Darkstone Code-Chapter 826 - 824: Everyone’s Choice

Over the years, the Eldest Prince and the old King cooperated very well, both in the open and in the shadows. No one expected that the leader of the Nagariel Youth Party, who had already attacked the Royal Palace, was actually the King’s eldest son.

Nobody would have thought this, only the father and son knew. Even the "New King" in the Royal Palace now didn’t know what the Eldest Prince was really up to or why he let the decoy stand in the open under the scrutiny of everyone’s gaze.

The father and son had a very good plan beforehand, believing that once the Federation people arrived, they would contact the local "Opposition Sect" to support them in fighting local privileges.

In this way, the Eldest Prince would become the puppet supported by the Federation people.

However, whether or not he was a puppet, as the puppet of the Federation people, his interests were already tied with those of the Federation people.

If the Federation people were unwilling to lose their interests here, the best way would be to keep the Eldest Prince, the puppet, and crown him as the new King.

There were no major problems with the whole plan, and they even made the signals very clear, such as the Youth Party which had deep-seated conflicts with the domestic ruling class, and their yearning for the Federation, yearning for freedom, fairness, and justice.

Since the inception of this plan, the Eldest Prince had already transformed the Youth Party into a group built upon the spirit of the Federation, eagerly awaiting contact from the Federation people.

This plan was also very favorable to the Federation people.

There was no need to tear off the hypocritical masks they had worn for so long. Just support an opponent, and they could plunge the rulers of Nagariel into the whirlpool.

Not to mention that this Youth Party not only had strength and potential, but most importantly, they were inclined towards the Federation.

Yet, no one expected the Federation people to not follow the script. Not only did they not support the local opposition sect, but they helped the authorities suppress these people instead.

Sometimes, when the Eldest Prince couldn’t sleep alone at night, he would gaze at the bright moonlight in the sky, feeling a sense of confusion grow.

Did the Federation people’s brains get eaten by dogs?

Why would they ignore such a favorable choice and opt for the stupidest decisions?

He didn’t know what the Federation people were thinking, just thought they weren’t thinking straight.

Actually, if the Eldest Prince didn’t implement these chaotic tactics, and honestly returned to be a fool who adored foreign prosperous societies and didn’t want to come back to suffer, maybe he and his father wouldn’t need to think so many meaningless thoughts, eventually losing it all.

The Federation people seldom followed their script, which caused them immense headaches.

The old King no longer felt much agony now, as he had already died at the hands of his son, and at the moment of death, still believed his son would surely let the country return to their hands and relive the glory of their ancestors!

Now, all the pressure is squarely on the Eldest Prince.

He is defiant, but more so, unwilling and filled with despair behind it all.

People are not him and wouldn’t know what kind of torment his heart is enduring at this moment.

It is almost as if he personally killed his own parents, using this as an act of loyalty towards the Federation Government, only to be ignored, and even get nationally wanted.

Even the decoy has betrayed him.

He has nothing left, no money, no power, nothing at all.

After Caliel withdrew from the currency stage, all of Nagariel’s banks instantly went bankrupt, and all his previous accounts vanished; even the gold and gems stored in the banks were bought by the Federation people at extremely low prices.

He now has nothing left. If he wants to reclaim those gold and gems, he must prove his identity to the Federation people.

Whether as the "Eldest Prince" or "Youth Party Leader," he cannot reveal his identity, because once he does, the Federation people would kill him.

No way back, no future, he can only forge ahead.

Luckily, there are still some people supporting him.

The crackling bonfire sparks brought him back from his drifting thoughts to reality. He turned his head toward the fire and tightened his clothing around him.

"I know a secret passage that leads directly to the Royal Palace’s interior..."

Saying this took him great effort because he knew uttering these words also signified making his final decision.

In all of Nagariel, he alone remained knowing that secret passage, and still alive.

That secret passage used to be the way he secretly entered the Royal Palace when needed, as the greatest opposition leader, he couldn’t possibly enter there under many people’s attention.

After the old King’s death, no one else knows. This is his last chance.

Rather than living the rest of his life hiding while being hunted by the Federation, better to make a last gamble.

He has two targets.

The first is to have a conversation with the New King. He doesn’t hope the decoy, who had betrayed him, would empathize with him and "pass the throne" to him.

He merely wants to ask him, after all these years, why this decoy whom he never mistreated, was instead well-fed and cared for, decided to betray him?

Second, he knows where the palace treasury is and how to open it. Whether he wants to rally a batch of people to oppose the country’s rulers or fight the Federation people, he needs money.

Including leaving here to settle elsewhere and live the rest of his life discreetly, all require funds.

Having two essential goals gives him the motivation to support himself.

This time, however, he didn’t share his thoughts with others. His stated reason was "taking the King hostage to make people face our demands," which sounded like a meaningful excuse but was also a lie.

By the bonfire, everyone’s faces flickered in and out of the wildly dancing flames, with darkness occasionally swallowing their features, making them appear distorted and frightening.

"Is that tunnel long?"

"Not long!"

"Where does it come out?"

"In the backyard..."

With questions asked and answered, people finally repeatedly confirmed the sequence and process of the action and agreed to act today.

It seemed a bit hasty, but that wasn’t the case; they had to do it eventually, no need to prepare much.

All they had to do was enter the Royal Palace and take the King away with them; nothing else needed to be done.

Whether moving now, tomorrow, or a year later wouldn’t make a difference— the longer you drag certain things, the more courage people lose.

The group lay in their sleeping bags; they needed to rest for a while before setting off to restore their strength and energy.

The Eldest Prince couldn’t sleep no matter what. He thought of many things, some of which he wasn’t consciously pondering—they just subconsciously appeared before him.

Like his conversations with his father when he was a child, playing with his siblings, scenes from the past uncontrollably surfacing in his mind.

Until...

When he felt someone pushing him, the Eldest Prince clutched his pistol and opened his eyes. He had a gun, as did everyone else.

Kidnapping the King wasn’t like buying a loaf of bread. There were guards in the Royal Palace; they couldn’t afford to go unarmed. Should things not go as planned, a shootout was inevitable.

"It’s time."

The Eldest Prince’s fierce gaze quickly softened. He slapped his cheeks a few times, "Got it!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He turned and got out of the sleeping bag. January in Nagariel wasn’t particularly cold, about seven or eight degrees. He even had a light sheen of sweat on him.

A dozen or so people put out the bonfire, covering some of their traces.

At this moment, the sky was very dark. The stars and the moon were the only sources of light, making it seem like it could be a picturesque scene, yet it was somewhat eerie and terrifying.

They didn’t drive. The cars had been parked around the Royal Palace days earlier—driving at night would make too much noise. This wasn’t the Federation.

They would go in first, seize the King, and then choose either to hide on the spot or leave by car.

After moving quickly for over twenty minutes, this journey was almost like a warm-up—just the right exercise for Nagarielans with less body fat.

They found the secret passage the Eldest Prince mentioned. It was actually a well covered with some debris. The Eldest Prince was the first to slide down the well rope, finding a small door at the bottom leading to the secret passage.

Walking through the passage, they felt a bit suffocated and nervous.

To alleviate the tension, someone started muttering curses, "The King’s whole family is crazy. Who would build a secret passage under a well? What if it leaks?"

Everyone, regardless of their intentions, quietly chuckled and started cursing the King’s family as well.

Actually, the person who first spoke wasn’t wrong—the purpose of building it underground was to hide it when necessary.

But it had already lost its value.

As they approached the other side’s exit, the Eldest Prince instructed everyone to keep quiet.

There wouldn’t be guards stationed here for the sake of convenience of coming and going, but he hadn’t been back for a long time and wasn’t sure how much things had changed.

He lifted the grate overhead used for draining water and poked his head out.

No one was there, so he climbed out and, under the moonlit and shadowy border, the group moved quickly, sometimes visible, sometimes not, soon disappearing into the Royal Palace.

The people brought by the Eldest Prince were simple. Up until now, none had questioned why the Eldest Prince was so familiar with the Royal Palace—as if he was returning to his own home!

And at this very moment, the New King had just climbed off a girl, covered in sweat.

Posing as the Eldest Prince was the most correct decision he had ever made in his life. The Federation people took great care of him. He even invited the Federation to station some soldiers in the palace to protect his safety.

Unfortunately, the Federation did not agree.

After all, the Royal Palace is one of the spiritual symbols of this country. Recklessly letting the Federation’s soldiers enter could provoke strong discontent from a small number of extreme Nagarielans.

He glanced sideways at the silent girl on the bed, who should have been his "sister," and a trace of amusement appeared on his face.

He wasn’t the real Eldest Prince; even if he were, no one could interfere with his interests.

He liked his identity and the identity of the other women in the Royal Palace!