks. “I would be more than happy to tell you the stories.”

Feeling grateful, Orion smiled and lifted his hand to wipe the tears away from her cheeks before urging her to take the cure.

“Thank you, now please, take the potion. I will need you by my side when the time is right to seek vengeance on the King of the West. But for now, I need you to rest and trust me to handle the problems plaguing the kingdom.”

Lucretia could see the determined look on his face and she didn’t want to disappoint him. If he wanted her to trust him then she would do just that.

 “Okay, I will,” Lucretia assured him as he left the room.

She slowly opened the cork of the vial before gulping down the potion. The moment she was done drinking it, Lucretia rested her head on her propped pillows as she felt her eyes become heavy by the second. But just before she slept, Lucretia recalled a very important conversation between herself and Aurora.