In the midst of the press conference, a group of hidden royal guards suddenly appeared, their movements swift and sure as they converged on Ken Yamamoto and his goons.Clad in sleek, futuristic armor and wielding advanced weaponry, the guards moved with deadly precision, their faces impassive and their eyes locked on their targets.
The guards moved with a sense of calm professionalism, their movements quick and efficient as they secured the area and swept it for any further threats. Their armor glinted in the harsh light of the press conference, a striking contrast to the civilian clothing worn by the rest of the attendees.
Soon, Ken and his goons were rounded up on stage, the group on their knees, both hands on their neck.
“Contact the Head of the Yamamoto Group now!” Sophia ordered.
The now shaking Ken immediately set up the connection on his Comms Watch. Soon an elderly man materialized on stage.
“The Yamamoto Group has been proven guilty of crimes of sedition, lese-majeste, high treason and attempt to assassinate a member of the Astral Royal Family, what say you?” Chronos announced coldly before the Head of the Yamamoto Group, Tokugawa Yamamoto, could even speak.
“How may I address you?” Tokugawa asked, with a worried frown.
“You have no right to ask, plan your next words carefully, for it may be the nail on the coffin of the entire Yamamoto Group…”
After a brief moment of silence, “ The Yamamoto Group will relinquish all businesses, property and finances within the territory of the Empire of Astral and pay a compensation of 100 million Aeons…”
Chronos’s expression remained stoic,
“500 million and we will throw in the heir who planned the sedition and publicly threatened the life of Princess Sophia who is also the Head of the Astral Merchants Association, as a bonus… if you can’t call the shots or afford the penance, let me speak to someone who can.”
Just then, Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
Ken Yamamoto’s Comms Watch started beeping. Soon after, another figure started materializing in the place of the Yamamoto Head. Chronos let out a veiled smile, ‘ The fish took the bait!’
“I’m Prince Susanoo Mikoto. Do I have the right to ask you for your identity?”
“I’m Prince Chronos Astral, one of the two victims of today's terrorist attack against the Astralian Royal Family.” Chronos nodded, ignoring the obvious provocation.
“Don’t play games with me… the Yamamotos are directly under my banner, so…” Prince Susanoo furrowed his brows,
Chronos turned directly to the plethora of live-streaming and reporting drones and roared furiously,
“So the second prince of the Kingdom of the Onogoro is the mastermind behind the insurgence against the Empire of Astral, the assassination attempt of two second generation Astral Royalty and the attempt to manipulate millions of Astralians like fools?!”
“Second Prince Susanoo Mikoto is declaring war against the Empire of Astral on behalf of the Kingdom of Onogoro…”
“No… I…” Prince Susanoo muttered, dumbfounded at the sudden change of pace
“Sophia please contact the Crown Princess of their kingdom immediately! The Kingdom of Onogoro owes us an explanation!” Chronos shot his dimensium dagger toward Ken’s Comms Watch, taking his hand along with it upon its destruction.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Crown Princess Omikami’s 3D hologram soon shimmered to life in view of the wave of live audiences and increasing numbers of reporting drones. Where the reveal of an SPRG star’s identity warranted the attention of certain media outlets, the events that transpired have completely escalated to headline news in all of Tertius.
“Greetings Princess Sophia and Prince Chronos, do excuse my foolhardy baby brother I will be sure to properly educate him, do not misunderstand, the Astral Empire and our kingdom have always been close allies, do not let the recklessness of a concubine’s son ruin our century long partnership…”
Princess Omikami spoke gracefully as her traditional kimono rustled softly, the fabric rippling like waves on the surface of a pond. The intricate patterns and vibrant colors of her kimono testament to the ancient artistry of the Kingdom of Onogoro, bringing her holographic image to life in a way that was both breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
“I will ensure Susanoo and his cronies fork out the 500 million aeons, and as a sign of good faith, the Yamamoto Group will no longer exist, their businesses and property in our kingdom will also be gifted to the prince personally…”
“Lastly, to make up for my baby brother’s insolence, the Kingdom of Onogoro will open our doors to any personal business ventures Prince Chronos may have in future,”
Princess Omikami exuded a palpable sense of authority as she spoke but Chronos noticed the surprise and acknowledgement that flickered in her eyes.
Chronos seemingly took a moment to consider, before nodding and replying with a smile,
“We accept your gesture of goodwill, at least the true heir of the Onogoro’s throne values the millions of innocent lives that would have been lost at the expense of a rogue member of the royal family…”
Sophia’s eyes widened for a second, dumbstruck yet proud by the shamelessness of her little brother.
“Rogue indeed, do not worry, I will make sure Susanoo and his cronies do not ever step into the Empire of Astral from this day forth…”
Princess Omikami let out a profound smile, nodding in satisfaction at the conclusion of their chemistry. Just as she was about to end the conversation, Chronos spoke up once again,
“In order to celebrate the strengthening of the relationships between our territories I will donate a significant part of Susanoo’s penance to setting up and funding orphanages across both our lands.”
“All shall praise the benevolence of the Astralian Royal Family and Crown Princess Omikami Mikoto, the one true heir of the Kingdom of Onogoro!”
Princess Omikami veiled her shock well but Chronos noticed that she was taken aback. They both knew what philanthropy from a foreign power could entail but Omikami was shoved onto a pedestal and could not deny it. Was she going to say no to orphanages in front of the entire Tertius? What would her people think of her?
‘This brat really pulled one under me, hopefully this was just the adrenaline talking or he is a much scarier existence than he lets on…’
Princess Omikami looked deeply at Chronos and glanced at Sophia briefly before gracefully announcing,
“ Let’s look forward to the budding relationship of our two kingdoms…”
And in a flash, her hologram dissipated.
The crowd burst out into a deafening symphony of applause and cheers. This was the first time that the Astralian Prince had shown himself in public and his debut did not disappoint. The cheers of the crowd grew louder, the energy of the moment pulsing through the air like an electric current. There was a sense of pride and hope that permeated the crowd, a feeling of excitement for what was to come now that they had a new leader to guide them into the future.
“ Is this our Empire’s new prince? He is amazing!”
" I know, right? He looked so regal and confident up there on stage."
" I feel like we're in good hands with him leading us forward. He's going to make a great king one day."
“ Did you see how he subdued the fake prince and forced his admission? He’s so cool!”
“ The first thing he thought of was to bless the people with orphanages! He’s fierce but kind!”
Chronos took a moment to embellish the frenzy of applause and thunderous display of support, three years had past but he still remembered clearly the life of poverty and darkness of his PBS. He took a deep breath and raised his hand, amidst the quickly quieting crowd Chronos said,
“Let’s not forget why we are gathered here today…”
“If it’s a [ Prince ] you want, it is a Prince you shall get! “
Chronos tapped his Comms Watch and his social media profile once again materialized, this time however, the mask on [ Prince ] had been removed, revealing his own handsome 10-year old face.
ROAR!!!
The cheers of the crowd filled the air once again, a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the capital. [ Prince ] was actually their prince??? Frantic high pitched screams of fangirls and the enthusiastic roars of male fans, including TaoTie, reverberated throughout the Empire.
“MARRY ME PRINCE!!!”
“AHH I LOVE YOU!!”
“BE MY MASTER!”
The comment sections of the live streams were buzzing with excitement and disbelief. Chronos’s initial 60 million follower count skyrocketed at an unprecedented rate.
Chronos waited patiently for the commotion to settle, albeit only very slightly, before once again speaking into the microphone,
“ As you all have heard, I will be taking over the assets of the Yamamoto Group who have been planning to harm our Empire from the shadows…”
“ As such, I would like to proudly announce the setting up of the first of my personal companies Prince Media Group and Prince Philanthropy!”
“ If anyone has the expertise or diligence to play a part in taking a step forward in making the Empire of Astral and the whole of Tertius a better place, I invite you to join my cause! Stay-tuned to the details on [ Prince ]’s Metaverse social media page!”
“And with that I thank each and everyone of you for your support! Blessing be with you!”
Chronos ended his speech with a light bow, grabbed Sophia’s hand and strutted into the Royal Chariot on standby. The cheers of the crowd continued to echo insistently even as his silhouette disappeared into the vehicle.
“PRINCE!! PRINCE!! PRINCE!!!”