The sandbox world, in the south of the dynasty.
The commander guarding the greatest pass in the dynasty's south had always wavered in his allegiance. On this day, he suddenly felt that the dynasty had no hope, and that only the Seventh Prince in the south was fit to rule the realm. So he wrote the Seventh Prince a letter offering his allegiance.
That was how the current scene came about...
The Seventh Prince looked excitedly at the letter of surrender in his hands. Beside him, his strategist said thoughtfully,
"Your Highness, this could be an excellent opportunity, but it could also be a trap."
The Seventh Prince's expression remained unchanged as he said,
"I know. But if we pass this up, we'll have to delay our march north for a considerable time. That would give my royal brother and those rebels time to react. We can't afford that gamble."
The strategist pondered for a moment before saying,
"We could do this..."
Then he whispered into the Seventh Prince's ear.
The Seventh Prince nodded with a smile.
"I was thinking the same thing. If he's offering his allegiance, he ought to show some sincerity, shouldn't he?"
The strategist and the Seventh Prince exchanged smiles, as though a bright future lay right before them.
In the capital, the Third Prince had no idea that the gateway to his south had been thrown wide open. Of course, even if he had known, he would not have cared. He had long since abandoned every city except the capital and its surrounding settlements. As Alanna's chosen successor, the Third Prince was no fool. He simply could never have imagined his own mother screwing him over like this.
He knew very well that all he could do now was preserve his strength, wait at