War And Throne

Chapter 14 : Important Announcement

"Hello, my people." King Edward's voice boomed, everyone listened silently, silence reigned in the air, all the people of the Crimson Country stared upwards, watching their king, who was about to make an important announcement.

King Edward carried a smile, his lips curled upward, as if eternal bliss kept him alive. The king saw that the entire clan had blended together. A large crowd was created in front of the palace, they were willing to come all the way from their homes, willing to postpone work to come to the palace to listen to something that the king was going to say, and King Edward was deeply moved by it.

"Beforehand, I am very grateful to all of you for coming here, to the palace of the full moon of darkness, our home. Indeed, I am very grateful that you are willing to come here to fulfill my wishes, you are indeed the best of my people."

Many admired King Edward because he was very friendly and kind to the people. The Crimson Country became a prosperous country under his leadership, all of them were happy, safe and secure. The people of Crimson Country were happy. The King's care for his people could not be doubted.

Everyone was listening, waiting for the important information that their king had promised. Many had speculated, of course, and not a few had theorized, but no one knew, only King Edward himself knew what would be delivered, and Gio, the royal advisor, actually also did not know if the King did not reveal the plans that had been carefully prepared.

"From here, you look so small, the colors of your clothes blend together, spoiling my eyes. What a sight I always enjoy, I love watching you from up here." The king smiled, and his short laugh rang out. There was a split second of silence, before the King finally cleared his throat, returning his focus.

And this time, the look on King Edward's face was much more serious. Then, he began to say, "it seems like what I have said before, today we are gathered here, I will not waste your time, I have promised that. This is the time when I will discuss something important."

King Edward was silent, his eyes were focused, and his back was straightened. Meanwhile, not far from the king's position, Gio held his breath for a moment, swallowing his saliva whole. Both of the royal advisor's hands were already clenched tightly behind his body. Gio's jaw hardened, and his gaze lowered.

"But, before getting to the point, I would like to reflect for a moment on the moment I ascended the throne from prince to king. I used to always doubt and wonder if I could be the leader of this great country. I doubted that I could, but my father assured me that I could and would. He entrusted the whole kingdom to me, in my hands and under my control, to lead the country and all of you, my wonderful people. I am proud to have you, truly." King Edward smiled, and then continued. "I wouldn't be able to be king without all of you, you play a big role in the progress of this country, without all of you, this country would be destroyed, without all of you, I wouldn't be here. So, I really thank you as much as I can, and may my mother and father rest in peace."

The roar of applause from the people of Crimson Country was loud, starting with one person and followed by all of them. Cheers rang out, and King Edward's name was called repeatedly down below. The people were happy, the king was even happier, he had succeeded in his role.

King Edward raised his hand, telling everyone to be quiet, everyone obeyed. The silence returned.

"I, King Edward, King of you all, leader of the Crimson Country, will say a few things." King Edward caught his breath. He searched his brain, looking for the right words to say. "As we all know, the leadership of the Crimson Country has been in the hands of the Ice Clan for the past 100 years. But we are all equal, we are comparable, we are equally strong, we live side by side and do not discriminate against one another. We live prosperously, fairly, and with love for each other. I'm from the Ice Clan, but that doesn't mean I will prioritize my clan over other clans. We are all the same, having an equal chance."

King Edward's gaze looked at all the citizens. "I have ruled this country for a long time, I am old, and we all realize that. There are many days and cold nights that I spend in this full palace of darkness, I think about things, there are many considerations and decisions to be made. I often wondered if I had made the right decision. Yes, I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way." King Edward took a step forward, both hands grasping the balcony railing and gripping it tightly.

"The older I get, the more I feel that it is time for me to stop doing this."

This was what Gio strongly disagreed with, the man pressed his lips together, the wait he had been waiting for had finally come. The royal advisor closed his eyes tightly.

The people of the Crimson Country now looked confused by King Edward's words just now. Not a few were frowning, many were wondering and whispering to each other. Meanwhile, some people chose to remain silent and wait for further explanation, even though their minds were already curious as to what King Edward had said.

"I feel that I have led the Crimson Country for too long, and I know that I made this country progress, and you all had a hand in it. I don't mean to brag, but that's a fact. And right now, I believe that I've worked too hard. When I'm no longer young, I really want to feel something else. In the sense that I really want to quit my current position, I want to enjoy my old age with things that make me happy, not that leading this country is not something that makes me happy, I mean something else, I want to be quiet while enjoying my final days until I no longer breathe."

After speaking at length quickly, King Edward puffed out his chest, his breathing was heavy. A moment after that, the king continued, saying, "With this, everything is clear, I have decided to resign from the position of King of the Crimson Country; I will abdicate the throne for the reasons I have explained earlier, that's all, and thank you."

King Edward's words were greeted by an increasingly gripping silence. There were so many questions that filled everyone's heads. The citizens had obviously not heard wrong, but the king's words had left everyone confused.

The whispers of Crimson's citizens coalesced into a clump, both dumbfounded and confused. There were many questions—so many that they didn't know what to say.

King Edward could clearly see the anxiety, so he immediately nodded his head again. His words echoed again, "As I said a few minutes ago, there are many considerations that I have to think about, I know you are all confused and wondering on your own, so let me explain further. Don't worry, I will explain everything until you understand."

There was a ten-second pause.

King Edward's pale face grew even whiter as the summer sun shone down on his entire body, his crown glistening above his thick gray hair.

"As you know, my wife died many years ago, and I have no descendants, no prince to carry on my crown. And is everything now doomed? Obviously not, I already have a plan. I said earlier that I have thought about this for many nights, and of course I have a way out."

Gio shook his head, clearly disagreeing with King Edward's way of thinking.

King Edward removed the crown from the top of his head. He smiled slightly at the sight of the money shining brightly in his hands. The crown was white in color, the edges were sharp and pointed, and it was made of carved marble stone. There were diamonds that enhanced the object. The King turned the crown over and over, until finally he raised it high in the air, showing it to the people below.

"With this crown removed from my head, I have decided to abdicate, now I am no longer your king, I am not the leader of the land of Crimson, and this palace will be led by a new leader, the successor of this kingdom."

But who is that leader?

That was everyone's question. As everyone knew, the king had no descendants or relatives. King Edward now stood alone, just him, and confusion reigned.

"The Ice Clan has ruled the land of Crimson for 100 years, this is not a small amount of time, we all know that. And now, with me ceasing to be King, the clans other than Ice have the opportunity to experience leadership."

But, how?

That's the question now hanging over everyone's head.

Worried faces were seen everywhere, not a few looked disappointed with the king's decision, while others accepted King Edward's decision because they felt the king had a point. King Edward had served the Crimson Country for 30 years or even more. That's a lot of time. Some felt that they understood King Edward's decision, the King must be tired and wanted to end his leadership period and start enjoying his old age by doing the things he wanted, the things that became his dreams, something he had not yet achieved but had wanted for a long time. And now it's time for those dreams to be realized. And it's a bit late, but the Crimson Country needs a king as a leader.

Many had disappointed looks on their faces, which they openly showed. Under the leadership of King Edward, they had been so happy that they now feared it would be forcibly taken away from them.

"With this, I declare that the game for power will begin, that's all, and thank you, I excuse myself, you may go home and continue your work. Further information will be broadcast as soon as possible."

In front of the palace of the Full Darkness, chaos broke out, forming a wave of questions.