Arthea's Imperial Heirs
The true heir to the Empire is lost. Empress Eliciana, at the time only two years old, succeeded Emperor Victus II (her father) in 1119 after a plague decimated the royal household. Eliciana did not survive her tenth birthday, and by the hand of unscrupulous powers she was assassinated.
The current Prince of Antaurus cannot trace his line back to the Empress Eliciana, none of the modern nobles of Antaurus can do this. It is unlikely that he would want to either - the Ticetian King James is wary of any Imperial claims. There are several others of high birth in Antaurus who would have a stronger claim to the Imperial throne if it were challenged - but none are close enough to the Victus II for these to be upheld.
There is genuine resentment in Antaurus that rule comes from Ticetia. It is only in Antaurus, they say, that the true line of royalty can be found. This resentment is perceived (by Antaurans) to be echoed across the whole of the former Empire. The truth is that most former Imperial citizens have been nurtured under the idea that Royal power is external for them, it has been that way for centuries - they have no true royalty of their own. In many ways one foreign ruler is much like another, some think the further away the better. And others believe that anyone would be better than the incumbent Ticetian monarch.
If handed a straight choice, the people of the former Empire would probably still prefer a ruler with an Imperial crown to a Ticetian one. Or perhaps they prefer neither. It is certain that other Imperial kingdoms do not have the same energy and enthusiasm in a search for an heir as the Antaurans.