Dante's gaze was clearly focused on one place this time. At the end of his gaze was the trembling man, the Crown Prince.
Dante continued slowly, looking directly at the eyes that were glaring at him.
"And the one who instigated that son of a bitch and my wife to be alone in the secret room."
The red eyes stared at the Crown Prince as if they were going to pierce him.
"It was you."
"Rude!"
The Crown Prince, who had been staring into space with a stern face the whole time, suddenly got up.
"I didn't know that he would do something like that!"
"I didn't know? Ha."
A frosty voice repeated the Crown Prince's words briefly. The Crown Prince's face turned red.
"A man who had been locked up in prison got his hands on such a large quantity of such a rare illegal drug overnight."
"..."
"The one who dragged that bastard out from the underground by giving him temporary pardons, just didn't know?"
Dante twisted his mouth fiercely.
"Your excuse is too Insincere."
"...I"
Dante cut off the Crown Prince's words and spoke coldly.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince. If you did not have the immunity of the royal family, I would have challenged you to a duel."
"...!"
"Right now, in this place."
The words were a duel, but it was no different from wanting to kill him here and now. The air in the room froze. The Emperor simply rubbed his temples with a miserable expression. Talking about a duel with the royal family was no different from treason, but he could scold him because of his status as the speaker and the severity of his son's crime.
No matter how much the Crown Prince tried to evade his words, he was the one who pushed Ariana into the mouth of Lucas, that crazy bastard, so making excuses was of little use. The Emperor could only feel the true meaning of the proverb, "Even if I had ten mouths, I would have nothing to say," deep in his bones. It was an emotion he had no need to feel since he sat on the throne.
The Crown Prince, unable to bear insult, stood up with his cheeks trembling.
"How insolent! How could you-"
"Shut up!"
The Crown Prince looked back at the Emperor with eyes of disbelief.
"Oh, Father."
"What were you thinking when you did something like this!"
The Emperor shouted, regardless of his dignity. He knew well how much the Crown Prince kept Duke Heigenberg in check. However, this time, he had crossed the line. The fact that the prisoner whom the Crown Prince had temporarily pardoned had touched the Duchess was a problem, but the fact that her name was Ariana was a bigger problem.
Who is Ariana Heigenberg? Wasn't she a rising star who had stood out at this foundation ceremony and was currently the hottest topic in the imperial art world?
The response her stage had caused showed no signs of abating even after several days had passed. Even the first Prince of the Ende Kingdom had remained in the imperial court since the foundation ceremony. It was because he wanted to see Ariana's next stage.
"I thought the Empire was still so conservative that it didn't know how to acknowledge female artists. However, as if mocking my prejudice, His Majesty the Emperor arranged the last stage of the most meaningful foundation for the Duchess. I couldn't help but admire His Majesty's discernment."
The Prince even gave him such praise during an audience.
"A discerning monarch who recognized true artistry regardless of gender and selected new talent."
The Emperor was very pleased with this new title. Not only Prince Ende, but other foreign envoys also paid attention to Ariana. The Emperor didn't know much about it, but the music she created seemed to have broken some form in a new way. Without spending money or using force, the arrogant foreign envoys were looking at her with admiration. Could there be a more satisfying Investment?
"Culture and art are the foundation of a country, yes. I recognized its value and decided to invest in it. Hmm."
These days, wherever he went, he would mutter that as if it were a habit. That's why Ariana was a very special existence to the Emperor. Just two nights ago, the Emperor had fallen asleep praising his choice to arrange the final stage for Ariana. The news he heard yesterday was like a bolt from the blue to the Emperor.
"...What did you just say?"
"Your Majesty."
"The prisoner whom the Crown Prince had temporarily pardoned, subdued the Duchess with illegal drugs in the Crown Prince's palace, and tried to rape her, but was caught by the Duke?!"
Every word in the sentence was horrifying. Even a horror story couldn't have been more horrifying.
"Father! Why don't you believe me? Lucas, didn't I tell you that he was blinded by lust and did it all by himself?"
The Crown Prince swallowed all the curses in his mind, his throat bloodshot.
'Lucas, that idiot!'
He had laid out the plan and given him expensive supplies. All he had to do was brainwash Ariana into becoming Lucas' dog. The Duke would have hated his wife, who had given her body to her former fiancée, and he would have had to take Ariana, who was now alone after Dante was kicked off the stage.
It was such a simple plan, but Lucas, that pitiful idiot, had messed it up by procrastinating.
"Felix Conrad!"
The Emperor scolded the Crown Prince in a stern voice.
"Your job is not to just claim innocence with words, but to prove it with practice! What you're doing now is no different from throwing a tantrum!"
Throwing a tantrum. The Crown Prince's cheeks turned bright red at the blatant insult he received in front of people, and even in front of that hateful Duke.
"Father! How can you treat me so coldly just because of a bastard child!"
"You rascal!"
The Emperor was terrified. His aged eyes quickly scanned Dante's expression, but fortunately, he didn't seem to care much about the remark. He just looked at the Crown Prince with a mocking look. Just from that sight, it was obvious to everyone present that the Crown Prince was being played around by the Duke. The Crown Prince must have sensed this instinctively, as he grumbled a few more times and left the room.
Ugh. The emperor groaned softly again.
'I made a mistake in raising my children, but I made a terrible mistake.'
He knew it, but today, the truth felt even more miserable.
"...I apologize on behalf of the Crown Prince, Duke."
"No. You don't have to do that."
When the Emperor spoke with a gloomy face, a firm answer came back.
"All I want is an appropriate punishment."
"..."
"A promise that even if he is a member of the royal family if his crime is revealed, he will be punished to the full extent."
The Emperor's face hardened. It was because he knew how much weight Dante's words held. In the end, he meant that he wanted the immunity that the Crown Prince had from birth, which was more powerful than that of any noble, to be lifted.
"If you promise me just that, I will not feel any regrets toward the imperial family itself because of this."
In other words, it was no different from threatening that he would feel deep regret if he did not promise, but the Emperor was deeply conflicted and had no time to feel resentful. The Duke's anger was justified. The imperial family could not be at odds with the ducal family because of this.
'And, above all else. If the Crown Prince's crime was truly clear, he could not Just bury it and leave him alone just because he was a member of the royal family.'
The Emperor was already deeply troubled these days about whether his second son was really the right candidate for the next Emperor. As his health worsened and the end of his life became clearer, his worries did not last long.
The Emperor opened his mouth after a short silence.
***
As he left the palace, Dante looked at his watch.
'Two hours, perhaps?'
It had taken longer than expected after attending the meeting and stopping by the prison. He did not feel very good. However, the harvest was sufficient.
The Emperor had personally permitted the Crown Prince to be punished. If he could provide sufficient evidence, he could even hold a trial against the Crown Prince. Even in prison, he had confirmed that the innocent-faced assassin had matured to a considerably docile state. Everything except the instinct to live had been castrated. Dante knew very well that a human who had fallen to that state would spit out anything that was stabbed. It would not be long. Everything.
"Hmm."
Dante let out a light laugh as he thought about it. It was because his own state suddenly felt funny. He didn't seem to have this much enthusiasm even when he devoured the Duke. It couldn't be helped. He had to quickly prune and eliminate the bastards...
...Ariana. Wouldn't that woman be able to focus solely on herself? Only on the sensations I gave her, the stimulation I gave her?
'Ariana Lopez.'
When he thought of that name, his mouth went dry. The back of his neck suddenly felt tight, so Dante loosened his cravat. Thinking back to last night, he felt a surge of excitement that made his head spin. He didn't know it would be that sweet. That it would taste so dazzling. But he was still hungry. It wasn't enough for a long time.
After holding her body, he was even more certain. That his greed was deeper. The arms that hugged his neck, revealing their tremors, and the lips that later opened on their own. Every gesture Ariana made, every sound she let out, was tinglingly pleasing, but surprisingly, it wasn't enough. He wanted more, something much more essential.
Suddenly, a memory from a long time ago struck his mind.
***
It was the day of the triumph. A perfect victory after ten years. On that day when the entire empire was excited at the fact that the barbarians had finally been brought to their knees. On that day when the pungent smell of cannon fire lingered in his nostrils all day long. He walked through the streets at night, ignoring his comrades who tried to stop him for a party and even the Emperor's request for a private meeting.
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