Chapter 531: The Beginning
(Alpha Star System- Planet Meri'an)
(Secret Location- Private Estate Of The Crown Prince)
"Duchess Rosalina... the rumors of your beauty truly do not do you justice," Prince Theseus gently spoke as he pulled out a chair for the gorgeous woman.
"Oh, save the flattery... I am old enough to be your grandmother," Duchess Rosalina replied lazily as she sat down on the chair.
She was not fooled by the silver-tongued words of the crown prince as she had heard numerous men and women repeat those same praises hundred of times before.
Cultivation had the secondary effect of maintain youth so even though the duchess was over five hundred years old... she did not look a day over thirty.
She wore a low-cut red dress that highlighted her two major assets that trembled violently as she stared at the crown prince.
Prince Theseus smiled and sat across from her. They were not the only ones in the room and several other high nobles were sitting down or standing around the table.
Robot androids moved from guest to guest and handed out light beverages and refreshments for them to enjoy.
The crown prince had spared no expenses for this meeting for this was to be the first step in his plan to take the crown.
Prince Theseus furrowed his brows for a moment as a fuzzy memory surfaced in his mind, but he ignored the strange feeling.
Maybe it was his nerves...
The crown prince cleared his throat and stood up. His aura spread out and the other nobles in the room could not help but be attracted to his powerful momentum.
"Ladies and gentlemen... I would like to thank you all for coming here today," Prince Theseus began his speech with great fervor.
"I'm sure everyone is aware that only a few months remain until the fight for the throne will officially begin..."
"I know some of you may be feeling a bit nervous... and some may even be communicating with other princes and princesses..."
Prince Theseus paused his speech and stared at a few individuals in the room who trembled under his stern gaze.
"But that ends now," Prince Theseus finally spoke with an unspoken threat hidden in his voice.
"I expect loyalty from those who wish to flock to my side. As emperor I will promise you that everyone in this room will receive a great deal of wealth and power."
"What are you offering?" an elderly man suddenly interrupted. His name was Count Lorena, and he was a minor lord from the Sirius Star System.
Clearly, he had been chosen as a representative to voice out the concerns of the more powerful noble families in the room.
"Check your communicators..." Prince Theseus replied with a confident smirk on his face.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A series of notifications rang out around the room and the nobles slowly powered on their communicators and saw an unopened message in their inbox.
Shocked gasps could be heard as the nobles read the list of assets that the prince was prepared to give away for their support.
Mining colonies, planets, military positions, the ability to raise private armies, the first right to buy any captured alien species...
These were unprecedented gifts that not even the previous emperor had awarded to his loyal ministers.
"How can we trust you to follow through on these promises?" an attractive young woman wearing a pair of heavy glasses asked.
She leaned back against her chair and stared at the prince with confusion and doubt evident in her gaze.
"Because... I am prepared to pay a deposit," Prince Theseus replied calmly.
He was in total control of the situation and in that moment, he seemed more like a ruler than what his father could have ever hoped to be.
The crown prince opened his mouth to talk about his plan when he felt his eyes begin to glaze over.
He was suddenly struck with the urge to put his hand inside the pocket of his pants where a small ruby-like gem was resting.
The prince touched the gem, and the crystal turned into a liquid before being absorbed into his skin.
Prince Theseus closed his eyes so no one in the room saw that his pupils briefly turned completely white before retuning back to normal.
This entire process only took a few seconds so no one noticed the prince's strange behaviour.
"As I was saying... there will be a deposit of five hundred billion Enas and I will also offer my private territories as collateral," Prince Theseus solemnly spoke.
His mind felt clear and the words that flowed out of his mouth were smooth as if he had prepared this speech thousands of times before.
The crown prince tapped his communicator and deposited the funds in the accounts of every member in the room.
Five hundred billion Enas was not a small sum... in fact it was probably the total wealth of minor noble families.
Even a duke would be tempted by the offer and the fact that the crown prince was putting up his own private territories as collateral brought comfort to some of the more hesitant nobles.
A small part of the crown prince was a bit confused about where he gotten the money from to give to all these nobles, but the warmth of the crystal could still be felt in his palm.
Gradually the doubts in his mind receded away as he focused on the warm and fuzzy feeling.
"I must say... this is quite the generous offer," Duchess Rosalina remarked as she accepted the funds into her account.
"House Rosalina will offer our unconditional support... I look forward to seeing you on the throne... my Emperor..."
The crafty woman bowed her head and spoke up before the others had the chance to respond.
The first one to express their loyalty to the new ruler would undoubtedly benefit the most from his generosity.
Some of the other nobles in the room silently cursed the big breasted woman who had stolen the opportunity from them.
One by one other voices rang out in support of the crown prince from every direction.
Minor lords were falling over themselves to loudly voice their allegiance to Prince Theseus while the more powerful nobles were more composed.
"Thank you for your kind support... I will not forget what has happened here today..." Prince Theseus gently spoke as he raised up his hand.
"This is only the beginning..."