Chapter 15

The presence of the Second Prince, Kyle Amure, looms large over the Elias Family and Tara tries to put the pieces together.

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Episode 15. 90kg (2)

"What? Is that true? Two days? Prince Kyle?"

"Yes, Miss. He's being housed in the detached annex. But it's a relief."

"What?"

"I thought he was here for me, and the Countess, and I was so nervous. I thought it was serious because of the story in the newspapers. But it's a friendly visit. By - by any chance will I be able to get my money back?"

"Beth."

"Yes, lady."

“It would be better if the Countess was caught.”

"What?"

"Yes, I knew his gaze was unusual."

"What? What on earth are you talking about, Miss?"

"Beth."

"Yes."

"I'm talking to myself. Don't answer me."

‘You talk to yourself when you're alone. Why won't you talk to me when I'm right next to you…?’ Beth thought to herself.

Beth was feeling sensitive about her six gold, pouted and grumbled, but I couldn't afford to think about Beth.

Until now, I was worried about how my mother could avoid punishment, but that was no longer important when it came to my most immediate step.

"I think there was something similar to this...”

The story of the Second Prince, Kyle Amure, appeared throughout the [Ocerian Chronicles].

He was a key character and the most powerful figure leading the fate of the Ocerian Empire. And he was also a cause of House Elias's destruction.

A person who we should've avoided had now entered the house.

"Why can't I think of anything... I'll need to go check the Imperial Palace Daily."

There was still a lot of time left, so I was slowly trying to learn more about the Prince. I had never expected to run into him so soon.

It felt like a fire had been lit under my feet.

"Beth."

“……”

"Beth."

“……”

"Beth!"

"What?"

"Why didn't you answer me?"

"You told me not to answer because you were talking to yourself." She pouted.

"Haa... I'll get your six gold back."

"That's all right. You don't need to pay me with your money. I'm not that shameless a maid."

"No, it's your money. I'll get it for you."

"Really? Really?"

"Now go and find out who is assigned to the annex. A maid or a male servant, it doesn't matter. Bring back someone you think we can trust! Could you do that?"

"Of course. Since you're getting back my three months' salary. Leave it to me!"

The mansion was truly in chaos.

Everyone staying in the mansion couldn't help but glance at the eastern detached annex.

– The Main house / Victoria, Lloyd Elias's Second wife –

“First of all, I want you to explain the circumstances in detail, but you must never tell them that you knew about the smuggling of Sorbonne wine.”

At the lawyer's words, Victoria Elias chewed her nails.

"What about my money? Will I be able to get my money back?"

‘What do you mean you’re running out of money right now? Are you really worried about your money when the status of the Elias family is on the verge of falling into ruin?'

Dylan swallowed the words that wanted to come out, and changed what he planned to say.

"Don't worry about the money right now. You just have to make it sound like the scammer tricked you."

"Do you know how much money it is? I had to save this money myself! It's a whopping 3,000 Gold! 3,000 Gold!" Countess Victoria screamed.

Her hands shook as she picked up her glass of wine.

This was her second bottle, she’d been drinking since morning.

‘Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Doesn't she realise she could end up in a dungeon being interrogated...? And that's being optimistic.' Dylan thought.

‘This attempted solution seems hopeless. Especially with the Second Prince in the annex, this isn't looking good…' The Elias Family lawyer reasoned to himself.

***

– Main Building 3rd Floor / Jason Elias and Chloe Elias. –

"Now, where did our mother get all that money?"

"Is that important right now? The Prince himself is visiting. I've heard he's staying in the annex for two days. For some reason."

“He's a bastard. Bloodlines truly do matter. He didn't even visit with a formal invitation yet thinks he can stay for two whole days as he pleases? What a mockery of the nobility."

Chloe dismissed the maid who was waiting on her and the servant who was guarding the door.

"Be careful what you say. When you become an administrator you might end up working for the Second Prince. What if someone overhears you?"

"What did I lie about? Am I really that crazy? Why work for the illegitimate child when you can work for the 1st Prince! I plan on supporting the true bloodline, the Second Prince is too arrogant."

"But you need to be careful. Right now the Second Prince is powerful."

"Powerful my ass..."

***

– 3rd floor of the Main Building / Aria Elias. –

"Did you see him? I've never seen anyone so gorgeous. Because of what everyone says about him I thought he would be scary and intimidating, but doesn't he actually seem sophisticated?"

"Yes, Miss, but you really must stop soon. I have work to do."

"Wait a minute. I'm almost finished."

Aria was tending to Molly's hair and braiding it down her scalp, focusing her gaze on the mirror and her maid's face alternately.

"By the way, Miss. Will this be like the last time where my hair got tangled up?"

"Ah, no. That won't happen this time! Last time it was too loose when I braided it, and your hair is very curly. This time it should be alright because I'm doing it tighter. What should I wear at the dinner party? Those eyes, that face. He's so my type. There's something about him that makes my heart pound!"

Aria pressed the left side of her chest and stared into the empty air with a dreamy look on her face.

"Ah... My lady. Please stop...”

"Oh... No way I can't wear any of these. I'll have to go to Chloe's shop later. I'll notify the seamstress in advance so I can wear the pink dress I saw last time."

"Huh? But Miss Chloe had that dress specially made. She'll be angry."

“Hmm… What kind of jewellery would go with that outfit…”

Already absorbed in her imagination, Aria wasn't even listening to Molly.

***

– 3rd floor of the main building. / Tara Elias. –

It seemed that the story was already diverging a little.

The prohibition case, which should have happened around chapter 30, had already occurred.

Considering that the official letter requesting new administrators had arrived, we should've been at around chapter four.

At this stage, each character had been introduced one after another, their achievements listed, and the situation around the Ocerian Empire was being described.

It hadn’t been very interesting. Was the reason I couldn't remember it because my fellow writer had forced me to read it?

The Second Imperial Prince. All I could remember about him was that he was a powerful man. A man who had destroyed the Elias family.

"But what the hell was he doing at Lackton Street?"

Ever since I'd seen him in the hallway, that question had kept circling through my mind.

Despite being an Imperial Prince, he'd looked like a beggar and had gotten beaten up by the Lackton gang. He had obviously gotten assaulted on purpose.

I gulped down some water and immediately went to the library in the office building.

I didn't have much time. This afternoon was Andrei Pitt's first visit to the mansion to teach us, and in the evening there was probably going to be a formal dinner.

I had to learn as much as I could about the Second Prince before meeting him.

I began to rummage through the newspapers, eating the small sandwich and milk I'd brought from the kitchen.

About an hour passed. I was mumbling blankly.

"...Ha, this guy can't possibly be real... Why is he so good at everything...?"

Here was the information I'd found by looking through the newspapers:

He was the second son of the current Emperor, Louis Amure.

Until five years ago, he wasn't that important. Honestly, it was more accurate to say that he had been completely unknown.

When the Emperor suddenly brought him in as his son, it had caused a huge stir.

But it soon calmed down. It was often dismissed as a minor blemish caused by the Emperor's capriciousness.

But as time passed, he had entered into a three-year long war with the maritime kingdom of Skandoa.

The Prince took command and acted as vanguard for the Empire.

In a moment of crisis, he won the head of the enemy, stimulated morale, and eventually led the Empire to victory.

He really began to stand out after the 3-years war.

In particular, at the end of the war, there was a famous story about him annihilating 300 Skandoan ships in a naval battle near Dolby Island with a fleet of only 60 Imperial vessels.

He was a master-ranked swordsman and was known for his brilliant tactical acumen. The strategies he created with his considerable wits allowed him to catch his enemies off guard and win innumerable battles.

[Whoever makes an enemy of Oceria, no matter who they are, will not escape with even a single man left alive.]

Living by this creed, while on the battlefield the Prince was more thorough, ruthless, and cruel than anyone else.

And,

[The Sorbonne wine smuggling ring has been destroyed! However, only low level gang members have been arrested instead of the mysterious investors at the top. The lifting of the prohibition order was nothing but hearsay. Who could the secret benefactor of the 1st Imperial Palace be? - The Imperial Palace Daily]

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Military and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Security Department... It was him. The hidden contributor was the Second Prince. Oh my God, that undercover investigation that I read about... That's really.... quite amazing. Truly..."

After leaving the archives, I returned to the main building. My head was churning.

Would it have been better if I hadn't known anything about him?

Why did author Kim create such a cheat character to torment me?

It was obvious why he was visiting the Elias mansion under the guise of a false invitation.

I assumed it was for some kind of spying. Until I gathered information through the newspapers....

Five years ago, he was only 22.

Kyle Amure, the 2nd Prince, who had achieved victory nearly every time in a war that came with no guarantees of success. After the war, he took over the posts of Commander-in-Chief of the Military and Commander-in-Chief of Imperial Security.

Using his performance in the war, he'd gained momentum and aggressively outclassed the 1st and 3rd Princes.

And now at the age of 27, his influence was growing further.

The power of the Imperial Palace, which had been suppressed by the power of the nobility, had been gradually and persistently increasing over the course of the past five years.

Those who transgressed against the Imperial Palace were thoroughly investigated and charged with their crimes regardless of their status. There was no mercy.

Therefore, as the Second Prince, who was a thorn in the side of the nobility, grew in influence, there would be more and more enemies seeking to keep him in check.

However, there were no major forces yet that could openly oppose his unrivalled presence. So far...

Will I be able to prevent the destruction of my family working against such a man...? Should I just run away now....?

I should've been hungry because all I'd eaten was a sandwich, but my appetite had plummeted. The steps on the way to the main building felt more burdensome than ever.

***

The 1st Floor Office.

"Your Excellency, Sir Andrei Pitt has arrived."

"Ah... Yes, it was today."

He had completely forgotten about it.

Until yesterday, Lloyd had been curious about Tara's reaction.

But because of the Second Prince’s sudden arrival, he hadn’t been able to think about anything else.

It would only take an instant for them to be branded as a family that openly defied the laws of the Empire. And all of this depended on the Second Prince, Kyle Amure.

The sight of Andrei Pitt entering the office drew attention, not only from Lloyd, but also from the vassals.

Habitually rubbing his throbbing temples, he dismissed the gathered vassals.

Andrei had long blond hair, earrings that dangled from his ears, makeup on his face, and one corner of his mouth was slightly raised.

At first glance, it was hard to imagine how such a delicate looking figure had become the head of an underground intelligence group. It seemed incomprehensible.

But Lloyd was not fooled by his appearance.

Already, the atmosphere had undergone a significant shift since he'd entered the office. Just like it had with the Second Prince...

Lloyd resisted the impulsive desire to take a step back.

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