Chapter 298 (2): Your Highness, This Official Has a Big House

“You said it yourself, Juno. We’re family, so I own part of the Philosopher’s Stone, too.” Wayne put a hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder, planning to take her tonight.

He had become obsessed with research recently. Through exploring the truth of life, he had evolved further. Research was essentially training for him, so the more precious research materials he could get his hands on, the better. Elizabeth was a unique case that was worth studying.

The negotiation dragged on. As expected of the successor to the throne whom Auston had praised highly, Juno gave no inch in the verbal battle, refusing to give Wayne anything for free.

Which meant that he could pay for it.

Wayne raised an eyebrow. He remembered how Juno had invited him, and then he looked at Elizabeth, the lifelike puppet, and Alistair, who hadn’t even buttoned up her shirt properly. He silently judged the Princess for her ruthless heart.

The girl wasn’t that old, but her heart was already hardened. She was willing to trade anything away to reach her goal.

What about the future royal heir? The right to succession? Would she bargain for a good price when she asked for a bun in her oven?

Back to the business at hand, Wayne slowly sat down on the sofa with Mona standing behind him. He only needed to take out a silver coin for him to be a spitting image of Auston. Although he had two coins, both had to be kept secret.

Five minutes later, Elizabeth served Wayne and Juno each a cup of black tea. The Princess and the Princess’s fiancé stood on two sides of the Princess’s knight like her personal retainers.

Wayne clicked his tongue. Others knew the Princess as a shrewd, tactful woman and an excellent heir, but the Princess was on another level, having been playing the role of the Princess’s knight and never showing her true self.

Juno lifted her cup of tea. Knowing that Wayne wouldn’t start the conversation, she said bluntly, “I’ve been missing for too long. With many secrets I cannot explain and the false accusations my brother made, I was grounded by Mother. She even organized an investigation team.”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Juno faced numerous troubles. She didn’t fear being grounded, but the investigation team was another story. She couldn’t let them look too closely. What if they found something?

“Be honest with me and don’t keep any secrets.” Wayne lowered his teacup. “You may find it hard to believe, but I know little about the royal family and never wanted to get involved in the royal family’s internal strife. If you don’t tell me anything, it’ll be difficult for me to imagine your situation.”

Under Alistair’s surprised gaze, Juno only considered for a moment before revealing everything, showing Wayne incredible trust.

“Once, the Church of Heavenly Father ruled over the Chosen Land, and the Pope outranked the kings and emperors. Later, after the church’s decline, the royal families and imperial families of each nation reclaimed their power...”

“The Church of Heavenly Father still wields incredible influence on the mundane side of the world. The countries remain respectful on the surface. Not even Windsor, which has been most resistant to the church, could separate the state from God...”

“In my and Edward’s generation, I chose the Church of Heavenly Father, and Edward chose the Life Alliance. We each represent a political inclination of the royal family.”

“I’ve been performing better not only because I am better than Edward, but mostly because Mother wants to show the Church of Heavenly Father goodwill.”

“The church has offered me great support, Celeste being one example. He didn’t start out specializing in Holy Light magic alone. Only after the Papal State made him promises did he devote himself fully to the church.”

“From the royal family’s perspective, my mother and I both fear the church’s influence. From my own perspective, I’m not averse to the church and the faith in the Heavenly Father. That is where I feel conflicted.”

Faith did not dictate political stance. Juno’s faith wasn’t pure. She was only loyal to herself, making her a typical free mage. She planned to evolve through a reincarnated angel to gain greater power and influence, allowing her to balance the church and the Crown. While maintaining her close relationship with the church, she sought to gain support and ensure that the church wouldn’t come after Windsor.

Show me some consideration. I’m one of your own, and I’m backed by an angel.

The Queen, though, saw differently. The Princess had gotten too close to the Church of Heavenly Father, which meant that once Windsor was handed over to her, the Pope would rule over the future Queen.

Balance was key. Juno’s behavior greatly disappointed the Queen, so she shifted her political resources to Edward instead.

“Do you mean that the next sovereign has been decided?” Wayne asked.

“I’m not sure. I think I’ve hidden myself pretty well, so Mother shouldn’t know that I’ve gained an evolution. I can only say for sure that I’m currently at a disadvantage. Explaining myself will only lead to more misunderstandings.” Juno sighed, giving Wayne an aggrieved look.

Two months were too long. Even if a regular family’s daughter went missing for two months, her mother would get suspicious, let alone when it was a member of the royal family.

“I don’t care about any of this. Just tell me what you want to talk to me about.”

“Mother has been looking into many matters recently. Some of my secrets regarding the Church of Heavenly Father will be exposed. Celeste received a mission from the Ministry of Magic, so he isn’t in Londan right now, but in the Republic of Erland.”

Juno explained her trouble. The royal family was walking on thin ice, and her mistakes attracted suspicion. Her master was actually a helper that the Church of Heavenly Father had arranged for her, and he had been sent to Erland.

The Republic of Erland belonged to Windsor on paper, but was actually under the control of the Church of Heavenly Father. Celeste was unlikely to be summoned back to Windsor to take on his old post.

That wouldn’t be much more than a simple warning, but a war was on the horizon, and Queen Sophelia needed to consider her every move carefully, eliminating all hidden threats and risks.

Juno and Celeste had gone missing for months, and Vice Minister Alan, in charge of watching the mist, was still missing. The Queen couldn’t interpret it as anything but the Church of Heavenly Father making moves against Londan.

The mist was the royal family’s lifeline, and nothing could go wrong with it. If the Church of Heavenly Father was the mastermind, Juno had to be an accomplice.

There was a traitor among the royal family: the Princess had defected to the Church of Heavenly Father!

“It sounds dangerous, but when you really think about it, it’s not that serious a matter,” Wayne said logically. “Given how powerful the Church of Heavenly Father is, they are likely to reshape the faith in the Chosen Land in the future. The Queen has grounded you, but nothing more. Perhaps the church will one day get what it wants, leaving the Queen with no choice but to allow you to take the throne. You don’t even have to do anything.”

Internal politics weren’t the only factor in deciding a nation’s future leader; the international landscape was a key contributor, too. The Queen had to take everything into consideration and wouldn’t just decide on an heir until the very last moment.

Wayne smiled and said, “There was a historical figure who dethroned his nephew to become the emperor, Zhu Di. There have been many success stories, so you needn’t be too anxious.”

Judy? Which emperor is that? Why don’t I know him?

[1]

Juno went through the history she knew and confirmed that there hadn’t been such an emperor. Suspecting that Wayne was making up stories, she said, “Even so, I’m at a disadvantage currently, so I hope that you’ll give me a hand and erase the traces I’ve left. Don’t let the investigation find anything concrete.”

[Ding! New mission: Royal Strife]

[Please choose your protagonist: Queen Sophelia, Prince Edward, Princess Juno.]

It wasn’t much of a choice. Naturally, he was going to pick Juno, who followed the Pale Nest. Wayne couldn’t possibly choose Queen Sophelia over the Princess. The Queen was Auston’s old flame and represented the loyalty of the old Lando family. With him taking over, of course he should make preparations for the future.

If Edward could hear his thoughts, he would be complaining about why he wasn’t even in the conversation.

“I can give you a hand since we’re such close siblings sharing the same father, but...”

“But?” Juno smothered a sigh. Every time the Lando father and son dropped the other shoe, it was never a good thing.

“But you know me, Sister. I don’t do anything that does not benefit me. The Lando family is openly in support of the Queen. I’m not going to defy the family head’s order.”

He turned to Elizabeth, who was standing behind Juno.

Your Highness, this official has a big house!

“I have to warn you: the Princess must remain pure before marriage. This concerns the dignity of the royal family, so you must not mess around,” Juno said severely.

Never mind how far she had gone with Auston, the previous princess—now Queen Sophelia—had remained pure before her marriage. Juno hoped that Wayne would learn from his father and show the current Princess the most basic respect.

(눈‸눈)

Wayne scowled. These people always lectured him, a proper gentleman, about women, as if his lust was his weakness... It was a good thing that his persona had convinced the public. He hadn’t been acting for nothing.

“Don’t worry.” Wayne nodded. “I only asked for her for research purposes. I won’t do anything strange. I promise that she’ll be as good as new when I return her to you.”

What is that supposed to mean?

Juno was dissatisfied with the response. “Little Brother, you represent the church in the human world, so helping me is in line with your interests. Please do behave yourself.”

“Moreover, the Princess is grounded for the time being, so she can’t leave or go with you tonight. It’ll have to wait until the house arrest is over.”

“Is that so...” Wayne turned to Alistair in disappointment, suggesting that Juno should compensate him in another way.

“...” x3

“It’s only a joke. I subscribe to the belief that bigger is better. She’s not my type.” Wayne behaved himself. “Hand me the document. I’ll erase your trails for you. Afterwards, Princess Elizabeth will be mine for a month. Deal?”

“Deal!”

1. The transliteration of Judy in Mandarin is pronounced as zhu-di, the same as Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He became the emperor by rebelling against his nephew. ☜