I'd Give Up The World For You

"You certainly seem worn out this morning," Conrad noted when he saw the dark circles under Rukelion's eyes after a night spent overthinking and staring at Daisy.

"I couldn't sleep."

His former lieutenant shot him a suggestive wink and that only made his mood worse. If only that was the reason he couldn't sleep! Instead, part of it was because he had been wondering if that sort of thing was ever going to happen.

Unable to admit this because everyone here thought his marriage was real, Rukelion scowled. "Why are you here, Conrad? It can't be solely to judge me for my poor sleeping habits."

"It isn't."

Conrad began chatting idly about something of no importance whatsoever as he wrote down what he truly wanted to say. They hadn't been able to talk much about their plans in Zel for fear of who might be listening in so it was a miracle they even managed to pull off their trick with their new allies.

'I found an information guild that prides itself on its discretion. Their prices are a bit steep but considering you have been saving for years to hire those mercenaries once you found them we should be able to manage.

'From what I heard they can track down anyone. They will be able to find your mercenary friends and deliver that message to their leader about how you intend to hire them and need them to be contactable. It will cost you ten gold coins.'

Ten gold coins was nothing! Rukelion's two promotions over the past four years had led to a major salary increase. Now that he wasn't sending two gold coins a month back to Daisy his savings had expanded even faster. He lived frugally for the most part since his house was being provided by the military and they were responsible for the upkeep.

'Good work. I will give you a letter to pass on to them with those coins by the end of the day' he scrawled back.

Conrad nodded before handing the paper over to be burned, continuing on with his pointless chatter for another few minutes before heading back to training with the Silver Wolf Squadron. Rukelion was left feeling relieved that something in his life was working out the way he wanted it to.

The feeling didn't last long. General Pace sent a messenger to call him into his office and he was fairly certain he knew what it was about.

Dread filled the pit of his stomach. Had the time finally come to meet with the king? Oh, why did it have to be when he was tired and irritable already?! The timing couldn't have been worse!

At least he was able to outwardly act calm in front of the general. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, May, come in and sit down."

Rukelion did as he was told, trying not to glance around nervously. He half expected the king to pop out of nowhere. Despite his nerves, he managed to appear as cool and collected as always.

General Pace didn't even look at him as he straightened a stack of paperwork on his desk. "I'm sure you're wondering why you haven't had your audience with the king yet since I told you it would happen more than a week ago."

Here it was. "Yes, sir."

"Truthfully…and this can't leave this room…the king is unwell and therefore unfit to speak with anyone. I passed on the reports personally but he was in no state to go over them properly. He doesn't wish to see anyone but I'm sure if he wasn't grieving the loss of his son he would want to thank you personally for your accomplishment as he did after the last war.

"Don't think your achievements have gone unappreciated, May! You won't be able to meet with the king anytime soon but your promotion is still coming. As soon as you hit your year mark as a major you will become a lieutenant colonel, as promised. It's the least we can do after all of your dedicated service," the general said placatingly.

There was no need for that. Rukelion was over the moon that he didn't have to deal with that horrid king unnecessarily!

He had to work to keep his expression appropriately somber. "I understand, sir. Thank you for informing me. I won't let word of the king's condition get out."

Not to anyone aside from Conrad anyway and he knew he could keep a secret. If he couldn't, Rukelion would already be dead. He would have to tell him about this new development tomorrow since there wouldn't be time when they did their sneaky transaction later. Everyone around here knew they were particular friends so it was normal for Conrad to drop by his office once a day.

General Pace nodded. "Close the door on your way out, May."

He did so and headed back to his office hardly able to stop himself from grinning. So the king was "unwell" was he? More like going mad exactly as Rukelion had intended. He knew having the crown prince disappear was the best course of action.

This could work out in their favor. The more unhinged the king was, the more the kingdom would fall apart. His coup might be much easier to accomplish on top of being less protested once it was successful this way.

He wanted to laugh anyway because of his enemy's suffering. He deserved it. They all deserved what was coming for them!

Rukelion had lost everything he ever knew and loved in less than an hour. Watching the king of Mirea slowly and torturously lose everything that mattered to him was going to be satisfying beyond measure.

He wasn't able to focus on his paperwork because he was too excited. His earlier bad mood and exhaustion were completely forgotten in the light of this new information.

Oh, it would be so much easier if he had access to the castle now! Taking advantage of the situation while it was unstable would be more effective. There was no way of knowing how long the king would throw his tantrum like a spoiled child.

Rukelion had always known he was better than that monster. He handled the grief of losing his entire beloved family in one go when he was twelve years old and managed to continue rationally working toward his goal. A man more than twice his age wasn't capable of the same!

It would be problematic if the king happened to get over it before their forces were gathered. Being muddleheaded would make him a less formidable opponent. On top of that, the longer he was unable to properly perform his duties (which he had already been neglecting), the more dissent would grow among the people. If it went on long enough they would welcome a change of leadership.

He hoped that information guild was able to find the mercenaries soon. More importantly, he hoped he was able to get into the castle as soon as he got his promotion.

Getting into the castle would be a lot easier than learning the layout and the secret passages that inevitably existed. He would need an insider since he doubted he would get the chance to explore himself. He would have to stick with whatever officers escorted him there.

If only Rukelion was as friendly as Daisy. She managed to make friends with someone who worked in the castle by chance. He wasn't exactly known for being friendly. It would be better to plant his own spy inside than try to turn someone already there but how was he supposed to do that?

He briefly wondered if any of his men had relatives who might be able to get jobs in the castle. They wouldn't have much freedom to look around either but it would be better than his situation.

Getting insider knowledge about the castle truly was the most difficult part of his plan. It was the last piece he needed aside from bringing the majority of his forces to the capital…and potentially getting Daisy out of the way to be safe.

Rukelion wondered if he could casually convince her to go visit Ira at the academy for a while when the time came. She had received several letters from him in the time they had lived together here in the capital and always seemed happy to get them, writing him back promptly.

He should do that. The last thing he needed was his wife getting caught up in his plotting.

She was far too innocent but also far too weak for that. She wouldn't be able to defend herself if someone decided to use her as a hostage. Unfortunately, the whole army knew how much he loved her. Rumors could have spread further than that.

The thought of someone using Daisy against him made him feel sick. He could not allow that to happen under any circumstances!

She was too beautiful, too precious to lose. He had to keep her safely smiling by his side no matter what it took. Even if it meant they had to be apart again for a little while.. That was infinitely better than the alternative.