“…Ahem, you shouldn’t say things like that carelessly.”
“Mmm, why?”
“That’s because…”
The crown prince struggled to suppress the corners of his lips, which kept twitching upward.
He was probably imagining himself marrying Veronica. I also had to stifle a smirk from creeping onto my face.
I had to appear innocent—just like a clueless five-year-old child.
Repeating that to myself, I managed to keep smiling brightly.
“But Berry… married Marquis Lionel…”
“…”
However, the crown prince’s expression at those words turned incredibly dark. If Cedric had been sitting in front of him instead of me, he probably would’ve snapped his neck on the spot.
I couldn’t bring myself to continue speaking. Instead, I observed the crown prince’s jawline, the veins bulging as he gritted his teeth so tightly.
“But Daddy always said he hated Mommy.”
“…He said he hated her?”
“Uh-huh. Daddy hated Dia too. Last time, he…”
“…”
This was my chance.
I laid bare all of Cedric’s misdeeds in front of the crown prince.
Since Claudia’s memories were hazy and I couldn’t recount past events, I instead described how Cedric had stormed into my room the moment I possessed this body and grabbed my shoulders roughly, yelling at me.
“He suddenly barged into Dia’s room, grabbed Dia’s shoulders really hard, and got mad.”
“Cedric did that?”
“Yeah! And Mommy got really angry.”
“…”
The crown prince’s expression changed moment by moment. When I mentioned that Veronica had defended me after Cedric grabbed my shoulders, he barely maintained the curve of his lips in a forced smile, his whole body trembling with rage.
I did my best to act, ensuring that his anger grew. I recalled the fear I had felt then and made my shoulders tremble pitifully.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes! Daddy is really scary.”
“Hoo…”
As if restraining his anger, the crown prince let out a deep sigh. However, perhaps conscious of scaring me, he quickly forced a smile again.
“Thank you for telling me, Dia.”
“Okay!”
Still trembling, I beamed as if reassured by his kind words.
As if I had no ulterior motives.
As if I had no intention of manipulating those around me to act according to my will.
And then, as if nothing had happened, I happily devoured the dessert in front of me.
“Dia, have you been behaving well?”
“Yes!”
A little while later, Veronica returned and asked in a gentle voice.
Grinning brightly, I ran to her and hugged her tightly. She smelled wonderful.
“Thank you for looking after Dia, brother.”
“No, I actually enjoyed it. She’s a quiet and sweet child.”
“Really?”
Veronica couldn’t hide her joy and laughed softly. Then she reached out and patted my head.
“I’ll be heading back now.”
“…Alright.”
Seeing the crown prince rise from his seat, Veronica looked disappointed.
I watched her quietly.
Deciding on the crown prince as my new stepfather had been my one-sided plan. If Veronica didn’t want him, then all of this would be pointless.
“Will we… see each other again?”
Since I possessed this body, Veronica had been like a withering flower.
She was a beautiful person who could bloom brighter than anyone else, yet she was wilting away day by day—all because she had married the wrong man.
But now, she was different.
She shone brilliantly, like a flower bud bathed in the warm sunlight of dawn.
Seeing that, I smiled with satisfaction.
This solidified my plans.
“Of course. Next time, we’ll meet in the capital.”
“The capital?”
“Yes. I’ve decided… to reclaim my rightful place.”
“…!”
The crown prince’s voice carried firm resolve. Veronica’s eyes widened in shock.
His rightful place—he meant the throne.
After the previous emperor and empress had died in an accident, the rightful successor should have been the crown prince, Dantellion.
However, using his young age as an excuse, the empress dowager and her faction had prevented his ascension. Even after Dantellion became an adult, they continued to block his coronation.
An empty throne.
A crown prince who had yet to ascend, even as an adult.
It was absurd, yet this was the reality.
“I sincerely hope you reclaim your rightful place.”
Veronica bit her lip and lowered her head. Her face was clouded with guilt.
She had married Cedric, who belonged to the empress dowager’s faction, and had ignored the crown prince all this time. The guilt must have weighed on her.
Yet, the crown prince, ever mature, simply smiled.
“Yes, sister.”
“Dia, let’s meet again.”
“Okay!”
Hugged in Veronica’s arms, I waved at the retreating crown prince.
Work hard and claim the throne quickly.
That way, you can help Veronica divorce Cedric and win her over completely.
Phew, there’s still a long way to go.
Still, I had left plenty of breadcrumbs today. If the crown prince had any sense, he would act swiftly.
I nodded to myself, satisfied.
***
[Master! The Duke Swordmaster is talking about something suspicious.]
“What?”
I was enjoying a macaron as my post-meal dessert when I flinched and turned to Desmond.
“Something suspicious?”
[The Duke Swordmaster and his sons are having a serious conversation.]
“Oh?”
Intrigued by Desmond’s words, I set down my macaron.
“That’s fast.”
After the crown prince had left, I had been waiting for news of his actions.
Recently, I had heard that he had achieved a major victory on the western front. In the original storyline, he had taken a more cautious approach to battle, but this time, he had secured an unprecedented victory using unexpected strategies.
That meant he was desperate.
He must have realized that if he wanted to win over Veronica, he needed to reclaim the throne as soon as possible.
And now, the duke had gathered his direct descendants for a meeting.
Good thing I always had Desmond monitoring the duke’s office. Otherwise, I might have missed this crucial conversation.
“Tell me what they’re talking about.”
[Got it. Just a moment.]
Desmond, now used to this, promptly relayed their conversation to me.
Soon, I heard their voices loud and clear.
“The crown prince’s army will soon march into the capital.”
“Hmm.”
At Vincent’s words, the duke nodded, his face grave.
“Having secured consecutive victories and unifying the west, the imperial family must treat him as a hero.”
“But will the empress dowager just sit back and watch?”
“…”
At Brandon’s question, the office fell into heavy silence.
Empress Dowager Gabriella Lorraine Sylvester.
Born into a low-ranking viscount family, her life had changed after she was recognized as a saint by the temple.
She had strategically married into the imperial family as a consort and swiftly became empress when the former empress mysteriously died.
From then on, her power soared.
And she would not let go of it easily.
“If His Highness falls before his coronation…”
Brandon murmured grimly.
If the crown prince died, there would be no imperial heirs left.
The office grew icy.
“When His Highness enters the capital, we must be by his side.”
Breaking the silence, Duke Winston finally spoke.
His crimson eyes gleamed.
It was time for the North to stir.It was time.
