El Principe Capitulo 1 -

He called for his secretary, a shrewd priest named Fra Giovanni.

That night, Marco did not sleep. He wrote a list: allies to reward, enemies to crush, walls to rebuild. By dawn, he had learned the first lesson of El Príncipe —all states are either republics or principalities, and his was now a new principality, held by his own virtue and fortune.

And Marco had just become bold enough to keep her. el principe capitulo 1

Here’s a short story inspired by the opening chapter of El Príncipe by Nicolás Machiavelli. In that chapter, Machiavelli discusses how many kinds of principalities there are and how they are acquired—whether hereditary or new.

Marco looked out the window again. Down in the square, his soldiers were drinking the city’s wine and pawing the merchants’ daughters. He called for his secretary, a shrewd priest

But as Marco walked through the empty halls, he felt no triumph—only a gnawing unease.

Marco stood on the balustrade of the highest tower in Urbissi, watching the fires still flickering in the valley below. Two days ago, he had been a condottiero—a hired sword. Tonight, he was prince. By dawn, he had learned the first lesson

“Fear,” Marco whispered. “But not hatred.”

Marco set down his cup. “Then how do I keep it?”

“Tell me,” Marco said, pouring two cups of dark wine. “Is this a hereditary principality or a new one? My uncle ruled forty years, but I am not his son.”