Once, I believed that the reason everything fell apart was because of myself.
I thought that if I fixed my mistakes, I could return to the starting point.
But in hindsight, wasn’t there something twisted from the beginning?
The crime of betrayal is too heavy to be simply pinned on someone.
Especially for me, the only Duke of the Empire and its firstborn – how hard could it be to accuse me of treason?
The shocking thing is that the Crown Prince succeeded in that attempt beautifully, no matter the circumstances.
I’ve died countless times without escaping the accusations,
and what I’ve realized is that it wasn’t just a spontaneous act.
A meticulous scheme that nullified my preparations,
I finally realized the Crown Prince was out to kill me from the start.
But the nagging question is, why me of all people?
I could understand if it were Adele; killing her seemed justifiable.
Her power as the ruler of the North was so immense that if the Crown Prince aimed to centralize power in the royal family, it made sense to cut off the weeds.
But I was nothing more than a pathetic outcast with no influence.
So why did the Crown Prince target me?
I need to find that out.
Loyalty to those who cannot coexist under the same sky is to thrust a dagger into their heart from the closest distance.
I felt a bit anxious.
I always tried to appear calm, but the thought of meeting the Crown Prince made me a little jittery.
In a way, I was facing a foe, yet from another perspective, I was meeting someone I would have to pledge my loyalty to.
The Princess smiled and nudged me, telling me not to be too nervous while patting my shoulder.
I felt no tension looking at Miragen, but it seems that the name Kaitel puts considerable pressure on me.
But what can I do? Now that I’m here, I have to face it.
The Crown Prince is indeed interested in me, and even if he thought of killing me, he couldn’t help but keep me around.
The residual thoughts of the dead dragon are a variable, but I’m not that easy to kill. At least I’m not weak enough to be taken along that easily.
“You don’t need to be too nervous. If you treat me like usual…though I’d probably dislike it, showing proper etiquette wouldn’t be unwelcome. And besides, you came in response to my call, right?”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Let’s go with that. Anyway, once we’re done talking, will you be leaving right away? If you want, you could spend some time with me.”
“I’ll think about it.”
At that, Miragen frowned and pouted, saying that it was unfair.
I couldn’t laugh at that reaction. My head was a mess.
What should I begin with? Could I manage my expression in front of the Crown Prince?
After pondering that for a moment, I slowly took a step forward.
Once I crossed through the door, I felt a sense of relief, and my expression softened.
Kaitel, that name was connected to many misfortunes for me.
I don’t know how I’ll remember this step I’m taking now,
but when I step out of this door again, I must become a close aide to the Crown Prince.
Of course, the chances of becoming an aide right away are nearly zero, but it’s always important to plant the seeds.
So that I can become someone important to him, that Robert Taylor can never be cast aside by Kaitel.
It should be impossible to become a number.
I exhaled softly and moved forward.
His room was quite different from other places.
A cold and serious atmosphere settled in,
It wasn’t as suffocating as my father’s office, but a strange tension lingered.
The mood felt as if someone’s head could be taken any moment, so I closed my eyes and opened them to find a man sitting in front of me.
Sweeping aside hair as dark as the Crown Princess, his indifferent golden eyes directed toward me.
As I froze for a moment at the fleeting gaze, Kaitel soon smiled and rose from his seat.
“Ah, Lord Robert, is it? Nice to meet you. I hope I’m not bothering you at such a late hour.”
“It’s alright. If you call, I should come immediately, right?”
“I like your attitude. Taylor is a good guy, but he’s a bit hard to deal with. I’m quite relieved you aren’t like that.”
This is what the Crown Prince was like.
He appeared soft and kind on the outside, but inside he hid something like a coiled snake.
What exactly was he hiding behind that gentle expression?
Anyone who didn’t know him would not realize he had given orders close to a massacre several times.
With a slight smile, Kaitel tilted his head at my silence, and then laughed as he offered me a seat.
“Speaking of which, I didn’t even tell you to sit. My apologies, let’s talk after you take your seat.”
As I sat down, I felt the gaze that was staring at me intently.
As if he was inspecting something, that gaze clearly contained an observation of me.
I had no idea what he was curious about.
Given the current circumstances, it was clear he intended to kill me, or perhaps he was trying to probe my inner thoughts.
However, from Kaitel’s perspective, I was just a prince whose behavior had recently changed.
There wasn’t anything particularly special to find, so for now, I could only be tested.
As a result, my demeanor was quite confident.
The tension I felt earlier had completely vanished, and I merely met Kaitel’s gaze.
A brief silence ensued, and it was Kaitel who spoke first.
“…Actually, I called you here to get to the point. I have many questions for you, but the one I’m most curious about is the source of the map. You know what this map signifies, so where on earth did you get it?”
“I figured it out myself.”
“If you figured it out yourself, you must have used some sort of information source. But I don’t think the circumstances would allow for that. Don’t you know your own position well?”
His tone remained soft, but the implication behind his words was anything but gentle.
His smiling face was like a thorny rose, it seemed he placed great importance on where I got the map.
Of course, I had no reason to answer that.
And there wasn’t a way to find it out either.
This was information that Arwen shared in the last chapter, and no one but me could organize it in this world, no matter how much the Crown Prince struggled.
“I merely organized it personally. As you know, I have a lot of time, and I’ve recently become friendly with the Saintess.”
“…Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice but to accept it. I wanted to repay you personally for this. This information has been a great help. While Miragen simply regards it as information about a Non-Human Race, I think you know that.”
“Well, I don’t know much beyond the location of the Non-Human Race. Is there something I’m unaware of?”
“No, I was just asking once.”
At that, the Crown Prince chuckled and shook his head.
His words flowed so smoothly that it nearly landed him in trouble, but I was merely testing to see if I knew anything about the relics.
If I had just answered that I did know, I wouldn’t be able to leave this place.
As I subtly turned my gaze, I spotted a sword resting in a corner.
Kaitel hesitated for a moment before continuing, tracing the map with his finger.
“The South was one of the richest cities during the Empire’s golden age, often referred to as the second capital. If the City of the Moon is what we have now in Eden, then this is the City of Stars. It’s a tale from long ago.”
“But the Temple of the Moon still remains, doesn’t it? We will reclaim it someday. His Majesty the current Emperor is a wise man, after all.”
“That’s right. If I become Emperor, I plan to restore the South. It’s a widely known ambition, but people believe it’s a bit far-fetched and absurd…”
With his hands tucked behind his back, Kaitel came to a sudden stop, staring into the air.
His soft eyes sparkled with something unusual as a slightly eerie smile crept across his face.
Then, with his gaze landing on me, he spoke again.
“Do you think so too?”
“…I’m not sure yet. There have been many things to consider lately, so I haven’t given it much thought.”
“Ha, if you truly think that, it must be a lie.”
Clomp, clomp.
Kaitel stepped right in front of me, narrowing his eyes.
I contemplated as I met his gaze, which loudly demanded to speak my true thoughts. It was clear he was testing me.
But what answer was he hoping for?
It seemed clear that he wanted to convey his intention of reclaiming the South after becoming Emperor, and he planned to tie that explanation to the relics.
If he started talking about relics, perhaps he had more plans he wanted to share.
In that case, what kind of attitude should I show? Should I submissively surrender?
Suddenly realizing this, my brows furrowed. Was that really necessary?
Rather, if I were to lower my tail first in this situation, wouldn’t it be too submissive for someone of the only Duke family’s Prince?
“What is a lie?”
Thus, I responded with a bit more confidence.
I wanted Kaitel to find me more intriguing and not merely see me as a stroke of luck that landed in his lap.
I wanted him not to think there was anyone superior to me.
“You bring up a map I’ve never heard of and subtly suggest supporting the Imperial Family, and now you claim you want to be the head of the family while being acquainted with Adele from the North and friendly with the Saint. Can you truly say you have no interest in my affairs?”
“……”
“Casting a line to the Imperial Family wasn’t aimed at Miragen. Prince, wasn’t it actually me who needed your support? I hold the practical power, so if you wish to acquire Taylor, then my strength is what you really need.”
Kaitel pointed at himself and laughed.
There was certainty in that smile.
It was fortunate that he believed his thoughts were correct.
At the very least, that meant he hadn’t noticed what I had been contemplating.
“…Sigh.”
There was no need to refute even at this point.
I let out a hefty sigh and wore an awkward expression as if to say I couldn’t help it.
Kaitel chuckled softly at my ironic smile, as if he could see through my innermost thoughts.
“It’s hard to hide it when you say it like that. Yes, in fact, I’ve thought that I might need Prince Kaitel’s strength. My current power is still weak. Until now, I’ve been keeping my head down, but to leap forward, I definitely need a solid connection.”
“I’m still weak at the moment. Until now, I’ve been lying low, but to leap forward, I need a solid connection.”
“So, is that what you’ve chosen? But what were you planning to do if I didn’t show any interest?”
“You probably thought there was no other option. However, you didn’t consider that possibility.”
My gaze returned to the map.
Saying I didn’t know about the relics, but failing to even guess, revealed myself as a fool.
I’m not calling Miragen a fool, but if she’s the firstborn of a duke’s family, she should have been able to infer some information.
If I link the South and the Crown Prince,
Isn’t it only natural to think the Crown Prince would show interest in this map?
“Perhaps the locations of the relic and the non-human races are interconnected.”
“…Did you even consider something that was merely a legend? I briefly thought you were clever, but it seems I was mistaken.”
“Are you not convinced it’s just a legend?”
In that moment, I didn’t miss the flicker in her eyes.
What I said was just a guess.
Of course, I knew everything I said, but for the Crown Prince, it must remain a guess.
It would be absurd for me to actually know the exact location of the relic.
Feigning anger, I noticed her glaring eyes, and I smiled softly.
In that moment, the advantageous position was mine, and soon after, the Crown Prince, chuckling, shook his head and replied.
“What made you think there was a relic?”
“As I said before, the South is the city of stars. The reason to reclaim such a place, the peculiar distribution of non-human races concentrated in one stronghold, and the still existing Temple of the Moon. There was plenty to speculate, but I just became certain.”
“I see. Could it be different from the rumors?”
Swoosh—
The Crown Prince drew his sword, swinging it a few times before quietly approaching me.
The silence carried a clear intent to kill. But I did not tremble.
Knowing that this intent was false, I could only wait for his mouth to open.
“I ask, what would you do if I were to kill you here?”
“I would die.”
“…I ask, if I were to pass you without killing you here, what do you think I would command afterward?”
“You would command me to secure the relic in the South.”
The smile on his lips grew more intense, and soon, the sword he was holding was tossed to the floor carelessly.
At the same moment, I knelt down. Swearing loyalty to him, I placed my hand over my heart and bowed my head with closed eyes.
It wasn’t humiliation.
If the day ever came that I would no longer kneel before him, that day would be the day everything ends.
Kaitel spoke, his voice still very soft, just like at the beginning.
“Then, can you secure the relic?”
“If you wish it. I shall do so.”
The moment I declared I would head to the South, the gears that had begun to turn started to lock into place.
Heading to the South with the Saint, the Temple of the Moon linked to the dead dragon, and the relics scattered everywhere.
Kaitel, who had been smiling alone for quite a while, then took my hand and raised me up.
“That was a good answer, Lord Robert. No… I should call you differently.”
With a much kinder smile than when I first saw him, he looked at me that way.
“Lord Taylor, isn’t that right?”
What a delightful answer it was, and I nodded, smiling as well.
This was only the beginning.
The first step towards betrayal to kill him has finally begun to be taken.
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