Einar poured himself a cup of tea as if what he had just said was the most normal thing in the world, and he hadn't just talked about killing his family.
Meeka couldn't hide his shock, he still had to process Einar's words. He ruffled his short, wavy hair, a gesture which earned him a mocking smile from Einar.
"Don't look so stressed, Meeka, it's just normal business. It's actually crazy you've lived in the palace since you were born, and yet such simple stuff gets you so burdened."
Meeka tried to give his brother an icy look. He didn't know if he succeeded because Einar didn't stop rambling on.
"Look, I don't ask you to assassinate anyone yourself. I only need someone to help me. You don't have to do more, okay. It's not that bad."
Meeka shook his head. Damn it, this can't be, he cursed in his head. For so long, I've managed to lay low and avoid political intrigues. Only to be used as a scapegoat by my older brother.
Because that was the real reason why Einar approached him. Not for him to support his brother- Meeka didn't believe for one second those promises of Einar were true. His brother merely needed someone who could take the blame for him.
Someone who would be stupid enough not to see through this plan. Meeka tried not to feel insulted that his brother had judged him so naively.
What did I expect? I've stayed out of political affairs for pretty much all my life. Naturally, people will assume I don't know anything about it. Meeka knew that in their belief in his ignorance lay his power. After all, it was always better when someone underestimated you.
But still, the whole ordeal bothered him greatly. A tight knot had already formed in his chest, signaling Meeka his own discomfort with the situation.
He could somehow understand why Arian's unborn child was a tempting option for Einar. His wife was relatively new, and she hadn't garnered much support at court. She was still somehow an outsider. On top of that, her husband had just lost a significant amount of power, which significantly reduced the likelihood of a possible murder case being properly analyzed.
It was unfair, but the bitter reality. If you don't have any supporters, no one will ask for your justice, Meeka thought bitterly, as he knew his position in court had great similarities with Emilia's. All the crimes committed against you will be swept under the table.
It was the cold truth, and Meeka understood the rational thought behind Einar's intention.
But wanting to kill Arian, as well, was clearly a step too far. Besides, Meeka didn't understand why his brother hadn't done so already.
After a short moment of hesitation, Meeka decided to ask Einar about it directly.
"If you really want to get rid of Arian, why didn't you do it sooner? I understand, father and the guards were a hindrance, and the capital would've been too crowded for an assassination- too many possible witnesses and so on. But why let him arrive in the academy in the first place? By now, Arian should've already spent a few weeks there. I mean, we haven't gotten any updates from him so far, but maybe he's actually doing a good job. After all, it's Arian, you know he's ambiguous and won't give up the throne so easily. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has plans to return to court. Heck, maybe he's building a new political faction in the desert, I mean, no one really knows, right?"
"Exactly, no one really knows," for the first time in their discussion today, Einar's voice didn't sound amused. Instead, it had turned bitter, if not angry. "That's why we have to act now and kill him. Or rather, try again. We've already tried...sent a dragon to attack his carriage on the way. It didn't succeed."
The vagueness with which Einar spoke made Meeka listen up. Without realizing it, he sat up straighter and stopped ruffling his hair. Suddenly, he appeared like a proper prince (as long as one ignored his uncovered face).
"Wait, what- you've already tried? What dragon attacked the carriage? Where did you get it? Or did it even attack Arian's party in the first place? I mean, how can you be sure about it? We haven't heard anything about Arian since his departure, so... for all we know, you just might have succeeded, right?" he asked quickly and sharply.
Einar, taken aback by Meeka's sudden interest, stuttered a few meaningless words, but then stopped. It seemed like he didn't have the correct answer. After a moment of silence, he spat out an angry "That's not your problem, boy!"
Meeka instinctively bowed his head. "I'm sorry, brother. I overstepped my line."
In his head, however, Meeka noted his brother's unwillingness to share the whole information with him. How interesting, he really only needs me as a scapegoat. I'm not seen as his equal accomplice.
Which in turn made Meeka even more hesitant to help his brother. But he also didn't know how to say no. Einar had a lot of power in court. He had more powerful allies than Meeka could ever dream of.
A man with so much power was hard to deny. And if you did, you had to expect consequences. By the mere thought of consequences, Meeka shuddered. He knew his brother could be quite violent if he wanted to be.
So it all seemed like an unescapable situation to Meeka.
How do I get out of this mess while keeping my head on my neck?
While Meeka pondered this existential question, Einar shoved another cake down his mouth...
...and then another.
Each bite seemed to calm his nerves, because when he spoke again, he almost seemed relaxed.
"Let me deal with Arian, since it's the trickier part. I can handle that. You, on the other hand, have to take over Emilia."
So much on 'only helping you', huh? Meeka did his best not to show his contempt on his face.
Instead, he tried begging.
"Please, brother, I-I can't... my conscience. No, I will not take part in this. Einar, I know you want the throne. But please, you have to understand, I can't just kill my family."
Meeka tried his best imitation of pubby eyes, and to his surprise, it seemed to work.
"Look, I don't want Emilia dead, either," Einar sounded softer than before. "But she's the wife of Arian. Either we kill her and the child, or we only kill the child. And I am merciful enough to do the letter even though the first one might be easier, after all, if you kill her, you kill the child too."
Einar sighed. "Giving her something so she loses the baby is the better method. But for that, we need her to consume "the something" that will make her lose her baby."
"And here you come in. Giving a medication to the servants is basically suicide, because even if they seem loyal to Princess Emilia, in the end, they're always loyal to our father."
Meeka hated it, but he understood Einar's point. Even though the killing of family members was part of their tradition in order to choose the best candidate for the throne, in-laws should be left out or, at the very least, not be killed directly.
And in here lay the problem. Except for the servants, there were no other people who could meet the princess directly. Especially in such a critical stage where she was pregnant, she would choose her visitors with utmost care. Only a royal prince would be important enough to get a personal audience alone with only her.
Who would be better for winning her trust than a prince who, despite staying in the palace for all his lifetime, had never formed a political faction or had chosen a side? Who should she trust, if not him? Especially since he and Arian had been good friends when they were little.
Einar immediately confirmed Meeka's suspicion.
"It's easy, really. Get close to her, talk to her, until she trusts you. Maybe go to a picnic or something like that with her. And then you can give her the poison."
Meeka's shoulders sank in resignation.
"Why me, though?", he asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. A baby was a gift from the gods, after all, and one couldn't simply go against the wish of gods.
Einar shrugged his shoulders while sipping his tea. "Because you're the only one who hasn't chosen a side and hasn't formed his own political faction. So now, it's finally the time."
"But I don't want to choose a side!" Meeka didn't care that his protests made him sound like a little child. He had the reputation of being naive to begin with. If his beard didn't help to make him appear more adult, his childish remarks won't tarnish his non-existent reputation.
Again, he looked at Einar pleadingly, but this time, his brother remained stoic.
"You have to pick a side, Meeka, or you will be the first to die. The war will come, no matter what you do. By helping me, you have my support, I will protect you. But as I said, in turn, you have to help me."
Meeka sighed. A thousand thoughts swirled around in his head, thousand contradictions occurred to him. He cared about the lives of his family greatly, but ultimately, his own life was the dearest to him.
In the end, he nodded slightly.
Einar boomed with joy, but Meeka didn't care. He felt sick.
He said his meager goodbyes and then stormed out. He didn't care if it looked like he was fleeing. After all, that was exactly what he did.