Chapter 132

Gasp! Stifled screams erupted from those around us. Yulia even stomped her feet.

I glared at Dante, crunching angrily on my cookie. It was sad that my anger was slightly abating because the cookie was just so delicious.

“What brings you here?”

“I missed you, darling.”

“Jokes like that aren’t funny.”

“It’s not funny because it’s not a joke.”

Did nothing really happen with the Emperor? Seeing him perfectly fine, it didn’t seem like anything bad had occurred…

Still, I was a little worried. He was the kind of man who could hide his pain perfectly, no matter how much it hurt…

I casually asked how he was.

“So… has anything out of the ordinary happened lately?”

“Nope.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Yeah.”

“…Really?”

“I told you so.”

There’s no way the Emperor would just stand by, not with his personality.

*Has he finally given up on Igrid?*

Then again, even if he did nothing, Igrid would never be chosen as the Crown Prince.

He was branded a pervert, and the incident where he fled from the gate was something that couldn’t be covered up, no matter how they spun it.

*And on top of that, his arm was severed…*

Even the Emperor couldn’t be stubborn about it any longer.

*If this goes well, the Duke might not even need to step in.*

I should tell him as soon as I get off work today. That it seems like this will be resolved easily, so there’s probably no need to meet with the nobles.

Just then, a loud clatter of footsteps echoed. Alex was running through the lobby with his large frame.

*He said he was attending a meeting, but he’s already back?*

It seemed to have ended early, probably because their leader couldn’t attend.

“Alex!”

“Huh? …Astell!”

Spotting me, Alex rushed over.

“Pant, pant! Did you… pant, hear the news?”

“Breathe, then talk.”

“J-just a second, pant! Haa, haa, huff…”

After catching his breath, Alex spoke with a serious expression.

“His Majesty has decided to send Prince Igrid to the Panton Monastery.”

Everyone except Dante and me was surprised. To them, it was a sudden decision.

The Panton Monastery is known as a private convalescent facility for the royal family.

In reality, however, it was more of an institution to monitor disgraced royals who had lost power, preventing them from staging a coup.

This was also why its location and scale were kept strictly secret.

Johan asked with a worried look.

“Is Prince Igrid unwell?”

Alex glanced nervously at Dante and me.

“…His arm was severed in an unfortunate accident.”

“Oh, dear! How did such a thing happen…? But why is he going to a monastery? He could have come to the Temple. With the High Priest’s power, even a severed arm can be reattached.”

“Well… they said it couldn’t be reattached.”

“Did they perhaps fail to recover the severed arm?”

“Uh… w-well, I don’t really know the details…?”

Alex trailed off, mumbling.

It seemed he couldn’t bring himself to lie to a clergyman. I rescued Alex, who was breaking out in a cold sweat.

“When is he leaving for the monastery?”

“It seems he’ll be departing soon. They appear to be rushing because the prince’s condition is a bit unstable.”

A man who lived for his own greatness lost everything overnight; of course he wouldn’t be in his right mind.

I glanced at the message window.

[Igrid Orton Taikan’s Revenge: 7 days, 04:21:39 remaining until completion.]

The best way to avoid revenge is to take away the power to exact it.

And with that, Igrid had lost all his power. Far from getting revenge on me, he would have to live locked away in a monastery for the rest of his life.

I had boasted to the constellations, but it had been weighing on my mind. Now, I could finally relax.

“Is that why you came running in such a hurry?”

“It’s not over yet. There’s more important news.”

“What is it?”

“A short while ago, His Majesty made a major announcement.”

“About what?”

Alex suddenly straightened his uniform and bowed politely to Dante.

Just as everyone was wondering about his sudden action, Alex spoke calmly.

“Your Highness, congratulations on your ascension to Crown Prince.”

“…!”

At Alex’s words, the lobby fell silent as if doused with cold water.

It was unbelievable. To think the stagnant issue of the crown prince would be resolved like this.

The guild members, who had been frozen for a moment, began to rise one by one and bow their heads to Dante.

“Your Highness, congratulations.”

Dante paid no mind to the guild members’ greetings, not even glancing their way. He simply propped his chin on one hand and placed a cookie in my mouth.

“Darling, want this?”

I pushed Dante’s hand away and stood up. Then, I bent my knees slightly in a curtsy to show my respect.

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

“Hmm, how boring…”

“This isn’t for fun. The guild members can’t straighten up until Your Highness accepts their greetings.”

He tossed the cookie aside and dusted off his hands.

“Thank you for your congratulations. I promise I will strive not to disappoint your expectations.”

“…”

This guy could actually be serious?

Just as I was about to be slightly impressed, Dante grinned.

“So, darling? Do you like it?”

Of course.

“…You did well.”

The atmosphere became incredibly awkward. Yulia quietly slipped back to the reception desk, and the other guild members silently dispersed.

He had only gone from Prince to Crown Prince; Dante hadn’t changed at all.

But I didn’t understand why people’s attitudes toward him had changed.

*He feels exactly the same to me…*

In any case, now that the Crown Prince was decided, it was time to move on to the next step. I asked for Johan’s understanding.

“Johan, I’m sorry, but may I go up first?”

“Ah… of course.”

“Your Highness, I have something urgent to discuss with you. Let’s go to my office.”

“Excellent. I wanted to be alone with you too.”

Dante stood up and held out his hand to me.

“Shall we?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled languidly. It was a decadent eye-smile, enough to make me pause for a moment.

*Honestly, he’s worse than a demon…*

Even a demon wouldn’t flirt so indiscriminately.

I took his hand nonchalantly.

* * *

The moment we arrived in my office, I dropped Dante’s hand. With no one watching, there was no reason to pretend to be loving partners.

*This is exhausting…*

Truthfully, holding hands with Dante on the way here had been nerve-racking the entire time.

I’d never felt this way with Johan, no matter how close we were, so why was Dante so unsettling?

“Have a seat.”

As I spoke coolly, Dante let out a long sigh.

“Hah, my lover is so cold.”

I pretended not to hear him and sat down opposite him.

“How does it feel to be the Crown Prince?”

“Well, a bit of a hassle.”

“You’ll have to get used to it. Remember what I told you last time? It will be even more of a hassle when you become Emperor.”

“But the Princess promised to do the work for me.”

“You must have been dreaming. Not a chance.”

“Tsk, you’re not falling for it.”

Dante joked playfully. I let out a small laugh before lowering my voice.

“Now, we need to move on to the next stage.”

“What’s the plan?”

“We’re going to dethrone the Emperor as quickly as possible. If things go as I expect, it should be possible before the year is out.”

“That’s less than half a year… You’re in quite a hurry.”

Dante didn’t know the real reason I wanted revenge on the Emperor.

He only knew that I was seeking revenge because the Duke of Ruthius had been gravely injured due to the Emperor.

*It’s probably time to tell him the truth. At this point, we’re in the same boat.*

“I have no intention of dragging this out. I’ve already waited 21 years.”

I casually dropped the bait, hoping he would naturally question it.

But Dante just nodded nonchalantly.

“I see.”

“…That’s it? Aren’t you curious about anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Uh…”

“Why? Do you want me to ask?”

I was at a loss for words.

Why was I so sure Dante would be curious? Did I really think he was that interested in me?

My heart felt strange. A little disappointed, a little flustered…

I didn’t know what this feeling was, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant.

I shook my head.

“…No. There’s no need to ask if you’re not curious.”

“So now all I have to do is sit on the throne?”

*Becoming emperor sounds easy.*

Dante muttered to himself, propping his chin on his hand.

“Before that, I’ll cause some trouble. When the time is right, you’ll announce our breakup.”

Dante’s expression changed instantly. His face was completely devoid of its usual smile as he asked.

“What did you just say?”