Chapter 79
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Chapter 79
'Surely not.'
After work hours.
Once I'd dismissed all the staff, I made my way to the Crown Prince's Office, rolling my eyes.
'He wouldn't actually be submitting a partnership request, would he?'
Jayden had sent a letter to the Crown Prince earlier.
Of course, I didn't need to deliberate on the answer. My partner was already determined to be Kibon.
'I was simply following the Emperor's command, so....'
As I arrived at the Crown Prince's Office, the Aide greeted me.
"Would you care to wait inside? His Highness should arrive shortly. It's unusual for him to be this late...."
I nodded absently. Then suddenly, the Aide began to weep.
"...Perhaps he's getting ready...hic...."
I startled slightly, regarding the Aide with surprise.
The Aide wiped his tears and muttered.
"Ah, no. Please, I beg you not to find this suspicious."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I absolutely swear that Namia Loapi doesn't know about anything. Not about romance, or expectations, or wedding preparations, or anything like that...hic hic hic...."
Goodness, so they'd even prepared for a wedding. He was getting quite ahead of himself.
'Well, there's nothing I can do about it.'
It was someone else's affair, after all. I turned my gaze away from the Aide, who had resumed his weeping, with indifference.
The Crown Prince's Office was remarkably tidy. Every document was arranged with perfect precision.
'He's still working diligently, it seems....'
Though rumors claimed he was in seclusion, the desk itself clearly showed he worked every single day.
'He must be actively investigating the mastermind.'
I happened to have something to discuss before the Saint Kairo Banquet as well.
It was time to provide another hint about the original work.
I was sitting quietly, waiting.
"My apologies for the delay."
The door opened and Crown Prince Kiaros entered.
His movements were as elegant as always, yet he appeared somewhat breathless.
'Hmm, did he come in a hurry?'
Looking more closely, even his cravat seemed slightly askew.
"I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
I offered my respects without showing any reaction. Crown Prince Kiaros gestured for me to sit, then took his seat across from me.
And then....
"...*haah*."
A slightly ragged breath escaped him.
Yes. He'd definitely been running quite hard.
Crown Prince Kiaros caught his breath for a moment. Then he spoke first.
"Namia Loapi, have you found a partner for the banquet?"
His voice was leisurely, as though he were merely asking out of courtesy.
"Yes."
"I see."
His expression showed no disappointment whatsoever. He didn't even ask who it was.
I rolled my eyes and asked.
"Is that perhaps why you summoned me?"
"Ah, no, that's not it."
Crown Prince Kiaros shook his head. Then he withdrew a report from a drawer and spoke in a low voice.
"I promised to look into your father, Cedric Loapi, for you."
"Ah, yes."
I straightened up in my seat, startled.
Crown Prince Kiaros was indeed a man of his word.
I had expected it would take longer given his busy schedule, but he must have prioritized this investigation.
"I'm not sure where to begin. It seems I'll need to help you maintain your composure."
"Wherever you start, I'll understand perfectly. I'll maintain my composure well."
"Your father joined an organization suspected of being behind the attack on me."
"Damn it!"
I shot to my feet without thinking.
"...Miss Namia Loapi?"
Crown Prince Kiaros seemed slightly flustered, so I quickly sat back down.
"My apologies. My composure has been restored. I know it's hard to believe, but that was my first curse in my entire life."
I took a deep breath and composed myself.
How utterly typical of Father. Every choice made with good intentions had turned out catastrophically.
How many illegal organizations existed in this world!
Especially in the Southern Region, where all manner of vicious groups ran rampant!
And he had to join the most malicious one of them all!
'Crown Prince Kiaros doesn't realize it, but these people eventually start wars!'
Truly, even if he had to join one, how could he possibly choose this one....
I clenched my teeth and gripped the hem of my skirt tightly.
"The organization that attacked me and also slandered the Empress—the one your superior Oson belonged to. It's known by the name 'Gaejo Faction.'"
"Pardon? The Gaejo Faction? That's certainly a unique name, isn't it?"
At my earnest question, Crown Prince Kiaros coughed briefly.
Then he shook his head and explained.
"Gaejo. Faction. It's an organization that 'modifies' things. Specifically, they seem quite eager to create living beings with special abilities."
Modify?
I blinked slowly.
[For the sake of evolution!]
That's exactly what the organization member had declared at the trial.
I remembered something Father had once told me.
[There are many wicked organizations here. Namia, never say you'll be taken away in place of a debt. They might sell you to a place where they conduct all sorts of terrible experiments.]
Are they actually conducting experiments on living creatures?
'But in the original story... there was no mention of anything like that.'
While the war spiraled beyond control, the modified humans hadn't openly run rampant.
Seeing me lost in thought, Crown Prince Kiaros continued.
"We couldn't track them to the end, but we did manage to secure one experimental subject."
"An experimental subject...? Surely not a human?"
"Not human—a lower-tier demon beast. They've successfully modified lower-tier demon beasts before to possess human-level intelligence and language."
Crown Prince Kiaros then explained the full circumstances.
During his childhood, when he experienced the Dark Period, the one who threw a dagger at him was a modified lower-tier demon beast.
"The experimental subject we secured this time is a female carrying offspring..."
Crown Prince Kiaros spoke in a low voice.
"It appears they conducted experiments on the female, but surprisingly, there's nothing particularly unusual about her. However, an abnormal wavelength was detected from the offspring in her womb."
"Ah..."
"It seems that when they conduct experiments on a pregnant subject, it affects the offspring. We'll know more once that offspring is born. They said it would be soon."
Good heavens, experimental subjects... conducting tests on living beings...
"I don't know what they want or why they're trying to kill me and destabilizing the Royal Family. That's something I need to uncover further... but what I wanted to tell you, Namia, is this."
His crimson eyes gazed at me quietly.
"Finding your father may take considerably more time."
"Ah... I see."
"Especially since he's such a vile character that I've been tracking him for ages without success."
That was only natural.
After all, they were the sort of people capable of plunging the entire Continent into the quagmire of war...
"Fifteen years ago, His Majesty the Emperor annihilated all their leadership, yet they've made such a rapid comeback. There may well be an even greater force behind them."
"...I suppose so..."
In the original story, the mastermind was never revealed either.
Jayden simply ended the war through strength and strategy.
"Of course, given the situation, I trust no one right now. You're also a suspect, Namia, but a promise is a promise, so I thought I should tell you at least this much."
"...Yes. Thank you."
I answered with all my energy drained away. Crown Prince Kiaros telling me this much was practically fulfilling his obligation to me.
And there was one more thing.
It was a warning to prepare myself mentally.
Given that they were conducting forbidden experiments, my father might not be safe either...
'...But then again, who knows? He's so utterly useless, has such poor instincts, and spouts such unrealistic, stubborn nonsense that he probably doesn't even have the potential to be modified, so he might actually survive by sheer luck.'
I took a deep breath and thought.
'For now, there's nothing I can do. Let me just do my best in my current position.'
I steadied my reeling mind.
Then I slowly lifted my gaze to look at Crown Prince Kiaros.
Unexpectedly, he was still looking at me. His eyes clearly held concern.
"Your Highness."
So I composed my emotions and spoke slowly.
"Will you be attending the Saint Kairo Banquet?"
In the original story, Crown Prince Kiaros did not attend the Saint Kairo Banquet.
It made sense. He was already dead by then.
Even now, since he was officially in seclusion, it seemed unlikely he would attend.
"Well..."
Crown Prince Kiaros rested his chin on his hand and looked at me with interest.
"I wasn't planning to go, at first."
"I would appreciate it if you would attend."
"I see."
"...Aren't you going to ask why?"
"I'm mimicking Namia Loapi."
"Yes."
I see. I immediately prepared to move on to the next topic.
Then Crown Prince Kiaros muttered, "So you're really not going to explain," and spoke urgently.
"Actually, I'm curious about the reason. Why are you asking me to attend?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org