Chapter 227: A Special Way of Inheriting the Throne
Even though Yuliya had an idea of where to start, she decided it was best to have a face-to-face chat with her sister, Elia, first.
The next day, Steven took it upon himself to make contact.
However, this time they had to wait quite a while to hear back.
It seemed like they were overwhelmed over there.
By the time Yuliya saw Elia, it was already well into the afternoon.
Looking at Elia’s slightly haggard face, which still bore a smile, Yuliya couldn’t help but sigh.
But Elia waved her hand, “Little Yuliya, what’s up? Come over!”
“Okay!”
The two shared a brief hug.
“Sorry, Little Yuliya, things have been a bit hectic lately. I feel like I’ve neglected you.”
“How could that be? I know you’re really busy, sister.”
After saying that, Elia looked at Yuliya, while Yuliya lowered her head.
Elia tilted her head slightly, “So, Little Yuliya, did you come to see me for something today?”
When faced with this question, Yuliya suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
After all, she wasn’t even from the Jade Emperor Kingdom. Would it be too forward to say she wanted to help her seize the throne?
“I just wanted to check on you. Uh… see if there’s anything I can do to help?”
“Help?”
Elia put her chin on her hand, contemplating for a moment before saying, “Little Yuliya, you’ve already helped me so much! You earned me quite a bit of money last time, and I never got a chance to thank you!”
“Ah, I made a lot too; it was mutual support.”
With that, silence fell between them again.
“…”
“…”
Meanwhile, Steven and Amelia were practically losing it on the sidelines.
What are you two doing over there? Playing charades? Tug-of-war?
Can’t take it anymore!
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
“Your Highness, you can just directly…”
“Miss, why don’t you just directly…”
Amelia and Steven froze, glancing at each other.
“Uh…” *2
Yuliya and Elia turned to them as well.
“You go first.”
“No, no, you first.”
They started tugging at their words too.
Finally, Elia pointed at Steven, “Mr. Steven Mortley, you go ahead.”
As the only gentleman present, it was only right for him to lead.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Steven bowed respectfully, “It’s like this. The lady wants to help Your Highness secure some extra support, but she thought it best to consult Your Highness first to see if you need it.”
Elia was taken aback by this.
But before she could respond, Amelia jumped in to answer for her.
“Yes! We need it! Any help is crucial for Princess Elia!”
Amelia was genuinely concerned.
What’s the point of pretending everything is fine now that we’re in this situation? If this charade continues, there’ll be no chance left!
Now it was Yuliya’s turn to gawk, meeting Elia’s gaze.
Suddenly, both “pfft” at the same time and burst into laughter.
Talk about being in sync!
Both of them were thinking the same thing but didn’t want to bring it up first.
“Well, Little Yuliya is so perceptive; she must already know my situation.”
“Elia, if you need help, just say the word!”
“This mess was never meant to involve you directly. I tried to keep you out of it.”
As long as she wasn’t directly involved, regardless of whether the outcome was good or bad, it wouldn’t affect her.
That was Elia’s line of thought.
Looking at the current situation, she really did have slim chances. Even if Little Yuliya joined, it would only be like putting a pebble on one side of the scale.
And on the other side sat a mountain.
But now, Yuliya wanted in.
“Are you really willing to stand by my side? There might be danger, you know.”
“I believe I mentioned that we’d support each other and walk this path together.”
Yuliya remembered the promise she had made somewhat blindly at Grandpa Ryan’s tavern.
Even if it was said in a half-baked state, it felt just right now.
Was this fate’s arrangement?
Once they fully expressed themselves, the awkward yet depressing atmosphere evaporated in an instant.
Steven and Amelia let out a long sigh of relief.
Some people just overthink.
The smarter ones tend to do so even more.
Ah, that feels good! So much better!
“Little Yuliya, actually, if I had an extra three months, or even two months, my chances would increase significantly! Time is just too tight.”
“Even that money you helped me earn last time is really useful.”
Now, the Jade Emperor Kingdom had declined a lot compared to its former glory, and the aristocrats were facing issues left and right.
If someone were to throw a ton of money around now, it could really mess with their minds.
Even if the heads of noble households refused to take the money, what about all the distant relatives and friends?
But the problem lay in the timing.
In such a sensitive period, who would dare to accept money?
After her hard work over the past months, Elia had managed to secure only about thirty percent of the support from the nobles, and those were just the minor ones. None of the truly powerful and influential ones were onboard.
“Little Yuliya, do you know how our final throne inheritance is determined?”
“Nope, no idea.”
Based on Yuliya’s experience in the real world, succession in ancient times was usually decided by an edict from the former emperor.
Unless there was a coup.
But here, it seemed a bit different.
“Has no one ever told you about this?” Elia seemed surprised but then considered it reasonable, “We have qualified heirs enter the Royal Trial Secret Realm; whoever ultimately wins the crown gets to inherit the throne.”
As expected, the method of inheritance was quite magical.
“But if that’s the case, isn’t it all up to the heir’s strength?”
“Of course, strength is very important, but that’s not all of it. The secret realm has a special rule where heirs can bring supporters of their corresponding positions into the realm to assist them. The more supporters, the weaker the heir’s strength needs to be.”
“This method of succession was established at the founding of the Jade Emperor Kingdom and has continued to this day. There have been instances where seemingly overlooked princes seized the throne thanks to their extraordinary power.”
“In short, everything is possible.”
“Hmm, that does seem like a reasonable rule.”
Compared to ancient succession situations back on Blue Star, this method helps avoid some internal struggles within the country.
But transitioning power would definitely trigger upheaval; internal strife was unavoidable.
“Therefore, if Little Yuliya wants to help me, it would be best to find a way to keep Isaac’s supporters out.”
“Then sister can win?”
“I can only do my best. Isaac is quite strong himself.”
“Got it! Wait for my good news, sister!”
(Yesterday I took a day off, and the back-end system crashed—it wasn’t my choice to take a break, it was forced upon me! (hands on hips.jpg))
