((Private - zenphoenix))
"I doubt my death would accomplish such a thing," Ferran said, still in doubt. "There is still my brother and our son in his way, although I have not heard from Jaume in quite some time."
The Crown Prince's eyes widened as he realized what he had left slip. He nervously glanced towards the door before continuing to speak in a hushed whisper. "Please don't tell anyone I said that. Joan would not be happy if anyone found out the truth."
Now that he let that little fact slip, he knew he had no choice but to speak the truth, otherwise his wife would persist and potentially cause trouble. He didn't want to earn Joan's ire in the process. He let out a deep sigh and prepared to unveil the truth.
"My father is not in a coma," Ferran said, feeling a deep weight lift off of him with those words. "Joan told me the Emperor woke up from his coma a few months after the attempt on his life, but he was not the same man we remembered. I did not believe him at first, but then he took me to see him."
Ferran took a moment to regain his composure. The encounter with his father flooded back to him and he struggled not to cry. "My father is alive, but he is not the father I remember. He is not aware of the world around him. When Joan took me to him, he did not recognize me and had no recollection of any of our moments together. Joan suspects that bullet to the head did something to him, leaving him a bumbling idiot with no memories."
"You must understand, I did not know the truth of my father's condition until a few days ago. Joan has been keeping it a secret for years. He says it was best that everyone think the Emperor is still in a coma, for if they knew the truth my father would become the laughing stock of Europe, an old man with the mind of an infant. Part of me wanted to tell the truth, and that was what I was going to do when addressing that crowd, but the more I think about it, the more I agree with Joan. Perhaps it is better everyone thinks my father slumbers in a coma. Either way, he is unfit to rule. Nothing changes. Better that then everyone see him in the actual condition he is in."
((Something like that. Had to come up with something since everyone kept pointing out how fishy a decade-long coma is.
))
((Private))
Maria Luisa's eyes widened in shock as Ferran told her the truth. "It is even worse than we expected," she said, "The Emperor is alive but oblivious?"
Ferran nodded. "Yes, sadly."
"What a horrible fate!" she exclaimed. "To forget himself, to forget his family!"
She held back some tears. "Now I know why you kept that from the public. He would be a laughingstock. He would destabilize the Empire beyond saving. Holding back the truth did prevent that from happening, but it allowed other unfortunate events to happen."
She composed herself again. "This is Joan's greatest opportunity. He can use this fact to stay in power for years to come, and nobody would be able to tell the truth out of fear of causing humiliation and panic."
"So what do you suggest we do, then?" said Ferran.
"Joan must go," said Maria Luisa, "He's breaking the law right now."
"He most certainly is not," said Ferran, "The Emperor is incapable of carrying out his duties, therefore a regent is necessary."
"But look what Joan's done!" said Maria Luisa. "Destroying the Parliament, abolishing the Assembly, purging the Cortz, cancelling elections...he's slowly removing any challenge to his authority. He intends to rule with an iron fist, undo everything we've done for the last few decades. And should you, Jaume, and the Emperor all suddenly die, he would be in a position to declare himself emperor. It is well within his power to do so."
"But the crown will pass to our son," said Ferran.
"Even if that happens, he'll still be regent for our son," said Maria Luisa, "Ensuring he remains in power for years to come."
"But removing him now would be disastrous," said Ferran, "He's the only person holding the Empire together. If we remove him, everything could fall apart."
"It's either that or Joan consolidates power even more, and we risk open revolution when the people cannot take it anymore, in which case everything still falls apart," said Maria Luisa, "Joan must go, and we must restore the Parliament and the institutions he dismantled to maintain order."
"But I can't tell them the Emperor has lost his mind!" said Ferran. "That's going to be even worse!"
"There is another way," said Maria Luisa, "Get the Emperor to sign an abdication order. Tell the people he has recovered--not mentioning his condition--and is abdicating in your favor. Joan will have no choice but to step down immediately. A crisis will be averted, and then you can restore order."