At last his eyes were opened to the dangers, but it was too late to find a remedy. The King suffering from dropsy, was sinking rapidly. As he could now no longer hide the approach of Death; he nominated Monpit as his successor. His friends and relations filled all the important offices, and troops had been raised to support his candidature. Faulcon, ever devoted to the interests of his master, acted on his behalf, but Pitracha condemned his action in no measured terms. He proclaimed that it was his determination to place the crown on the head of the King's brother whom he would set up as an imposing phantom so as in reality to secure the power for himself. Pitracha was the wire-puller of this macheviellian policy and to attract the Princes to the court, pretended that the King their brother wished to nominate one of them as his successor. They hesitated for a long time before yielding to his pressing solicitations. The youngest, braver or perhaps more ambitious than the rest, presented himself at the court with the Princess whom he had just married. They were given a magnificent reception. All the nobles hastened to render homage, but Monpit and Faulcon alone held aloof. The eldest of the Princes on his arrival shortly afterwards, refused to receive either Monpit or Faulcon when they asked for an audience. As soon as the regent had all those who might cross his path in his power, he resolved to wait patiently for the death of the King and then to be proclaimed as his successor. But having been informed by his spies that an armed force, was advancing to support the claims of Monpit, he resolved to hasten the consummation of his crimes. Monpit, who for several days had been watching by the bedside of the dying King; was called out of the room and stabbed to death by the emissaries of Pitracha, regardless of the outcries of the King who implored them to spare his son. At last, Faulcon who had been lulled to a sense of false security, realised the condition of affairs. He could only cure the evil, by striking at the root, namely by arresting Pitracha, and thus secure the loyalty of the disaffected; but he was powerless, as he himself was surrounded by enemies in a court where Royal favour and the fact of his being a foreigner had drawn upon him the hatred of all. There was only one resource left, and that was the assistance of the French soldiery. He instructed them to assemble under arms at Louvo and told them that their presence was necessary to the mutual interests of the allied monarchs. The rapidity with which Des Farges took action showed that he was ready to do everything for the benefactor of his nation.