[Avrorrange]

Originally Posted by Kioras

Not much different then what happened historically. Just read up on the Hasburgs.

Not as crazy.Marriage between parent or sibling was a no go.

Spoiler for More Volume 3 spoilers:

As I've mentioned, the second prince proposed to Altina.When the Second Prince proposed to Altina, he 'apologised' doing all the horrible things to her and said that if she married him, they can change the empire together. Altina flat out tells him that insincere and told him that she won't marry him unless he promised before the emperor and all the other nobles that he wouldn't wage another war. She also tells him that he's most probably trying to use him and that she'd be left powerless once she is no longer useful to him. The Second Prince, while realising that the corruption and extravagance of the nobles might bring the empire to ruin, refuses to promise that because he believes that the empire's economy is sustained on war and that stopping wars would bring massive unemployment. Altina attacks the Second Prince but her brother ends up winning the duel. Regis interrupts the fight and the Second Prince lets them go, even though he could have complained before their father and have Altina locked up for attacking him.The Second Prince recognized the ability of Regis and tried to recruit him over to his side. When Regis rejected his offer, the Second Prince promoted Regis two ranks above his previous one anyway.

The 'First Prince' is actually the fifth princess,who was also the first prince's full sister. Half a year before the events of vol 3, the First Prince was poisoned by the Secod Prince and became comatose ever since.Not willing to let the Second Prince win the throne, the Emperor's second wife(the mother of the First Prince and the Fifth Princess) ordered her daughter(who was physically similar to her older brother) to assume the place of her older brother.The First prince's position was originally weak,even though he's the oldest child because he's sickly and doesn't show up often. Because his sister assumed his position, 'he' was suddenly healthy and was able to fulfill a wide range of government positions competently. This caused nobles who were previously neutral in the succession to suddenly throw their support behind 'him'. Due to the fifth princess being raised separately from her other siblings however, her mannerism and behaviour easily allowed her true identity to be recognized by the Second Prince, who planned to expose her to the emperor during a banquet where the emperor and his most important nobles attend. Regis also recognized this eventually and deduced that the Second Prince also knows because the First Prince's maternal grandfather,who was one of the most important nobles of the empire didn't attend the banquet even though he's invited. Adding to his suspicion was the fact that the older brothers of the Second Prince's strategist,who were the commanders of the second army, was under orders to deploy in the area around the Duke's domain despite also being invited to the banquet and that there wasn't any incidents in that area which requires military intervention.Regis quickly deduced that the Second Prince intends to cut off the Fifth Princess from all support by besieging her maternal family's lands while he proceeds to expose her true identity.To preempt the Second Prince's plan, Regis flat out told the Fifth Princess regarding who she is and that the only way she can gain revenge on the Second Princess was through cooperation with Altina. On the day of the banquet, the Fifth Prince,assuming the identity of her older brother, renounced the First Prince's succession rights in favour of Altina. This through the Second Prince's plan into total disarray with Altina taking over the First Prince's supporters.When the Second Prince and his strategist regained their composure after the banquet, he attempts to arrest Altina and the Fifth Princess to try and expose the Fifth Princess as an imposter to her full brother in order to nullify the First Prince's transfer of his succession right to Altina. Altina and co. fled.His army fails to carry out their mission utterly because Regis anticipated the Second Prince will try to resolve the succession in his favour through force.Regis arranged Jerome to construct a trap beforehand along the escape route and ended up burning the pursuing knights alive.