Chapter 466: Opportunity To Strike

Ivan strolled through the halls of the Palace. Compared to the tense atmosphere that had plagued the court, he was relaxed, not bothered by the rising tensions in the world. Looking at the guards stationed outside the council hall of the Empire, Ivan flashed a playful smile before throwing the doors open and storming in. Although the guards knew they should have stopped Ivan, none of them dared to try to control the Prince, knowing that even if they didn’t suffer physically or lose their jobs, the Prince would find ways to make their lives hell.

"FATHER!" His voice boomed in the room, silencing the five men who had been in discussion. Ivan watched his father’s face darken as he lowered his head but said nothing, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it to the table. Sitting down, he kicked his feet up on the table and looked at the men. "Don’t stop on my account. Continue."

"Ivan, why have you come here?" Alexei sighed, giving up the idea of chasing him out. He already planned to discuss everything with Ivan afterwards anyway, and couldn’t be bothered to lose face in front of the council.

"When did it become normal to keep me out of matters related to war. I stayed silent before waiting for you to summon me, but when they never came, I decided it would be best to come without an invite." Looking at the other men, equally tired with Ivan’s antics, he smiled and shrugged, "Forgive me for wishing to monopolise my father."

All of them waved his apology off without care. They could tell he wanted to act like a fool today and were happy to play along if it meant they could get back to business quicker. Mikhail leaned forward and carried on the previous discussion, "Is the Ammary Emperor truly not going to ask us for our support?"

"It appears not. I’m not sure if it’s arrogance or something else, but he seems determined to fight this battle alone." Alexei clicked his tongue, "But to go to the Lisaponics means he isn’t stupid."

"He is trying to insult us?" Another counciller said with a grave voice.

"Achem." Clearing his throat, Ivan got attention back on himself, "It’s not an insult. I have some connection to the Nassour dynasty, and no formal alliance was made." Ivan drly chuckled, "It’s really simple, his plan. He wants to tighten a noose around the necks of the Severians and the Church. Force them to act how he wants."

"The Tears?" Alexie’s confusion wasn’t strange. All of them knew Sasha had left the continent on a voyage across the sea. "Why would he think that a good idea?"

"Sulfur." With a wide smile, Ivan carried on, chuckling to himself, "They kept it hidden, but I’ve received word of a new weapon, the one we thought he was making for father." Alexei raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, "It was hard to get the information, but recent times have meant that Alfred had to take his toys out of hiding. I can’t be completely sure, but my reports have given a near certainty that he has a new weapon."

The council erupted into light murmurs. Many points were thrown out, but the main one was, would the Empire share the technology with them? Alexei let them talk for a few minutes before raising his hand to silence them. "I hear you all, but for now, we must focus on the present. And we mustn’t expect the Empire to keep giving us handouts. If we do, the world will not mock us as the Empire that collapsed once but the puppet of the Ammary’s."

The room was silent at the cold reality. Alexei smiled and looked at Ivan, "When did you get this information?"

"A few days ago, but this was because I was looking for it. I’ve been keeping tabs on what he was doing with the sulfur her got from us. If the Severians or the Church finds out, they either got lucky or Alfred was sloppy. He kept them hidden very well, and even when mobilising, he still does."

Alexei put his hands over his mouth, falling into thought. No one, not even Ivan, made a sound that was too loud to disrupt his thought. With a deep exhale, everyone saw his lips curl behind his hands. "This is an opportunity." Alexei finally spoke with a quiet voice, "I hated ceading land to that prick Thedoric, but it was necessary at the time. Sure, Alfred does not wish for our help in the war, but it doesn’t mean we can’t pursue our own ambitions."

"Father, this is unlike you." Ivan took his feet off the table and leaned on his fist, "To be so bold."

"It is wise to be cautious but not a coward. Didn’t you teach me this important lesson, Ivan?" Everyone saw the prince’s lips curl up in delight at Alexei’s bold plan. "We will prepare for war. The Severian west is in chaos, but I do not wish to poke the dragon, even if it is wounded. Send word to the Lords of western Severia. My war isn’t with them, but the Gotics. Use my shattered pride at giving a mere king my rightful land to solidify this point."

Everyone nodded. It was risky to broadcast their intent to invade to their enemy, but all of them also knew that the western lords had no love for Julius and the Cosmatos dynasty as a whole. They would happily conceal the information of war if it meant weakening their Emperor.

Alexei turned to Ivan, "I assume you will be joining me once again."

"Of course, Father, war is where I thrive." Seeing his confident gaze, he turned to Mikhail.

"During the war, you will be my regent, Mikhail. With Ivan gone, you are the only man I trust." Mikhail nodded. Although annoyed at not being able to follow Alexei into war once again, he knew that the role of regent was vastly different compared to when Alexei was a mere Grand Prince. "In the event of my death at war, Ivan will take my place without ceremony until he deems it fit to hold one. In the event of Mikhail’s death, Ivan will return and assume the role of regent. This will all be written and sent to every noble house to ensure no one dares get any ideas." Standing up, he wrapped his hand around the end of the table. "Is my will clear?"

"Your will is our command, Your Majesty." Each council member, other than Ivan, stood and placed their hand on their chest, bowing towards Alexei. With a nod, he waved them all down.

"Send the summons, we will begin mobilising. Send word to Alfred, tell him of my intent and that I have laid claims to all Gotic land. Create an ancestral claim that we may have had before the Years of Darkness. If he wishes to take some for himself, he must be willing to pay a price." The council member bowed again, seeing he had nothing more to say, and left. Ivan watched, and when the door closed, he happily laughed.

"Father, you really have changed after becoming Emperor. You’re so much more fun."

"If you pull a stunt like this again, I won’t be so lenient, Ivan. It is fine around those men because they fear and respect both me and you enough, but in front of others, you will make us both lose the reputation we have created." In front of Alexei’s cold stare, he smiled and put his hand up like he was innocent.

"Does it really trick you still, every time I do this? Surely you must know by now that I only pull something like this when I have something important to say." Staring at his father’s unflinching gaze, Ivan sighed and rolled his eyes, "You worry too much, father, I am quite smart, you know."

"Just know what is expected of you." Seeing his words were having no effect, he gave up and slouched over, "How is Anastasia?"

"Fine. Dimitri is making sure she stays safe, and whilst there was a whole incident in Ammar not long ago, she wasn’t targeted. She made friends with Alfred’s daughter, actually. Her letters are so lovely to read, even if it is Dimitir writing them."

"Good. That is good. Make sure to send condolences to Alfred about the incident if you haven’t yet."

"I already did. He is a good friend after all."

"Good." Standing up, Alexei took a deep breath and smiled, "Shall we go prepare for the war then. There is a lot to do before we move."

"Of course." Ivan quickly followed behind, trying to start another conversation.