Chapitre 226: [Chapter 227] The Crown Prince Assassination Attempt
"Your Grace, I have a report."
"Come in."
The door to Nellusion's office quietly opened.
After the Duke of Elandria's mansion burned down, Nellusion had been living alone in a small manor in the suburbs. And even now that he had inherited the dukedom, he hadn't moved.
People whispered that the ducal family was in dire straits, and it was true. But the subordinates who lived in this house knew.
That he was wary of spies.
Being wary of spies meant that he was doing something worth being wary of. The news the subordinate had brought now was within the danger zone.
"The results?"
Nellusion asked, looking at the subordinate with cold eyes. The subordinate bowed his head apologetically.
"I couldn't find him. He doesn't seem to be hiding among the vassals in the western region."
Nellusion's eyes narrowed coldly.
For him, finding his father and killing him for good was the most urgent matter. Even though he was using his grief over his father as an excuse to hold out on sending Valentin to be the crown princess.
"Last time you said it wasn't the north, and before that, you said it wasn't the east. If you can't find him in the south either, then where did your father go?"
The subordinate, who had simply been diligently carrying out his duties, couldn't speak. Nellusion looked at him like trash and said with a click of his tongue,
"Go. Go and search every remaining place, and double-check if there are any vassals who have escaped the investigation. There must be someone hiding my father."
"Yes!"
Nellusion, who was known to be incredibly kind in social circles, was cruel to his subordinates. The subordinate, who remembered the death of Joseph Karen, who had served him for a long time, retreated with relief. Nellusion was left alone in the room again, lost in thought.
There was definitely someone hiding his father. A vassal? Definitely. Outside help? It was possible.
But was that outside help Keamil, or…
'Neris.'
That girl who looked at him with disdain. Nellusion wiped his face with a dry hand.
He felt a thirst whenever he thought of her. Her.
He had to have her.
With his family ruined and his family lost, she was all he had left.
But it wouldn't be easy. Cledwyn Maindelant would never give her up. And even if he did, she would continue to think of that man.
He couldn't stand to see that. So he had to kill that guy.
He kept thinking that. He couldn't focus on anything else. So Nellusion had already made up his mind.
To burn the north to the ground. To take her and lock her up in a place where she could never escape.
To eliminate everything that stood in the way of his plan.
Ah, but there were too many things in the way. He took a deep breath to suppress his murderous intent.
The whirlwind of emotions subsided beneath his usual gentle expression.
The gambling den was completely destroyed by the time the morning star rose.
The group of gamblers who had pretended to be idle and cunning men, taking Abelus's money, stayed in character until the end, and Abelus lost a lot but was in a good mood. The knight, with a troubled face, helped him into the carriage, who was too drunk to even stand properly.
Megara gently hugged Abelus's side, where the smell of alcohol was strong. Her face, as always, had a lovely smile.
"Maggie, my sweet Maggie."
Abelus hugged her back.
"You're the only one who stays by my side. I've never had so much fun in my life."
Of course. Megara's smile deepened.
"Your Highness has many people around you. It's only Your Highness who stays by my side."
"Who do I have? Old men who pretend to respect me but are busy gossiping about the imperial family behind my back? My sister who pretends to care for me but is actually manipulating me to reach the top of this country?"
Abelus's analysis of Keamil was accurate, and Megara wasn't surprised. It was Megara who had told him about Keamil's goal.
"Poor thing. The people who torment our Highness are so strange."
"Really, Maggie. Why are you so kind? I don't know why we met so late."
Well, because Natasha Grunehal was glaring at you before. Megara put on a suitably moved expression.
Abelus mumbled with his tongue twisted by intoxication.
"Don't worry about the crown princess issue. No matter who I marry, I won't abandon you…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he began to snore. The weight of an adult man pressed down on her shoulder.
Megara patted Abelus's back a few times and adjusted his posture so that he was leaning against the back of the chair. Then she leaned back against the chair herself and finally put on a cold face.
'No matter who he marries'.
Even though he took her everywhere and sent her precious gifts, Abelus still considered her just a mistress. He didn't hide the fact that he would eventually marry a girl of truly noble blood and make her his official wife.
'Boring.'
The official mistress of a crown prince without a wife, she thought it wasn't bad. She could use this position as a base to climb higher. If Abelus became emperor later, she thought she would live better as the only woman he favored than as a clumsy noble wife.
But every time he talked about marriage, her stomach twisted. And whenever her thoughts reached that point, she always thought of that hateful child.
The dull purple jewel that looked at Megara with contempt, but never revealed any emotion beyond that.
'Neris Trude.'
Thinking about it, Megara was in this mess because of that girl.
If that girl hadn't arrogantly told Megara that Colin Ganiel would be a good match, Megara would have lived well as his wife. If Colin's brother had died at the right time, she would have become the Duchess.
'At least she wouldn't have been interested in Abelus to the point of clashing with Natasha Grunehal.'
And what about that party? That girl had subtly hinted about Natasha's poison. Deliberately making Megara fight with Natasha.
'It's all her fault.'
A cunning and despicable bitch.
Neris, a low-ranking noble who hadn't even received a proper upbringing, always tripped Megara up. And yet, she was living so well, listening to the sound of "Your Highness."
Hatred filled Megara's eyes. It was such intense hatred that those who only knew her angelic appearance wouldn't recognize her face contorted with anger as Megara.
She clenched her fist and glanced at Abelus beside her.
His face was peacefully asleep. Abelus didn't know that Finito Club belonged to Nellusion, nor did he know that the sum of money he thought he could afford to lose for fun was steadily growing. So he might not be a complete fool, but he wasn't a wise man either.
'That's better.'
If Abelus hadn't been so stupid, he wouldn't have acted as Megara whispered.
Megara took a deep breath. She thought to calm herself down.
'When my man takes hold of the government a little more, I'll tell him to never leave Maindelant alone.'
She couldn't stand her husband being stiff in front of Neris's husband.
She would make him understand that even though she was a mistress, the prince's woman was different from the duke's woman.
What if both the crown princess and the grand duchess were called "Your Highness"? The prince would become "His Majesty" later, but the duke wouldn't.
Imagining Neris flustered in front of her, peace returned to Megara's heart. She began to calculate how much money she would have to borrow to pay for Abelus's losses tomorrow morning. It was a useful thought.
'She said she spent a lot of her spare money.'
So where should she talk to… Megara, who had thought that far, suddenly felt a strange unease.
Yes, if you add up all the money Abelus had lost, it was now more than the spare money of a noble family. Not a minor noble family either, but the combined wealth of the Duke of Ricandelos and the famous commoner tycoon, Rebecca Shirley.
So much money went to Nellusion Elandria alone?
Even though they were working together now, Megara thought she could become an enemy of Nellusion at any time. Who could guarantee that this money wouldn't become Valentin Elandria's dowry?
'I should ask him to give me some. It's all thanks to me that he made this money.'
Abelus would definitely pay back the money Megara had lent him. For the sake of appearances. But what was wrong with taking a little commission?
'It's going to the Duke, right?'
Most of the gambling money was paid in promissory notes. And from what she could tell, it seemed to be going through a trading company.
Nellusion had said that only some of the customers at Finito Club were his people. It was natural, since it was run as a normal club most of the time.
Well… she didn't care. Megara decided not to think about it anymore. It wasn't really important.
Suddenly, Megara thought of a place that could lend her money. A trading company she had frequented when she was still a viscount's daughter, one that seemed to have a solid cash flow. It was run by a very sharp woman.
The Morie Trading Company.
'They would welcome the chance to get on the good side of the prince's only woman.'
That's when it happened. The carriage, racing through the night, came to a sudden stop. Abelus gasped, half-awake.
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
Megara quickly shook him awake. "Yes, why? Maggie…" Abelus replied vaguely, not sure if he was dreaming or awake.
"Something's wrong, Your Highness."
The coachman shouted from outside. "Who the hell is it!" Abelus also sensed something wrong and woke up.
"What?"
This strange silence and the sticky ill will that flowed through the air.
The next moment, the doors of their carriage were smashed open.
"Aaack!"
Megara screamed at the horrifying axe blade thrust in front of her face.
Moonlight poured through the gap where the door had been broken. A masked man, wielding a huge axe, looked down at them and laughed.
Even a fool could tell what was going on. Megara, with venom in her eyes, shouted loudly.
"What do you think you're doing! Do you know who this is?!"
Of course, he knew. Megara's shout wasn't meant to get an answer from this 'assassin', but to be heard outside.
The prince's carriage was naturally under heavy guard. There were visible escorts, of course, and several imperial shadows who secretly guarded him. Yet, to be attacked so directly, it wasn't a normal situation.
Abelus, with a fierce face, drew his sword and swung it. If the power of the sapphire jewel was fully unleashed, such an assassin would be no match. But the assassin's axe rushed forward before Abelus's sword could properly draw its path.
"Your Highness!"
"Maggie!"
Megara hugged Abelus's head, which was completely exposed to the attack. The moment Abelus exclaimed her name in shock.
"Ugh!"
The assassin groaned. When Megara's arm strength didn't weaken even after a long time, Abelus gently released her arm and looked around.
"Your Highness! Are you alright?!"
"Your Highness!"
Knights with familiar voices rushed forward. The assassin, who had been stabbed in the arm, dropped his axe and began to run away.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Abelus threw his dagger at the assassin's back. Unfortunately, the dagger didn't hit the assassin's back. It only grazed his arm, tearing his sleeve and falling to the ground.
There was no second chance. The assassin rode away on horseback. It was all in a flash, but the tattoo revealed through the tear in his sleeve was clearly imprinted in Abelus's eyes.
The moon, half-hidden by clouds.
He knew what that symbol meant.
The knights split into groups, some pursuing the assassin and others checking on Abelus's safety. Abelus touched his forehead, and Megara, with tears in her eyes, worried about him.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Are you alright, Maggie? You risked your life for me, for heaven's sake."
Abelus felt a surge of affection for Megara. Wasn't this loyalty, wasn't this love? True and fated love!
And at the same time, anger towards someone else surged. If a lover he had only met recently would go this far, how could a family member do this? Ah, well, she was a great sister, so she must have been able to temporarily evade the prince's guards!
Abelus gritted his teeth and declared.
"If my sister goes this far, I won't stand for it!"
Megara buried her face in his chest and laughed to herself.
'I can marry another woman. But I get to decide who comes in and when.'
Princess Keamil would have to pay for daring to bring Valentin Elandria into the picture.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone