Chapter 65
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Chapter 65
Riedan was the only ordinary person I ever encountered.
From the start, I had never been close to peers who were so far beneath my level.
[Her Majesty the Empress never wished to occupy that position. The Emperor, being magnanimous, commanded it, so she had no choice but to accept.]
Riedan sighed deeply as he spoke.
[She has always despised that role, but because the Young Prince was born, she cannot even become a deposed empress. One cannot depose the empress who bore the Young Prince.]
[Because of me? Because of me?]
[In truth, she conceals it before the Young Prince, but she lost the Emperor's favor long ago. When their relationship was good, it was manageable, but now Her Majesty the Empress finds the Imperial Palace utterly suffocating.]
Indeed, from around that time, the Emperor ceased to remain in the Imperial Palace.
He was actually undergoing recuperation, though naturally I knew nothing of it.
[That is why Her Majesty the Empress suffers each time she sees the Young Prince.]
In the end, it meant my mother's unhappiness was my fault.
I could not speak to anyone about what I heard from Riedan.
Crown Prince Kiaros had no biological mother, and I could not tell the Emperor that 'father was wrong'.
[W-what should I do then? What am I supposed to do?]
[If you wish to help Her Majesty the Empress, you must distance yourself as much as possible.]
Riedan taught me kindly.
[Her heart is already troubled whenever she sees the Young Prince, so ease her burden by distancing yourself.]
[You're saying I should be the one to distance myself from Her Majesty the Empress first?]
[Yes. Then Her Majesty the Empress will feel less guilt about not loving her child, and perhaps she will find some relief.]
After that, I distanced myself from the Empress as Riedan instructed.
Yet deep down, I hoped she would embrace me and ask, "Jayden, why are you doing this?"
But as I grew distant, the Empress seemed to reduce contact even more deliberately.
[Did I not tell you so? I was right, was I not?]
In the end, I could only trust Riedan's words.
[Thanks to your maturity, Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress will find life more bearable.]
Two years had already passed.
My relationship with the Empress had grown even more distant.
On the rare occasions we met in public, the Empress would tense whenever she saw me.
And yet....
'This Scroll Department event... didn't seem so bad.'
Still, at eight years old, I truly needed my mother.
Merely seeing the invitation sent by the Scroll Department thrilled me.
The Empress and I would use scrolls together to ignite indoor fireworks....
'Like when she used to play with me as a child, it would be fun if I could do this with Mother....'
Perhaps noticing this lingering attachment, Riedan spoke sternly.
"The Minister of Scrolls planning such an event is a most vexing matter indeed."
Vexing?
I blinked in surprise.
"Huh? Why?"
"He dares to reject the Imperial Decree, claiming he'll live his own life, and now he intends to mock Her Majesty the Empress, who is bound by misfortune."
Riedan grasped Jayden's shoulder and met his eyes.
"Your Highness the Young Prince resides in the Separate Palace, so you naturally don't understand the complexities of adult affairs."
There was a reason young members of the Royal Family were kept in the Separate Palace. It was so they could grow up as children without worrying about political matters.
So in a sense, it was inevitable that he would be slow to learn the details.
"Your Highness the Young Prince, think about it. We mustn't cause Her Majesty the Empress further pain over this matter, must we?"
"...You're right."
"Then."
Riedan tilted his chin upward as he spoke.
"We cannot leave the Minister of Scrolls as he is. If he remains in that position, he will continue to deceive Her Majesty the Empress in this manner."
"R-really? Then we can't allow it! How dare a minister deceive the Royal Family? Absolutely not!"
"I have a good method for this."
"What is it? Tell me quickly."
As Jayden pressed him, Riedan's eyes gleamed as he continued.
"Start a fire. Then sustain a minor injury. And claim that the scroll was delivered incorrectly."
"You mean to frame him...?"
"Rather than framing him, it's merely adjusting the charges slightly. In essence, it's the same—punishing a criminal for their crime."
Riedan chuckled darkly.
"Isn't deceiving Her Majesty the Empress so brazenly an even greater crime?"
"B-but...."
"To propose such an event to Her Majesty the Empress, who doesn't even wish to see the Young Prince, is truly outrageous...."
That was when it happened.
"You damned bastard!"
The Empress's furious roar shook the Separate Palace.
Before Jayden could even gasp in shock, the Empress's massive fist struck Riedan's jaw with devastating force.
* * *
In an instant, the Separate Palace descended into chaos.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
'I knew this would happen.'
Jayden, as befitted the Young Prince, had been exceptional in both body and mind since childhood.
It was only natural that the Empress began thinking at some point, "Love alone won't be enough."
'Of course she must have felt inadequate as a mother....'
The Empress was forthright about everything in the world, except when it came to her own child.
No matter how much an Empress she was, she couldn't say to Jayden, "Damn it, I'm just a blockhead who doesn't understand such things!"
'And then Jayden began distancing himself first....'
The Empress naturally assumed that Jayden was ashamed of her.
When reporting on Jayden's educational progress, the Ministry of Education subtly hinted at such things.
'In truth, they cared for each other and were simply cautious....'
So I had devised a simple solution: swap the soundproofing scroll for one that wouldn't activate.
But even if I swapped the soundproofing scroll, there was a problem. There was no guarantee that the Ministry of Education official would say the incriminating words at the right moment.
'So I deliberately created an event to provoke the Ministry of Education.'
If I sent the official notice announcing the event for tomorrow, they would surely mobilize immediately today.
That way, I could perfectly time bringing the Empress to the Separate Palace.
'We had already infiltrated the Separate Palace before Riedan arrived.'
Naturally, the servants kept their mouths shut and maintained security.
Riedan, oblivious to everything, entered the Separate Palace as usual and babbled away using the fake soundproofing scroll.
'In any case, the Ministry of Education is an organization to be wary of.'
I was well aware of the Ministry of Education's overall atmosphere—not merely dismissive of the Scroll Department, but outright contemptuous. So I had anticipated that their blade would eventually turn toward me as well.
Seeing them speak of fabricating charges and framing me, my prediction had proven accurate.
'I knew it. They would never allow someone of inferior standing by their standards to remain as Minister.'
I was still bothered by how seven fifth-year Ministry of Education officials had disrespected our department at a cafe before.
I still remembered all their names.
'If they touch my department members, I won't let them off.'
I ground my teeth with a harsh, grating sound.
Meanwhile, the Empress's eyes had rolled back as she beat Riedan senseless.
"I should tear those limbs apart and scatter them to the carnivorous plants, you XX!"
Riedan took a solid hit to the jaw from the Empress and collapsed with a gagging sound.
She then viciously kicked his stomach as he writhed on the floor.
"You loose-mouthed fool—what nonsense are you spouting about my son right now? Huh?"
Naturally, Riedan couldn't mount any proper counterattack.
Jayden stumbled backward in shock.
However, there was one thing I had not anticipated.
'...I didn't expect so many members of the Royal Family to follow along.'
Right now, beside me....
The Emperor and Crown Prince Kiaros were both present.
"Your Majesty, do you not need to intervene directly?"
Crown Prince Kiaros spoke to the Emperor as he watched the Empress's rampage.
The Emperor muttered reluctantly.
"Well. I myself am quite furious, but observing the current situation, it seems better to step in a bit later."
I rolled my eyes and maintained my silence.
It was fine that the Empress had forcibly included Crown Prince Kiaros.
But today, when I was timing my infiltration of the Separate Palace, the Emperor came looking for the Empress.
'Who knew it would turn into a sudden family gathering.'
After hearing the full story, the Emperor insisted on coming along as well.
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