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Chapter 51
And Calix would try to use that as a weapon to negotiate with the Emperor.
But the moment he did, the Prince would attack Calix.
“What if I told everyone Duke Hertrio is hiding Truxia’s missing daughter?”
It wasn’t just the Emperor who could expose that. If the Prince even hinted it to the people at the party, Calix would be branded a traitor who brought another traitor into the palace.
“I can’t let that happen.”
It was the same as the Prince holding Calix hostage. I had no choice but to stay silent.
I could tell the Emperor the Prince’s secret, but…
“Is there any guarantee the Emperor wouldn’t touch Calix then?”
The Prince’s words came back to me:
“I don’t want anything from Lady Rena.”
But I knew there was something he wanted—something I couldn’t give him. The first thing that came to mind was the throne.
“Can Lenia give him what he wants?”
If Lenia tried to poison me to take the dragon, then maybe she could also give the Prince the throne. She would gain overwhelming magical power.
I hated the dragon more and more.
I bit my lip hard and collapsed onto the bed. My head ached from trying to process so much at once.
Lenia, the heroine of the original story.
“She chose the Prince instead of Calix?”
“She partnered with the Prince to get revenge on the Emperor?”
That choice was unthinkable for anyone sane.
“As expected of the heroine.”
Before I even got angry, I found myself impressed. In the original story, she had chosen the unstable Calix.
Then I realized I didn’t even know the Prince’s full name. It had been long, but I couldn’t remember. Not that it mattered.
“The Prince I couldn’t even remember the name of… How long has he been plotting this behind that innocent mask?”
Lenia surely wanted revenge on the Emperor. The Prince was supporting that revenge, hoping the throne would naturally fall into his hands after.
Maybe Lenia had chosen a better card than Calix. After all, who better to help plot against the Emperor than the Prince himself? He knew the imperial family better than anyone and was a card the Emperor would never suspect.
“Lenia probably wants to kill me and take the dragon so she can get her revenge on the Emperor.”
“Can I convince her?”
I could tell her: “Calix will take care of the Emperor anyway. If you wait just a little, you’ll get the revenge you want without lifting a finger. You don’t need the dragon anymore.”
Maybe she’d listen. But first, I needed to find Lenia.
“The maid, Pryn. She’ll know about Lenia.”
I made up my mind and jumped out of bed. But as soon as I stepped outside, I ran into someone I knew—Calix’s knight.
I was startled and called out.
“Sir Rodrigo, what are you doing here? Calix should be in the next room, not here.”
“Ah, Lady Rena… Well…”
He looked troubled.
“The Duke ordered me to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
He left a knight with me even though he was right next door?
“Strange.”
“I heard you weren’t feeling well. The Duke told me to keep an eye on you, just in case.”
Sir Rodrigo was still in his formal party clothes. I studied him carefully and asked:
“Calix isn’t in his room, is he?”
Half sure of the answer, I asked. He looked flustered.
“Huh? I… can’t say…”
“Where did he go?”
“…”
“Calix. Where did he go?”
Only after I asked again did I get an answer. Sir Rodrigo said the Duke had left on urgent business.
I clenched my teeth. Sir Rodrigo tried to offer excuses for his master, but I didn’t hear a word.
“He left me? Where could he possibly go in this palace that’s so urgent?”
“Fine. I’ll rest more in my room since I’m not feeling well.”
I turned back to my room, leaving Sir Rodrigo standing awkwardly behind me.
If the Prince decided to attack Calix right now, I wouldn’t even know.
“Damn it.”
Now I understood why Calix was so anxious every time he couldn’t see me.
“Lady Rena and Duke Hertrio are poison to each other.”
“Ridiculous.”
I wouldn’t lose Calix because of the Prince.
I suddenly remembered the Prince’s name—Adrian Killian something—but it didn’t matter anymore.
“Don’t tell Calix? Like hell I won’t.”
He probably thought I’d just hide and obey. But I would use everything I could to protect Calix, even if I had to reveal my true identity to the Emperor.
From now on, my top priority was Calix’s safety.
Having a clear goal made me feel calmer. I reached inside my shirt and removed the necklace that held the Truxia signet ring.
I rolled the heavy ring in my hand, grounding myself in reality. Then I tucked it back into my shirt and pressed the wound on my arm. The pain brought me further back to the present.
I busied myself closing all the windows and curtains. The dimmed room helped me think.
“The Prince already knew about me anyway.”
Even if I hadn’t met him today, he knew about me from Lenia. The only one who had lost in today’s encounter was the Prince, whose secret had been exposed to me.
“The Prince won’t want anyone to know about him. He’ll want to stay hidden until the right time—until Lenia kills the Emperor. Then he’ll show his true teeth.”
“Did Lenia promise him the throne?”
Why would he be in such a rush?
“He must be impatient.”
The impatient always destroy themselves.
“The Prince will destroy himself.”
I began counting and summarizing everything.
-
The Emperor wants the dragon. That’s why she wants me, the heir of Truxia.
-
Adrian-whatever the Prince wants the throne (or something else). That’s why he’s allied with Lenia, who is targeting the Emperor.
-
Lenia wants revenge. I don’t know why.
“That’s about it.”
And the most important thing:
“What Calix and I want is each other’s safety.”
We were each other’s weakness. The Emperor and the Prince both knew it.
“Damn them. Both of them are a headache.”
My head throbbed. Only now did I really feel like a patient who had nearly died recently.
“Damn it.”
I had to call the doctor for painkillers.
“Please don’t tell Calix,” I asked.
Sir Rodrigo gave an awkward laugh.
“He’s going to tell him.”
Meanwhile, the Prince—Adrian—was walking calmly through the palace corridors. He waved politely at the servants who greeted him, the perfect image of a royal prince.
But in reality, his thoughts were dark.
Like Rena Truxia, the woman he had just met.
Blaming the maid Milon had been Lenia’s idea. She said they could easily forge evidence since the maid was close to her.
She also decided to take vacation during the party so she’d have a perfect alibi and could check whether the Truxia dragon was unguarded.
Everything was perfect—except the fact that the Emperor was now frantically searching for the true culprit.
“There’s no way Mother suspects me.”
Adrian had always been the model son—the only imperial prince. He had a flawless reputation, did charity work, and always acted obedient in front of the Emperor.
He thought his performance at the party had been perfect too. He was embarrassed thinking of how he had cried and called for his mother in fear, but he was satisfied.
“Mother is too smart. That’s the problem. She trusts her own intelligence too much.”
She would never reconsider someone she had already decided was weak.
“So, how will Duke Hertrio react?”
Adrian smirked as he walked.
“The Emperor is busy with work right now.”
The chief attendant repeated the same thing for the tenth time.
“Did you tell the Emperor Duke Hertrio requested an urgent audience?”
“Yes. But Her Majesty is busy…”
It was the same excuse again and again. The Emperor was openly refusing to see Calix.
“Does she think she holds all the power here?”
Calix’s thoughts spun quickly. Then he changed his approach.
“Tell the Emperor that Calix Hertrio has brought what Her Majesty wants.”
“As I said, Her Majesty is…”
“Tell her now.”
Calix cut him off.
“Tell her Calix Axel Hertrio has brought what she wants.”
“…Very well.”
The attendant left, clearly displeased. Calix paced nervously.
“I hope Lena wakes up before I return…”
Soon, the attendant came back.
“Her Majesty will see you briefly. Please follow me to the reception room.”
“Thank you,” Calix replied out of formality, though he didn’t mean it.
He had been to this reception room a few times before and always left quickly, feeling sick.
The room was lavishly decorated, filled with gold and ivory. The ceiling was painted by the most famous artist of the time when the palace was built, one of the Empire’s treasures.
