Gon's Harem System-Chapter 19: Lord thane 2

It was about moving pieces on a grander scale, shaping the future in ways that others couldn't even begin to fathom.

He had always been careful, strategic in how he expanded his influence.

Thane had played the long game, building alliances, weaving webs of loyalty and obligation that were as strong as steel.

But even with all he had achieved, it was still not enough.

He had tasted power, and now, he craved more.

And then, the perfect opportunity had presented itself to him.

It was subtle at first, a mere whisper on the wind, a shift in the air that only someone as perceptive as Thane could notice.

The Duke had given birth to a son, but the boy was anything but what the Duke had hoped for.

From an early age, it was clear that the child lacked the qualities necessary to carry on his father's legacy.

He was weak, incapable of defending himself, let alone leading an entire duchy.

The very skills needed to navigate the complex world of politics and war—skills that Thane had spent years mastering—were absent in the Duke's son.

He could hardly speak with the authority required of a leader, let alone make decisions with the wisdom needed to rule such a land.

Despite the Duke's attempts to raise him as best as he could, the boy simply didn't have it in him.

It was a bitter pill for the Duke to swallow, having hoped for a successor who would carry on his name with honor and strength.

But it was clear—his son would not be that successor.

So, the Duke had made a decision.

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His son would not be named heir.

In a kingdom where power was everything, the Duke couldn't afford to hand over the reigns to someone who was ill-equipped to rule.

The people needed a leader who could protect them, guide them, and make the hard decisions that came with holding power.

The Duke's son, with all his weaknesses, was simply not that man.

This decision, left a vacuum—a gap where the heir should have been.

And in that vacuum, ambition like Thane's could thrive.

With no competent heir, Thane's eyes had turned to the future, where he could secure his own place in the power structure.

The Duke's son, though still present, was nothing more than a figurehead, a reminder of what could have been.

And Thane, ever the opportunist, knew that this was his moment.

This meant the duke was vulnerable, since his kingdom would be left to the wolves if he ever died.

The Duke, aware of his son's shortcomings, had long since accepted the reality that he would need to rely on his trusted men to carry out the duties that would have otherwise fallen to a capable heir.

As time passed, he became more reluctant to involve himself in the most dangerous missions.

Instead, he delegated those tasks to his most loyal servants and commanders, ensuring that his absence from them did not jeopardize the safety or stability of his duchy.

This growing vulnerability, though, was not lost on Lord Thane.

In fact, it was precisely what he had been waiting for.

He had watched the Duke's slow decline with keen eyes, his mind already working to form the web of influence that would allow him to seize power when the time came.

The Duke's reluctance to engage in the harshest of missions, his tendency to pass off the responsibilities to others—these were not just signs of weariness, but cracks in his rule.

And where there were cracks, Thane could slip through.

He, was not blind to the truth of the Duke's situation. The careful delegations, the attempts to avoid the most dangerous tasks—they were all signs of a man losing his grip on the reins of power. And for Thane, that meant opportunity.

Lord Thane had already begun positioning himself for what came next. With the Duke's vulnerability, Thane was ready to act—ready to take advantage of the situation and place himself in the center of the power that was about to shift.

If he could orchestrate just the right series of events—a slight accident, an unforeseen misstep—the Duke's life could be cut short. It didn't need to be anything obvious. A slip of the foot, a sudden illness, an accident on a dangerous mission—none of it would seem out of the ordinary.

Once the Duke was gone, the duchy would be in turmoil. Power would be up for grabs, and in the chaos that followed, Thane would be in position to claim it.

However, Thane's plan was being delayed for two reasons.

The first was the Duke's immense magical power. He was a Mage far stronger than Thane, and any direct attack would be too risky. Thane knew that confronting the Duke openly would only lead to failure.

Poisoning or other indirect attacks wouldn't work either, as the Duke had a keen sense for detecting even the faintest hint of danger. He was not easily caught off guard, making it difficult for Thane to carry out his plan without drawing attention.

So, Thane had to devise a plan that was both subtle and effective, something that wouldn't draw attention but would still accomplish his goal.

The second reason for the delay was that, he had been away on numerous dangerous missions, far from the castle.

He wasn't close to the palace to move freely, and execute his plans.

In fact right now, he was just coming back from a mission where he had to help a small village kill the pack of monsters that had been terrorizing them for weeks.