"In terms of bloodline succession, Countess of Violet Natasha is the second-in-line heir after His Highness the Crown Prince. She is herself a Sky Knight and a devout believer, making her the most rational heir to the throne."
Duke Russell stood up, waving his feather pen. "Chairman Rex, we all know this. But why are we still discussing it? It's because Countess Natasha's mother, Her Royal Highness Princess Meredith, became a mage and automatically forfeited her right of succession. In other words, her children no longer enjoy that right."
Count Haisong and Viscount Harrison exchanged bitter smiles. Here they were, leaning toward the Magic Parliament, yet they had to use a mage as their excuse to object.
Duke Solonfen spoke with a grave expression: "If this logic holds, then by the same precedent, David would also lose his succession rights. Noble succession rights derive from the nobility of one's bloodline. Unless explicitly stripped by the Code, they remain in effect. And Countess Natasha has awakened the purest bloodline of the
Rex relaxed slightly. Duke Solonfen seemed willing to accept this outcome, so he continued: "The reason I convened this meeting to discuss candidates, rather than simply having Princess Natasha inherit the throne, is that she is currently the sole heir of the Vorlite Principality. According to Article 5, Section 3 of the succession chapter of the Code, if an heir holds succession rights to another kingdom or family that cannot be merged, their own succession rank drops by one level—which places her in the same tier as David and Gordon."
The Vorlite Principality was the linchpin of the Church's northwestern defense system. There was no way the Church would agree to its merger with the Holm Kingdom.
"Since the first two candidates have failed to gain unanimous approval, then proposing Princess Natasha is absolutely without issue." He had already shifted to calling Natasha "Princess," acknowledging her status within the Holm royal family.
"Duke James, Duke Russell, do you have any further objections? If not, we will proceed to a vote." Rex looked at the leaders of the progressive faction.
Duke James and the others were caught off guard. They had assumed that for various reasons, the conservatives would ignore Natasha just as they did—after all, the relationship between Meredith and Hathaway was common knowledge, and she herself was an extraordinarily gifted mage. Who could have predicted...
Gender? No good. A woman's succession rights were explicitly written into the Code.
Strength? Even less viable. A genius who became a Sky Knight in her twenties and who might one day attempt to reach the Legendary rank—more outstanding than anyone present.
Too close to the Church? No good. Besides being a devout believer herself, Natasha had never given anyone grounds for criticism. She had never once harmed the interests of the Vorlite nobility to curry favor with the Church.
As for the possibility that she would suppress the Magic Parliament's open development—banning the spread of arcane radios, telephones, and the like—those were things that couldn't be brought to the table. They couldn't openly declare that they were cooperating with mages. If they did, Rex might very well turn on them in an instant and let Saer de come in to purge the nobles who had been corrupted by mage influence. These were things that could be done but never spoken of.
For the moment, the progressive nobles could not find a good reason to object.
It was Duke Solonfen who straightened his black greatcoat and rose to ask: "Chairman Rex, I have heard a certain rumor about Princess Natasha and would like an explanation. The rumor says she and the 'Fallen Angel' Lucian Evans are deeply enamored lovers. Could she, on that account, abandon her noble立场 and indulge the Magic Parliament, thereby angering the Church?"
After
Hearing Duke Solonfen's challenge, James and the others suddenly drew a sharp breath. If that were truly the case, then having Natasha become queen wasn't so hard to accept after all.
Rex appeared to have been prepared all along and answered with composure: "On this matter, I received an explanation from His Eminence Saer de himself. He was the Cardinal of the Vorlite diocese at the time and had a complete understanding of the entire affair. Princess Natasha is attracted to women. Lucian Evans was merely a tool she used as an excuse and cover. Their relationship is not as close as the rumors suggest. Furthermore, the Princess is a most devout believer. When she discovered that her former lover Sylvia was a magic apprentice, she killed her without the slightest hesitation."
"What?"
"The most beautiful musician died because of that?"
"No wonder 'Dedicated to Sylvia' earned Princess Natasha's direct reward of an entire estate."
The nobles were hearing this secret for the first time—and from the lips of Cardinal Saer de, who would never lie about such matters. The entire hall erupted. Every lingering question from the past was suddenly explained.
Count Haisong and his allies now felt they could not accept Natasha as queen after all. He coughed and said: "Same-sex love violates the Lord's teachings, and it cannot produce heirs. Such a succession would be meaningless."
"That is merely the preaching of certain missionaries. The Lord only teaches us not to indulge in lust. As for the question of heirs, I believe that when we invite Princess Natasha to inherit the throne, we can stipulate in advance that she must produce an heir as soon as possible. As for her private relationship with a royal consort—her actual lover or paramour—we need not concern ourselves with that. I trust this small concession is something she can make. If she cannot, we shall discuss other candidates." Rex's bright eyes swept across the members of the Noble Assembly. "If there are no further questions, we shall proceed to the vote."
Duke Solonfen, one of the leaders of the conservative faction, was the first to raise his hand. He was not as extreme as Rex and leaned more toward a candidate acceptable to the Church, the Parliament, and the nobility alike—anything to avoid splitting the nobility, sparking a civil war, or triggering a major conflict between the Church and the Parliament. That would bring the entire Holm Kingdom to ruin, reduce many cities to rubble, and bring the victorious nobles few benefits. Natasha was, without question, such a candidate.
Duke Solonfen's father was Winston "the Nightwalker," and his influence among the conservative nobles was no less than Rex's. His raised hand immediately prompted a wave of arms to follow. Then Rex's supporters raised their hands one by one, quickly reaching two-thirds of the total membership. Duke James and Duke Russell wore dark faces, prepared to invoke the Duke's Veto—forcing the question to be reframed as whether a state of emergency currently existed. Such a declaration would involve a cascade of issues, and the conservative faction was not necessarily united within its own ranks.
Suddenly, Viscount Harrison recalled something. He took his feather pen, wrote a single sentence on a sheet of paper, crumled it into a ball, and discreetly passed it to Duke James.
Knowing he feared being overheard by Rex and the other Golden Knights, Duke James did not blame him for the unnecessary precaution. He carefully unfolded the paper ball and read: "Princess Natasha's relationship with Lady Hathaway is tighter than we imagined."
Duke James's expression became complicated. After a brief consultation with Duke Russell, he suddenly raised his arm. This startled the vast majority of the progressive nobles, but they chose to trust their leaders and followed suit.
A faint smile appeared on Rex's face: "Very well. The Noble Assembly votes unanimously to invite Countess of Violet Natasha Vorlite to come to Holm to inherit the throne."
He brought the gavel down, and amid the crisp crack, declared in a loud voice: "This session is concluded."
…………
Watching the conservative nobles file out one by one, Duke James regarded Viscount Harrison with a grave expression. "I hope you're right."
"I can only gamble on it. Rex appeared thoroughly prepared. I will now report the outcome to the Parliament. The Supreme Council will decide whether to proceed with the assassination." Viscount Harrison took his leave in haste.