“Your Highness-”
Wyatt, standing behind, was about to speak, but Eloise raised her hand to stop him.
“Oh? Is that so?” Julius smirked slightly, showing some interest. “Your Highness, are you here to negotiate with me?”
“That’s right.” She was straightforward. “As long as you agree to three things, we will all support you as the prince. We will ensure you ascend without a worry in sight.”
“Your Highness, even without your support, I can still become a prince. So, what qualifications do you have to negotiate terms with me?” He grinned slyly.
“Grand General Rhys, I believe you are someone who values your reputation. Smoothly ascending to the throne without any opposition, isn’t that preferable?” she stated.
“Fine, I’ll give Your Highness some respect and hear what conditions you propose.” Julius chuckled.
He was in a winning position now. It wouldn’t hurt to agree if he could avoid some trouble by agreeing to a few conditions, provided these conditions weren’t excessively demanding.
“First condition: once you ascend the throne, you must treat all the civilians and soldiers well. West Lucozia has come a long way to reach today. You must cherish the people,” Eloise said solemnly.
“No problem.” He nodded and said, ” Once I’m crowned, I will bestow favors and work for the welfare of West Lucozia.”
A new prince needed to win hearts, so it was necessary to provide benefits. Even without her mentioning it, he would do it. Thus, he readily agreed to this condition.
“The second condition is that you should show mercy and not pursue the crimes of the affiliated forces of the castle. They were just following orders. “She looked at the three sovereigns and some castle officers behind her.
These people had served the castle loyally, and she felt responsible for protecting them.
“Accepted.” Julius nodded again. “As long as they repent and turn over a new leaf, I promise not to pursue their crimes.”
“Thank you, Grand General Rhys.” Eloise nodded and continued, “My third condition is to allow my son and me to return to Oakvale. I promise that from then on, we will never set foot in West Lucozia again.”
“Return to Oakvale?” Julius squinted his eyes and said, “Your Highness, if you want to go back, I won’t stop you. In fact, I’ll even send someone to escort you. But, as for Austin, that’s a different story.”
“Why?” She frowned. She was willing to sacrifice everything for the safety of her son.
“Your Highness, are you truly clueless or pretending to be ignorant?” he said casually. He went on, “What’s Austin’s identity? Everyone knows he’s the son of the prince of West Lucozia. In terms of bloodline, he’s even stronger than me, his uncle.
“Do you think I’d let a potential threat go freely?”
He couldn’t help but ponder that even though Austin was still young at the moment, he had already demonstrated significant potential.
Moreover, being Rufus’s descendant, there was an expectation among certain old courtiers for the son to inherit the father’s position.
While Julius was only assuming the throne now, he knew that allowing Austin to return to Oakvale, amass influence, and potentially stage a comeback would mean leaving behind a substantial threat.
So, why would Julius willingly create trouble for himself?
“Grand General Rhys, Austin is still young. He poses no threat to you.” Eloise tried to persuade him.
She added, “I assure you that after returning to Oakvale, we won’t have any other thoughts. We just want to live peacefully for the rest of our lives.”
“This is only your perspective. How can you expect anyone to believe it?” He said indifferently, “I’ll repeat it: you can go back, but Austin can’t.”
