Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 144 Past 2
In the brightly lit study, Louise held a cup of lemon tea that exuded a refreshing aroma.

"The incident likely occurred around 2134 of the Glorious Calendar, in late autumn. The empire at that time was far more chaotic than it is now. This period is so recent that historians still haven't reached a conclusion about what happened during this time."

However, among us nobles, this event has a private name: the Night of the Crimson Throne.

Seeing his mother lost in her memories with a solemn expression, Haven acted like an excellent listener.

"And then."

As he spoke, the ring on his hand flashed, and a huge pile of snacks appeared on the desk, which he then pushed towards his mother.

Louise glanced at Haven, who seemed to be enjoying the melon with great interest, and couldn't help but be taken aback. This carefree manner was just like her father's unruly behavior. Nevertheless, she picked up the snacks that Haven was pushing towards her.

"There are different versions of this event in different families, and even the royal family has two or three versions of the explanation. However, the main points are similar, and the differences are only in the descriptions of some minor events."

What I'm about to tell you is some information that your grandfather and I have gathered over the years. Of course, as the future heir to the North, you are perfectly entitled to make your own judgments about these matters.

Seeing his mother's beautiful eyes looking at him, Haven nodded silently, signaling her to continue.

"The events that actually occurred on the night of the Blood Throne are related to our current emperor, Frederick IV, or more specifically, to the period when the previous emperor, 'Sleeping King Keen,' suddenly passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne."

"Mom~ I have a question. Was the sudden death of Sleeping King Keane a legitimate one?"

Looking at Haven, who had interrupted her with her question, Louise's slender eyebrows twitched slightly. She recalled her lover Kevin's reply, saying that their son was exceptionally intelligent and had a keen sense of perception, always able to find the crux of a problem in just a few words.

The question Haven is now asking is precisely the same question he himself said, or rather, a key point in the whole affair.

"Hehehe, son, it seems your father was right. You are indeed very perceptive. Although the official explanation for His Majesty Keane's sudden death is that he died suddenly from an acute illness, people with a discerning eye, or those with some knowledge, would not believe this explanation. It's just that everyone tacitly accepts this explanation."

For us high-ranking nobles, deeply intertwined with the Empire, we actually had some basic guesses about the cause of His Majesty Keane's death.

At this point, Louise finished her tea, which was no longer very warm, and the very observant Haven immediately stood up, picked up the teapot on the table, and refilled his mother's teacup.

"Son, what do you think was the cause of His Majesty Keane's death?"

Hevent had only wanted to be a quiet little rascal, but his mother unexpectedly discovered her talent as a teacher. Hevent was a little confused when he was called on. Wasn't she supposed to tell him a story? How did it turn into a teaching test? These adults are really boring.

Haven poured himself a cup of lemon tea but didn't answer his mother's question directly. Instead, he took a small sip. This culinary tradition from the elven world had been wildly popular among the nobility since its introduction, but for Haven, it tasted like a heated version of "You Love Me, I Love You" from his past life...

"If that's the case, then His Majesty Keane certainly didn't die of natural causes. Considering some of the documents I saw in the old man's study, well, how should I put it? It's highly likely he was murdered, and in a conspiracy involving many people to assassinate the emperor."

Seeing her son frowning in thought, Louise was extremely satisfied. It wasn't that her son was exceptionally outstanding, but rather that she realized the child who had always caused her so much worry seemed to have his own judgment when faced with right and wrong.

This put Louise at ease about Haven, since her son had always been different from other noble children, which had made Louise worry about how Haven would survive in this noisy world in the future.

“You’re right, son. Your grandfather shares your view on His Majesty Keane’s unexpected death. After all, there were just too many strange things that happened back then, and as someone who experienced those events firsthand, your grandfather also discovered many oddities in the process.”

At this point, Louise paused, looked at Havent who was watching her intently, and continued:

"When His Majesty Keane was in power, although he made many controversial decisions before his death, he was only sixty years old at the time. For ordinary people, sixty years old is already a very old age. However, as the ruler of the empire, His Majesty Keane was not a professional superhuman, but with the enhancement of various magical items and food, it was not a problem for him to live to be over a hundred years old."

Yet this emperor, still in his prime, died in his own palace. The official explanation was a sudden illness. Putting aside everything else, Emperor Keane, who ruled the era, had a very good relationship with the Eternal Sun. To put it bluntly, even if Emperor Keane's head were cut off on the spot, as long as his body did not decompose, he would be fine.

The Archbishop of the Eternal Sun could easily have resurrected him using powerful Holy Light resurrection magic; however, according to your grandfather, this Archbishop, who was incredibly close to His Majesty Keane at the time, did not show himself.”

Listening to his mother's description, Haven's mind started racing. This was quite interesting; it was a very typical drama of a struggle for the throne. However, there were too many foreshadowing elements. But as his mother said, it was true. In this world, reviving a dead person was not a difficult thing. It was just a matter of how much price to pay. But for the ruler of an empire, there was no price he could not afford.

Thinking of this, Haven seemed to have grasped the essence of the problem. He suddenly raised his head and stared at his mother with his gray-green eyes.

"This, this... it really is a boring thing to be in the royal family. So they don't want His Majesty Keane to live?"

Louise was clearly a little surprised that Havent had analyzed the situation so quickly. After all, although she knew her son was very smart, his lazy, indifferent attitude and lack of interest in anything made her subconsciously underestimate him.

"Huh? Why do you say that, Haven?"

Faced with Louise's probing expression, Haven stroked his chin and gave an unconventional answer:

"Look, Mom, I'm now the heir to the Northern Territory of Hailan. You and Dad only had me as your child, so if nothing unexpected happens, Hailan Territory will be mine in the future. Since that's the case, I'd love to stay like this forever. With Dad and you supporting me, I can be the young master of Haiwen. How happy I am!"

If the old man really passes away one day, I'll have to find a way to revive him and let him keep going.

But if I had a brother now, a brother who was good in every way, even better than me in every way, and the old man was still very healthy and never got sick, then Hailanling might be mine, or it might not be mine, then I would definitely not be happy, and I would have to find a way to ensure that Hailanling was mine.

"Of course, if my wonderful brother thought the same way, wouldn't that make things quite interesting, Mom?" After hearing Haven's theory, Louise was momentarily speechless with shock. Although the example he gave wasn't very good, it was indeed true in essence. However, Louise couldn't stand it and still gave Haven a sharp rap on the head.

“Give examples if you want, but why use your own family as an example? And you keep talking about your father like this and that, you have no respect for elders.”

Haven rubbed his throbbing forehead, and couldn't help but purse his lips, inwardly complaining:

'Fine, you two are such a loving couple, while I was just picked up from the trash heap. You even chose me over cooking oil when topping up your phone credit, okay?'

However, under Louise's domineering presence, Haven only dared to think about it secretly, not daring to reveal it on his face, otherwise he would only get another beating.

"So, am I right? Mom, could it be that His Majesty 'Sleeping King' Keane was ruined by his big sons?"

Seeing Haven's unserious manner of speaking, Louise instinctively wanted to correct him, but then she remembered what Kevin had written in his letter.

"My beloved wife, our son Havet is more outstanding than we expected, so all we can do is let him develop freely. After all, we can't protect him forever; he will eventually have to face the world alone."

Thinking of this, Louise shook her head slightly and sighed softly.

“That’s right, Havent. In fact, your guess is almost exactly the same as your grandfather’s judgment. The day after His Majesty Keane passed away, during the Senate’s discussion, due to the suddenness of His Majesty the Emperor’s death, it was not clear which prince was the heir to the empire.”

Therefore, the throne will be inherited by His Highness Prince Gillian through a vote in the House of Representatives...

Seeing that his mother had stopped again, Haven took the opportunity to continue the conversation.

“But our current emperor is Frederick IV, so it seems that the eldest prince Gillian did not succeed in ascending the throne. So, were these things done by our current emperor?”

"No, to be more specific, it would be more appropriate to call His Majesty the one who cleaned up this farce."

"The one who handles things well?"

Haven didn't quite understand what his mother meant; was there a twist in the story?

Louise seemed to sense her son's doubts, and this time she didn't bother to investigate further, but simply gave him the answer.

"Just as you described, but from our hindsight, none of the princes vying for the throne were the ultimate winners. Instead, the least noticeable and least valued prince, Frederick, who was exiled to the border, became the ultimate winner, who is now our Emperor, Frederick IV."

As for why I say this, it's because on the third day after His Majesty Keane's death, the Third Prince, Denbel, who had narrowly lost the Senate election, led his Royal Second Construct Knights to attack the Platinum Palace, attempting to seize the throne by force.

"Huh???? Is it that simple and straightforward? This can't possibly succeed, right? No, Frederick IV, Frederick IV, then he definitely didn't succeed."

Seeing Haven's slightly confused expression, Louise chuckled. The little guy is still just a little guy, even if he's a bit smarter, he's still just a smart little guy. This game between people isn't that simple.

"Yes, he failed. The Royal Second Construct Knights, who attacked the Platinum Palace with him, were trapped by the palace's defensive array and were eventually wiped out by an attack from the Platinum Tower in the center."

But the matter didn't end there; in fact, it was only just beginning. You see, the Sleeping King Keane had a total of twelve children, and in the course of that event, only three remained: His Majesty Emperor Frederick IV, Princess Siawley, and Prince Dunkel.

The other princes and princesses passed away during those two years for various reasons.

"This...this...let me calculate it. Twelve minus three equals nine, that's nine members of the royal family who died! That's certainly very bloody."

Haven's exaggerated reaction made Louise laugh.

"If these things weren't done by His Majesty Frederick IV, then who did them? But then again, how are you so sure it wasn't His Majesty Frederick? After all, judging from the outcome, he was indeed the ultimate victor and the beneficiary."

Louise was visibly taken aback when she heard Haven's question, but quickly shook her head.

"Your grandfather also considered this idea, and it wasn't just your grandfather; other high-ranking nobles also had this concern, but after much discussion and careful consideration, they ultimately ruled out this idea."

Of course, some people have always held this view, such as some noble lords in the south. They have always felt that Emperor Frederick IV was inextricably linked to the turmoil of the Red Throne Night, and this is one of the reasons why they have consistently sided with the Church against the current emperor.

Listening to his mother's description, Haven could only sigh. It's true that no matter what world you're in, the succession of imperial power is never smooth sailing.

"So, why did you call me back today? You didn't just want to talk to me about this royal succession game, did you?"

"Hehehe, be patient, Haven, what I'm about to tell you is the important part."

Just as you said, the succession to the throne is a cruel and bloody game, but to me, it's closely related to you because your father was a deep participant in it.

As she spoke, Louise seemed lost in her memories.

(End of this chapter)