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Translated by: Sienna
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Who could have imagined that someone would treat him, the crown prince, from birth, this way?
Fritz, facing adversity for the first time, gritted his teeth, fighting back tears.
However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt not only wounded in pride but also deeply ashamed to the point of madness.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m the crown prince, the next emperor!”
Enveloped in arrogance, Fritz glared at Erich through blurry eyes.
“How long do you think you’ll be able to keep this up?”
Erich tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“When I become the next Emperor, you’ll be…”
At that moment, Erich swiftly raised one of the hands that was resting on Fritz’s shoulder toward Fritz’s neck.
Although he didn’t grip it tightly, Fritz saw it.
His fingers were curled inward, and his wrist was slightly twisted. It seemed as if, should something go wrong, Erich would grab and snap Fritz’s neck.
‘That, that crazy bastard just grabbed my throat……!’
But Fritz, facing Erich head-on, remained silent.
‘What kind of look is that…….’
Fritz was trembling.
For someone who was raised in a greenhouse, facing the war hero, who had slaughtered many enemies in battle, was overwhelming.
‘This crazy murderer might actually kill me!’
At that moment, Erich released the tension from his hand and lightly tapped Fritz’s stiff shoulder.
There was a satisfied smile on his smooth face that made his sister fall in love with him.
“I didn’t think you understood my words, so I showed you with my actions. Now that you seem to understand, I’m relieved.”
An obvious sneer.
The usual Fritz would never have let someone who laughed at him get away with it.
But Fritz was too weak to rebel against Erich.
There was no oppressive hand anymore.
Eventually, Erich lowered the hand from Fritz’s shoulder, bowed his head, and spoke to him in a courteous manner, as usual.
“Your Highness, you don’t look well. I think it would be best if you returned to the palace as soon as possible.”
“Ah, very well, I will do as you say.”
“Since you seem to be having difficulty with your mobility, perhaps you could have a servant assist you…….”
But Fritz, who had already tasted fear, dashed towards the door before Erich could finish his suggestion.
Watching his retreating figure, Erich sneered
“Have a safe trip home, Crown Prince.”
Bang!
As the door closed forcefully, Erich lowered his icy blue eyes.
<Damn you, Raven. You’re the reason I can’t see clearly!>
The prince he had seen at the founding ceremony procession had always bullied his sister, who was much older than him.
It was as if he was taking out his frustration on her.
‘I’ve scared him off, so he won’t be able to get close to her for a while.’
Erich went to the window and stared at the ornate carriage with the imperial emblem.
When the crown prince’s carriage sped away, he looked at his watch.
‘I thought they’d be here by now; they’re running a little late.’
He straightened his clothes and pushed himself to his feet.
‘Just to be sure, I should go and check.’
Knock knock.
“Your Excellency, it’s Xenon.”
At the sudden appearance of his subordinate, Erich took his seat again.
“Come in.”
As Xenon entered and bowed, Erich asked.
“How are things with the task I assigned?”
“Oh, about that, they should be arriving shortly. However, that’s not the matter I wanted to discuss.”
Curious about Xenon’s apparent discomfort, Erich asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Archduke Tarrant has come to visit.”
Erich felt uncomfortable, but he didn’t let it show.
“The Duchess is currently out, so tell him to come another time.”
“I’ve already told him that, but he insisted on waiting until her return…”
Erich rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet.
‘Well, it’s a good thing she isn’t back yet.’
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Moving to the suggested inner room, guided by the attendant, a young man with a sharp demeanor and emerald green hair came into view.
His red eyes, visible behind his monocle, met mine, and he rolled his eyes.
“Oh, it seems our uninvited guest is a swan. Ah, or should I say a black swan?”
I was offended by his choice of words, even though he had options like empress or duchess.
Instead of getting angry or blaming him, I chose to take a seat.
“I came to buy a red bottle.”
Upon hearing that, he continued smirking.
“We don’t have any red bottles.”
“Lies. You sold them here secretly.”
“Do you mistakenly think this is an assassination guild? Have you gone mad from longing for your husband that much to resort to such words…”
In response to his clear mockery, I quickly raised the fan I was holding, aiming it at his throat.
“How about this? You didn’t even have time to use the ‘thing’ you boast about.”
Though it was just a fan, he couldn’t move a muscle.
The sharp stingers protruding from the tip of the fan were now showing off their prowess.
“To trade with you, I tolerated your outrageous behavior, but it’s better for your well-being not to provoke me further. Parakel.”
When I mentioned his name, he showed a surprised expression.
“You even know who I am, so that means…”
I retracted my fan and stared at him.
“Yes, I will purchase the ‘firearms’ you created.”
Parakel, the father of firearms, was a genius who had advanced the arsenal of incendiary weapons that had been concealed for over a hundred years.
He was also a key figure who contributed to the success of the rebellion.
‘He joined the rebels because of a misjudgment by the Emperor.’
Led by Parakel, some alchemists of the Empire aimed to develop firearms that were more practical than cannons and muskets.
Their goal was to reduce the significant weakness of firearms, the reload time, and make them more convenient in terms of weight and size than the current models.
They requested support for firearms from the Emperor, emphasizing their potential significant contributions in individual combat and group battles.
But the current emperor had no intention of supporting the firearm production.
This was because although the reload time of firearms had improved, there were still limitations, and the weight was not exceptionally light. Moreover…
He realized that even if the weapon was improved, it would still be very difficult to hit a fast-moving transcendent.
And…….
‘He also realized that the commercialization of firearms could threaten the status quo.’
Although they can’t kill transcendents, advanced firearms can pierce thick armor. This means that a powerless commoner could kill a knight, which was previously unthinkable.
‘Even if we control it and make it for military use, if we’re careless, it could fall into the hands of an enemy country, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets into the hands of civilians.’
An uncontrolled sword is no better than no sword at all.
So the emperor tried to prevent the development of firearms by strictly forbidding their creation and keeping a close eye on alchemists.
However, humans tend to do the opposite when told not to. The alchemists secretly succeeded in developing firearms and quietly sold them.
The good news was that only wealthy nobles could afford to buy them, and the intricate production meant they couldn’t be mass-produced.
However, when the rebellion occurred, it is unknown what measures were taken, but a considerable number of firearms were supplied to the leaders of the rebellion.
‘That means there must have been forces supporting the rebellion. And their actions were probably…’
Perhaps six years later, after the death of the emperor, they began production in earnest.
Unlike the emperor, Fritz, being inexperienced in military matters, was not as vigilant in monitoring the alchemists and suspicious activities within the empire.
So I needed to be prepared for that moment.
The problem, however, was that the other party was unlikely to take my suggestion lightly.
“Ha, you think I’m crazy enough to sell firearms to the Princess?”
“Weren’t you in need of money?”
“Yes, but you know well that firearms production is prohibited…”
“One million gold.”
The moment I mentioned an astronomical amount, he closed his mouth and stared at me with trembling eyes.
‘When it’s about wanting things, making money comes first.’
I continued.
“If you succeed in producing firearms according to my requirements, I’ll buy them for that amount.”
Parakel opened his mouth.
“Well, leaving aside the success of the production, what do you intend to do with so many firearms?”
Parakel stared at me directly and added with a voice mixed with concern.
“Even if you’re the princess, having that many firearms will undoubtedly make the Emperor suspect impure intentions.”
I laughed and replied.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”
