Claimed by the vampire prince

Chapter 481: Chapter 481

Casilo shook his head without looking up. "And hand her the excuse she needs to brand you a traitor? The king’s illness and death was so sudden, we don’t have the numbers yet to openly go against her. We need to first seek help from our allies."

Ragnar pushed the door open. Both men fell silent and turned in his direction.

Gonan straightened first, his expression shifting from irritation to something more friendly. Casilo followed a moment after, though the tension did not fully leave his face.

"You’re here," Gonan said.

Ragnar stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "I was not aware you had already begun without me."

"We were waiting for you, of course," Casilo said, though it was clear they had not been. "But there are matters that cannot be ignored."

Ragnar moved further into the room, his gaze passing briefly over the table between them. Paper documents and ledgers were strewn over the surface, alongside a few sealed letters that had already been opened.

"Is this about the capital? Didn’t something happen there that I am not aware of?" he asked.

Casilo nodded. "Word travels quickly. The news of your father’s death has surely made it to all the parts of the kingdom and people are very uneasy because he died without naming a true heir."

"And the queen?" Ragnar asked. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Gonan gave a short, humorless breath. "With the king gone, she controls everything."

Casilo stepped in before Gonan could continue. "There has been no formal declaration that Hairan will inherit the throne. But she has begun positioning her allies in ways that will benefit her."

"There is no named successor," Ragnar murmured, almost to himself. "Which means everything now depends on who can secure the throne first."

Gonan moved towards the table and rested both his hands on it. "Then we don’t let her anywhere near it."

Casilo’s gaze flicked to him. "It is not that simple."

"It is exactly that simple," Gonan replied. "We move before she consolidates power. We gather men, we take control of the capital, and we use force before she has the chance to crown Hairan."

"And start a war we are not prepared for?" Casilo countered. "With what support? You only brought twelve riders with you and let us not forget that the queen has apparently been telling everyone that his highness is dead."

The queen’s logic being that no one will continue to support Ragnar if they believed he was dead.

"There are many that are loyal to his highness and they will gladly fight by his side." Gonan said sharply.

"But when the time comes and the only options are either to fight or stand back, most of them will also remember what he is and they will question if fighting at all is even worth it." Casilo returned, his voice quieter but no less firm.

The words hung between them.

Ragnar didn’t seem affected by it.

Instead, he sat down on one of the vacant chairs and rested one hand lightly against the edge of the table, his fingers curling slightly against the wood.

"A bastard," Ragnar said after a moment. "They will remember that they will potentially be going to war to fight for a bastard, something that is practically unheard of in Lamora."

Neither of them bothered to refute his statement.

"Being illegitimate does not erase my claim to the throne," Ragnar continued. "But it weakens it."

"Yes," Casilo agreed.

"And strengthens her son’s in comparison," Gonan added, though there was clear frustration in his voice.

Ragnar’s gaze lowered briefly.

For a moment, he said nothing at all.

Then, slowly, he turned his hand over to glance at his palm. It looked the same, nothing like it had when flames streamed out of it.

His fingers flexed once, almost unconsciously.

"We have some time but we need to use it correctly," Casilo said, drawing his attention back, "There are noble houses that will not support Hairan no matter what. They will prefer to wait to see who moves first."

"And if we wait too long," Gonan said, "they will choose her simply because she already holds all the power."

Ragnar looked between them.

Both were right in some way, that was the problem.

He exhaled slowly. "Which means we cannot afford mistakes."

Gonan leaned forward slightly. "Then we don’t make them. We act now."

Ragnar’s gaze shifted back to the table, mind racing. His father was gone. The space left behind was already being filled.

If he did nothing, it would be filled completely before he ever reached the capital.

"We do both." Ragnar said, breaking the taut silence.

Casilo frowned slightly at that.

Ragnar continued. "We will gather numbers while preparing to strike. Casilo, you will send trusted messengers tonight to Houses Tomar and Caelorth and Meren. Offer them private assurances: if they support my claim, I will reward each of them generously and grant them great influence in court when I am king. Stress on the fact that we move soon, but do not give them exact timing. And tell them that the letters they receive must be burned after reading."

Then Ragnar turned to Gonan. "You will begin gathering every man we can trust. Start with your twelve riders, use them to carry orders to the border lords and the old king’s sworn bannermen. We need as many men as possible before we reach the capital."

Gonan’s eyes gleamed with approval. "And what about the capital?"

"We move on it before the queen can crown Hairan," Ragnar said. "But we have to be careful with our approach. We will seize the key roads leading into the capital city first. If we control those, we can block supplies and reinforcements to the queen’s forces while our envoys finish convincing the hesitant houses to join us."

Casilo studied him carefully. " Are you certain, Your Highness? One misstep and we spark a civil war with inferior numbers."

"I know," Ragnar replied. "But if we do nothing, the throne is already lost. I would rather fight for it than watch it slip away while we debate."

Gonan had a wolfish smile tugging at his lips. "Then we all agree."

Casilo remained silent a moment longer, weighing the risks. Finally, he exhaled. "Very well. But the moment the queen learns we are making moves, she will rally every house that abhors the thought of a bastard on the throne."

Ragnar didn’t seem perturbed by this prospect.

"I will go to war with Hairan if I must and I will take that throne, no matter what it takes."