Chapter : 646

"You are foolish," Zeus sneered maliciously. He crossed his arms over his medals. "Your idealism will destroy you. You will watch your little team fall apart. And when you finally lose, I will not offer you a second chance. I will show you zero mercy."

"I do not want your mercy," Princess Iris answered calmly.

Zeus let out a harsh, bitter scoff. He spun around on his polished heel. His white uniform remained perfectly crisp. The yellow lightning sparked brightly on the marble floor.

"Enjoy your temporary success, Iris," Zeus mocked loudly over his shoulder. He did not look back. "It will end very soon."

The 1st Prince marched away. His elite servants followed him instantly. They moved like a flawless, robotic machine. They disappeared into the crowded ballroom.

The intense, suffocating tension vanished.

Naomi let out a massive breath of relief. She walked quickly over to Princess Iris. She smiled a very bright, proud smile.

"That was amazing, Princess," Naomi praised warmly. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine admiration. "You shut him down. You destroyed his argument."

Laxmi punched her open palm. "Yes! You told him where to go! He looked so mad! I thought his head was going to explode!"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She opened her notebook. "Your diplomatic response was mathematically flawless, Princess. You maintained decorum while projecting immense strength. It was a perfect leadership display."

Princess Iris smiled a gentle, thankful smile. She looked at her friends. "Thank you, everyone. We must stay focused. The real battles are still ahead of us."

Ken Eliot stood near the marble pillar. He sagged his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out another piece of strawberry candy. He unwrapped it slowly. The plastic wrapper crinkled in his fingers. He popped the candy into his mouth.

He chewed the candy. He looked at the spot where Zeus had stood. He looked at Princess Iris.

Ken did not make a silly joke. He did not complain about his shoes. His dark eyes looked very thoughtful. He analyzed the entire interaction in his mind. He used his flawless, highly observant logic. He evaluated the royal candidates.

"Zeus is very strong," Ken thought casually to himself. He leaned his back against the cold pillar. "His lightning magic is top-tier. He has massive ambition. He understands how to control a room. But he is too ruthless. He views people as numbers on a spreadsheet. He wants to force everyone into a perfect, boring box. He would make a very efficient Emperor. But he would also be a massive tyrant."

Ken swallowed his candy. He shifted his gaze toward Princess Iris. She was laughing softly with Laxmi.

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"Iris is the exact opposite," Ken analyzed lazily. "She is kind. She genuinely cares about the outer districts. She treats her servants like a real family. She gave a very beautiful, heroic speech today. It was a classic anime protagonist moment."

Ken let out a long, silent sigh in his mind.

"But she is way too idealistic," Ken reasoned smoothly. His internal voice was objective. "She wants to save everyone. She refuses to play dirty. In a real, brutal political war, extreme kindness is a massive liability. She cannot rule an entire corrupt Empire with just smiles and friendship. She needs someone to do the dark, work for her. She is not ready to rule alone."

Ken put his hands deep into his pockets. He thought about the other major candidates. He remembered the 2nd Princess, Hera Belmontia.

Hera had visited their estate a few days ago. She had tried to steal Ken away. She had offered him a life of luxury. She had acted like an aggressive corporate recruiter trying to poach a valuable employee.

"Hera is arrogant," Ken noted silently. He watched the nobles dance in the ballroom. "She hates dirt. She hates commoners. But she is also a brilliant tactician. She understands the political game perfectly. She knows how to manipulate the system. Despite her terrible personality, she actually possesses genuine, undeniable leadership capability. She knows how to run a business."

Ken looked at the ceiling. He thought about Princess Hestia. Hestia was the 16th Princess. She was currently their temporary ally.

"Hestia just wants to sit in her shiny white mansion," Ken evaluated lazily. "She complains about everything. She refuses to do any actual work unless it directly benefits her public image. She lacks the necessary drive to run a continent. She is just a loud side character."

Ken finished his mental checklist. He realized the absolute truth about the Succession War.

"Zeus and Hera are the most capable candidates," Ken concluded calmly in his head. "They have the drive. They have the intelligence. They understand power. Iris has the heart, but she needs a massive amount of support to survive their schemes."

Ken slouched even deeper against the pillar. He did not feel stressed. He did not feel worried about the future of the Empire. He was the Sovereign. He possessed absolute, god-like power. He could easily put whoever he wanted on the golden throne. He could end the war in a single second.

But he did not want to do that. That required way too much effort. It required giving orders. It required taking responsibility. He hated responsibility.

"I am just going to watch the show," Ken decided happily. A goofy, lazy smile spread across his face. "I will observe the political landscape. I will watch how far Zeus's ambition goes. I will just stand in the background and make sure Iris does not get eliminated. It is a very simple, highly entertaining strategy."

Ken pushed himself off the marble pillar. He dusted off his navy blue suit pants. He stretched his arms high above his head. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn.

"Hey, Naomi," Ken complained lazily. He walked over to the fierce vanguard leader. "This diplomatic conversation was very nice. But I am officially starving. My stomach is empty. The tiny crackers are terrible. I need real food."

Naomi chuckled warmly. She playfully bumped his shoulder with her arm. "You are always hungry, Ken. You just ate a candy."

"Candy is just a warmup for the main course," Ken argued cheerfully. He pointed a lazy finger across the massive ballroom. "I see a gigantic buffet table over there. I see a massive chocolate cake. I am going to secure a very large slice. Please do not let anyone steal my spot on the couch when we get home."

"Go get your cake, slacker," Naomi said. "I will stay here with the Princess."

Ken gave her a goofy thumbs-up. He turned around. He shuffled his cheap shoes on the polished marble floor. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He walked away from his team. He headed straight toward the massive buffet table. He ignored the wealthy nobles. He was ready to eat a ridiculous amount of desserts. The political game was very interesting, but the chocolate cake was his top priority for the evening.

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