Her Graceful War Song

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The group unanimously agreed that Westhaven would likely lower its demands to expedite the negotiations. The most probable outcome was that the border issue would either be compromised or set aside entirely.

Jacob spoke up, "Prince Yuvan's repeated schemes have all failed, which shows how difficult his situation is now. His network was probably all under Eleanor's control. Since she's fallen, he's likely running out of options in the capital.

As Jacob had pointed out, Yuvan truly had few paths left to pursue.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

Wayne had made several moves, repeatedly using Harvey as a front while concealing another hidden operation. Now, both layers had been completely uprooted, with the loss of more than ten of their suicide soldiers.

They kept a close watch on the situation at Concord Lodge. From the fact that Sebastian had gone there, it was clear the plan had failed. Even when Lisandra fell unconscious, the mother Soulgrip Threadworm was unable to control the larvae inside her. From there, it was likely understood that the plan was doomed.

Though disappointed, Wayne couldn't help but admire Lisandra. Fighting against the control of the Soulgrip Threadworms was incredibly difficult. Even the most skilled warriors and determined minds couldn't manage it. As far as he knew, only one person, who was extraordinary in both status and in willpower, could resist the influence of the threadworms.

Faced with such a formidable challenge, Wayne accepted his defeat with grudging respect.

He told Yuvan, "With Grand Princess Lisandra in the picture, Westhaven won't go to war with Starhaven. After King Edmund ascended the throne, he stirred things up and manipulated public opinion. However, all of this will backfire on him. Plus, he's never been truly interested in the throne.

"In his mind, the late crown prince is the most important. The kingdom and the people come second. That's why he was willing to ally with us. But this alliance wasn't based on his ambitions. It's like building a tall tower on unstable ground-it will eventually collapse. When it does, it may pull us down with it. So, we can't place our hopes on King Edmund."

Yuvan pondered for a moment before responding thoughtfully, "Then, Lisandra will definitely not tolerate Edmund. Among all the princes, the one most likely to ascend the throne now is the fourth prince, Emory."

"Indeed," Wayne agreed. "Looking at the strength of the fourth prince's maternal family, he has the highest chance of becoming king. King Edmund's rise to power was thanks to Grand Princess Lisandra and Marshal Liam's support. "But once he ascended, he imprisoned his uncle and started going against his sister's wishes. It's likely that Grand Princess Lisandra will hurry back to deal with him. Prince Emory's faction will use this opportunity to take power." Yuvan rubbed his temples, a deep frown creasing his forehead. "Then, we'll stick to the original plan. Contact the fourth prince and form an alliance with him. Once he takes the throne, he'll need a victorious war to solidify his position."

Wayne sighed heavily. "Your Highness, looking back now, we can't deny that we truly missed the best opportunity. When Starhaven was battling against Westhaven at both Victory Pass and the Southern Frontier, that was our moment of greatest advantage."

Yuvan may have regretted it inside,

but outwardly, he stuck to his convictions, saying, "If we go to war and I raise an army in rebellion, I'll be labeled a traitor for sure. Our only chance is if Victory Pass falls or if the border line is ceded through negotiation. That's the only time we can stir up public anger. Once that happens, we can portray ourselves as the righteous force."

Wayne wanted to argue that sometimes, it wasn't possible to have both reputation and power. Struggling with indecision could lead to losing everything and ending up with nothing to show for it.

But after years of maneuvering, the ship had already set sail. Now, talking of defeat would only weaken their resolve and make success even more elusive.

Did Yuvan not understand the risks?

Of course he did, but who didn't harbor ambition? Once the first step had been taken, it was natural to want to press forward and make everything legitimate. Without that, he would never truly feel secure on the throne.

His voice cold, Yuvan continued, "Dominic and Rafael are our biggest threats right now. If we don't deal with them, we can't take the throne. Even if we do, my hold on the throne will never be stable as long as they're alive." Wayne sighed regretfully. "We never did gain Grand Princess Eleanor's connections, and one mistake led to another. We should never have left the management of the capital entirely in her hands from the start."

"At the time, we thought that since

she was a grand princess, who could possibly suspect her?" Yuvan replied, his frustration evident. "And then there's the marriage alliance with the Spencer family. They never quite understood my intentions, or perhaps they did but were unwilling to follow me."

Wayne remained silent. He had opposed the alliance from the start, but Yuvan had been insistent, believing that once they were married, they would either rise or fall together.

But Molly didn't represent the Spencer family. She wasn't even the direct daughter of the Spencer family's head. If Yuvan had married Violet, that would have been a different matter entirely.