Free Coronation: A Kid Sensation Novel (Kid Sensation #5) by Kevin Hardman

obtain adequate backing.”
    “And that’s where we come in. We’re powerbrokers.”
    “Yes, and very successful ones, I might add. In the past ten millennia, no royal has ascended the throne without our support. At present, only the queen rivals us in terms of influence.”
    “So basically, becoming king isn’t going to do that much more for our family’s fortunes, because we’re already at or near the apex in that regard.”
    She nodded. “More to the point, it is a position that comes with infinitely more headaches and constant pressure. For instance, with an empire the size of Caeles’, there’s always an emergency somewhere, so – on practically a daily basis – you are forced to deal with crisis after crisis…sometimes several simultaneously.”
    It sounded like a pretty stressful day job, but I kept that opinion to myself. “Well, why doesn’t he just decline if he’s selected? From what you’ve told me, it’s not like he needs the money.”
    “Believe me, he’d like to, but he may not have much choice. All of the other likely candidates are either complete idiots or ambitious, despots-in-waiting. So it’s either step forward, or see the empire make a hideous turn for the worse.”
    “In that case, maybe it’s an opportunity to make some useful changes and positive reforms, like clearing all the deadwood out of the Mectun and the MiPluri.”
    “He’s already been doing that. It was at his insistence, and with his support, that the queen began her campaign of removing authority from those Mectun ill-suited to have it. In fact, it is well-known that my father is likely to raise the stakes by making positions in the Mectun merit-based rather than hereditary.”
    I raised an eyebrow at this. “That’s a rather bold agenda. His popularity in the polls is likely to take a nosedive after that.”
    “It’s already taking a toll. For quite a few royals, being part of the Mectun is the bedrock of their influence, particularly among allies and associates. They’re vehemently opposed to any changes to the current status quo. Ergo, they’re not standing idly by, waiting to see if my father will actually shred their power base should he gain the throne. They’re taking action now.”
    “What type of action?”
    “They’ve proposed a new law, which would prevent anyone with less than fifty percent Caelesian blood from holding any position of authority – including hereditary positions – in the empire.”
    I blinked, astonished, as I tried to process what this meant. “So, what you’re saying is that someone like me would be prevented from inheriting anything under this new mandate.”
    “At the moment, you are the only royal who is less than one-half Caelesian, so this proposal isn’t just in reference to someone
like
you. It is aimed specifically
at
you.”
    “What about my mother?”
    “Because the Fleodin are believed to have originated from the homeworld, I am genetically considered to be one hundred percent Caelesian. That means your mother would meet the fifty-percent threshold. You, on the other hand, would not. That makes it blatantly clear that you are the target in this instance.”
    “But why? Up until about two weeks ago, I knew almost nothing about Caeles – aside from the fact that you were from there and it was your homeworld. Why try to strip me of an inheritance I didn’t know or care about?”
    “First, I should state that you would still be able to inherit wealth, as well as some family titles; it is the hereditary
positions
, among other things, that would be forbidden to you under the proposed statute. Second, this was less about you and more about controlling my father.”
    “How so?”
    “In essence, he’s been given a choice. If he agrees to discard all plans of making the Mectun a meritocracy, a vote on the new proposal will be held in abeyance. If he refuses, his adversaries will make it law, effective immediately.”
    “Great,” I said sarcastically.