Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

The Emperor sighed.

"Dante. How much work have you done on all of this?"

"Everything, Father." Dante responded. "I have done everything, and everything is in place."

The Emperor nodded. "You are aware Son, that your mother's world Nymphalidae is still in the same strategic space that is almost surrounded by bird worlds."

"Yes, Father."

"The same reason your mother gave up her Empress crown still holds true today. If you give any reason for the birds to cry foul, they will attack Anastasia's world without compunction."

The Emperor shook his head.

"Once Nymphalidae is attacked, the insectoid coalition will use that as an excuse to swarm the galaxy and we will devolve into an intergalactic war. It will be the insectoids against everyone else, and they greatly outnumber us."

"Yes." Dante nodded grimly. "I have internalized what you taught me, Father. But you also taught me that the side that strikes first loses the ability to declare self-defense as their excuse for massive warfare."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. This was what he and Dante talked about and why all his hospital ships were turning into warships. But why had Father been teaching Dante this and not Byron?

"I'm glad you understand this concept. If you are to rule the galaxy. You must be able to win people's hearts."

Leonardo looked at his brothers. None of them missed this very important point that their father was making.

The twins looked as if this was the first time they'd heard about any of this while his own doofus brother just looked confused and overwhelmed about it all.

Slate was strangely uncaring while Byron looked as if he'd been punched in the guts.

The 'you' that his father was talking about was not the royal 'you' meaning all of them. He was speaking directly to Dante.

"Remember, it's not enough to charge in with massive weaponry and take over an entire quadrant." The Emperor continued to talk directly to Dante.

"You also have to build up the perception that they are the ones wearing black and you are the ones wearing white—even if you're wearing blue."

It was so flagrantly obvious that Leonardo could hardly believe that he was the only one who noticed it. This indication of wearing blue could only be ascribed to Dante.

Blue was Dante's colors.

The Emperor's eyes narrowed.

"The trick of all this is picking the right side to fight on. For the last several hundred years, the birds have placed an Empress on the throne by hook or by crook. They have done everything they possibly could to keep the birds on top, to the exclusion of all other human species."

"Why have they done this, Father?" Lucas asked.

"They feel that if this is not done, the galaxy will be completely overrun by insects. The Empire's throne is their last chance at keeping the galaxy's swarms of insects in check."

Lucas scratched his head. "But Candace is not an insect. Why would her win make a difference in the power struggle between the bugs and the birds?"

the Emperor turned gentle eyes at Lucas.

He was not a politician or a PhD physician or even a businessman or Prime Warrior who needed to understand intergalactic politics to do his job.

He was an actor.

It didn't matter to the Emperor though. Each child had his or her own strengths and each was successful in the field of their choice.

"Because Son, she is the catalyst that will cause everything to explode if she wins."

"So basically what you're telling me is that there can be no winner of this Avgo Event other than a bird to retain status quo." Byron looked at his father.

The Emperor turned to Byron with hard angry eyes.

"The Avgo event was fixed the last time to retain status quo. It's not the first time it has ever been fixed, and I doubt it will be the last time."

"So even if Candace wins this Avgo Event, they will do something to subvert it and give the win to Valeria?" Byron's face was a mask of fury.

"I'm afraid so." The Emperor nodded. "Valeria will be your wife if no one intervenes."

"We can't allow them to take Candace's Empress crown!" Byron slammed his fist on the dining table, rattling the dishes and the stemware.

He absolutely did not want to marry Valeria. Candace was the woman he'd set his heart on and the only one he wanted to marry.

"Are you willing to go up against your own kind?" Dante grinned a strangely malicious grin. "Your mother and your aunt have been scheming all these years to keep the throne in avian hands."

"I want a fair and honest fight." Byron scowled.

"Fairness is something that can only be enjoyed by the winners. My mother won a fair and honest fight and look what happened to her." Dante grounded.

"We have to do something to protect Candace. She cannot lose!" Byron insisted.

Dante stood over Byron, his full 6'4" height dwarfing the seated Crown Prince.

"If she loses, you get to marry the winner and make her the future Empress sitting beside you. I will then have my chance to convince Candace to be my bride."

"And if she wins?" Byron threw back.

"If she wins, she will still be my bride. I am the rightful Crown Prince and I will fight tooth-and-nail for that position, especially if it means I will lose Candace without it."

Byron seethed. "So you're making me choose between Candace and…" he waved his hands to encompass everything around them. "And status quo???"

"Why yes." Dante nodded vigorously. "Yes I am. You can have the throne if your mother's people are so adamant about pushing Candace out of her first place position."

He leaned forward, looking down upon the Crown Prince. His dazzling green eyes began to turn red with wicked unbridled malice.

"Of course, this means you have to actively help them keep Candace from winning to keep your position as Crown Prince."

Dante's teeth began to lengthen.

"You have to continue to look the other way when they do shit like surround Candace with armed assassins, or throw Anaïse off the rooftop. They're doing all they can to keep your ass on the throne you know."

Byron stood up, his eyes confrontational.

"Why are you doing this, Dante?"

"Because I don't give a damn about the throne. I only care about Candace. I will only challenge you for the Crown Prince title, which is mine by rights, if that is the only way for her to be my wife."

The Emperor sighed.

He had known that this day would come. The two brothers who played with each other and cared for each other as children would face off and challenge each other.

The only reason why Dante had not done so all these years was because he was still laying down his key chess pieces. Once all the pieces were in play, he would make his move and reclaim his rightful throne, both for himself and his mother.

The only thing that threw a tiny monkey wrench into his plans was Candace. She was the one thing that was saving Byron from being completely overtaken by Dante.

Emperor Rex turned to Dante.

"Son. Understand this. If you claim the throne, it will be due to your deposing the current Empress and reinstating your mother as Empress."

"This means that Byron will also be deposed and will no longer be part of the royal family since what you do will also bring to light the fact that he is an illegitimate child of mine."

"What???" The other Princes roared with discontent.

No matter what had happened in the past, they were royal blood brothers and had always cared for each other.

The fact that a woman was the cause of this wedge between them was an unforgivable offense.

Of course, it was not Candace they were targeting their anger at. She had nothing to do with any of this.

It was the Empress.