Prologue
THE FIRST STEP.   One could hear a pin drop in the silence of the room after the eldest crown prince's revelations.    "I guess, it is indeed about time..." Jihoon mumbled with a look of dismay on his face.   Minghao nodded in agreement, albeit somewhat resignedly. "It's a wise move at this time. The coronation would show our dedication to being diligent rulers and that we are serious about earning back our people's trust in the royal family, after..."   Despite the words left unspoken, all the crown princes could complete the statement in their minds. The civil war. Yet no one made a move to, not wanting to bring up the horrific memories of when they had seemingly lost their minds and each other, brothers bound by birth not through blood but their shared legacy and duty.   Tapping his finger on the table, Joshua shook his head lightly. "That wasn't the purpose of pushing for the coronation, but you have a good point too, Minghao."   "This coronation that we are planning for - you mean, marriage?" Jun grimaced as he said the word.    The other princes glanced at him in shock, but Joshua nodded with slight surprise in his eyes. Jun was the oldest after Joshua, but his personality had always been on the playful side. It took the eldest by surprise that Jun had noticed what he had left initially unsaid.    "Honestly, it's just a guess that this will help us find out what happened," Joshua spoke, leaning back in his chair. "I looked through the lineage records that the historians turned up, and all the former kings were coronated as soon as they inherited rule. We are the first to have inherited as princes. At the same time, one out of only two Kaelos inheritance laws stipulates that before the coronation ceremony can take place and we are crowned as kings, we have to marry a suitor. I highly doubt this is just coincidence."    "But it's still a guess on your part, isn't it?" Mingyu questioned, wringing his hands.   Joshua hesitated before answering the youngest crown prince. "Yes. Yes, it's a guess. But more than anything, if this will help to prevent the craziness that overcame us in thirsting for power and false vengeance..." He paused, looking down at the table. "I want to keep our people safe from us. I don't want to betray their trust in us to protect them again."   H