Chapter 281: The faces of clouds in the sky


    ARRANDY


    THE VILLA


    Ss is in Arrandy after his recent achievement in Vangua, sitting on the courtyard of his vi contemting Edward fortune in the event of that night in Weover.


    ''Tea, dear?'' his wife said as his wife look at his husband, pondering things in hiszy chair


    ''Yes, I would appreciate that Joanna. Is Svein asleep?'' he asked. Joanna only smiles and nodded


    ''He is. Do not worry too much about him. He is a boy.''


    ''Yes, but still a babe.'' Ss said


    His wife approaches him and kisses him on his cheek.


    ''You always worry too much dear.'' And then she slowly walked away to the pantry to brew him some tea.


    Under his breath he muttered ''That is how I survived the court, Joanna.''


    ''What?'' Joanna turns her head back


    ''Nothing. Go, make the tea.'' He shakes her head and leave her husband to his musing


    Ss then looked back at the clouds, enjoying the Arrandy air. And then his mind is turn towards the event that urred in Vangua.


    Ss knows of course with apparent ease of Edward plot, after all it is not easy to trick someone as smart as him, that it is not the Orleans or Harald that is responsible but Edward who wanted to expel Harald from Vangua.


    It is a childish trick. But also an effective trick


    How could Ss not notice such obvious plot? Anyone who have a little of brain could see it. And finally Edward is released from being a puppet King of the Orleans.


    Ss smiles a bit


    But how had King Edward achieved what a year before all observers would have said was impossible?


    Did he set a trap for the Orleans or was the crisis of a happy ident? Is it essentially caused by Edward''s pro-Arrandian policy, his entanglement in the general Human Continent system of alliances?


    Is it connected with his desire to solve the session problem? Or is there some other factor at y?


    Ss could discount the idea that the crisis was caused by Harald resentment at the increasing influence of the Arrandian faction in Vangua.


    Harald had noticed their encroachment and is irritated by it, but this alone would not have precipitated a civil war.


    Nor is it usible that Edward would have precipitated a confrontation with the Orleans if he had merely wished to divorce Lady Amelie, his queen.


    Some might say that a childless Edward is bing impatient with theck of a clear sessor, but this would imply that Edward is both sexually active and convinced he could sire children  which in the nature of things would mean he had fathered offspring by other women.


    If this is the case, it is passing strange that Ss, who have ears and eyes everywhere hear or see nothing of such women either from Edward''s friends or his enemies.


    In any case, if the problem is Lady Amelie barrenness, Edward would not have needed to be embroiled with Orleans because of the ''insult'' to the family''s honor connoted by a divorce petition; a canonw allowed for Papnoticon dissolution of regal marriages in such cases.


    In short, Edward could have sheltered behind the Grand Papnoticon, whose good opinion he is so anxious to foster.


    The more one looks at the evidence, the more it seems as though the visit of Lord Leander really is the trigger for the crisis and an opportunity used wisely by King Edward.


    Ss knows that King Edward might also have been trying to detach Prince Arial from Zettel influence, after all the betrothal between the future King of Aethend with the younger sister of Arial is already spreading around the continent and probably in light of that news, tried to entice Arial away from King Adrian web.


    King Adrian Queen is from Zettel and whendy Adriana, Arial sister marries the son of the King of Aethend, then it would also connect the Vermont and the Zettelian royalty.


    King Edward might have opted for Arial for the nomination of the throne to detach him from King Adrian, to foster divisiveness between those two houses and bribe him into an alternative alliance,


    Or it might be because King Edward felt isted and vulnerable to the possible incursion of Freya; either way, he is actuated by simple pragmatism opportunism.


    He might have made some informal, unbinding promise that Arial would be the ''inside candidate'' for the throne if he died childless.


    ''Hmm'' Ss sighed as he saw the clouds on the sky changes form. He closes his eyes for as second before opening it again and the clouds is changing forms again.


    He smiles. And then he went back to his thoughts.


    This is a long way short of a formal oath.


    And to King Edward, Ss suspected, such a promise would have meant nothing: Edward had already made a simr pledge to many lords in Vangua, which Ss already know from his intelligencework, and Edward would do so again if he could further his power in Vangua.


    In any case, Vangua kingship is no longer hereditary and Edward could not force the Noble Circle to do his will.


    Last year, he reconstructed back the Noble Circle to gain the approval of the noble and he give power to the council the very same way Jean would give them power during his life.


    ''I doubt whether anyone, at least on the Vanguan side, expected the promise to be honored.''


    Ss thought


    After Edward is threatened by Ss and contemting the risk he is taking in angering Arial, with great reluctance Edward epted that the game was up and he would have to make peace; or suffer the dissolve of an alliance Ss know Edward sorely needed.


    And it is also useful.


    After all Arial already knows that Edward tries to employ means to make him and the House of n at odds so Arial did the same.


    His aid to Harald is more to Arial benefit then to Harald benefit. Now there is an enemy inside.


    Arial of course knows under the pretext of Harald as his vassal, Harald would hardlyply with such order, but Arial objective is not the true fealty of Harald.


    Arial of course, if he can, extract some promise from Harald in his aid but he did not, knowing, truly that Harald will neverply.


    But by giving him aid, most noble would see that Arial is really the overlord of the two.


    It must have been simply in order to have an asion against Harald, that Arial did this.


    If Harald really swore to all of them, it must have been simply because he felt that he was practically in Arial power, without any serious intention of keeping the oath.


    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>


    Part two will be posted tomorrow.