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To Be King (5)

Grey and Abner sat around the two maps they drew of the central castle and Queen Meredith's residence. They used a pen with red ink to trace a line to show the best route. On a separate piece of paper, Grey wrote down the schedule that he saw with the guards. He would continue to update it as they infiltrate the two castles.

Abner forgot to do that, so he would write down the guard's schedule in their next outing.

"Thankfully, Queen Meredith's secret entrance is in the garden and not her room..." Abner said as he put a big X through her room.

He had the look of "do not go there!"

Grey saw his expression and was a bit curious, but Abner seemed traumatized, so he didn't ask...

"Now that we have the map situated, let's do a few more scouts around the two castles so we can get a better picture of the guard's schedule as well as Queen Meredith's and Consort Ceanna's schedule. Afterward, we can go into the secret passageway. I say we go in the central castle and then out from Queen Meredith's garden, but we will have to get a better understanding of the guards before we finalize that."

"Alright, I have a luncheon to attend with Consort Ceanna and Queen Meredith. Ah, Noah, you were also invited, so I need you to stay back so we can talk about it. Dismissed!"

"Understood!" The three shouted.

Abner and Hartley left the room, so Grey and Noah, who were left behind, could talk about the lunch that he was notified about when he woke up.

"Noah, whatever you do, do not eat or drink anything until I give you the signal that it is okay."

"I understand! But do you really think they will poison us?"

"Yes, they will. Especially because we are nuisances to Consort Ceanna's children."

As Princes in the military, their reputation with the common folk was extremely high. They also had support from some patriotic nobles. Some nobles who were once neutral also switched to Prince Ameer's side for their military performance as well as their diplomatic excellence. Another reason nobles switched over was that they were dissatisfied with the First and Second Prince.

In comparison, First Prince Lawrence and Second Prince Tobias barely had any contributions and he wasn't very popular with the commoners. They fed the radical nobles what they wanted and disregarded the common folk.

"Being a Prince, we must be cautious about our safety. Even if we both survive in the end, there will surely be people who will try to pit us against each other. Until then, I hope you will trust me first before anyone else."

Grey knew Noah would, but he wanted to hear it with his own ears.

"You don't even need to question my loyalty. I don't even want the throne. I will be sure to protect you. You know what's right for our kingdom. I'm just the muscle head shielding you from swords and spears."

Grey also didn't want the throne, but he couldn't say that.

He had to be King. For his, God System's, and Noah's safety...

Grey and Noah got ready for the luncheon with their enemies: Queen Meredith, Consort Ceanna, and her kids.

King Maverick was sick in bed, so he ate in his room. He knew of the lunch. Even if he was healthy, he didn't want to go. Over the years, he was reduced to a mere figurehead. Why would he want to sit with the people who took all of his power away?

That was why, when Grey and Noah got to the dining room in the main castle, there were multiple plates and cups already set up, but no one was sitting there.