"Finn is greedy, he'll definitely kill anyone who gets in his way." For the first time, Darren saw his father in this game world. Very different from his father who had died in the real world. Emperor Alric's body was rather thin and looked unwell. His face was pale, and Darren assumed that in the past few days, the Emperor had been sick and needed to rest in bed.
"Will you still come tomorrow to lead the meeting?" Richard, who stood beside him, asked. This time he had changed into a new white shirt he got from his room. Meanwhile, Darren still looked a bit scruffy because he hadn't had the chance to change before meeting his father.
"It depends on my health. I might die tonight," he said with a laugh at the end of his sentence. But neither of his sons responded with a laugh. Both were silent, as if deep in thought. "I know Finn will kill me. Before tomorrow morning's meeting, you two better leave. Either to Ellery or Kleinn—go anywhere you can live."
"We still want to keep the empire in your hands," said Darren. He didn't want Finn to become too dominant and restrict his movements. If he could, he would want Richard to replace Emperor Alric. However, the transfer of power to Finn seemed nearly successful if the Emperor was no longer around.
"Secure the kingdom with the wealth that remains. That money can be used to go somewhere else. No need to return. Georgia is no longer a safe home for either of you, is it?" Even while lying in bed, the Emperor could still speak clearly. Darren and Richard understood what their father meant. Simply put, Emperor Alric was asking his children to run away. "How's life over there, Darren? Is it nice living there?"
"Yeah, it was kind of nice—until a group of bandits came to kill me." Darren told his story in front of Emperor Alric, still lying in bed. "But don't worry. They were just bandits sent by King Finn who weren't very good at fighting."
"I figured he'd do anything. After this, you definitely won't live peacefully. Be careful. If you insist on staying in Georgia, you'll definitely run into many traitors." Both Darren and Richard nodded in agreement. If they were on the opposite side of Finn, they would certainly face constant threats.
"So, how did you two make up after a lifetime of arguments?" asked Emperor Alric.
"I saved the girl Darren's crush at his camp." Darren quickly turned to him, not accepting Richard's overly exaggerated explanation.
"She's not my crush," he said with emphasis.
"Then she's your girlfriend, right?" Darren put both hands on his hips. This time, he really couldn't let Richard spread a rumor that could grow in the palace.
"I never said she was my girlfriend. We only met a few days ago." Richard's laughter echoed, teasing his younger brother.
"But you were worried enough to come home again, weren't you? I know you were in Mierre-Park to sell all those bows. But you chose to return home just because you were worried about that girl." The Emperor laughed as Richard rambled on, clearly amused by the news of his younger son daring to get to know a girl.
"What's the name of this amazing girl, Darren? You should bring her to the palace someday. Introduce me to her," this time it was Emperor Alric teasing his second son. Darren turned away. He didn't like being in this position. Just because Richard knew Luna, he immediately assumed the girl was his lover.
"Luna, Father," Richard answered the question. "She's a farmer's daughter, but she's also skilled in martial arts. I don't think her job has anything to do with plantations. She's more suited to being a palace guard."
"Is she that beautiful that you're smitten?" This time Darren only smiled at Richard, who was clearly enjoying the situation. Behind that smile, he was thinking of a way to make Richard regret his words.
A knock on the door of the Emperor's chamber made Darren and Richard turn. In the middle of their fun conversation, they had missed Emperor Alric's medicine time. A doctor—or what people used to call a healer—entered the room with a glass of dark green water that looked like boiled herbal leaves. Unlike the usual guards in black uniforms, the man wore a deep blue uniform.
"Let's continue this conversation tomorrow. Darren, bring your girlfriend once your business is done. I'll meet the girl and give my blessing for your marriage."
****
[Congratulations! You have received 3,500 gold coins!]
Darren smiled, realizing that he could trust Evan to handle something without having to be directly involved. Maybe, in the future, all these tasks would be easier if he could delegate them to all his subordinates.
[STATISTICS]
[AUTHORITY LEVEL: Commoners (480/1500 XP)]
[STRENGTH: D (205/1500 XP)]
[COUNTRY: Small Village (Money: 3600/10,000, Villagers: 9/25)]
[SUPPORT: (Public: 95/100(%), Politics: 0/100(%))]
[UPDATE: Money +3,500]
Darren sat calmly in a chair, listening to the annual meeting that must be attended by all leaders of the kingdoms on Georgia Island. There were a total of eleven kingdoms, with four major kingdoms in each direction of the island due to trade relations with neighboring islands.
Starting from Narima Beach in the South, Mierre-Park in the North, Clenta in the West, and Juavvo in the East. These four major kingdoms had grown rapidly alongside the seven smaller kingdoms developing on Georgia Island.
Darren didn't know all the kings and queens in this Empire. However, he noticed pop-ups displaying their names and countries whenever he looked at them for a few seconds.
First, he glanced at a young man named Felix from a country called Birru. Then shifted to Gideon from Cassavon and Killian from Auravelle. Darren then turned his attention to the man sitting next to Killian—he was Everest from Dragonwitch.
There were three queens from the smaller kingdoms of Georgia Island. First, a middle-aged woman with streaks of white in her hair named Rosalind from Netherwyn. Then a young woman in her twenties named Vivienne from Larion. Lastly, a woman in her thirties named Claire from Vellaryn.
Meanwhile, from the four biggest kingdoms in Georgia, Darren first looked at Tristan from Juavvo, then Benedict from Clentar. One chair was left empty, which was obviously Finn's, who didn't attend this annual meeting. And lastly, there was Richard, who was busy sitting in as the representative of Narima Beach and also representing the Brisstol Empire.
Luckily, this was merely an internal meeting for the kingdoms to report on their performance and discuss the issues that needed resolving in each region. It was an important meeting, but not a particularly formal one.
Darren occasionally heard laughter among them during the meeting, which indicated that it wasn't too formal.
A loud bang at the front door drew everyone's attention. All the kingdom leaders were startled to see their family members being dragged into the meeting room with knives at their neck. Instantly, everyone stood up—including Darren, who also watched closely to see what kind of drama was unfolding before them now.
"Guards!" Richard shouted, but no one in front of him responded.
"We've surrounded the palace—both inside and out. There's only one negotiation we want: to appoint King Finn as the next Emperor after Emperor Alric's death," said a middle-aged man who entered the palace behind the threatened family members. He stood in the center, as if demanding the attention of everyone in the room.
"What a delightful drama to watch—go tell that to Finn," Darren said, clapping his hands before a sword touched his neck, threatening the young man.