In spite of his blindness and effective exile, Lord Layton was still a great diplomat. He was an omega and knew he would not be on the throne. He thought that he could simply pick his favorite brother out of the 5 and guide him to victory, and there would be no problems. Layton was actually close. The schemes he pulled off eliminated 2 brothers from serious contention. But things fell apart. His favorite brother did not listen to him about another rival for the throne. He was captured, tortured and killed. It was brutal and there was nothing Layton could do as an omega male. No army would rise for him. He threw his lot in with his brother, so no other allies came to join in. It was all over. After the rival ascended the throne, Layton was punished. Losing his best friend and brother like that was hard. Being betrayed in that way by a sibling was painful. So was the blinding. This was not going to stop a man with a mind like his. He had a royal child. He needed allies in a land that saw him as a crippled foreigner. A truce with Cassandra or Elisa would not work. He was too low.
Just capitulating would give him and Prince Teigan a life of peace and leisure. That was not Layton wanted. He wanted the throne for his son. He went to Lady Tilla. She shot him down. Unlike him, she was more than comfortable to soak in the many perks of royal life. As long as her son was alive and well, she could do anything she wanted on the royal tab. For a minor noblewoman of a family on the edge of ruin, this was a godsend. She did not want to take it for granted. Tilla was not going to get involved in bullshit that would get her or her son in trouble. Her situation echoed Lady Elisa's perfectly. If anything, she would take the easy road and support that massive coalition over him. Needless to say Layton developed scorn for her. He was already a prince. The trials and tribulations of poverty was not something he ever had to face. Even if he did, it would only fuel his drive to be the richest man in the entire country. Reilly did not lack ambition. He did lack drive. He was a live and let live kind of guy. Layton could use it. Anna liked Lord Layton's drive.
Kicking the can down the road was not going to do anything. Reilly was clear with Layton. "I think competition is a nice thing as long as it doesn't go too far. I'm so sorry about what happened to you, but I'm not going to let my kids die for yours. I won't let my kids get killed by Cassandra either. I told Ash and Cedar they should try to be king if they want to. If you and Teigan don't mind playing nice with them, we can work things out." he said. It was his first ally, so he took it. Lord Layton and Prince Teigan were guests at the Idut mansion. Reilly, Ash and Cedar went to their home in the central region as well. The children bonded on a mutual respect for watching and playing sports. Ash and Cedar loved tennis. Teigan liked soccer because Layton kept telling him about it. Their country produced really great soccer players. Elisa's first son was also an athlete. He was a swimmer. Apparently he was very good at it too. There were 10 royal children and it was a faction of 3 against a faction of 6. It was be an uphill fight. Anna loved the idea of a tough challenge though.
