Chapter 104 :

Chapter 104 - Those Who Remained (2)

Pressing down on his churning chest, Celos left his own castle for the first time in a long while.

There were many places where he could clear his head, but laughably, the place he headed toward was an old castle that had now lost its owner.

He knew that going to a place like that, where he had no good memories whatsoever even by his own standards, was not a wise choice, but still, Celos wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

Celos repeated to himself that it was only because he wanted to confirm the death of the bastard who knew his secret and feel relieved.

Step, step.

As he stepped into the desolate castle, Celos glanced around for no reason.

He had always had the impression that it was not a place fit to live in, but now that even that Seventh Prince bastard was gone, the castle could no longer even be called a place where people could live.

It seemed there were still servants left behind whose disposition had not yet been decided, but the castle was silent.

The fact that there was not even a single knight guarding the entrance made the Seventh Prince’s death feel even more real, but Celos climbed the stairs with an even heavier feeling.

He did not even feel like scolding them for the irreverence of daring to fail to receive an imperial family member.

Celos could not clearly pinpoint the cause of this foul mood.

Was it because the number of imperial family members with less Manis than himself had decreased, or was it simply…

Clatter.

Before the emotions that were welling up on their own could occupy his mind, a noise pierced his ears, and Celos raised his head.

At the sign of someone’s presence inside a room where no one should have been, Celos walked as if running and threw the door open.

“Kyaaak!!!”

A thin, light voice that could not possibly have belonged to the owner of the room screamed.

For some reason feeling drained of strength, Celos glared at the cause of his disappointment.

“What are you doing here?”

“I, I greet the Eighth Prince.”

Anna, who still had not fixed her stutter, bowed her head before Celos.

Celos’ eyes quickly swept through the room.

Blankets and clothes were scattered across the floor, and there were no decorations hanging on the cold, bare walls.

It had always been a beggar-like room, but it had not been this bad before.

With flames rising in his eyes, he threateningly grabbed Anna’s arm.

“No matter how much of a worm he was, he was still someone who inherited imperial blood. Did you think stealing the belongings of the master you served would be forgiven?”

At his razor-sharp face, tears welled up in Anna’s eyes.

“N, no, Your Highness! Stealing, I would never even imagine such a thing!”

Anna’s desperate defense instead touched Celos’ temper.

“Then what is this mess!”

When Celos shouted while pointing at the room that had been turned into a mess, Anna tightly squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head strongly.

“T, this is something the Seventh Prince personally ordered! He said we could take everything that could be worth money!”

“What?”

At the unexpected answer, the grip holding Anna’s arm weakened.

Sensing that, Anna did not miss the opportunity and continued speaking.

“I, it’s true! Lord Ran told me that if anything happened to him, I should tell the others that they could take valuable things from the castle and leave…”

“Shut up! That kind of thing isn’t important!”

Celos cut off Anna, who was spilling out words in a panic.

Whether the servants had stolen things or not was no longer the important issue.

Anna, flinching, looked up at Celos’ gleaming eyes.

“Are you saying that bastard knew in advance that something would happen to him?”

“I, I don’t know. I only delivered the message…”

“That means the same thing! You stupid thing!”

Unable to hold back his temper, Celos shouted again.

Anna, on the verge of fainting, sank to the floor, but Celos, who had even forgotten Anna’s existence, quickly worked his mind.

That bastard had clearly known that something would happen to him.

With that personality, would he really have just sat still and let it happen?

He was a bastard with many incomprehensible corners.

Whether he was dead or alive, one thing was certain.

That bastard had not simply gotten caught up in an accident and died.

Celos’ mind, which could not even dream that Ran Abiran had survived by selling him out, turned quickly.

His sharp gaze fixed on Anna.

“What else did that bastard say? Were there no other strange signs before he died?”

“N, no, there weren’t…. Ah.”

Anna, who had answered reflexively, stopped speaking as if something had come to mind.

“What is it? If you remembered something, hurry up and speak! Don’t dawdle!”

At his urging, Anna tucked her neck in like a turtle and watched his mood.

“R, recently, he looked to be in a good mood. I thought that after he grew closer to the Eighth Prince, his expression seemed a little better…”

Anna’s answer grew slower and slower.

Because she felt that Celos’ face, which had been pressing her, seemed to have distorted slightly.

However, before Anna could properly confirm it, Celos’ face was covered in anger once again.

“Who said I was close to that kind of bastard?”

After muttering lowly, he glared at Anna again.

“Then why are you still here? The others must have all grabbed their share and run away.”

“N, not everyone ran away. The people with nowhere to go decided to stay here for the time being. Until….the Seventh Prince’s funeral rite…”

At Anna’s words, Celos’ mouth twisted.

“How stupid. There’s no way there will be a funeral rite for a half-wit like that.”

The imperial castle was in turmoil because of the sudden death of the First Prince.

No one cared whether a powerless Seventh Prince was alive or dead.

“No one cares about that bastard’s death.”

At his sneer, Anna’s eyes widened.

“T, then why did the Eighth Prince come all the way here?”

Though she was startled by the words she had blurted out without realizing it and covered her mouth with both hands.

“….”

Celos glared fiercely at Anna, but unlike before, he could not press the child with sharp words.

It was partly because he had lost his words for a moment, and partly because Anna’s question was one he himself had not found a satisfactory answer to.

“….Shut up.”

The curse that barely came out had lost some of its strength, so even Anna felt more confusion than fear.

However, while Anna, sensing something strange, was watching Celos’ mood, Celos recovered his original nature.

“Hey, before that half-wit bastard left, no, before he gave you that strange order, what did he usually do?”

Anna rolled her eyes to recall.

“He mainly read books in his room. There were times when he was soaked in alcohol, but he read books the most in the study.”

At the refined lifestyle that did not suit him, a sneer appeared on Celos’ face.

Reading, when he was not even that smart…

However, having a narrow range of activity had its own advantages.

“Were there servants who searched through that bastard’s study?”

“Yes? No. Books are expensive, but they are hard to store compared to their volume. No one was greedy for the books.”

“That’s good.”

Anna looked up at Celos, not knowing what was good about it.

“Tell the remaining bastards. If anyone steps into the study without permission, I’ll make sure they can never walk again. Tell them that.”

At the chilling warning, Anna became frightened despite having done nothing wrong and nodded her head.

But Anna’s hardship did not end there.

“And starting tomorrow, you will watch the study. If someone shows any strange movement, inform me.”

Anna’s face turned white after suddenly being unable to leave and becoming responsible for attending Celos.

Because for Anna, who had made up her mind to return to her hometown soon and find new work, this was a bolt from the blue.

At the sight of Anna losing her words, Celos’ eyebrows shot upward again.

“What? Why is there no answer?”

“I, I apologize. I will obey your words!”

Anna hurriedly bent at the waist.

“That bastard, and the ones working under him too, none of them are proper.”

Until Celos muttered in dissatisfaction and left through the door, Anna could only stare at the floor while worrying about her twisted situation and future.

* * *

The situation in Abiran, where the most likely candidate for emperor had disappeared overnight, was chaos itself.

Rasia’s suspicious death, the great fire that had broken out in the capital’s temple, the collapse that was not quite a collapse of Duke Feedus’ household.

Duke Millio wiped away the shining sweat as he walked down the corridor leading to the conference room.

Information that entered the inside of the imperial family did not come back out.

Because no one dared to think of betraying the imperial family.

Everything that happened inside was swallowed within them.

In such an extremely conservative group, the flow of power, once decided, did not change.

Duke Millio knew that this chaotic time was an opportunity that would not come to him again.

It was a golden opportunity to elevate his family as the right arm of the imperial family in place of the Feedus family, which was practically as good as fallen.

“Duke Millio, you have arrived.”

As he entered the conference hall, the people who welcomed him rose one by one and greeted him.

At that sight, the corners of Duke Millio’s mouth rose in a grin.

See, the treatment is already different.

Duke Millio enjoyed the gazes of the nobles sitting while slowly watching his mood, and leisurely found his seat.

Now that the irritating people were gone, things were this pleasant.

Everyone must be frustrated and afraid.

Duke Millio thought that he was different from the bastards who had come to flatter him somehow because they feared the sudden change.

“I’m different from the others. I have…”

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering.”

Following the sound of people hurriedly rising from their seats, silence arrived.

The ornate doors opened, and the emperor entered.

It was customary for a powerful candidate for emperor to be present in the conference room.

Everyone sharpened their senses to confirm the next successor who had taken Rasia’s place.

After the emperor, a man with platinum-blonde hair entered.

After confirming the owner of the platinum-blonde hair standing beside him, Duke Millio used all his strength to keep his grinning mouth shut.

“Today’s meeting will be joined by the Second Prince, Dito Abiran.”

Along with the emperor’s simple introduction, the new candidate for emperor raised his head and looked down at the nobles seated below.

Wanting somehow to catch his eye, Duke Millio straightened his short upper body to a comical degree.

After sweeping his gaze over everyone, Dito gently raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

* * *

When the meeting was about to end, Dito Abiran rose elegantly and looked down at the people seated around him.

Everyone looked up at him, who had a softer atmosphere unlike Rasia.

Dito opened his mouth to the people who were staring blankly at him.

“Unfortunately, a great fire broke out in the temple tower this time. I intend to restore it. It will be a larger undertaking than ever before. To do that, I will need a great deal of help.”

At the calm proposal, different from Rasia, everyone’s eyes widened.

This was, in other words, a clear sign of openness.

As if a small side gate of a firmly closed castle had opened, it was telling them to come this way, that the proper direction was here.

Because between the imperial family and the nobles, where hierarchy was clear, there had always been a great wall.

The guards defending the castle had not changed for a long time.

However, the Feedus family, which had long firmly held its place, the Crisa family, and the long-established families were all shaking.

Dito’s sweet proposal was a lifeline of opportunity for them.

An opportunity to bring down this old-fashioned system and write a new history.

“O, our family can provide as much support as needed.”

“Please grant us the honor of helping Your Highness.”

Words burst out here and there as if in competition.

“Ah, of course, I know well how much you care for the nation. However, there was someone who said they would take over the shelter project the Feedus family had been carrying out.”

Duke Millio’s face brightened as he watched the situation anxiously from the moment Dito began speaking.

“The Duke Millio family and the count family will handle the work first.”

It was the moment the tide changed.

And it was the moment announcing the reconstruction of Abiran, which had been solidly built up.