Ryan frowned and glanced around, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“You unworthy son!” A voice thundered from outside the door. “You’re being far too hasty!
11
Ryan looked
up in disbelief.
Leopold stood in the doorway, dressed in a nightrobe and flanked by his guards.
My third move hadn’t been disrupted by Ryan’s rebirth at all. ·
People often projected their own experiences onto others–especially someone like Ryan, who had grown cold and heartless.
In his mind, he was sure I would use the Snowfang Pack’s resources to storm the palace and install Alaric in power tonight.
Ryan would never have considered the possibility of a second outcome.
That was because he had also been eagerly awaiting this night–waiting for his moment to seize the throne.
But why should I let him do as he pleased?
From the start, my third move was never about seizing power for myself.
The current Alpha King was an outstanding leader. He commanded the respect of the wolf kingdom and was deeply admired by all wolves. He cared for his people, especially the Bloodveil Pack, who not only respected him but trusted him deeply.
Since I knew Leopold would suddenly fall ill, why shouldn’t I be prepared for it in advance? Ryan’s rebirth had only happened a month ago, so perhaps he wasn’t fully aware of Leopold’s health condition. For the past six months, Leopold had been undergoing thorough health checks, and the number of medications he was taking had increased significantly.
In fact, Leopold’s health was far better than it had been in my previous life.
From the very beginning, my goal was never to directly oppose Leopold. What I wanted was to plant seeds of doubt in his mind about Ryan.
The first move was just that, and so was the second. The third was all about crafting an illusion, making Ryan believe we were backing Alaric–to the point of staging a coup.
If Ryan resorted to extreme measures, combined with the Alpha King’s growing disapproval of him, it would be all too easy to strip him of his position as heir.
After my rebirth, the only thing I had done differently was take him to the Sacred Spring.
If Ryan had paid attention to the changes happening in the palace, he might have noticed some subtle clues. The so–called coup tonight had been staged with Leopold’s help.
Leopold trusted my father. My father warned him that Ryan might have ulterior motives and suggested they test him first.
So, Leopold went along with my father’s plan and followed his lead.
