An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

That night, two young men sat playing chess inside a secluded mansion in the Inner City.

On the left was Anders, who had visited the Ballard estate earlier. Across from him sat Matthias, a broad-shouldered man dressed in richly adorned robes.

The game was intense, with fast moves followed by moments of deep thought. About ten minutes later, Anders finally conceded defeat.

“Anders, you’ve really improved since we last played. You almost had me there,” Matthias said, stroking his beard in mild surprise.

“You flatter me, Your Highness. My chess skills are nothing compared to yours. If you hadn’t gone easy on me, I wouldn’t have lasted half as long,” Anders replied with a modest smile.

“You’re as smooth with words as ever.” Matthias let out a hearty laugh with a look of smug satisfaction. Winning was in his nature-whether in war or on the chessboard, defeat was not an option.

“Well, we’ve eaten, and we’ve played. Let’s get to business.” With a wave of his hand, he signaled his men to clear away the chessboard.

He wiped his hands before continuing, ” Anders, the situation in Oakvale is growing more volatile by the day. The question of who will become crown prince remains unresolved, and it’s wearing me down. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep-it’s maddening.

“You’ve pledged your support to me, so I need you to go all in. We must secure my claim before it’s too late. Only then will I finally have some peace of mind.”

“Your Highness, we’re already giving it everything we’ve got. Of the eight great families, half are now on our side. We’ve also won over many key figures in the government. Simply put, Your Highness has the greatest influence among the princes,” Anders said, bowing his head slightly.

shook his head. “The old foxes in the government are nothing more than opportunistic turncoats. They

ones who

Your family has pledged support to me, but

least two, if not three, of the four ancient houses. If he could rally all four, the title would be as good

Ballard families,” Anders replied. “The Fallons have made their stance clear. They’re ready to seal a marriage alliance with my family, and the union will happen soon. As for the

Spanners?” Matthias

the Spanner family.

times, but they keep turning me away. It’s hard to

to rely on

looks like Nathaniel still has a few tricks up his sleeve to win over the Spanners,” Matthias said thoughtfully. After a pause, he asked, “Any news from Tristan’s

only one or two are aligned with him. The rest are just opportunistic smaller factions trying to play both sides. They won’t

his health is failing. How does someone like him think he’s fit

weakling like Tristan-who knew how much longer he would survive? The thought of him fighting for

connections

cannot let them

already on his side, securing the Ballards’ support

against two-with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

Your Highness. I’ll make sure the Ballard family is on your