C16
"From now on, you'll have to learn the tasks of a monarch."
"What?"
The emperor chuckled, and his eyes gleamed intensely.
"Terence, my son. I'll gradually bring you to light."
How much time has passed?
Even after listening to the emperor's rather extensive explanation, Terence remained silent.
"Don't you want it?"
"It's sudden. Please give me some time to think."
"What is there to think about?"
The emperor clicked his tongue, but Terence didn't accept it.
"Prince."
The moment the emperor recognizes Terence, he will become a prince.
It would be a lie to say that he never imagined it, but he never believed it would come true.
Well, now might be the right time as the Birod family has lost power due to Cassius's sudden growth.
Cassius began to rapidly expand its influence a few years ago.
Instead of staying in its original position as a "peripheral power," they tried their luck in many other fields.
Perhaps because the goddess was on Cassius's side, they succeeded in every project they attempted, while other families originally in charge of that field suffered a setback.
Among them, Duke Birod, who suffered the misfortune that affected his territory at the same time, was able to hand over to Cassius the name of the largest family in the empire.
Thanks to this, the empress's power was not as strong as before. Even more so after a rift broke out between mother and son because her son was dating the young duchess.
"Do you really not covet power? Others would be anxious because they can't have it."
"...."
In fact, he didn't covet the throne itself.
However, when he appears, how will the Empress, who hates him enough to send an assassin from time to time, react?
What will happen to his younger brother, who has enjoyed what was given to him as if it were natural since birth?
He was a little, no, quite curious.
But is such curiosity large enough to justify the hassle that comes with accepting this offer?
It was a question to ponder.
At the moment he accepts the offer, a completely different life will unfold before him. A choice that cannot be reversed or renounced.
That's when Terence decided to spend more time weighing the values of both sides.
"Once you come to power, you can have as many other things as you want! Is there really nothing you desire?"
Anything he wants. Is there something he wants enough to become a prince?
The face of helplessness of someone came to mind without context.
Tuktuk-.
The fingers that had been tapping the armrest of the chair stopped.
"What did he just think...?"
Terence shook his head to clear his thoughts. This is absurd.
Why at times like this did that woman come to mind without context? Someone he had just met.
His thoughts returned to the original topic. But for some reason, his concerns lasted briefly, even for him to think about them.
His heart sank.
"It's okay. I'll become a prince."
"Oh! Is there something you covet?"
"...Well. A little?"
"It's quite significant. You used to be someone who had no material desires."
"I'm not exactly coveting something; I just want to reach a high position and help someone in trouble."
The emperor made a strange expression, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Do you want to help someone? Who is it?"
Yes. Someone sighing because they couldn't get a divorce.
"I'll save it for a bit in the future."
"Oh, that's no fun."
However, the emperor seemed to be in a very good mood.
If he asks now, I will grant any request.
"More importantly, Father."
Terence smiled as he used a title he rarely used.
"I was in the street and heard an interesting story."
The next day.
A team of inspectors directly under the emperor's command invaded the central court of the empire.
They nearly annulled the court and exposed the corruption of officials.
Dozens of corrupt officials were arrested, most of whom had received bribes from noble families.
And here.
"Eh? What's this?"
While organizing the belongings of an official bribed by the Cassius family, an inspector discovered something.
It was a single divorce note.
Mansion Cassius.
"I'm very disappointed by this incident."
Duke Cassius, sitting behind his office desk, coldly reprimanded his son.
"I have no words, Father."
Leandro could only lower his head and look at his shoes.
"I wonder what the emperor will ask for using this incident as an excuse."
Yesterday, a sudden large-scale inspection was carried out at the central court.
There was more than one family whose corruption was uncovered, but the one the emperor most recently kept under control was the Cassius family.
This morning, the Emperor summoned the Duke and hinted at him.
"It seems your son's love for his wife is extreme."
"It's all my fault, Your Majesty."
"No, no. I don't want to blame you. How can you preserve love! But... What should I say? Isn't it a bit uncomfortable?"
"..."
"In reality, he's trying to catch someone who's trying to leave. That's why I'm worried if he'll be able to properly lead the Cassius family."
"I have nothing to say."
"Although I'm not blaming you. Anyway, I'll bury today's matter considering your work."
There was no way the emperor would ignore Cassius's flaws.
He will definitely try to intimidate him by demanding a higher price in the future.
Ah, the duke's sigh was filled with irritation.
This is such an unfortunate incident at a time when it shouldn't be discovered to establish as a successor.
Furthermore, since the content of the request was highly related to Leandro's personal history, it was difficult to avoid.
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
He tossed today's morning newspaper in front of his eldest son.
It was a third-rate newspaper that mainly dealt with celebrity gossip. The title of the article written in the corner of the front page was clear.
"Exclusive content of this magazine! Rumors of discord between a noble couple of a powerful family, will their marriage break after two years...?"
"It's only a matter of time before your name is mentioned. It would be difficult to exert more pressure on the media when we need to be attentive to the emperor's opinions."
It was a rumor that had been spreading since the commotion with Ethel in front of City Hall a few days ago.
Cassius's power was simply preventing it from bursting.
"The divorce notification has been filed, so it won't be long before the trial begins."
Due to the heavy workload of the Imperial Court, a lot of time passed from filing a lawsuit to the date of the first trial.
However, the emperor subtly revealed his interest in this matter.
He seemed amused by the loss of prestige of the Cassius family.
If that's the case, the trial date will most likely be moved up.
Taking into account all the interim procedures, the duke expected the trial to begin in about two weeks.
"Tell me what you think. If you brought the situation to this point, you must have something in mind."
Leandro bit his lip. He spoke softly.
"The trial will be stopped."
"What can you do when even His Majesty has already become involved?"
Leandro replied resolutely.
"I will persuade Ethel before the date of the first trial."
"If you could have done that, it wouldn't have come this far."
"No matter what my father says, my intentions won't change."
"This is the result of leaving it to you because you said you would handle it."
"This time will be different."
"Don't be ashamed in front of others like the last time when you went for a visit for no reason. Stay at home and keep calm."
"I don't want to."
The eyes of the duke, which resembled Leandro's, turned fierce.
"You've been acting quite spoiled lately."
"Never in my life has my father treated me like this."
"You..."
Just as the atmosphere between father and son was about to turn ugly.
"Stop!"
The office door burst open, and Liena rushed in.
"Dad, stop scolding him!"
When the younger daughter pleaded, the duke seemed embarrassed.
"It's none of your business."
"It's because I'm trying to do well too."
"Liena, stay out of this."
"Dad!"
However, this time the duke didn't yield to simple pleading.
This was because his pride was severely damaged by losing face in front of the emperor.
"It's too much. It's a family matter, how can it not concern me?"
Liena pursed her lips and put both hands on her hips.
"If you keep acting like this..."
She raised her round eyes and dropped a bomb.
"I'll skip lunch!"
"What do you mean?!"
"Are you skipping lunch?!"
Duke Cassius and Leandro questioned almost simultaneously.
Liena turned her head despite her father and brother's dissuasion.
"I'll even skip dinner!"
Oh my, lunch and dinner.
It was an unprecedented situation in history.
There were a few occasions when Liena said she wouldn't eat, but this was the first time she said she wouldn't eat two meals in a row.
The duke's face distorted with concern for his daughter.
"That's stupid. Then you'll only get hurt!"
Leandro also chimed in.
"What will you do if you faint?"
Even Reheim, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation outside, came running in.
"That's right! You're too weak; it's very dangerous!"
All three knew that skipping two meals wasn't a big deal.
But as always, their common sense didn't apply to this precious girl.
"Dad! If you don't want me to starve, trust me once more."
"Liena..."
"I won't really eat!"
In the end, the duke raised the white flag.
He told his eldest son, rubbing his stiff brows.
"Do as you like."
After that, the three siblings left their father's office.
"Leandro, do you have any plans?"
Leandro answered Liena's question with a lack of confidence.
"Well, I should sincerely apologize."
"Be careful. My sister-in-law seemed much angrier than we thought."
Leheim chimed in.
"I heard you visited her yesterday?"
"How did it go?"
"Well, actually... She said she didn't like me and even said things she didn't want to say."
"Really?! Wow, how much must my brother be hated for her to lie like that?!"
Leandro's face turned sickly.
"I'm sorry, Liena. You heard things you shouldn't have heard because of me."
"No. At first, I was surprised, but when I thought about it, I realized it couldn't have been like that. How good was my relationship with my sister-in-law?"
"My sister-in-law is too much. She should just curse my brother. Why does she have to tell you this?"
"Anyway, you'll have to do very well to change my sister-in-law's opinion."
"What should I do...? Every time we meet, the situation gets worse."
"Hmm, what if you do this?"
"What?"
Liena smiled and whispered something in Leandro's ear while he knelt.