Couple of days later, after his majesty death was announced and the Kingdom weeps in tears.
Under the white marble arch ceiling of the Capital grand cathedral, where royal funeral was held. The prince and his cohort of supporter in jet-black garment were taking seats upon the milk-colored marble pews attending the funeral with solemn expression.
In the foremost front rows of pew is where the Prince Gardner, the rightful heir to the throne was sitting, his piercing amethyst eyes was staring at his father's crystal coffin that was situated behind the white wooden podium of the divine with a small smile upon his lip, he felt neither sad nor sorrow for his reign was about to begin after the funeral and the coronation ceremonies were done.
He cancelled all the unnecessary stuff like funeral procession and ancestral worship, and got straight to the funeral prayers and the cremation process, using budgetary problems as an excuse, so that he could spread all his father remains to the great royal white oak tree and be done with these boring stuff, so he could get crowned as early as possible.
But as the funeral was going smoothly, the grand gate of the cathedral's entrances opens to reveal another attending royal guest.
Princess Gloria along with Duke Wulfgang and Marquise Isabella walks right into the funeral ceremony and take a front row seat beside the Prince and his direct subordinates.
"Wow, you really come, heh?" the Prince jest, while his eyes wink at his sister. Well aware of his sister intention to usurp his throne.
"I came to bid his majesty farewell, please stay courteous my dear brother." the Princess responses with a glare of hostility, as she sat down upon the pew beside her brother.
They both then stay silent for a long while, as the royally appointed high priestess of the Divine chanting their father a last holy farewell.
"May the Divine have mercy upon his soul... next, I invite his highness Prince Garder to speak his condolence." The priestess announces then step away from the podium to make way for the prince.
The Prince smile in response as he stood and walks up to the podium, his pristine and flashy garment shining like a north star, drawing in everyone's attention. His face immediately warped into a face of a sad man who just lost his father, he's faking it flawlessly.
"For the last five hundred years, my father reigns through many hardship... pox plague, foreign invasion, city state gone rogue... yet he proceed with grace and mercy, we all still here because of him..." he pause, turned his head toward the coffin as his eyes start to swell with tears "I miss you father..." he sniffle as he cry a river.
All the noble expected, only few could see through his fakeness, mostly the one who ain't exactly human in the first place.
"But we must soldier on, despite the odds! The Kingdom must survive, I swore to the Divine and my ancestors spirit that I'll rule this land with grace and empathy, under my rule the land will prosper once more!" He said with a brilliant sparkling eyes as his voice capture the heart of those in this hall of marble (especially women).
He then slowly walks back to his seat, at the same time that the princess stood up and walks mournfully to the podium and stand in his stead.
She pan her eyes all over all the funeral attendees, her brilliant eyes pierce into their soul as she smack her lips in irritated tone, in that moment is when she decided to gamble with destiny and preemptively lit the fuse of civil war.
She sigh heavily as she turned her head to the crystalline coffin, the room seem to hold its breath as she raise her fair and smooth hand up and points her finger toward her father's corpse.
Today, her plan is to be outrageously rude to draws in attention.
"I mourn his passing, but we can't ignore the truth that my father died leaving kingdom in such an embarrassingly poor state, while foreign lands around us prosper, we suffer through plague, famine and monster raids, our forefather would have grasp in horror, seeing our sad state of affairs..." She spoke in thunderous fiery tone, as if her larynx was magically enhanced, sending the attendees into a slew of gossips about her rudeness.
"...So I asked you my brother, what would you do to solve these problems when you're our king?" She asked, her eyes locked with her brother, as he smug in response.
"I'll solve it with the cooperation of every noble house under my guidance. By the way, why you have to be rude in front of everyone, aren't you the one telling me to be courteous before?" He asked, frown for a bit to express his discontent against her extreme behavior.
"Yes it's sad that's why I have to show everyone this!" She then produce an arcane grimoire that was confiscated from Marquis Scrofa by Victor's forces, she open it wide and raise it high so everyone could see it clearly, inside it were indescribable eldritch runes of jet-black ink that whirling around inside the page like they're alive, clearly magical, "This is the devilish grimoire in possession of Marquis Scrofa le Massif, he used it to summon a literal devil into our lands!!!" she shout furiously.
Attendees gasped in horror and disbelief as Prince's eyes gone wide for a second until it got back to its normal state, his smug smile on the other hand stays stable through the whole ordeal.
"So one of ours noble was a devil worshiping heretic huh? How bad, I would see them cleanse out of our land once I was crowned to honour our ancestor!" He shout in fury, throwing his fist in the air to shows his determination to cleanse the realms.
But in that moment, the Princess hold her breath to amp up her voice in response.
"Bold words to say, since your signs was here along with our royal seal!!!" She speaks as clear as day, while she flips through the pages to show that the Prince's own sign and Royal seal was clearly present in the grimoire.
Everyone in the room goes silent, as this was some heavy accusation to be throwing around.
"Signs? Seal? You could do it and frame me, my dear sister! We know each other handwriting and signs since childhood, and royal seal could just be you stamping it to frame me!" He argues with a confidence of the man who could do no wrong. Then he smile widely as if to ask her for evidence without having to say anything outlound.
"I doesn't have evidence to support the claims nor anything to prove my own innocence..." She pause, glancing around the room with eyes filled to the brim with pure determination before continuing her barrage of words,
"Nobles who still have a sliver of hope for the better tomorrow, join me and get a real problem solver on the throne! Those who remains to fight alongside my brother, you'll see for yourself the weight of your own decision, for you shall know that he's a tyrant through and through!!!" She shout before turn back toward her father's coffin and bow deeply, apologize his soul for her rudeness, before walks down from the podium, not toward her seat, but toward exit.
"Bold words, for a woman who scheming to seize my rightful place while I organize our father funeral... See you on the field, Gloria my beloved sister." He whispered as she passed by.
"Stay well and healthy before our next meeting then, Gardner my beloved brother." She pause for a few seconds to response back with her own whisper, before continue her steady steps toward exit as those who support her get up from their seats and follows her out of the cathedral.
And so the Hyfelt Civil War has officially begun.
Not with a bang nor a whimper, but with a usual sibling squabble in their own father funeral.