189 Chapter 189 Limbo Kingdom

Caesar and the rest continued to eat their dinner in relative silence. Both Ahri and Crowley glanced at Caesar reproachfully as they ate, it was rude to only give one child a present. Especially when another one was in the vicinity.

However, there wasn't much Caesar could do as it was something he had thought of on a whim. Thus, he finished dinner and gestured for a few butlers to take his empty plates. He then stood up from his chair, wiped his mouth with a piece of cloth, and looked toward Crowley.

"Father, I have a few matters I wish to discuss with you regarding the knight brigade," he said, "It concerns that group of people which had entered our kingdom a few days ago, on top of a few other minor subjects," Caesar added as he headed for the door.

Instead of replying, Crowley nodded his head gravely, to which Ahri abruptly stood up from her chair as well. She hooked arms around Caesar and brought her mouth closer to his ears,"you can't just give a gift to Ginger… what about Elizabeth?" she said worriedly as they exited the dining room together, leaving Elizabeth and the others.

As the door creaked behind them, Caesar lifted Ahri's chin with his slender index finger, "She's a young girl, however, I refuse to raise a spoilt brat." Caesar said, "I will buy her a few gifts tomorrow, but I highly doubt that gifting something to Ginger is much of a problem" he explained with furrowed brows.

"I too don't wish for Elizabeth to become spoiled, but how would you feel if your father decided to gift another boy a few things and left you with nothing…" Ahri replied, somewhat concerned. As much as she acted like a strong woman, in the end, she was very soft when it came to people she cared about. This reality became even stronger the moment Musasashi fell, she now cherished Elizabeth even more deeply.

In response, Caesar cupped Ahri's cheeks with his reliant hand, "I agree with your words, but discipline is also very important. In fact, I have already decided to hire a few instructors to teach her some things," Caesar paused, " I'll buy some things for her tomorrow, there is no need to fret" Caesar comforted as he rearranged the stands of her hair stuck on her beautiful face.

"Let me do it," Ahri said, "let me teach Elizabeth the important things such as history, etiquette, and manners… my grandfather had taught me the basics of these subjects, I wish to impart them upon Elizabeth myself." she said resolutely.

Caesar observed her adamant facial expression for a few moments before sighing deeply, "I suppose I'll allow it, however, you may not go easy on her" Caesar said, "if we truly adopt her, then she will become the future crowned princess, as such, she must become worthy of such a title."

As he spoke to here, he left Ahri to her own matters and exited the hall, his destination was Crowley's office. He had no problems announcing he would become the next king, as he felt that Crowley would soon overwork himself. The only reason he didn't take the throne right now was due to the fact that he could trust no dukes, nor was he able to stay in Rahvin kingdom for a prolonged period of time.

Thinking to here, he stopped a nearby butler walking by him. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his chest pocket and stashed it inside of the young man's hands. "Deliver this to the royal guards, I'll have a few visitors arriving tomorrow at dusk," Caesar said, to which the butler nodded his head solemnly and speedily set out to finish his duty.

After sending the butler away, Caesar soon arrived at Crowley's spacious office. He sat down on the closest chair and couldn't help but admire the wide variety of books placed on the shelves. Dust layered the thick books and they appeared to have been untouched for an unknown span of time.

Other than the vast number of books, the room was relatively plain and simple. A medium-sized desk, a few shelves, and two chairs were present. A rather wide and open window was located to the side, which let in a cold breeze every now and then. The opaque drapes flapped within the wind and created a fairly ominous atmosphere.

Caesar tapped the desk with his index finger as he patiently waited for his father's arrival. He figured the old man was currently soothing Elizabeth and giving her all sorts of gifts right now, to score some points. Just the thought caused muffled laughter to escape from his lips.

After waiting for a few more minutes, Caesar lit a couple of candles and finally, Crowley arrived just another minute later. A beaming smile was plastered on his face as he pushed open the door and sat vertically from him.

He gracefully stroked his small beard as he turned a few pages in his book, placing a monocle over his right eye. "What matters did wish to discuss with me about?" Crowley asked as he closed the book in his hands and scrutinized Caesar.

"Well," Caesar said, "I'm going to recruit a few hundred men to the knight's brigade tomorrow. Naturally, they must first pass the test, but I can confirm their strength and loyalty. I assure you that they will become very strong assets in the future."

His words caused Crowley to squint his eyes, "are they loyal to Rahvin kingdom? Or just you?" Crowley asked. Although he normally acted like a frail old man, he still retained his intelligence from serving as a duke for a decade.

In response, Caesar chuckled, "are they not one in the same?" he asked slyly. If he served Rahvin kingdom, then so would the fox-kin.

Crowley furrowed his brows and leaned back in the chair, "even if they are as strong as you say, our kingdom cannot afford to pay a few hundred more knights. We already expend too much of our funds on the military," he replied after a few moments of contemplation.

A mocking smile suddenly appeared on Caesar's face, "you mean to tell me that those other kingdoms hadn't told anyone of the cloud-steel mine yet? And you also wish for me to believe that we have not gained an absurd quantity of funds from selling said steel?" Caesar asked.

Crowley sighed, "you're correct," he said, "however, even after implementing your insurance plan, we were forced to accommodate the families of the fallen warriors. Not to mention the fact that most of our blacksmiths and engineers now work for you…"

His words made sense to Caesar so he merely nodded his head, "very well, nonetheless, I still have a proposition for you" Caesar paused as he twirled an unarranged piece of hair, "Although our kingdom is currently recuperating from the last battle, I can assure you that our citizens demand justice."

As he spoke to here, he stood up from his chair and put both of his hands on Crowley's desk. "Sooner or later, our small city will become overpopulated… we need more land, money, and influence. To do this, we need to start conquering the lands of this continent," Caesar said gravely and gazed directly into his father's eyes.

The room descended into silence as Crowley finally relented and begrudgingly nodded his head, "very well, but only one condition," he said, "in a few months, one of the tremendously influential kingdoms in our continent is holding a party for his son's marriage. I was invited, however, I want you to go in my stead."

"The name?" Caesar asked with a tilt of his head. He would gladly take Crowley up on the offer if it wasn't too far. After all, he was in urgent need of finding a home and potential income for the fox-kin.

"Limbo Kingdom" Crowley replied, a strange air of solemnity surrounding him.