EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 160

Chapter 160

***

 

At that moment, inside the carriage heading to the imperial palace.

Nicholas barely managed to hold back a sigh of discomfort.

⟨Nicholas, you will ride in my carriage.〉

After the founding festival’s opening ceremony, the emperor, just as he was about to return to the palace, suddenly ordered Nicholas to accompany him.

Nicholas was puzzled for a moment, but then quickly bowed with a bright smile, especially under Serphin’s sharp gaze burning into him.

⟨I gladly accept your command, Your Majesty.⟩

And so, now riding in the same carriage as the emperor, Nicholas was tense.

Recently, he had successfully resolved a border conflict and achieved diplomatic gains, rapidly raising his presence.

He had grown influential enough to be considered a rival to First Princess Serphin, the empress’s legitimate daughter and a member of the powerful Faelunt ducal family on her mother’s side. No one dared to see him as a mere titular prince anymore.

Naturally, being in a private audience with the emperor under such circumstances made him nervous.

“…”

“…”

But what was going on?

He had assumed the emperor summoned him because there was something to discuss. Yet as they neared the palace, the emperor still hadn’t spoken a word, only staring fixedly at Nicholas.

Unable to read the emperor’s intentions, Nicholas sighed inwardly.

‘He clearly wasn’t pleased about Seraphine abandoning her mission as envoy and returning alone.’

Could he be using Nicholas to scold her or instill a sense of urgency?

But the emperor had never shown much interest in succession matters, nor had he ever given either Serphin or Nicholas much personal thought.

More than anything, the emperor’s attention now was wholly directed at the Grand Duchess of Belus.

It was well known that the Grand Duchess had once been the emperor’s first love, but even during the ceremony, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Nicholas found it quite unsettling. Strangely enough, the empress didn’t seem to mind at all but Nicholas had felt deeply uncomfortable, like sitting on a bed of nails.

“Now then, what did you think of her? She’s adorable, isn’t she?”

“…Excuse me?”

When did the emperor start speaking?

Startled enough to nearly bite his tongue, Nicholas was stunned. To be spacing out like this in such a situation—how ridiculous.

As if he had noticed, the emperor raised an eyebrow.

Nicholas braced himself for a scolding, but surprisingly, the emperor’s tone softened again.

“I’m talking about the Grand Duchess’s daughter. Soft-looking, like a baby rabbit, and beautiful, don’t you think?”

“Ah…”

“No need to be shy. You’re of marrying age, aren’t you? Of course, she would have caught your eye.”

Watching the emperor nod to himself, jumping to conclusions, Nicholas almost couldn’t keep a straight face.

“Honestly, both you and Serphin should’ve been married twice over by now. Kids these days aren’t like they used to be. Back then, people started families the moment they came of age…”

The emperor started reminiscing about how betrothals before adulthood were the norm. Nicholas’s eyes grew cold.

In truth, at both the previous welcome banquet and today, Nicholas hadn’t properly looked at either the Grand Duchess or her daughter.

Whenever he saw them, he couldn’t help but think of his own late mother, whose soft pink hair he could only remember in glimpses and it made his heart ache.

It was similar to how he felt when passing by his half-sisters, the imperial princesses confined to their separate palace.

So hearing the emperor talk like this now was absurd. Laughable.

But Nicholas had a vague idea of what the emperor was thinking.

He was probably considering forming a marital alliance with the Grand Duchess through Nicholas.

‘He dragged me into the carriage just to talk about this?’

It was absurd, but Serphin was unaware of the emperor’s thoughts.

That worked in Nicholas’s favor.

He forced a smile and played along.

“Yes. The young lady strongly resembles the Grand Duchess, she is quite the beauty.”

As expected, the emperor’s expression instantly softened.

In fact, the emperor even smiled in satisfaction—something Nicholas had never seen even when reporting diplomatic successes. That expression stayed on his face all the way to the palace.

No sooner had the emperor left than Serphin fixed Nicholas with a deadly glare.

Nicholas calmly greeted the empress beside her, pretending not to notice Serphin.

The empress had never shown particular interest in him, a royal bastard, but she had also never uttered a cruel word. Even the imperial princesses in separate palaces had been treated generously by her.

Despite being rivals for the throne, Nicholas held no resentment toward the empress.

But the problem was…

“What trick did you pull to make Father act like that? Speak honestly!”

As soon as the empress left, Serphin pounced, voice sharp and furious.

Nicholas tilted his head and gave a teasing smile.

“Who knows? I merely served His Majesty with utmost sincerity. Perhaps he was pleased to see me carrying out my duties faithfully.”

“Still running your mouth?”

Provoking her further, Serphin trembled with fury and raised her hand.

Smack! 

A harsh slap landed across his cheek.

“I’ve always told you—don’t assume that just because you have royal blood, you’re one of us.”

“…”

“Whatever tricks you play, don’t think things will go your way forever!”

With icy words, Serphin turned and left.

Nicholas calmly wiped the blood from his lip.

Serphin had always despised him, even before he’d risen to prominence.

The imperial princesses from the separate palaces felt the same.

If she became emperor, she would likely kill them all, including him.

For Nicholas, the throne wasn’t a choice. It was survival.

So this wasn’t the time to simply be satisfied with backing Serphin into a corner.

⟨I will make you emperor.⟩

But he wasn’t afraid, not when he had a steadfast ally who’d once said those words.

Nicholas suddenly recalled the first time he met Lucio at the age of twelve.

Back then, he was the only prince with the distinctive red hair of the imperial family, and unlike the palace-bound princesses, he’d been given a separate, modest palace.

Still, he’d lived like a ghost.

Then, one day, a boy the same age—heir to the famed Elard Duchy, known for his brilliance even at that young age—appeared.

Without preamble, the boy declared he would make Nicholas emperor. In return, he asked that the future emperor grant him one request.

Lucio had said only the emperor could fulfill what he desired.

⟨…Do you want independence from the Empire? Or are you just looking for a puppet emperor?⟩

When Nicholas asked if Lucio wanted the throne for himself, Lucio coldly smiled and said it was none of those things.

Honestly, it didn’t matter what it was.

If he was going to live and die like a nobody, it would be better to at least do something.

To Nicholas, Lucio was a savior.

And their alliance had continued smoothly up to this point.

Lucio spared neither wealth nor power for Nicholas’s sake.

He quietly established an intelligence guild, formed a merchant group, and entered the Imperial Foreign Ministry.

All Nicholas had to do was attend the academy, study, and build connections with the people Lucio had carefully selected.

Before he knew it, he had risen from a prince with no presence to someone mentioned among potential heirs to the throne.

Nicholas still didn’t know exactly what Lucio wanted from him, but he had come to trust him to a certain degree.

At the same time, his own ambitions had grown.

He hoped Lucio would one day belong solely to him.

At some point, Nicholas had returned to his palace and was now lightly tapping on his desk.

“The Grand Duke of Belus’s daughter, huh…”

Even with just a passing glance, she had been beautiful enough to catch his eye.

But that was all.

Simply being pretty and innocent wouldn’t be enough to stand up to Serphin or dominate the social circles. If anything, she’d likely fall into a trap and cause trouble.

“I still think the Elard girl would be a better fit.”

She was already being called the flower of the social scene, admired by both noble young ladies and even the most fastidious high-ranking noblewomen.

If he could form a marriage alliance with the Elard family, Serphin would probably stop eyeing Lucio as well.

Nicholas admitted that he deeply wanted to strike back at Serphin and proudly announce that the powerful Elard family had chosen his side.

“She’s still young, so if we start with an engagement and hold the wedding after I become emperor…”

Nicholas trailed off just before saying, it would be perfect.

He’d actually been thinking about this for quite some time, but he hadn’t yet mentioned it to Lucio.

‘He may be indifferent to others, but he’s fiercely protective of his family.’

When Nicholas had casually asked who might be suitable as empress, Lucio had coolly responded that it was up to him.

“There must be families that would help or harm my claim to the throne.”

Nicholas frowned in dissatisfaction.

Lucio had meant to respect Nicholas’s free will, but Nicholas had interpreted it as indifference.

Still, he secretly believed that if Lucio thought his sister could become empress, he might agree wholeheartedly.

And maybe the favor Lucio intended to ask someday was related to this.

If it really was, then Nicholas might truly be able to make Lucio his completely.

As he contemplated all this, a serious expression crossing his face, Nicholas furrowed his brow.

“But still…”

Since the emperor had brought it up himself, perhaps the Grand Duke of Belus’s daughter would be the best choice to win the emperor’s favor.

In any case, Nicholas decided he would have to talk it over with Lucio once he returned.