"You're going to step down as the king? And then what? Give the kingdom over to a fool to rule?" The queen asked with barely present patience in her voice. Out of all the ridiculous things she had heard, this had to take the cake. The kingdom was barely afloat as it was, a takeover would ruin the economy.

And the king knew it as well. So the queen could not understand the reasoning behind this decision. Did the kingdom want to end itself by planning an upheaval right now? Even when the node was so close to being upset?

"I know what you mean. The time for the war is coming closer each day and we cannot fault the node for showing fear. The oracle had been born as well so there is no avoiding it. But I can't unhear the cries of my people as well. They call for me to take action" the king replied back with a pained voice.

There was a clash inside his mind and heart about what he should do. His mind said to give up and to prepare for the time the node actually decided to explode and take Imu with it.

But his heart was with his people. They had only a little time left for them and they deserved to be happy. If being independent and losing themselves to their ideals would help them, then so be it.

It was a tough situation to be in. Everyone would be affected if he did decide to go through it. And no one would suffer more than his daughter who would lose her birthright. It was not fair to her to bear the burden of the key and still be expected to sit back when things happen.

"I'll have a talk with Lady Elma and have her take Trisha in case something happens to us. Worst case scenario, she always has Kagemori with her" the king replied as he gestured toward the identical-looking demon at her daughter's side. He was more than sure she would protect his daughter in the future.

The queen also looked relieved at seeing the demoness with her daughter but the fear in her eyes did not drain away fully. It would never ebb out as long as the people were opposed to them.

"My lord, the ministers are here along with the leaders of the opposition. We're ready to hold court" a soldier dared to interfere in their private time but the king decided to forgive him. Times were too tense to hold any grudges. And he had ordered to be kept informed.historical

"I'll be there soon" the king gave his family a last loving look, somehow aware that this might be the last time they would be able to share such peace among themselves.

The tension and oppression in the council room could be cut with a knife and the king entered it. The clear divide between the king fraction and the opposition could be felt in the air. But the kind did not allow it to deter him. He had made his decision after all.

"Let's cut the chase. We want you to step down as the king and allow the people to govern themselves" the faction leader proposed before the king could even sit down properly. It was a ballsy move and indicated the confidence the leader had in himself.

Several weapons rose up and were aimed at the foolish human that had dared to even suggest this but the leader did not flinch. He looked the king right in the eyes as a challenge and it was the king that had to bow down.

"Lower your weapons. We are only here to take things out" the kind order and several people hesitated for obvious reasons. This had been an insult to their king, to their monarch and it should have been equal to death.

But the kind knew he could not harm this leader or it would send the wrong message out. He had asked for peaceful negotiations, so it was all that was going to take place here. He had no intention to give the other side any more ammunition than they already had against him and his family.

"You want people to govern yourself? I'm not sure I understand how you would do so or even why. Have we offended you in some way with any law or recent action?" The king asked with a gentle and understanding voice.

He saw the other, elder leader of the opposition movement at his words. Those elder eyes looked betrayed and a little moisty but the younger leader took charge. His fist slammed into the table and the noise caused a lot of people to flinch.

"It's not about actions but the principles. We might have rights in writing but we can't execute them as long as we don't have power in our hands. We no longer want a single family to have all the power and have a threat of oppression looming over our heads. We demand independence" the leader asked.

Several guards took the position to attack him again but were waved away by the king again. He could understand where the kid was coming from. He had seen the signs of oppression building up in the newer generation's mind. There was nothing to be done against the prejudice that had built inside their mind but to sate it.

"Alright, if it is something you desire, then I shall give it to you. But you have to promise not to touch my family or the royal soldiers if I step down. They were just following the duty they were assigned to" several people reacted, but the most obvious ones were the guards that did.

No one in the room could believe that it was happening, least of all the leaders of the opposition who had prepared themselves for a hard fight. They had nothing more to add or things would go out of their favor.

The younger leader fumed as he took in the development. The plan had been for the king to resist and then for an unfortunate accident to happen to his partner leader. It would have been enough for his fellow people to ask for the King's head and prevent any further attempts for the royal family to even be able to gain power.

But now the king had gone ahead and done it. He had foiled all the carefully planned strategies the young leader had come up with. So they had to take the hard way out.

They had to use their internal mole and make things go into action. This was the only way left for them to be able to maintain their advantage and still come out with an intact face.