The Almighty Dominance (by Sunshine) novel Chapter 680

The Prussian succession had been a slaughter dressed as politics for five years.

Twenty princes and one princess fought for the throne, and the only rule that mattered was brutally clear: win the support of five out of eight dukes, and the crown belonged to the winner.

Brothers who had once trained together now hired knives in the dark. Factions formed at dawn and shattered by dusk.

One prince would swear eternal loyalty to another over wine, then send poison before morning.

The royal palace in Königsberg had become a graveyard of ambition.

The first prince and the second prince had each secured two powerful dukes early. Their alliances were the standard everyone measured themselves against.

Then, Sofina changed the game completely, backed by the influential dukes who had chosen to support her.

The first duke to pledge his support was Duke Winter. He stood by Sofina, alongside his daughter Renata Winter—her best friend since childhood and the one who had carried her darkest secrets for years.

Then entered Duke Silberkreuz, the man with Prussia’s entire financial system under his command. He ruled the currents of capital that kept the kingdom alive.

But knowing Sofina was the richest woman in Prussia, he would never dare oppose her. One command from her could shatter his empire.

Next came the third and fourth dukes: Duke von Falkenrath and Duke von Grimwald. In a private, locked chamber, King Wilhelm Augustus had personally asked them to back Sofina. Both men had been loyal friends of the king since their youth.

The lines had been drawn in blood and ink. Sofina held four dukes.

The first prince held two. The second prince held the last two. Everyone who mattered understood the arithmetic. One more vote and the throne was hers. The Book had already written it.

Six months ago, in a cold antechamber far from the king’s wing, four men sat around table.

Two wore the colors of the first prince. Two carried the crest of the second. Their guards waited outside every door. The wine in the golden cups remained untouched.

No one spoke for a long moment.

Duke Christoph Duke Dornwald spoke first. “If even one of us breaks ranks and supports Sofina, the three who remain will watch their power disappear. The princes we backed will fall. Our investments will be seized. Our houses will be left exposed to whatever retribution the new queen chooses to deliver.”

Duke Eisenwall’s jaw tightened for a moment before he replied with a mocking smile. “So what are you really saying? Are you afraid you’ll lose control of your military power? How pathetic.”

Duke Dornwald’s gaze stayed flat. “Don’t insult me by pretending I don’t know what you want, Eisenwall. You intend to put Ragnar in her bed.”

Eisenwall gave a short, bitter laugh. “And why shouldn’t I? Your faction tried to assassinate her husband. Some claim your blade delivered the final blow. Sofina loathes you for it. Even if you knelt before her and offered your full support, she would never take your hand.”

“When she ascends the throne as queen, you will be the first in line for the guillotine.”

Duke Dunkel’s palm struck the table hard enough to make the candle jump. The sound cracked through the room like a breaking bone. “I did not come here to listen to the two of you settle old scores. You said this was urgent. If you have nothing worth my time, I am leaving.”

“Stay, Dunkel,” Duke Dornwald said without raising his voice. “You poured more money into the second prince than any of us. If he never wears the crown—and every sign says he will not—you lose every coin you gave him. I can show you a way to keep those profits alive.”

Dunkel’s eyes narrowed. “You’re telling me you have a path that protects my investment?”

“That is why I called you here,” Duke Dornwald answered. “If Sofina takes the throne, we make certain our power does not vanish with her victory. We throw our full weight behind Duke Eisenwall and force the marriage between Sofina and his son Ragnar. When she becomes queen, her consort will be Eisenwall’s blood. Our interests will sit on the throne beside her.”

Duke Hohenberg turned to Eisenwall across the table. “If we back your son’s marriage to Sofina, can you guarantee he will continue supporting the rest of us once he sits beside her?”

Eisenwall had not expected the conversation to turn in his favor so cleanly. His own son was suddenly the pivot on which everything turned.

“Of course Ragnar will listen to the three of you,” Eisenwall said. “But we all know the truth. Sofina despises him. He has tried more than once to win her hand and she has refused every time.”

Duke Dornwald’s face tightened into a thin sneer. “I will make certain Ragnar marries her. In return, you will ensure your son stands with us the moment he shares the throne.”

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