I thought he was a mere mouse, but maybe he’s a leopard cub…
Ludwig’s eyes narrowed. Given the circumstances, it was better to offer a clean apology now.
The gap between thought and action was brief. Ludwig lowered his gaze and bowed his head, looking sorrowful. “Indeed, it is true. Although it was a mistake, Your Highness was gravely injured because of it…”
Ludwig cleverly emphasized the word ‘mistake’ as if he genuinely felt sorry for Kayden. He finished his words with a slightly trembling voice as if holding back tears.
“As someone who serves the first princess, I sincerely apologize as well.”
“…”
As Ludwig bowed his head without hesitation, Kayden found himself with no further words to say. He clicked his tongue inwardly. As cunning as a fox.
Ludwig was publicly known as Rebecca’s right-hand man. By bowing and apologizing to Kayden, it could be interpreted as Rebecca’s will. People would feel a mix of confusion and sympathy seeing Ludwig easily offer an apology to Kayden.
Could it really have been a mistake if he’s bowing to his enemy? They might think so. Some nobles who disliked Kayden might even say, ‘It was a mistake, but he’s making him bow in front of everyone,’ and frown.
With this one action, Ludwig managed to create an image of Rebecca acknowledging her mistake and apologizing to Kayden. Knowing this, Ludwig quickly bowed his head. On the surface, he seemed like a gentle and soft-spoken young man, but Ludwig was a gambler who wouldn’t hesitate to sell his pride for his goals.
Ultimately, Kayden realized that continuing the conversation with Ludwig would only result in losses, so he decided to end it and send him away.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ferand slipped away from the conversation with Duke Findlay. That man is always making me uncomfortable. As soon as he got out of the second concubine’s sight, Ferand messily loosened his cravat and scratched the back of his head.
Duke Xavier Findlay. Unlike Ludwig, who hid his true intentions behind a smiling face, he was an inscrutable figure differently.
Duke Findlay had a cold and stern appearance that could make any child cry at least once. He always maintained a blank expression. Anyone who met his gaze directly would naturally shrink back.
Ferand was no different. In fact, it could be said that it was even worse for him.
“Those eyes really make me feel unpleasant.” Ferand suddenly frowned with a displeased expression.
Every time Duke Findlay or the first concubine’s family looked at him, it was as if they were staring at garbage by the roadside. Ferand hated those stares. Sometimes, it made him angry. How dare a mere noble look at a member of the imperial family with such eyes…
“…But why does the second prince always ally with the first princess?”
At that moment, Ferand stopped in his tracks at the faint voice that reached his ears.
“…”
Ferand was standing in a corridor lined with lounges. He raised his eyebrows suspiciously and looked around. It sounded like they were talking about me just now…?
Ferand silenced his footsteps and checked the nearby lounges. He noticed one door slightly ajar. Then he pressed his body against the wall and tried to peek inside, but the gap was too small to see anything. Reluctantly, he strained to listen to the voices coming from inside.
Judging by the lively chatter, it seemed to be young noble ladies. One of the ladies inside spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Oh my, you might not know since you haven’t been in the capital for long.”
Ferand held his breath even more, worried his presence might be detected.
There was a small clinking sound as if a teacup was being set down. Soon, a voice, even softer than before, leaked through the door.
“Just make sure you don’t go around telling this.”
“Oh, come on. Do you think we have no sense of loyalty?”
“In fact, it’s an open secret in the capital. The relationship between the first concubine and the second concubine.”
At those words, Ferand clenched his fists tightly. Meanwhile, the ladies continued their conversation with excitement.
“What’s the relationship between the first and the second concubine?”
“Originally, His Majesty didn’t intend to take the current second concubine as a concubine. He wasn’t planning to have any consorts besides the empress, but Duke Findlay strongly protested, so he took the first concubine.”
The current empress was a princess of the Ravic Kingdom, an ally of the Valhalla Empire. The emperor had once studied abroad in the Ravic Kingdom when he was young. Then, he happened to meet the current king of Ravic, who was a prince at that time, and they became close friends. Later, they both ascended to their respective thrones and promised peace.
As proof of that, the emperor took the current empress as his wife. He declared that he didn’t want to be treated as a breeding stallion for producing heirs and wouldn’t take any consorts until he wished to.
However, the noble faction led by the Duke Findlay vehemently opposed this decision. They wanted to place someone from the noble faction in the position of consort to interfere with the imperial family, using the excuse that the Ravic Kingdom might influence Valhalla through the empress. They even argued that the Ravic Kingdom might later demand land using the heir’s bloodline as a pretext.
Eventually, the emperor gave in to the noble faction’s opposition and took Duke Findlay’s daughter as his first concubine. The nobles were relieved, thinking they had someone to counterbalance the empress, and stopped questioning the emperor’s marriage.
“But the first concubine was unhappy about not being the empress.”
The first concubine saw the foreign-born empress as a thorn in her side. However, when the empress gave birth to a son, and the first concubine had a daughter, her position became precarious. Although the empress’s son was weak and could not wield magic, making him almost a half-wit, it was still difficult for the first concubine to interfere with the imperial family.
At that time, Adella, the current second concubine, entered the imperial palace voluntarily to help the first concubine. Adella was the first concubine’s maid and close friend when the first concubine was still Lady Findlay.
Adella entered the emperor’s bedroom on the night the first concubine got him heavily drunk, and that night, she conceived a child. The emperor was furious when he found out. He had no intention of taking another consort or having a child with one. Reluctantly, he made Adella the Second concubine.
Realizing that the first and second concubine had schemed against him, he then conspicuously took a maid he had been eyeing and made her become his concubine. That maid was the third concubine, Kayden’s biological mother.
“Of course, as time passed, the emperor occasionally visited the second concubine, which led to the birth of the second princess…”
“The second concubine cherishes the first concubine and the first princess more than her own life. How could she feel any different about her own children? She became a concubine to help them in the first place.”
“Oh dear. So, the second prince has been nothing more than a tool for the first princess since birth?”
“Exactly.”
Hearing this, Ferand’s breathing grew heavier. He wanted to burst into the room, overturn the table, and shout. But remembering the second concubine had drilled into him since birth, he suppressed his anger.
Don’t act rashly. Never bring disgrace to her.
The second concubine’s eerie voice mixed with the ladies’ chatter, sounding like an unpleasant noise.
“Anyway, the defense battle is an event where all orders compete for victory. I’m worried that the first princess is unfairly taking away the second prince’s opportunity to achieve glory…”
Someone subtly mocked his situation.
“I believe I mentioned that eavesdropping on ladies’ conversations is not the conduct of a gentleman.” With a gentle voice, someone grabbed his hand from behind.
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