Chapter 369: The Last Threshold of Wrath (3)

Just because I wasn’t going to kill the crown prince, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t do anything about him.

“Summon the Blue Lion Knights,” I ordered the ducal family’s servants the moment I stepped out of Raviel’s bedroom.

They looked noticeably flustered. Well, it had to be upsetting for them. After all, I had never interfered in the affairs of the Ducal Family of Ivansia before. The servants, who had spent half a day kissing the cold hallway floor after I pressed their acupoints, had noticeable grimaces on their faces.

“Your Grace, with all due respect, even you can’t command the kn—”

“Did you think I could not? But

ta-da

, it turns out I can.” I pulled the family crest medal from my pocket and showed it to them. “Her Grace gave me full power. My orders at the moment are given in Ivansia’s name. Unless you plan to rebel, comply.”

The servants gritted their teeth and stared at the crest medal, as if looking at it harder would turn it into an imitation.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

I chuckled. “If you don’t believe me, go to Her Grace and ask if I’m telling the truth. Of course, doing so would only add another bruise to your pride, but everything is a valuable experience that will improve your lives.”

“We’ll obey your command, Your Grace... ”

“My, thank you.” I put back the family crest medal and waved my hand at the best angle to piss them off, fully copying Yoo Soo-Ha’s pose. “Then get going now. What are you waiting for? What are you taking the ducal family’s money for? I knew Ivansia did charity work for the citizens, but I didn’t know it also included the family vassals and servants. As the duke consort of the family, I may have been neglecting the family too much.”

The servants groaned.

“If you have time to groan, go carry out your orders first. Repeat after me. Assemble the knights.”

“Assemble the knights!”

The servants scattered, looking at me as if saying, “Just you wait.” Of course, I wasn’t scared. The moment they failed to stop Raviel from getting poisoned, I was going to torment them forever. They would soon see that they got on my blacklist.

“Sylvia Evanail,” I said.

“

Ah

, y-yes, Patriarch.”

The clan vassals who followed me had already secured the duke’s villa, waiting in the hallway outside the bedroom. One of them was Sylvia, once known as Lady Goldencup.

Hesitantly, she studied my face. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better than earlier...”

In Sylvia’s eyes, I had only been in the room for an hour before I came out. In truth, Raviel and I had spent two weeks repeating the same day, so our perception of time was different.

“Well, what did I look like earlier?”

“Do you want an honest answer or a pleasant one?” Sylvia asked cautiously.

“Just be honest.”

“I knew you were a wacko, but seeing your switch flipped and smiling only with your mouth made me realize that you can become crazier than you already were. I was amazed at how you were trying to invent a crazier version of the word ‘wacko.’”

The corners of my mouth curved in a sad smile. The fact that Sylvia was talking like this meant I looked a lot better, so joking like this wouldn’t cause any trouble.

“Sylvia, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You dated the crown prince before, right? It was quite serious. You even discussed marriage. So, I want to ask you. Did the crown prince really love you?”

Sylvia frowned. “That’s a question I didn’t expect.”

Even though her eyebrows were only slightly furrowed, her face had the typical arrogance of a noble. If I put it in a nice way, it was elegant. To put it bluntly, it was sass. Well, she was now just the head steward of the clan, but she and Raviel had once been the two leading noble ladies in the empire’s high society.

“Love? Did he love me...? Well, if you’re asking if the crown prince fell for me, I would have said yes since I seduced him.

Hmmm

...” Sylvia tapped her chin in contemplation. “But no, I don’t think he loved me. It was probably not the kind of love you think, Patriarch.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Since you took me in, he never looked for me. Do you know what we talked about most when he and I were alone together?”

“I have no idea.”

“Use your imagination a little. We trash-talked. Every time we met, we’d talk about Lady Silver Lily...

Ah

, I guess calling her like that can be considered problematic now. Anyway, we trash-talked the Duke of Ivansia.” Sylvia sighed and shrugged. “This was why we chose our date spots where as many students as possible could see us. We wanted people to see us flirting and then tattle on us to the Duke of Ivansia.”

“So Raviel would feel insulted?”

“Yes.”

“You guys were more pathetic than I thought...”

“You have to understand us. The Duke of Ivansia stays calm no matter what others do. You know this better than anyone.” Sylvia narrowed her eyes. “That woman’s only flaw is love. Having an affair with me was the crown prince’s only way of affecting the Duke of Ivansia. He was worse in academics, diplomacy, public administration, public support, and political schemes, probably in swordsmanship too. Despite being born into the imperial family, he wasn’t better than the Duke of Ivansia at anything.”

“So, what you’re trying to say is that he wanted to feel superior to Raviel by having a secret affair with you?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“He’s definitely scum.”

“Is this your first time seeing scumbags?” Sylvia asked calmly. “There are many people like him in the universe.”

Yes, there were many of them. The issue was that even if this was true, he was still the crown prince of this empire. I sighed. “I left him alone since he’s been quiet, but that will have to end.”

Sylvia looked up at me, and I looked back at her.

“He’s going to be taken down.”

Sylvia’s eyes widened, but that was all. Her surprise was brief. She said, “

Hmm

, I’ll advise against it...”

That

surprised me. “Why? Is it because of your loyalty to your past lover?”

“I don’t care if he goes riding on a turtle. It’s just that it’s far easier for him to inherit the throne.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That man won’t rule the empire well once he becomes the emperor,” Sylvia said firmly. “In five to ten years at most, people, from the nobles to the commoner citizens, will start talking about the emperor’s incompetence and cruelty. When the time comes, the Ducal Family of Ivansia can just take down the emperor. It’s much easier, right? Well, replacing him wouldn’t be difficult either. After all, the real power of the empire is already shifting to Ivansia, but the commoner citizens still don’t know about the crown prince’s incompetence. If Ivansia is going to become the new imperial family, it’s better to do it after they have the people’s support... What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just find it surprising that you know your way around politics.”

Sylvia sourly replied, “Come on. If it weren’t for you, I would already have become crown princess, then empress, and brought down the ducal family, okay?”

Yes, that was right. Sylvia also used to be a regressor.

“This is good advice, but you misunderstood something, Head Steward.”

“What?”

“Yes, I’m going to bring down the crown prince, but I don’t want Raviel to lead this empire.”

“

Huh?

Why not?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Raviel is already busy, so she’ll become busier once she takes the throne.”

“... Seriously? That’s the only reason?” Sylvia gaped.

“Honestly, I’m not sure if any other reason is needed.”

“You freaking wa— Fine. Yeah, that sounds like you, Patriarch. Of course you’d say that. Gosh. Staying with you had made my standards all weird. It’s annoying.” Sylvia scratched the back of her head. “I suppose that’s why you two can love each other like that. Anyhow, you want to keep the imperial family but want to get rid of the crown prince. Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we should choose from the second prince, the third prince, the first princess, the fourth prince, and the second princess. Shit. I was chosen as your advisor on this matter because I’m the only one who knows how the empire works, aren’t I?”

Despite her grumbling, Sylvia went on.

“If you want my recommendation, I’d say go for the second prince. He can’t think for himself and lacks the gut to wreak havoc like the crown prince. The second prince is your safe choice.”

“Is there an imperial family member who would be a good ruler if they became emperor?”

Sylvia scoffed. “If there were, the crown prince wouldn’t have had his title until now.”

The head steward had a knack for being a truth nuke.

***

The next day, Raviel and I entered the imperial palace. Though it was called the imperial palace, it wasn’t the palace in the capital. Sormwin had grown into the secondary capital. Fitting its significance, a second imperial palace had been built. Coincidentally, the emperor was staying there.

“If it were the palace in the capital, he wouldn’t have dared to order a servant to poison me,” Raviel said. “But this place is different. Aside from the emperor’s own attendants, servants were picked from the crown prince’s staff to do simple tasks. It would have been relatively easy to plan my poisoning.”

Yes, it was relatively easy. The crown prince had used all his ties and power to carry out this plan of poisoning Raviel. Yet only two servants from the secondary palace actually took part in the poisoning. We had been blindsided by the crown prince’s last-ditch effort, but we now knew every person who took part in the poisoning.

During our two-week vacation, Raviel and I hadn’t just shut ourselves in the bedroom and indulged in decadence. The servants’ families, their ties to the crown prince... We uncovered all the information we could.

“P-please, show mercy to my family! Make me your slave. Even if you cut my flesh into pieces and cast it into the sea, I would accept that. Please, please just spare my family...”

In the end, we easily got confessions from the servants. We told the emperor at once. Though skeptical at first, the emperor could only groan after questioning the criminals himself.

“How foolish. Has that child always been so foolish?” the emperor asked with a sigh.

Although the crown prince lacked in a lot of aspects, he was still the emperor’s son chosen as the heir. How could the emperor not be sad?

I was ready to bring the emperor more sorrow. “Your Majesty, his foolish choice of poisoning the Duke of Ivansia is bad enough, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to face news that is even more gravely foolish.”

“What is it, Ruler of the Lion Realm?” the emperor asked, choosing not to address me as the Duke Consort of Ivansia. Though I showed the emperor great respect in public, he didn’t try to protect his dignity in a room as secure as this one.

“The crown prince has left for a hunt with his aides. Reports say his bags are too heavy for a hunt.” I bowed. “They also say the horses were armored. Isn’t that too much for just a hunt?”

The emperor’s face darkened. He was just soft for his son, but he was a smart ruler by nature. He immediately understood the hidden meaning in my words.

The emperor turned to his chief steward, the old man who had adopted me as his son, and said, “Go to the front and rear gates and check the guards.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The chief steward checked the palace guards and quickly returned. “Your Majesty, the guards at the front gate are fine, but the one in charge of guarding the rear gate is gone. More than half of his people are also gone.”

The emperor sighed. “

Ah

, did that boy truly mean to harm me?”

No one answered. Raviel stayed silent. Her mere presence was enough. I was the one who had reported the poisoning, the culprits’ detailed confession, and revealed the crown prince’s true intentions. Any words that could be seen as disloyal to the emperor had come solely from my mouth. Even when reporting the poisoning to the emperor, I spoke not as the Duke Consort of Ivansia but as a representative of another world. It was wise not to give cause for blame later.

“Your Majesty, I request you to summon the crown prince back here from his hunt. If His Highness is innocent, he’ll answer your summons since he has no reason to refuse. However, if he truly planned everything, he would flee, fearing that his plan had been exposed.”

“Very well. So be it.”

The emperor sent a messenger as I advised.

Time passed slowly. After a long while, the messenger returned and whispered to the chief steward. When the messenger left the audience room, the chief steward said, “Your Majesty.”

“Is that boy coming?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but His Highness has turned his horse around and left with his people.”

Silence fell in the audience room again. After that short exchange, the emperor appeared five years older. Though he had kept his calm and ruled the empire in peace despite the arrival of people from another world, his son’s betrayal seemed to have broken his heart.

“Duke...” The emperor addressed Raviel for the first time since the audience had begun.

Raviel bowed, as if she had been waiting for this moment. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What should I do for you, Duke?”

“I have been and will always be loyal to you, Your Majesty.”

Raviel was saying that she didn’t plan on using this incident to revolt against the empire. The emperor fell silent again, bringing silence back to the audience room.

“... I only seem to hurt you.”

The voice that emerged from the emperor’s mouth sounded less like a ruler’s and more like a father’s.

“I knew long ago that my son was lacking and foolish. I also knew you were a bright child. Even though he isn’t the brightest, I believed that he could rule the empire with your help, but was that judgment blindly made from my paternal love? Even that one?”

“... Your Majesty,” Raviel said quietly.

“It was already over the moment he left you for the baron’s daughter. How could I blame only my son for his foolish deeds? My own foolishness is far greater.”

“You’ve always been kind to me, even before I was a duke.”

“I’m sorry.” The emperor closed his eyes. “He shall no longer be the crown prince, nor will he be my son.”

The crown prince’s fate was now sealed. Even though he had been born a prince, he wouldn’t die as one.

“The Ducal Family of Ivansia will handle the matter.”

At the emperor’s final command, I led the ducal family’s knights in pursuit of the crown prince.