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TN: Well, I don't know about others but Delzion, I don't know what to feel about him. It feels like his loyalty is suspicious... Comment down what you think!
“Yes, I was chased away by him forcefully.” Ardion looked at his pocket watch. His face stiffened, and he seemed impatient as he fidgeted with his foot.
“I haven’t heard anything like this even among the nobility…” Duchess Heverun still appeared to be in shock over Rowell’s duplicity, shaking her head in disbelief.
Ardion, though feeling anxious, thought of Laila. If it were her, she would have calmly spoken the truth, even in this situation.
Thinking of Laila, he opened his mouth. “Rowell also ordered the fire at the Duke Orchid mansion. Duke Delrit is now shouldering all the blame after covering for him.”
“Why didn’t we know about this before?”
“Because Rowell covered it up thoroughly. I’m sure half of the nobles in the House of Nobles are on his side.”
Duchess Heverun, looking serious, furrowed her brows. “Why would Rowell go this far? He’s already the crown prince, and once His Majesty passes away, he’ll naturally become the emperor.”
“It’s because of me,” Ardion replied with a slight smile.
Duchess Heverun narrowed her eyes and stared at him.
With a subtle smile, he continued, “Given that I’m a prince and have the blessing of mana, he’s afraid I might defeat him and claim the throne myself.”
“Your Highness…?”
“But I never cared for the throne from the beginning,” Ardion said.
Duchess Heverun’s mind was in turmoil. Rowell had already committed many sins. A man like that wouldn’t remain quiet if he ascended to the throne. And even now, the nobles aligned with him were already trying to control the imperial family's speech by bringing up her wealth.
Duchess Heverun looked at Ardion. Although he appeared calm, there was a faint glow of mana surrounding his arm. Compared to Rowell, who had no power, wasn’t Ardion, blessed by mana, more suited to be emperor?
Moreover, he had returned after accomplishing great things on the frontier. Although his past crimes and subsequent flight had led to some bad rumors, at least now, Ardion appeared to be better suited than Rowell.
She took a deep breath, looked at Ardion, and asked, “So, what now?”
Ardion glanced at Duchess Heverun, then turned his gaze to his arm. The mana light softly surrounded him. She sighed in admiration. The aura radiating from him, mingled with the mana light, was so beautiful that it felt untouchable.
And Ardion’s appearance was as striking as his beautiful mana. His neatly styled black hair, masculine eyebrows, sharp gaze beneath his perfectly sculpted forehead, and calm and composed green eyes—everything added a special air to his handsome face.
After a moment, Ardion raised his head. Duchess Heverun stared at him in surprise and gave an awkward smile.
Ardion said, “Right now… since nothing is working out as a prince, I want to have the status of the emperor.”
His smile was proper, but his gaze was so hardened that it almost looked twisted.
Duchess Heverun blinked before calmly exhaling and replying, “Then I’ll help you. After all, I learned a good cookie recipe from the princess.”
“…” Ardion remained silent, his face still hard. “The princess taught you a recipe?”
“Didn’t you know? I told her I love chocolate chip cookies, and she suggested using almond flour. It turns out pretty delicious.”
“Even so, I don’t understand. Why does teaching you a recipe mean you’ll help me?”
Duchess Heverun smiled. “More than anything, I like the princess. I remember how casually she caught insects for me, and I’d love to see that confident side of her again.”
Ardion’s face still didn’t look pleased. He watched Duchess Heverun for a moment, then slowly spoke. “So, what is it that you want from me?”
“I want you, as a prince, to join forces with the princess and remove Rowell.” Duchess Heverun calmly gazed at him.
He tilted his head. “Weren’t you originally on Rowell’s side?”
“That’s true. But don’t you know I stopped Rowell from marrying?”
“…”
“More than anything, I hate two-faced people. I can’t stand liars. The fact that Rowell, whom I’ve always known, has turned into the kind of person I despise the most is terrifying.”
Ardion stared at her with an impassive expression. When she raised an eyebrow and gestured with her eyes, he smiled. “I can’t fully trust what you’re saying.”
“Why not?”
“You’re the most two-faced person here, aren’t you? You’ve been on Rowell’s side all this time, and now, you suddenly want to get rid of him.”
“I think I explained why earlier.”
“But I believe people don’t change easily. You’re just doing this because you think it’ll benefit you to be on my side. Am I wrong?”
“So, does that mean you don’t need my help?”
“No. At this point, I’m desperate enough not to turn you down.”
“You don’t look desperate at all.”
“Should I kneel, then, Duchess?”
Duchess Heverun laughed. “Your Highness, you know me better than I thought. You probably thought it was strange that I came here all of a sudden. But one thing is clear, I hate people like Rowell. I want you to know that.”
Ardion nodded.
Duchess Heverun stood up. “I’ll take care of the social circles and rumors. Your Highness, please get the princess out safely. And above all, think about completely eliminating Rowell from the empire.”
She bowed her head slightly and left the reception room. Then she suddenly turned around. “Now that I think about it, why did you marry the princess when you don’t trust people so much?”
“…”
“Oh, does the princess whisper a lot of sweet nothings to you? Or is it the other way around?”
Ardion’s face hardened as he answered harshly, “I won’t see you off, Duchess.”
“Yes, I don’t necessarily want to be escorted by Your Highness either.” Duchess Heverun turned around gracefully and left the reception room.
Ardion looked down at his arm. More mana light was leaking out than before. He clenched his fist. Then tendons appeared on his strong arm, and the mana light completely entered it.
He thought that it was like Laila running away from him. Damn it.
He still remembered how she had yelled at him, that if he used mana back then, she wouldn’t see him anymore.
You must have said that because you were worried. It’s not that you really hate me.
Ardion felt his heart tingle. The mana light that had been floating faintly was now winding around his heart. It was a feeling he had felt before when he used mana a lot. It was unpleasant, but it was a feeling that brought him back to his senses.
But when he saw Laila, that feeling had disappeared. Thanks to Laila, his mana didn’t exceed a certain amount.
… I feel like I’m being used.
He remembered what he had said to Laila.
Use.
Ardion let out a laugh. That means she needs him, doesn’t it? I want Laila to need me. I want her to have me so much that she can use me as much as she wants and then throw me away.
He exhaled. But what if Laila no longer needs me?
At some point, anxiety crept into his mind. Would I be discarded then?
But it was okay to be abandoned. If Laila always looked for him, it was fine. He would do anything to be around Laila.
But if she never thought of him or wanted to see him…
When he thought about that, the mana light surged into his heart. A sharp breath escaped his mouth. He barely managed to keep his balance by grabbing the armrest of the chair.
The butler came running in. “Your Highness, Delzion has arrived.”
Delzion entered behind the butler and approached Ardion. “Your Highness, are you okay?”
Ardion waved his hand with a stern face. “What did you find out?”
Delzion hesitated for a moment but soon spoke when he noticed Ardion’s cold gaze. “The Entry Prison has more holes than I thought. Of course, I don’t know where they lead, but if you look at this…”
He took out a drawing of the building. There were red circles on the outer wall of the building, and he pointed to them one by one and reported to Ardion.
“First, if you enter through the outer wall, you will find the entrance. Then if you go this way, there’s an interrogation room. Usually, newly arrived prisoners are locked up in the prison near the interrogation room.”
Ardion pointed to the square with his finger. “Then Laila must be here.”
“Probably. And I heard that the trial date is a month later.”
“A month later?”
“I heard it’s postponed because of His Majesty’s funeral.”
The atmosphere in the city was certainly dark. All the planned festivals in the capital had been canceled, and most people were wearing black. It was common for all scheduled trials to be postponed after the emperor died.
Ardion took the blueprint from Delzion. “Thank you for your hard work. Now go back to the palace. Rowell is watching.”
“But I’m under His Majesty’s care, so I’ll be fine.”
“No, His Majesty is gone now.”
“Then what will happen to me now?” Delzion blinked in confusion.
“Rowell will sort it out soon. So it’s better not to come here for a while.”
Delzion bowed with a stern face. “I understand.”