Imperial Ambition (II)

Xerath had always envied the free people who could attend school, and now his wish had finally come true—he could access that knowledge. 💥👺 🎉👻

Since having a study companion, Azir has become more serious and no longer runs away from home every few days, but at the same time, he feels some regret:

He always thought he was quite smart, but compared to Xerath, he was far inferior, taking twice as long to master the same knowledge, which led to Nashramae's punishment.

Of course, he wasn't jealous of Xerath because of this. Taking his friend as an example, both of them made great progress.

In short, their lives were very peaceful, and they were happy even when they occasionally bickered and joked around.

Although some self-important Prince and Princess often come to show off, it doesn't affect their mood at all.

Three years later, as the emperor grew old, strange things began to happen in the palace, which is why Azir became timid.

It all started with the mysterious disappearance of the eldest Prince, who was later found dead in a warehouse that had been abandoned for many years.

Then came the Fifth Prince, who died at his own dinner table, presumed to be poisoned. This led to a massive purge of suspected individuals, and none of his servants were spared.

Then came the Ninth Prince, the emperor's chosen successor, who also died at the dinner table, in the same manner as the Fifth Prince.

Panic gripped the palace; no one dared to eat indiscriminately anymore, and all food brought in was subject to strict inspection.

These events caught the attention of Grand Master Nasus. If the initial occurrence was accidental, then the subsequent events suggested it was deliberate.

Nasus conducted a thorough investigation in various places and finally found some clues: a trace of magical aura remained in the places where the Prince died!

They were assassinated! But Nasus never found out who had the audacity to do it.

For a long time after that, nothing like this happened again. It's estimated that the killer was also wary of Nasus, so things calmed down.

However, the bizarre deaths did not end there. Nearly half a year later, the Eighth Prince, the Sixth Princess, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Princess also died one after another, each in a different way.

At this point, someone pointed out that the suspect was Azir or his family member!

Because all these deceased Prince and Princess had one thing in common: they had all been to Azir's palace!

The emperor was furious upon hearing this and immediately sent men to arrest Azir, Nashramae and their mother, and subjected them to a rigorous interrogation.

In the end, they found nothing out. After all, he was just a thirteen-year-old child, and it was easy to tell whether he was lying or not.

Nashramae had just returned from the army and had not been in the palace for over a year, so she had no motive for the crime.

As for their mother, that was even more impossible. She was a weak woman who had lived cautiously in the palace for so many years. She had never even reprimanded the servants, let alone killed Prince Princess.

However, despite the persistent demands of the other Prince and Princess, the emperor still ordered Azir and the others to be imprisoned permanently, and even Nasus's pleas for mercy were to no avail.

Since the end of the Void War, the surviving Ascended have spent their time either fighting or guarding the frontiers, rarely interfering in the internal affairs of the royal family.

Nasus can't handle these things now, so he has to ask others for help.

He sought out Iloza, who was skilled in using poison; Yerlanriel, with his extraordinary perception; and Adina, a master healer, but they, too, could not find the cause.

Finally Iloza suggested that the Prince and Princess should either be dispersed to various places, such as the armies of the Ascended, or gathered together for protection.

Most of the Prince chose the former option, going to fight throughout Shurima, while the Princess remained in the palace, under Nasus's supervision.

Such days were both stressful and boring, until the death of the eldest Princess!

She died without any warning; she was perfectly fine before going to sleep, but never woke up the next morning.

The other Princess could no longer sit still and followed in the Prince' footsteps, heading to the army.

By this time, only the kind-hearted tenth Prince and three Royal Descendant, Azir and Nashramae, remained in the entire palace.

The tenth Prince never believed that Azir and his companions were involved in the matter, and even after they were imprisoned, he frequently visited them.

Furthermore, he did not accept Nasus's protection, and his eating and sleeping arrangements remained the same as usual, so nothing happened.

Everyone else is having problems, but you're the only one who isn't, so people will suspect you.

Soon the tenth Prince was also subjected to a full investigation and was eventually imprisoned.

In reality, this was a ruse orchestrated by the emperor. He still suspected that Azir and his associates were involved, so he sent the tenth Prince to investigate in secret, with the reward being that the prince inherit the throne.

Faced with such a huge temptation, the tenth Prince also lost his integrity and was released from prison not long after, insisting that Azir's mother was the one who did it!

The emperor was furious and immediately ordered the execution of Azir's mother, and declared the tenth Prince as his heir. The tenth Prince died the very next day.

Now things are clear: regardless of whether this matter is related to Azir's mother or not, the killer is indeed biased towards them.

After the death of the tenth Prince, the emperor ordered the execution of Azir and Nashramae to prevent future troubles.

Nasus vehemently disagreed. Such unfounded speculation had already caused great harm to Azir and Nashramae, and to execute them now was simply unacceptable!

Just as the two were arguing, the emperor suddenly fell seriously ill and became extremely weak.

He no longer had the energy to care for Azir and his siblings, and decided to ascend to heaven.

The ascension failed without a doubt, the empire lost its master, and urgently needed a successor to stabilize the current chaotic situation.

The Prince and Princess who were living well outside did not want to return, but they also disagreed with Azir's succession.

Nasus recalled Renekton, and the two overruled objections and decided to let Nashramae succeed him.

Many Ascended criticized the brothers' actions, supporting the Royal Descendant in their own armies and even showing a tendency towards civil war.

The only person who can stabilize the situation now is Aatrox, but he has not shown up. The last time he appeared in front of everyone was when Nasus ascended, and there has been no news of him since.

Ultimately, a civil war did not break out because the Prince and Princess scattered throughout the land died one after another, and the Ascended could only swear allegiance to Nashramae.

Nashramae up to expectations, demonstrating the qualities of a wise monarch and quickly restoring order to the palace.

The deaths of the Royal Descendant became an unsolved mystery and were gradually forgotten as Shurima grew stronger.

This matter was indeed related to Azir, but he was completely unaware of it; it was his servant Xerath who did it.