Chapter 117: The Downfall of the Incompetent (Bonus Chapter)

Not everyone is a born ruler.

The royal bloodline may bring glory and status, but much more is needed.

Devitt Meikailande is a classic example.

He is an incompetent person.

At least in the mind of Fourth Prince himself, he is so.

Compared to Eldest Brother Toren, he lacks ambition and prestige; compared to Second Brother Ban, he is not ruthless enough; in terms of courage, he is far inferior to Third Brother Patrick, and in wit and strategy, he is nowhere near Fifth Sister Liliya.

Only the youngest princess, Little Sister Mona, who is still just a child, does not overshadow Devitt in any particular aspect.

But to be compared with a ten-year-old child is, frankly, a bit embarrassing.

So, Devitt is somewhat insecure and easily swayed by others’ opinions.

Perhaps it was due to this easy-to-manage personality that a certain special power approached him at the age of fourteen.

This was a man who called himself the Blood Clan Duchess, Julius Constans.

The vampire claimed he could help Devitt stand out among the heirs and become a true king.

No one wants to be just an ordinary ruler; everyone aspires to be a supreme monarch admired by millions—even Devitt is no exception.

After three full days of contemplation, a pact was formed.

Fourth Prince Devitt Meikailande and Blood Clan Duchess Julius Constans allied.

But afterward, Devitt actually did nothing; he didn’t have the capacity to do anything.

All his actions merely demonstrated, with Julius’s assistance, a perfectly timed appearance of being nonchalant and aimless.

It was also his most genuine posture.

Because of this, no one could see through Devitt’s facade, as he never once resorted to trickery.

Except in the shadows, where he and Julius conspired over matters that the blood clan would handle—such as the assassination of the eldest prince Toren Meikailande; discreetly poisoning King Anqiello’s food, causing him great illness; and luring Fifth Princess Liliya Meikailande to her demise on the battlefield… and so on.

Aside from Second Prince Ban Meikailande, who had to cooperate and noticed some hints, and the perceptive Fifth Princess, who sensed something amiss, Devitt appeared harmless in everyone’s eyes.

And tonight, for the first time since cooperating with the blood clan, Devitt encountered unprecedented turmoil.

“Is there still no news?”

Sitting deep within the palace in his nightclothes, Devitt nervously drummed his fingers on the table, suppressing his anxiety.

“Apologies, Your Highness, but there has been no support as you mentioned. The coup came too suddenly, and I heard many parts of the royal city were attacked simultaneously. If it’s the Imperial Guards, it may take a while for them to arrive. What should we…”

“Tsk, I’m not talking about them…”

The worry on the Fourth Prince’s face deepened.

Of all nights…

He had already seen the state of the rebel city guards outside the palace; they couldn’t be considered strong and would pose no threat under normal circumstances.

But tonight, Julius mentioned an essential gathering taking place south of the city, where many powerful blood clan members—and even two transcendent princes—would attend in person.

As a show of respect, all the blood clan members who had been lurking nearby to protect Devitt’s safety had left to attend that gathering, including another legendary duke.

Thus, tonight was the only night when Devitt’s protective forces were weakest, left with only those soldiers dispatched from the Imperial Guards to guard his palace.

There were very few, only the standard base amount of five hundred troops, with none even at the earth level among his guards.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Devitt couldn’t recruit a few elite fighters or a unit; as royalty, he was qualified to form a private army of up to five thousand, like Liliya’s knight order.

But only by doing this could everyone underestimate him, allowing him to strike back unexpectedly at the right moment.

Although the Fourth Prince was less capable compared to several other royal family members, he wasn’t devoid of insight or judgment; even if Julius didn’t speak up, he could understand this reasoning.

“It shouldn’t be… Such a significant issue; even if it is an essential gathering, the reaction should have come quite some time ago…”

“Um, Your Highness, what are you talking about?”

The knight at his knee, clad in armor, looked up in confusion at Devitt, but the Fourth Prince only waved his hand irritably.

“Nothing, fine, since they aren’t coming, I can’t just sit here and wait to die. Let’s break through toward the royal city and seek refuge with the Imperial Guards.”

“Understood! Are we leaving now, Your Highness? But… your attire…”

Noticing Devitt was in his defenseless nightclothes, the knight, who had served the Fourth Prince for several years, naturally knew that his master, like Fifth Princess Liliya, had no combat or magical abilities.

Only, while Princess Liliya was limited by her talent, Devitt simply had no interest in the matter.

“What, do you all need me to fight in person?”

Feeling somewhat disoriented, Devitt instinctively vented his frustration on the attendant beside him.

The knight didn’t dare get angry and could only stiffen his resolve.

“We will undoubtedly do our utmost to keep you safe, but on the battlefield, it’s easy to dodge direct attacks, but stray arrows are hard to guard against, and without armor…”

After some heartfelt persuasion, Devitt finally donned the lightweight armor that the attendant had brought and placed on the table.

Though it was merely a set of good quality blue armor, without prior preparation, it was already the best equipment that could be offered to him.

Once ready, a hundred elite attendants swiftly shielded Devitt as they burst out through the side door, making their way toward the palace while surrounded by large groups of rebel black-armored soldiers.

Devitt’s performance was even worse than when Miss Liliya first experienced the battlefield.

Raised in comfort, he had never before witnessed such a bloody, life-and-death struggle; the terrifying killing intent that rushed towards him and the falling guards around him left the Fourth Prince’s legs trembling and his body weak.

He was almost dragged along by the attendants.

As the chaos continued, the captain of the attendants, who had initially visited his room, could no longer bear to watch, apologized, and simply picked him up to run briskly.

The suffocating stench of blood on the battlefield mixed with the sweat naturally exuding from the attendants created a nauseating odor that filled Devitt’s nostrils, and coupled with anxiety-driven fear, it made him dizzy and almost unable to think.

Just then.

“Whoosh.”

With a sharp sound, the attendant carrying the Fourth Prince fell to the ground!

And Devitt, caught off guard and still on the man’s back, tumbled down, rolling several times before halting.

Aside from the areas protected by armor, several wounds marred Devitt’s face and hands as they hit the hard ground, and an excruciating pain surged through his left leg as it hit the ground first!

“Um… what’s happening…”

Crawling back to his feet, as he lifted his head, what met Devitt’s gaze was the corpse of his attendant, whose head had been pierced straight through from left to right, eyes wide open in horror.

“Ah ah… ah ah ah ah ah!!!”

Devitt’s heart shattered under the weight of fear.

   

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