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Chapter 28
“Cassian!!”
The Emperor’s furious voice echoed through the hall.
“You let the sacred stone get stolen? Have you lost your mind?! And you tried to hide it?!”
“Your Majesty, please calm yourself,” the Empress said softly.
“Calm myself?! Do you think this is the time for calm?! Don’t think you can protect Cassian just because you defend him, Empress!”
“I understand, but His Highness Cassian is still young…”
“Young?! He’s long past his coming-of-age ceremony! This is a matter that could cause a diplomatic incident! Princess Alexis personally entrusted him with this, and this is how he treats it?!”
The Emperor’s rage filled the room, his voice sharp with genuine fury.
Cassian, however, was calmer than even Duke Jamoti, and when he finally spoke, his tone was steady and clear.
“Your Majesty,” he began, bowing deeply, his voice unwavering.
“It seems there has been a misunderstanding between Her Majesty the Empress and Duke Jamoti.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. The statue sent by the Anden Kingdom did indeed glow brightly at first, just as they said. Both I and my aide, Lady Salice, saw it with our own eyes.”
“Then…”
The Emperor’s tone softened slightly, curiosity flickering through his anger.
This, of course, unsettled the Empress. She clearly didn’t understand why the Emperor’s temper was cooling so quickly.
I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
That’s because His Majesty’s been tricked by Cassian before—more than once.
Deals made before the royal wedding, countless administrative matters… all of it. The Empress had no idea how much her husband owed Cassian in quiet competence.
Cassian continued calmly.
“Due to the recent unfortunate incident, I was late in reporting. We were forced to finalize an agreement with Princess Alexis in haste.”
The Emperor frowned. “Unfortunate incident? And what agreement?”
“My apologies for not informing you in advance, Your Majesty. Time was short, and since it was a matter under my direct authority, I prioritized resolving it first—”
“Enough formalities,” the Emperor snapped. “Explain yourself.”
“It happened six days ago,” Cassian said smoothly. “An intruder broke into the northern annex of the Winter Palace where the artifacts were stored.”
“An intruder?”
“Yes. Interestingly, the day before that, Duke Jamoti here asked one of my knights for detailed information about the security system.”
Cassian glanced at the Emperor meaningfully.
“So, based on the parts he inquired about, we strengthened the guard there—and because of that, no major damage occurred. Although,” he added, “there was one stolen item.”
“There was?”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty,” Cassian said lightly.
The Emperor, now listening closely, waited.
“They stole a fake. The real artifact was never in danger. We used the counterfeit as bait to identify the culprit.”
“So you laid a trap?”
“Yes, though I must admit, Her Majesty was right about one thing—I was complacent.”
Cassian turned toward the Empress and Duke Jamoti with that familiar, infuriatingly calm smile.
“Because the mineral was so rare, I assumed today’s exhibition would proceed without issue, and I didn’t think to report it ahead of time.”
Duke Jamoti’s face went white as parchment.
“I know how deeply the Empress and Duke care for me,” Cassian went on, voice polite but mocking. “I thought you’d ask about it eventually, but I see your concern was far greater than I anticipated.”
In other words, they’d just embarrassed themselves in front of the entire court.
And of course, the Emperor wasn’t slow to grasp that.
The Empress, quick to adapt, spoke immediately with a contrite smile.
“Your Majesty, I acted rashly. I only feared the Anden Kingdom might be slighting the Empire.”
“Humph! You should’ve known better than to jump to conclusions!” the Emperor barked, though his anger was already cooling.
“I was wrong, Your Majesty,” the Empress said humbly. “Now that Prince Cassian’s precautions have cleared up the misunderstanding, please let it go.”
Her gentle tone softened the Emperor’s expression further.
But Duke Jamoti, realizing the walls were closing in, panicked.
“Y-Your Majesty! What if Prince Cassian is lying to escape punishment?”
You fool!
I didn’t need mind-reading powers to guess what the Empress was thinking at that moment. Her face—usually serene—briefly twisted into something demonic.
“Lying, you say, Duke Jamoti?” the Emperor repeated coldly.
The air turned to ice.
Even the Emperor’s fury had shifted—his tone was no longer explosive but frigid and deadly.
“You sound very confident in that accusation.”
“N-no, I… that is—”
Duke Jamoti finally realized the enormity of what he’d said. His face went from pale to blue.
“So concerned for the Empire’s honor, are you?” the Emperor said, smiling in that terrifying way people do when they’re past the point of anger. “How touching.”
No one dared make a sound.
The Emperor drew a slow breath, then said in a low voice,
“Prove your innocence, Cassian.”
No one needed to explain what he meant. Cassian understood perfectly.
He straightened and bowed deeply once more.
“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command,” he said solemnly.
***
Later — The Empress’s Quarters
“So,” the Empress said coldly, “did you want to get yourself killed, brother?”
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Duke Jamoti had never been so terrified in his life. He could barely even remember how the exhibition had ended.
“You heard how His Majesty praised that woman’s son, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty…”
He had heard. Every single word of it had been torture.
“You prepared this magnificently, Cassian. So many items, yet not a single mistake in the layout…”
“You’re too kind, Your Majesty.”
“It’s clear which of Anden’s treasures are most valuable. I even know which artists our Empire should pay attention to now.”
“It’s thanks to Princess Alexis’s cooperation—and of course, my aide, Lady Salice. She’s remarkably detail-oriented.”
“Hah! Having good aides is part of your own skill. Don’t be so modest.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed, a true son of mine. A ruler must judge a person’s worth wisely.”
Each word had been like a knife.
Yes, the Emperor was trying to bury today’s public embarrassment by flattering Cassian—but to the Empress, it was humiliation beyond bearing.
So it was no surprise that she now glared at her brother with venom.
“You couldn’t even manage this simple task? Must I hold your hand and teach you every single thing?”
“I—I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
He remembered when she used to be the gentle younger sister who relied on him.
But that had been decades ago.
Now, the power dynamic was completely reversed, and all he could do was kneel.
No—beg.
“I was foolish. Please, please tell me how I can fix this.”
He lowered himself pathetically, trembling.
He knew better than anyone how dangerous Cassian could be. Both he and his sister had seen firsthand that the prince’s efficiency was almost demonic.
Now that Cassian was preparing to gather evidence, there would be no escape without the Empress’s help.
Even though they had used multiple intermediaries to cover their tracks, it was impossible to hope that Cassian wouldn’t find something.
“…He should’ve died when he had the chance,” the Empress hissed.
Duke Jamoti swallowed hard.
He knew she wasn’t talking about him. She meant Cassian.
But her words still made his skin crawl.
When did it start? he wondered bitterly. Ten years ago? When he returned from that first expedition?
Ever since then, Cassian had changed—become sharper, colder, more dangerous.
It hadn’t even been that long, but the constant pressure of dealing with him made it feel like decades.
CRASH—!
The Empress shattered a teacup against the floor.
The sound oddly comforted the Duke. It meant her thoughts were beginning to settle.
Finally, she exhaled. “No… I won’t let the Jamoti family fall because of my foolish brother.”
Her eyes gleamed as she smoothed back her hair.
“Prepare to sacrifice your second son.”
“W-what? But Your Majesty, he’s your nephew!”
“I never said to kill him,” she snapped. Her voice was like a whip.
“Lock him up for a few years. That should satisfy Cassian’s sense of justice.”
The Duke swallowed again, his throat dry.
“I’ll handle the rest. But you—”
She reached out and flicked his forehead sharply.
“Take care of the mess with the temples and the sacred stone trade.”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty…”
“I trust you can at least manage that much.”
Her voice was calm, but the contempt was unmistakable.
All Duke Jamoti could do was bow deeply—lower and lower—hoping it would be enough to survive her wrath.
