Chapter 48

“Didn’t I already tell you that was the plan?”

“You mean a guild run haphazardly out of a small, shabby building with no employees? I’m sure people will be lining up to join.”

I wanted to say it wasn’t that bad, but even I had to admit he wasn’t far off.

The 180 million ruan Duke Ruthius had given me was all I had managed to save for the guild’s operating funds over the past six months. It was hardly a comfortable situation.

If I wanted to lease an office, run the guild, and use the money for gate rewards, I had to be as frugal as possible.

“You’ve met the Master of the Magic Tower, so you must have realized by now that His Majesty plans to establish a hunter guild.”

“I know.”

“A pathetic guild run by the Mad Princess with the worst reputation, versus a proper guild established by the Emperor. Isn’t it obvious which one the hunters will choose?”

“At first, maybe. But over time, they’ll come over to my side.”

“And you think His Majesty will just sit back and watch until that happens? What if a third or fourth hunter guild appears in the meantime? Do you intend to wait idly then, too? You’re surprisingly carefree.”

The more guilds there were, the more the hunters would be divided.

The problem was that a guild’s strength lay in the number of its members.

No matter how strong the leader, a small number of members would limit their influence.

For me, who planned to establish a branch in the Akron Magic Kingdom, not just the Taikan Empire, to control the coming doom, this was certainly not an advantageous situation.

“There’s no reason to rely on time. All you have to do is show an overwhelming presence from the start. So much so that they wouldn’t even dare to compare.”

“The bottom line is you want me to join hands with you, Duke. Do you really think I would do that?”

“Make a smart decision about what you truly need right now.”

I knew it too.

I knew that accepting Duke Ruthius’s proposal would solve all my problems.

The issue of funding for the guild would be resolved, and I could become the master of a respectable guild.

‘And I’d get to screw over the Emperor as a bonus.’

But for that to happen, Astell had spent the last twenty-one years in too much pain and loneliness.

‘No one would understand.’

No one would know the guilt I felt every time I casually dined with Duke Ruthius.

No one would know the agony I felt every time I talked to Alex, remembering the things he had said to Astell.

Just because the employees were fired didn’t mean the scars they left on Astell were erased.

Her tear stains still remained in the diary…

‘And I’m supposed to ignore Astell’s suffering just because I’m short on money, because the Emperor is getting on my nerves…?’

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t do it.

‘I made a promise to Astell. That I would get her revenge.’

Above all, Duke Ruthius’s motive for helping me was unclear.

He said he didn’t want to make money, nor did he want to gain power. So why was he trying to help me?

It wasn’t as if he was the type of person to pour everything into his children, either.

That’s why I was unsure what he wanted from me, but now I was beginning to get a faint idea.

I kept my eyes fixed on Duke Ruthius and asked.

“I have a question for you. Are you on bad terms with His Majesty?”

“Why do you ask such a thing?”

“Because it seems you’re investing in me to interfere with His Majesty.”

“…Relationships aren’t always good. There are good times and bad times.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“It’s the worst.”

My eyes widened. It was a completely unexpected answer.

Wasn’t Duke Ruthius the Emperor’s closest aide? That’s what Astell remembered, too.

“…Since when?”

“For the last twenty-one years.”

Duke Ruthius’s tone was calm, but his green eyes churned like a stormy sea.

It was the first time the Duke had shown so much emotion.

He always seemed to be wearing a mask of ice.

“So you’re saying you want to use me to get in the Emperor’s way.”

“That’s right.”

“…Is that all you have to say? If you truly want me to join hands with you, shouldn’t you at least make an excuse?”

“Does making an excuse change the fact that I’m using you? Does it erase the past where I treated you with contempt? Appealing to emotion now would be cowardly.”

“…”

“You may leave.”

Duke Ruthius turned away.

I watched his stiff back for a moment before leaving the office.

His broad back looked strangely precarious.

***

Later that evening, Alex, who had returned from an outing, summoned me to the drawing room.

‘He said he was attending a gathering of young nobles today. Why is he back so early, bossing me around?’

As soon as I entered the drawing room, Alex asked bluntly.

“What’s going on between you and the Second Prince?”

“Who?”

“The Second Prince. He’s saying you two are dating.”

“Who told you that?”

“Do you think it was just one person? Do you have any idea how awkward it was for me when everyone I met kept asking?”

Who spread such a rumor?

Besides the Semoy Master, no one else knew the two of them had met.

‘I’ll have to meet with Berman soon.’

As Alex strode over and sat on the sofa, Zenia tactfully prepared tea for him.

“Do you even know what kind of person the Second Prince is before you started seeing him? Then again, what would you know, cooped up in the mansion all this time. You can’t even judge character. You probably just fell for his face like all the other young ladies.”

“Well, he is handsome.”

“Get a grip! His looks are all the Second Prince has! The rest of him is a complete mess!”

“You’re not much to look at either.”

“Hey! What’s wrong with my face… *Hoo*, forget it. I didn’t come here to fight. Anyway, the Second Prince is a no-go. You should meet the First Prince instead.”

“Was it something I could do just because I wanted to? Was I always that charming?”

As I said this, blinking my eyes excessively, Alex’s expression twisted as if he’d bitten into something foul.

“…Don’t you dare do that anywhere else. People will point and say you’re crazy.”

“They already do.”

“Stop joking around and listen seriously. You know I attended that gathering today, right? Yggdrasil, the one led by His Highness the First Prince.”

“And?”

“His Highness the First Prince called me over and asked in detail about your relationship with the Second Prince. He said he’s been interested in you for a while.”

“How does that make sense? When has he ever seen me?”

“How should I know? The important thing is that the man who will soon be Crown Prince said so.”

He must have gotten his hands on the rankings somewhere. That would explain the sudden interest.

I merely wet my lips with the tea before setting the cup down.

“Is that certain?”

“What? That His Highness Igrid will be appointed Crown Prince?”

“Yes.”

“…Honestly, the situation has been a bit shaky since the Second Prince became a hunter, but the support from the nobility is pretty solid.”

“So there’s no chance it’ll change?”

“That’s right. As long as Father doesn’t support the Second Prince, Prince Igrid will ultimately be the one.”

“The Duke doesn’t support either side?”

“That’s part of what’s made the situation a little strange. Until now, the one who received the support of the Ruthius family was always appointed Crown Prince.”

The image of Duke Ruthius’s heavy-looking back lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.

‘I don’t know why it keeps bothering me.’

I let out an irritated sigh.

“Do you know what happened between His Majesty and the Duke?”

“How would I know if you just ask like that? You have to at least give me a time frame.”

“It seems something happened twenty-one years ago, around the time I was born. I thought you might know.”

Alex suddenly fell silent.

His expression, which had frozen for a moment, soon shifted to one of disbelief.

“…Are you an idiot? I was two years old back then.”

“Oh, right. You go on about being my older brother so much, I mistook you for being old. My bad.”

“Wait, let me think.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far…”

Alex turned his back and gazed out the window. Just as I was about to get goosebumps from the uncharacteristically serious atmosphere, he spoke.

“Could it be that incident?”

“What incident?”

“This is just what I heard, but when Father was away at war, His Majesty threw a party to pray for victory.”

“So?”

“At the time, Mother was heavily pregnant and in poor health, but she had no choice but to attend.”

“…Why?”

“Because His Majesty commanded every noble in the capital to be present.”

“Didn’t the Duke know?”

“How could he from the battlefield? I heard he only found out after Mother passed away.”

“What was his reaction?”

“They said he was the same as always. He didn’t even bat an eye, which made everyone whisper. They said that after Mother died, it was as if he’d lost not only his sword, but his emotions as well.”

‘This is it!’

The moment I heard it, I had a strong premonition.

That incident had to be the cause of the rift that turned the relationship between Duke Ruthius and the Emperor into the absolute worst.