Prince Ezra
"King Adonis knows everything about the country's affairs," I frowned, feeling something in me blossom into a deep rooted need to protect my brother. "Do not think that just because our King has not been sighted that he is not well aware of his surroundings."
"From what I've heard the King is not well," he raised his left eyebrow in a look of disbelief and held his index finger to his left temple, "that he is not well within his own head, mentally I mean. Which is expected from what he has been through but there are whispers."
"Do not insult my family," I snapped but quickly calmed down when Tarek gently rested his hand onto my shoulder forcing my anger to go from one hundred to zero extremely fast.
"I mean this with the most respect, Prince Ezra, but from the other officials I have spoken to across the world, they wonder if you are aware of what they've heard about your brother when you are barely within Kommos to begin with. We all sense the divide."
"There is no divide," I stressed, "I simply had to step into the role that was left by Royal Knight Ezekiel. I had no other choice but to help."
He pressed his lips together and looked away from me for a second then released a sigh. "I say this under complete confidentiality but I fear other world leaders see a power struggle when it comes to King Cloud. He does an excellent job but we all know that before a decision can be made he needs to consult with the original King."
"As it should be," Tarek answered on my behalf.
"I am aware, but to world leaders it looks like King Cloud needs more assistance than he lets on. Decisions are delayed. Politics is referred back to parliament and the economy has been stagnant for the past few years. Kommos is still one of the strongest countries in the world, but we know that the country would have been number one if King Adonis was still on the throne."
My eyebrows knitted together as I tried to break down his worlds. Cloud was doing an excellent job to me. He had stepped into a role that was never meant to be his and conducted himself well. I saw no reason as to why the world leaders didn't see that he was doing enough.
"What I'm trying to say is, the world is getting restless. They want King Adonis and if not King Adonis. They wish to have you."
I recoiled away from him in shock by what he had just said. "I am far in line to sit on the throne."
"The children are too young and Prince Apollo has long expressed that he has no desire to get involved in politics. You however had jumped the ranks faster than what anyone has ever seen. In three years you have gained the trust of the people and hold the most important role within Parliament. You gave up your seat in the parliament as a Prince to be a minister and actually have a voice.
"You've changed the military structure of the royal family and country. You've achieved more in a year than what Cloud has in the past six. Prince Ezra if you want the world's support. If you want other leaders to help you find out who killed the Great Knight Ezekiel then take my advice. Sit down with your family and tell them what you've heard. I guarantee you, you won't have just my own support but that of the entire country."
I looked at Tarek who looked just as perplexed as me. He didn't seem to outright deny it, which told me that he knew. He knew that what Ebrahiem was saying was in fact true. He was from one of the most powerful royal families in the world. He probably had heard the whispers for a while now. That explained why he had been pushing me to be more present at home. To actually take in that the family was not as intact as I thought.
"Even if I have this conversation with my family. How can I guarantee that you can get me what I want? The drone deal you ask for is a huge one and I can't commit to something when I am unsure if there will be any results."
He leaned back in his seat and stared at me. My eyes unmoving just as much as his were and after what felt like a long stretch of time, he reached down and pulled up a briefcase. He put in a pin and it popped open. He shuffled around a little before he handed me a paper with a man's face on it.
I didn't know who it could possibly be but by his features I suspected that he may be from Finland.
"This man is one of the key assassins in the black market. He's a complete black op. A ghost. Untraceable. However, recently one of his crew members has been imprisoned in my country. He's desperate to get him out and has made an offer to give up intel on whatever case there may be to get one of his men out. I'm offering that you can use his intel. Source it out and see if it makes sense to you. If you are in agreement and he gives you what you want. I will let one of his men walk free."
"No," Tarek immediately interjected. "I will not allow Ezra to meddle into the affairs of a black market. That is no place a Prince shall be."
"Every country uses information from the black market," Ebrahiem shrugged. "That is how things get done without declaring war crimes. Keep the paperwork and vet him out. If within two days you take up the deal, I will give him the instruction in finding out how Royal Knight Ezekiel's assassination came to be. If not then the deal is off and I can't offer my assistance ever again."