A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

Irmia City, a city located in the northwest of Aaron Landis.

It is located in the plateau area down from the high mountain area in the north of Aaron Landis, and it is relatively far away from the royal city.

The class status of Aaron Landis has always been strict, and the nobles consider themselves to be of noble blood, and rarely marry with a class lower than them.Even among the nobles, they are divided into upper-level nobles and lower-level nobles.

The brown-skinned high-ranking nobles belonged to the high-ranking race. Although they would marry the women of the low-ranking nobles as their concubine, in order to maintain the pure blood of the high-ranking race, they would only marry women of the same high-ranking noble as their main wife.

Among them, some high-ranking nobles are particularly stubborn about this kind of thing. They hate their noble blood being confused.

Because of this, the lord of the city of Irmia became a famous lover among the aristocratic class of Aaron Landis.

As a high-ranking nobleman who even had a bit of royal blood in his ancestors, he actually married a woman from a lower-ranking nobleman as his wife, doting on her extremely, and there was only such a wife in his life.

This matter caused an uproar in the circle of upper-class aristocrats, and many people were deeply moved by his behavior, some ridiculed, some admired, some laughed, and some looked on coldly.

In general, people who still laugh at the majority.

Especially when the city lord's first child after marriage inherited his mother's blood and was white-skinned, it attracted the ridicule of many senior nobles.

The lord of Irmia has always loved his beautiful wife very much, so that she can endure the ridicule of others.

However, he didn't have that much patience for this child who was born with great hopes but disappointed him.

He felt that this child, who obviously inherited the blood of a lower-level nobleman, was not qualified to inherit his position as city lord.

Under disappointment, under the strange eyes of others, he was quite indifferent to his child, and even a little bit dissatisfied with the wife who gave birth to the child.

Sensing her husband's dissatisfaction, the city owner's wife, who was completely dependent on her husband for survival, fell into panic, and became disgusted with the fair-skinned child who caused her to lose her husband's favor.

She handed the child directly to the nanny, ignored it, and devoted herself to taking care of her body, hoping to have another child as soon as possible to catch her husband's heart.

So, soon, she was pregnant again.

What made her extremely grateful to the gods of Aaron Landis was that this time, the child she gave birth inherited her husband's lineage, not only had brown skin that symbolized a higher race, but even his appearance was very similar to that of the city lord.

When the child was born, he was happily held in the arms of the city lord, and he couldn't put it down, so he named it 'Xinyas', which means 'the one protected by mountains and waters'.

At the celebration of the child's full moon, he directly announced in public that the brown-skinned child was his future heir.

It was completely different from the desolation during the birth of the eldest son and the full moon. Under the order of the city lord, the entire city of Irmia celebrated for three days and three nights.

These two children who have the same parents but have completely different destinies grew up like this.

As the eldest son, Garlan, although he lived a prosperous life and was not treated harshly, he was treated coldly by his parents since he was a child.

The father is okay, although he is not close to him, but he will still fulfill his duties as a father and send someone to take care of him and teach him.But his mother seldom had a good face towards him, maybe because seeing him reminded her of the most difficult time when she was panicked and uneasy, she even hated him a little.

She loved and cared for her youngest son extremely, but was stingy with giving her eldest son some warmth.

When Garlan was young, he envied his younger brother to act like a baby in his mother's arms, and wanted to grab his mother's hand, but as soon as he approached, his mother would immediately frown and order the nanny who took care of him to hold him. take away.

When he grew up a bit, he could understand his mother's eyes, and no longer tried to get close to the woman who called him his mother but hated him.

In Aaron Landis, the suffix of the name is 'S', which symbolizes praying to the gods and asking them to protect the son.

Many aristocrats will add 'Si' to the suffix when naming their beloved sons, praying to the gods to protect their children.

Garland.

Means 'sunny day', that is, he was born on a sunny day.

Other than that, nothing else.

Children are very sensitive and feel people's hearts more easily than adults.

From a very young age, Garlan had already understood that his parents only had his younger brother in their eyes, and he learned to obediently stay aside, no longer trying to get close to his parents, longing for their love and affection.

Later, King Kamos summoned children with collateral royal blood throughout the country.

His parents were unwilling to send away their beloved young son, so he was sent to the palace.

Later, beyond everyone's expectations, he was chosen by King Kamos to become the younger brother and the prince of Aaron Landis.

The child who was treated coldly by his biological parents was favored no less than anyone else by his brother Wang who had no blood relationship with him.

For a period of time after Garlan was formally established as the king's younger brother, his father, the city lord of Irmia, successively asked King Kamos to let Garlan go back. The family reunited for the last time, and this request was rejected. After King Kamos, who had already investigated Garlan's childhood experience, refused, he asked again to let him come to the king's city to meet his child in person.

Because the hereditary city lord cannot go to the king's city without the king's permission.

King Kamos directly told Garlan about the matter, and asked Garlan for his own opinion.

At that time, Garlan shook his head, rejecting his biological father's request to see him.

King Kamos nodded after receiving Garlan's answer, and sent an envoy to Irmia City. I don't know what King Kamos asked the envoy to say to the city lord. Since then, the city lord has honestly never dared to contact Gal again. Lan.

……

As for his younger brother, Garlan still remembered.

His younger brother was only two years younger than him. When he came to Wangcheng, he was only about seven years old, and his younger brother was only five years old.

At that time, my brother was just a small, soft lump.

Unlike his parents who were indifferent to him, his younger brother seemed to be very close to him and liked to cling to him.

He still remembered the little child grinning, grabbing the hem of his clothes and insisting on running behind him.

Although the birth of this younger brother who completely inherited his father's appearance took away all the love and affection of his parents, Garlan did not dislike this younger brother.

Because he knew that even if Xin Yas was not born, his parents would not like him.

Moreover, his younger brother was born with a thin body. When he was just born, he was a small ball like a cat.

Later, when he grew up, he was also very weak. Not to mention a little shorter than him, his body was thin, as if he could be blown away by a gust of wind. After a few more steps, he began to pant heavily. A small face was blown by cold wind. The lips became pale and pale.

He looked nervous, let alone his mother who regarded her as an eyeball.

Just because of his frailty, his mother protected his younger brother tightly and airtight. She had never stopped taking various tonics since she was a child, and she was so nervous that she fell so nervous that she just wanted to keep it in her mouth.

She also tried to prevent Xinyas from getting close to him, as if she was preventing him from killing Xinyas for the sake of inheritance, but Xinyas was very clingy to him, and when she heard that he was leaving, Xinyas cried a lot At the scene, he finally cried out of breath and fell ill with a fever, which frightened his mother.

And because of this, he was severely reprimanded by his mother with a bad face.

This is all Garlan's memories of 'Garlan' when he was a child.

Furthermore, what Garlan personally experienced was that he refused to let the incompetent city lord father come to see him.

The child is ignorant, but he knows very well in his heart that the city lord suddenly changed his attitude towards him because he became a prince.

He didn't intend to have anything to do with the eccentric parents of 'Garlan', so he naturally refused politely.

However, five years ago, the lord of the city of Irmia passed away unexpectedly, so Garlan finally went to the city of Irmia.

There, he met his blood mother and brother Xinyas.

The woman's face was the same as he remembered, with a little more haggard and uneasy, but because of her extraordinary beauty, it made people feel more and more pitiful.

She hugged the youngest son in her arms tightly, and looked at her strange eldest son with defensive eyes.

Garlan didn't pay much attention to this woman, but only set his eyes on the child in her arms.

I haven't seen him for a few years, and Xin Yasi, who just turned ten years old, is still the thin and small look in memory, with sparse hair, thin arms and thin legs, like a bamboo pole, which can be broken with a little force.

No matter how you look at it, you are a sick and weak child.

The child looked at him eagerly, with longing in his eyes, as if he really wanted to come and talk to him, but was hugged tightly by his mother like a lifesaver, unable to move, just looked at him longingly. he.

The woman's defensive attitude towards him was too obvious, and Garlan had no affection for her. He only planned to stay in the city for one night and leave the next day.

What he didn't expect was that the timid-looking younger brother secretly ran over to look for him at night.

He was obviously only two years younger than him, but he was so thin that he was a head shorter than him. When he got close, he could smell the faint smell of medicine on the child, as if it had been soaked in a medicine jar.

"……elder brother……"

That night, the child timidly tugged at the hem of his clothes, calling him weakly and softly.

"I miss you...brother..."

The child looked at him full of anticipation, which was unbearable to break, so Garlan patted his head and smiled at him.

As soon as the child's eyes lit up, he smiled happily.

"Brother~~"

He yelled crisply.

However, he only had time to yell, and was hugged back in a panic by the maids who came after hearing the news.

It was only later that Garlan heard that the woman lost her temper and cried as soon as Xinyas was out of her sight.

When Garlan set off to leave the city of Irmia, the woman naturally didn't come to see him off, and it was impossible for Xinyas, who was being watched closely, to show up.

However, on the way back to Wangcheng, the face of the child who was pulling his short robe and timidly calling his brother could not be lingered in his mind.

Also, when the maid who was chasing him carried him back, the child passed over the maid's shoulder, staring at him with wide eyes and pale mouth.

That look is really pitiful.

Garlan thought about it, and after returning to the royal city, he asked King Kamos to send a doctor with high medical skills to the city of Irmia.

Although he has no feelings for his parents by blood, there is nothing wrong with that child. He knew to protect his brother when he was very young, but his body is too weak and he can't do many things.

After all, that was also his younger brother in previous lives.

Rounding it up, he can barely be regarded as his younger brother...

After the sent doctor came back, what he reported to Garlan made Garlan very angry.

The doctor said that the reason why the child was so thin was not due to illness, but because he had been inactive since he was a child and was constantly being given medicine.

Because of taking too much soup and medicine, the child has a poor appetite, eats less, and does not move, so he is naturally severely malnourished.

The doctor still frowned and said, if this continues, the child won't live for ten years, but when he told the widowed wife of the city lord, the lady kept crying, saying that Prince Garland wanted to harm him If the child is definitely uneasy and kind, and wants to take away the position of the city lord, he refuses to stop the drug for the child, and even further locks the child in the house, preventing him from going out a step.

The doctor couldn't persuade him, so he had no choice but to return to Wangcheng and report to the prince.

Are you uneasy?

At that time, the angry Garlan chuckled.

He turned around and went to Shemur, and asked for two priests of Shamash from Shemur, and went to ask Brother Kamos, and borrowed a few loyal officials who were good at handling political affairs, and finally Let the female officer Taputi recommend an old female officer with a fierce temper.

Then, he sent all these people to the city of Irmia.

As soon as the old lady made a move, she took the identity bestowed by the prince of Kamos, and restrained the city lord's wife who was a bunch of idiots except for her beauty.

The two priests of Shamash unceremoniously forcibly took the young city lord of Irmia away from his mother, and used coercive means to train the thin child step by step and teach him martial arts.

And those few officials are naturally sincerely managing the political affairs in the city, and patiently teaching the young city lord.They all knew that sooner or later they would have to go back to the political center of the royal city, so there was absolutely no possibility of being greedy for power in the city.

After finishing all this, Garlan received a letter from the old female officer not long after.

The letter said that everything is in order, please rest assured, the prince, the wife of the city lord used to rely on her status to be superior to others, so that people dare not disobey her, now that they represent the king, she will not dare to make trouble I can only huddle in the room every day and weep sadly, not daring to say a word.

After seeing this news, Garlan felt that his mood was much more comfortable.

Along with the letter from the old lady officer, there was also a short message in immature handwriting.

It was a letter written by Xin Yasi himself, in which he said that he didn't like to eat, but the two priests sent by his brother always made him eat a lot.

Xin Yasi asked him carefully in the letter, if he had a good meal, he could go to see his brother in the future?

Looking at the letter, Garlan couldn't help seeing the eyes of the thin child looking at him longingly.

In fact, he wasn't sure whether he would meet Xin Yas in the future, but after thinking about it, in order to make the child obedient, he still replied the letter in a coaxing tone.

Garlan wrote back to Xinyas, saying that as long as he eats well and grows tall and strong, he will be allowed to come to see him.

That was Garlan's last memory of his blood brother.

…………

........................

At this moment, Garlan opened his eyes wide, looking at the man in front of him who was as strong as a calf, his mind froze for a moment, and he couldn't recover for a while.

He said at the time... When he grows tall and strong, he can come to see him.

But, there is a limit, right?

Thinking back to the weak child in his memory who was so thin that he would collapse in the wind and was a head shorter than him, and then look at the strong boy who was hugging him tightly at this moment.

Those strong limbs, those well-developed muscles, and more than half a head taller than him...

Garlan felt that no matter how he looked at it, he felt like seeing the group of priests of Shamash who were proud of their robustness and strength.

……

Ah, as expected of the teachings of the priests of Shamash.

"...Sinyas?"

"Well, it's me, bro, I miss you so much!"

"You have changed so much..."

It's not just big, it's almost like two people.

Garlan once again remembered the shock he felt when he saw the handsome young brother Kamos in this life.

"That's right, thanks to the two priests you sent, they taught me how to grow tall and strong, because you said, that's the only way to let me see you."

The brother who looked like a big black dog smiled foolishly, his eyes were bright when he looked at Garlan, and he could almost see a big fluffy tail wagging vigorously at Garlan behind him.

"Look, brother, I'm already tall and strong." He raised his hand and gestured on his head, "I'm taller than you——"

Gallan: "..."

The younger brother who was heartbroken at the first meeting didn't want it.

Probably because his speechless expression was too obvious at the moment, the tough face of the young man who was originally smiling brightly collapsed all of a sudden, and the invisible tail behind him seemed to be wilting.

He let go of the hand holding Garlan all of a sudden, and took a step back, with both hands hanging in mid-air in embarrassment.

"Brother, don't you...don't like me like this?"

He raised his hands, and took another step back, looking at Garlan with a look of uneasiness in his eyes, and a little bewildered expression on his face.

He remembered his behavior of rushing over without saying a word just now, with an annoyed look on his face.

Originally, Priest Raya had repeatedly taught him the etiquette of meeting the crown prince many times. He also told him that even if he is a brother, there is a difference between a monarch and a minister. He must salute his brother first after he comes in.

But he was so excited when he saw his brother who had been thinking about it for a long time, he immediately forgot all the things Priest Laya taught him, and rushed over to hug him without even thinking about it.

...Does brother think that he doesn't understand etiquette, so he doesn't like him?

Thinking of this, the boy's brain shrugged.

"I'm sorry, brother, it's not...Your Excellency, the Crown Prince, I was rude. I apologize to you. I'm just too excited, er... because I can finally see you... I've been thinking about it for a long time."

The young city lord of Irmia looked listless and whispered, "If you don't like it, I won't be like this in the future."

Regarding this younger brother's behavior, Garlan was indeed a little speechless at first.

Brother Wang said it was a surprise for him, but Garlan felt that it was more like a shock.

To him, this so-called younger brother was like a stranger, but now he suddenly appeared in front of him and was overly enthusiastic about him, which naturally made him feel uncomfortable.

However, his younger brother immediately noticed his expression, immediately let go of his hand, and took two steps back.

At this moment, the look of shrinking and cautiously standing there looking at him eagerly seems to overlap with the eyes of the skinny child looking at him longingly five years ago.

Garlan sighed softly in his heart.

Although the body shape has changed, but the inside doesn't seem to have grown much.

Thinking of this, he looked at the big brother who was half a head taller than him again.

He suddenly said, "Squat down."

Xin Yas, who was anxiously wondering if his brother didn't like him, hadn't reacted yet, and his body had subconsciously squatted down obediently.

Shemuer next to him: "..."

Other onlookers: "..."

Even if he is young, he is still the lord of the city.

Garlan looked at the young man who was squatting in front of him. Although his body was strong, his face was still somewhat childish. At this moment, the young man looked up at him with anxiety written all over his face.

He smiled, and reached out to touch the curly dark brown hair of the squatting boy.

"You've grown up, Xinyas."

He smiled at his brother and said,

"You are very obedient and have kept your agreement with me well."

Back then, when he wrote back, he just sympathized with the child who was raised and disabled by that stupid woman, and coaxed the child to get better soon, but he didn't expect that the child took his coaxing words to the bottom of his heart.

In just five years, he was able to change from his fragile appearance to his current tall and strong appearance. It can be seen that this child must be working very hard to fulfill the promise of meeting him.

"You worked hard and did a great job."

Garlan patted his head and praised him with a smile.

The squatting boy looked up at Garlan, his eyes sparkling.

He remembered that five years ago, when he went against his mother's wishes for the first time and ran secretly to find his elder brother, his elder brother touched his head and smiled at him in the same way.

"Okay, stand up."

Patting Xinyas on the head again, Garlan said.

The hand touching the head left, and the big black dog of Xinyas stood up wagging its tail vigorously. He sang at Gallan, and after a long while, he suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Priest Raya said that he would congratulate you brother on becoming the crown prince when we met, but I forgot again."

"Actually, I have asked His Majesty to come to the Royal City since the beginning of this year, but His Majesty has not agreed." He said with some grievances, "Until this time, brother, you became the crown prince, Your Majesty allowed me to come to the Royal City to have an audience."

Garlan noticed that the child seemed to be out of his mind.

Speaking of it, ordinary people really can't do such a thing honestly by taking the words of coaxing a child as a promise, but this child just stubbornly did it.

Honesty is too much.

He thought, it seems that it is necessary for Ximuer to ask the two priests of Shamash who were sent to Xinyas in detail.

"Your Highness Heymos, it's almost time for us to go, the trainer is still waiting for us."

A guard came over and reminded Heymos who had been watching silently in a low voice.

Heymos looked at the brown-skinned boy who kept laughing at Garlan, frowned indistinctly, and then shook his head.

"You take Anu back, this afternoon's training is cancelled."

He says,

"I'm staying here for business."

"Yes."

Ximuer and others left first, and Heymos found an excuse to stay.

Perhaps it was because Xinyas was very excited to finally meet the brother he had been thinking about all along.

For the whole afternoon, he followed Garlan like a big tail. While following Garlan around, he kept talking about his own affairs in the past few years.

It's like an ignorant child who pesters his brother very much.

Kyhos looked at the young man who was following Garlan step by step, and glanced at Heymos on the other side out of the corner of his eye.

Heymos sat there quietly, with his eyes downcast, his expression indifferent, as if he was reading a book.

Keyhos let out a chuckle in his heart.

Pretend, you continue to pretend to be calm.

The unpleasant breath emanating from the whole body could not be suppressed.

Now you know how King Kamos felt when you were clinging to Prince Garlan, right?

In the blink of an eye, it was night and it was time to rest. Kaihos bid farewell to Garlan, and was responsible for sending the young city lord back to Shemur by the way.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he clearly saw that Heymos, who also got up, had a slightly better complexion.

The big boy stood at the door, looking at Garlan reluctantly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally plucked up the courage and whispered to Garlan, "Brother, can I sleep with you tonight..."

Garlan didn't answer yet.

Keyhos hadn't reacted yet.

Heymos had already stepped forward, stretched out his hand expressionlessly, grabbed Xinyas by the back collar from behind, and dragged him out like that.

"Wait, wait a minute, let me go, bro—"

Xin Yas danced and struggled hard, but he couldn't get rid of Heymos's hand, so he could only be dragged out of the gate by him.