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The letter was on his table. It arrived minutes earlier and he still haven't opened it. It was silly to fear it, yet he was uptight about what it could contain. They were enemies technically, Vere and Akielos.
He knew only a little about Prince Laurent. He was a few month away from ascending to the throne, yet he lacked the experience on most fields a king was required to be trained at. He was a spoiled and he perfectly represented the cruel mind of Veretians. He was cold and awful.
As Nikandros wondered about the prince, he couldn't help the string of empathy that took over him for a moment. The prince was supposed to stay a prince, where he would have been allowed to be a bit careless or lazy, but it was the Akielons who made him the crown prince. Nikandros felt like he now knew what it felt like to lose a brother.
He shook his head and reached for the letter. It was short, formal and straight-forward. He had to read it three times. The Prince of Vere had proof of the crimes Kastor committed. It was difficult. The prince shouldn't even know about those thing he did and he should definitely not fight against his uncle.
He could hardly comprehend it. What the prince was offering was... If he could prove what he knew deep down in his heart it would make the loss of Damianos a little easier to live with. It would show how awful of a man Kastor truly was.
It must have been a trap. It was cultivated just to tempt him into treason. He was already on the bad side of Kastor, he was aware his life as a kyros would not last too long. When the new king secured his position he would politely get rid of him. Until then, they had to bear each other.
Nikandros measured the risk he needed to take in order to satisfy his part of the offered agreement. He forced his natural royalty to the crown down. He was loyal to the king and now it seemed Kastor did not have the right to be his king.
It wouldn't bring Damianos back. It wouldn't make the country stronger. It wouldn't provide a better king. It was likely to bring civil war and mayhem. Nikandros felt selfish all of the sudden, everything was worth it, if it meant Damianos's memory was served justice.
His hand was shaking. His breathing wasn't even. This was what he needed. He couldn't save his best friend, his king, but now he was given an opportunity to redeem himself as a good man, to at least get revenge. If it required unauthorised troops and a secret travel, he would do that too.
He smiled, bitter and determined.