Chapter 007: The Foundation of the Strategy

Duke Green’s expression shifted rapidly. After a moment, he sighed and took a step toward Prince Fischer. Though he said nothing, that step already revealed his choice.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but frown and sigh. “Duke Green, why? Are my conditions not enough to sway you?”
Duke Green shook his head slightly. “Your Highness, you’re wrong. Your conditions indeed tempt me… But as you said, our Green family has always been loyal. With the king still on the throne, how could I help you rebel and seize power?”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince was momentarily stunned…
After a while, he understood…
Although he knew that Austin III would surely die by dawn, these nobles were unaware of this. So it was understandable that Duke Green made such a choice!
Thinking of this, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth in secret. This situation was far from what he wanted to see…
But it was too late to say anything now.
Should he tell Duke Green that the old man wouldn’t survive the day?
Wouldn’t that be admitting he had ordered the chief physician to poison him?
Under the guise of righteousness, he would lose his advantage!
By then, some of the nobles who supported him might suddenly turn against him…
Soon, the Crown Prince’s expression became even more unpredictable…
Prince Fischer, too, noticed Duke Green’s choice. With a faint smile, he said, “Duke… You’re truly wise. I, Prince Fischer, will remember today’s kindness. As for everything else, it’s unnecessary.”
At that moment, Prince Fischer’s eyes flashed as he murmured, “This final act is about to begin… Big brother, please don’t disappoint me!”
On the training ground, after watching the Crown Prince and Prince Fischer exchange sharp words for a while, Du Fan secretly regained some of his fighting spirit. He knew full well that he didn’t have the strength to fight at all right now.
Yet he had defeated Francis!
So he absolutely couldn’t let the people on the Crown Prince’s side see his weakness!
Otherwise, if they saw an opportunity, he would be in trouble. Even if a few members of the imperial guards appeared now, he wouldn’t be their match.

As for which side his own father would take, Du Fan wasn’t worried at all… Just as he had said before, for the future of the Green family, they must completely eliminate the Belinger family by taking advantage of this coup—this was the fundamental reason why the Green family wanted to seize power. If they sided with the Crown Prince, although they might gain status, the Crown Prince would surely support the Belinger family to oppose the Green family in order to maintain power balance, which would completely go against the Green family’s original intentions. Surely the Crown Prince understood this, but he couldn’t openly say something that would allow the Green family to completely eliminate the Belinger family in the future—after all, that would be a loss for him! So, although it was presented nicely as the Green family’s loyal choice, everyone knew in their hearts that the real reason was the Green family’s decision… to choose between strengthening their own family or completely eliminating their enemies… Obviously, Duke Green chose the latter without hesitation! Then, under everyone’s gaze, Du Fan lightly stepped forward, using the little combat energy he had managed to regain, and floated back to Prince Fischer’s camp. When he reached the foot of the platform, he tried to step aside, but Prince Fischer smiled, gave a gesture, and said calmly, “Lord Du Fan… You have done great service today. Why not come up to this platform and take a look… Duke Green, Lady Kimberly, and all the others… It might not be safe in the training ground from now on. If you don’t mind, why not all come up?” Du Fan glanced at Duke Green, saw him nod slightly, then turned to Prince Fischer and bowed slightly, saying, “Then Du Fan will gladly obey!” With that, he slowly climbed up the stairs on one side of the platform. Prime Minister Kimberly and Duke Green exchanged a look and also came over, while those high-ranking nobles, after glancing at each other, followed as well. Although, given their status, neither side would dare harm them no matter who won the throne, the current situation was such that if fighting broke out, weapons could easily injure them, which would be unfortunate.

Du Fan stepped onto the platform, where Prince Fischer was already waiting for him. He opened his arms and embraced Du Fan tightly, whispering, “Du Fan… I really owe you so much this time… If Francis were here, I’d probably be in big trouble today.”

It was the first time in Du Fan’s life that he had been hugged by a man. Although this was merely a form of courtesy in the Gavin Empire, he still couldn’t help feeling uneasy. For some reason, Nicholas’s sorrowful gaze suddenly appeared before his eyes, making Du Fan’s skin prickle and his face turn pale.

Seeing Du Fan’s unusual expression, Prince Fischer’s eyes flashed, and he quickly used a subtle gesture to pull Du Fan aside, saying urgently, “Du Fan, what’s wrong? Did you get injured during the fight with Francis just now? After all, fighting against such a powerful opponent…”

Seeing Prince Fischer’s anxious look, Du Fan felt even more uneasy. He couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this prince also had such preferences… He remembered that day when they all went to a brothel; the prince seemed to have deliberately chosen a woman who looked like a man…

Though uneasy, Du Fan didn’t dare say outright, “I’m afraid you’re gay…” Instead, he could only force a weak smile and say, “Your Highness, it’s nothing… I’m afraid I can’t help you with what’s coming next…”

Hearing this, Prince Fischer showed an understanding expression. He released Du Fan but took the chance to hand him some items, then said softly, “Du Fan, don’t worry. You don’t need to get involved in what’s coming next… I know very well how capable my elder brother is… Hmph…”

With that, Prince Fischer stepped back a few steps and made a slight gesture, and immediately two court magicians appeared behind Du Fan as a shield.

Although this was also a way to keep Du Fan at bay, it could also be seen as sending someone to protect him. For a ruler, this was entirely understandable.

Du Fan opened his palm to take a look and was slightly stunned. With his keen eyes, he could see that what Prince Fischer had given him was a magical potion that restored combat energy and magic power… And it was clear that this was an extremely rare, high-grade magical potion. Although he had some of his own, they couldn’t compare in quality to what Prince Fischer had given him.

On such an occasion, with the Prince of Fische giving him such a thing, there could naturally be no other motives—most likely, he had seen Du Fan’s weakness and wanted to help him regain his strength. Thinking of this, Du Fan felt secretly moved: although the Prince of Fische was using him, as a superior, he had been extremely kind to him… Yet, remembering the prince’s status and his title as a divine child, Du Fan felt a hint of helplessness. The Prince of Fische was the first and only person he had met in this world whom he respected to some extent, but why did he always have the ominous feeling that one day they might become enemies? Du Fan was certain that anyone who opposed the Prince of Fische would surely face a tragic fate! With these thoughts, Du Fan sighed secretly. He glanced at the prince’s back and dared not swallow the magic potion in his hand… With another sigh, he put the potion into his storage ring and took out a few more potions prepared by Chenchen. After taking them secretly, he felt his combat energy and magic power recovering slightly, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. By now, Kimberly, Duke Green, and the others had already stepped onto the platform. Kimberly looked at Du Fan with admiration in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but after shaking her head slightly, she stepped back beside Austin III. The other nobles, however, looked at Du Fan with an indescribable expression… After all, with Du Fan emerging from the Green family, their power might grow immensely in the future… Duke Green, on the other hand, looked at Du Fan with urgency. He secretly glanced at the Prince of Fische and, seeing that he wasn’t paying attention, quickly stepped up to Du Fan and whispered, “The Prince of Fische hugged you just now…” Du Fan was puzzled but still nodded, “Yes, Father…” A strange look flashed in Duke Green’s eyes. He studied Du Fan carefully before whispering, “From now on, if he dares to hug you again… even if he’s a prince, I’ll break his hands!!!”