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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“It’s been quite a while, and you seem to have become a bit more radiant.”
“Not as much as Your Highness. It seems you’ve already heard the news.”
Kaitel’s expression looked quite pleased.
Perhaps because he had already heard that I had secured the relic, he didn’t hide his delight as he stood there when I entered.
Maybe it was natural.
Securing the relic this early could be considered a great result.
Moreover, it was a relic of the Four Dragons.
Having secured the relic while moving with the church, Kaitel’s eyes looking at me were much softer than before.
However, he didn’t let his guard down.
The masked man who was with Theresa was probably one of Kaitel’s subordinates.
As I approached, Kaitel, who was seated, offered me a seat with a grin.
Being favorable wasn’t bad.
However, I would have to think about why he was acting this way.
It would be over once I handed him the relic.
What I needed to gain was tacit approval for the upcoming family head competition.
Wouldn’t that alone be considered support from the imperial family?
I sat down and took out the relic from my chest.
As the round relic emitting a mysterious light appeared, Kaitel carefully reached out his hand.
“…Is this the relic?”
“To be precise, it’s called the Eye of the Moon. Is this what you were looking for?”
“There’s a way to check. I was about to show you something, so this is perfect.”
What Kaitel brought out was a small vial.
When the lid of the vial containing sloshing pink liquid was opened, I realized that a strange magical power was flowing out from it.
That magical power was quite familiar, and it seemed to be reacting with the Moonstone that resided in me.
A relic that resonated with other relics, I wondered why the Moonstone relic still had power remaining.
With such questions in mind, Kaitel carefully dropped the liquid onto the relic.
Hiss-
Just like when Arwen had infused it with magic, Kaitel smiled slightly as he saw the relic burst into flames again.
Was it a liquid similar to the Moon’s magic?
That flame was a rejection reaction to it, and as the flame eventually disappeared, Kaitel, who held the relic again, looked at me.
“I didn’t think you’d really secure it, you’ve done well.”
“It wasn’t that difficult. I could probably do it if you asked me to do it again.”
“Don’t you think your confidence is a bit excessive? Well, I don’t dislike it though.”
Right now, anything I did would look good.
He had said that this relic was the most important for securing the evil thoughts of the Four Dragons.
It was part of what Arwen had speculated, but they had probably found a definite way to use the evil thoughts.
Kaitel, who smiled with satisfaction at my words, then quietly opened his mouth.
“Thanks to you bringing the relic, things seem like they’ll progress much more smoothly. His Majesty will probably think positively about subjugating the South, and we might be able to start the expedition right away.”
“Isn’t that why the different races moved? I understand you’ve already moved to some extent.”
“Hmm, you’re quite sharp, aren’t you?”
The reason the southern trip ended early was because the movements of the different races had become ominous.
Wasn’t that why we quickly left the area?
There was only one reason why the different races would move at this time.
They would have been quiet originally, but it was probably because the Crown Prince had moved the army in advance after hearing that I had successfully secured the relic.
In fact, news that imperial troops were stationed on the outskirts of the South was written in the newspaper.
Although it was reported that they were stationed due to the movements of the different races, in reality, they had probably been stationed even before the different races moved.
Kaitel, who grinned at my words, didn’t deny it.
Rather, he just looked at me with a somewhat interested gaze.
The more favorable the impression he had of me, the better.
He would be cautious, but at least if he felt uncomfortable without me, wouldn’t I be able to try something?
That’s what becoming a close aide meant from the start.
It could only be considered a start when he became so uncomfortable without me that he would necessarily seek me out in any situation.
“Then, do you plan to start the expedition within this year?”
“We should give it a bit of time. You’ll be quite busy until this summer, won’t you?”
It didn’t take long for me to understand the intention behind those words.
What was happening this summer was determining the position of the Taylor family head.
Kaitel quietly moved his lips at my calm gaze.
“You brought this relic because you had something to gain in your own way, didn’t you? Wasn’t it a deal from the start?”
“…That’s right.”
“I’m not someone who changes his words once spoken. Last time, things were a bit vague, but now we should decide clearly. What do you want from me?”
I had already thought many times about what answer to give when asked such a question, so I opened my mouth without hesitation to answer.
“I want your tacit approval.”
A strange light flickered in Kaitel’s eyes.
I knew that his one word in this situation would be beneficial to me.
However, the family head competition with Yuria wasn’t just about fighting for the position of family head.
If someone intervened in settling the bad blood that had accumulated over time, it wouldn’t be a clean conclusion.
Drawing in other forces was simply to maintain balance.
When I became the family head, there needed to be at least enough power befitting a family head so that no one would harbor impure thoughts.
In that sense, direct support wasn’t particularly necessary.
It was enough if there was no noise regardless of what situation arose.
The Crown Prince’s tacit approval of the ducal family’s head competition meant that no one in this country could say anything about it.
If the princess and the Crown Prince said nothing, the Emperor would have no reason to interfere.
Understanding the meaning of my words, Kaitel smiled for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“Is that enough?”
“It’s sufficient. If nothing is said from the imperial family, next time I’ll visit you as Duke Taylor.”
“That’s a pleasant thing to hear. It would be good if it really turned out that way.”
Perhaps it sounded too unrealistic.
At least in noble society, I was someone who hadn’t shown myself making any moves, so me becoming the family head was like a gamble that no one would bet on.
Maybe I was the only one thinking about the odds of winning this fight, but still, I harbored confidence.
Once I had made up my mind to become the family head, I didn’t think about failure.
After going through countless regressions, surely I could manage to become the family head just once.
Although it was my first attempt, I was still envisioning a future where I became the family head.
Because I had decided so myself.
There would be no failure.
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“…Yes, I heard that Robert went to the imperial palace.”
Yuria, who had been quietly examining documents, exhaled softly.
From the North to the South, when he returned to the central region, he had hidden somewhere and then went to the imperial palace again.
She had thought he would do something immediately upon return, but his quieter-than-expected movements were gradually increasing her wariness.
She hadn’t thought he would be this quiet.
That was why she had called all of the nobles and spoken about Robert first.
If she became the family head, they would also gain considerable benefits.
There were dozens of noble families united under the Taylor name, and if such nobles cooperated with her, she could easily deal with someone like Robert.
Why did he go to the imperial palace in this situation?
She knew that his purpose was either the princess or the Crown Prince, but Yuria guessed it was the princess.
Hadn’t it been the princess who helped Robert last time?
It seemed he had helped the precarious princess and drawn her to his side, but that didn’t change the situation.
“Is there still no reaction from the imperial family?”
“No… I’ve heard there’s still no clear reaction.”
Yuria frowned at the servant’s words, but she couldn’t know anything for certain.
Rumors considering Robert’s movements as impure would have already spread widely among the nobles.
She had confirmed that rumors had spread to the imperial palace as well, so why was there still no reaction?
Recently, things had been going awry in various ways.
The poison she had planned to gradually administer to her father had disappeared due to some problem and because of that, she had also failed to obtain the family head position before Robert’s return.
Although her father didn’t know yet, she thought he wouldn’t give her the family head position right away.
What methods should be used to usurp the position in a short time?
In Yuria’s eyes, her father was no longer that important.
The position of family head now felt like it was hers, so she thought that whenever she wanted it… her father should give up his position to her.
Perhaps it was natural, since that was what she had learned from her father herself.
As she tilted the wine glass, Yuria’s eyes narrowed at the wine scent that spread.
There had been a time when she was at ease, but not anymore.
Although she was clearly in an advantageous position, she felt like Robert’s movements were gradually tightening around her.
Why?
If he had returned directly to the duke’s residence, she had planned to use people to confine him somewhere in the basement.
She had intended to make him rethink his openly displayed greed for the family head position, but how did he know and keep avoiding it?
She was the one in the hunting position.
Robert was just a little mouse.
Yuria, who had tried to erase the gradually rising anxiety, rubbed her face.
“So, what is His Grace the Duke doing now?”
“I heard he’s out at the moment.”
Out, huh.
Then it meant he was away.
She knew that her father’s outings had become frequent recently.
How to use this was up to her.
Yuria, who had been fiddling with the wine glass for a moment, smiled slightly and then quietly stood up.
“Has there been any servant who hasn’t been doing their job well lately?”
“Pardon? Why are you suddenly asking about servants…”
“Ah, it doesn’t matter. There’s one incompetent servant right here.”
Crash.
The wine glass that hit the table broke lightly.
With only the handle and part of the glass remaining, Yuria, holding the sharply broken wine glass, strode towards the servant.
For her to become the family head, the current head should rightfully disappear.
Thirty years should be long enough.
No matter if he was her father, wasn’t it about time he vacated his position?
“Young Lady? Young La-”
Thud.
As the glass shard penetrated the soft neck, red blood began to flow from the throat of the servant who didn’t even understand what was happening.
It was truly a soft neck.
The blood that seeped out as it tore through the blood vessels dyed the servant’s pure white clothes red.
“It seems the Duke has become senile, to forget he killed a servant like this. Right?”
The more Robert moved, the more things she had planned weren’t working out properly.
It was a bad omen.
To think an unexpected competitor would arise and try to take her position.
Wasn’t the family head position hers since she received the name of young lady in childhood?
He had crossed the line far too much.
Why didn’t he understand that she hadn’t killed him until now because he was her brother?
Yuria’s lips twisted as she blankly looked at the servant who had fallen, bleeding.
She had heard someone mention a family head competition before, but that was the wrong term.
Because the family head position was hers from the start.
Even if it was her father, if he became a hindrance, he had to be removed.
If it was a senile family head who didn’t even know he had killed his own servant, shouldn’t he soon step down from his position?
Yuria, who had naturally wiped off the blood, looked at the cold corpse of the servant.
As if nothing had happened, only her frozen eyes were emitting a chilly light.
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[Welp ig this settles it hes definitely gonna kill her cuz she is a full blown unredeemable psychopath]
