Trap (3)
If she loved Kalit, it was only natural that she warned him of the danger he was facing.
No one knew better than Oslo how devoted Millenia was to the person she had once given her heart to.
Thinking about it made him feel pain somewhere in his body. It wasn't an illusion, it was a real pain.
"Was that article true?"
"What kind of article is it?"
"That article says you and my brother are like this and that! You didn't meet my brother before you broke up with me, did you?"
Oslo's entire body trembled with an indescribable sense of betrayal.
Now he thought he knew how Millenia must have felt when he cheated on her with Sierra.
The idea that Millennia would return if he just extended his hand was a mistake.
Far from missing him, she was already seeing another man.
Oslo impulsively grabbed Millenia's arm.
"Somehow, even though I said I loved you, you didn't even blink an eye... How could you do this to me? How long has it been since you switched to another man!"
"..."
"Why are you avoiding the answer? Did you confess your love to him? Oh, not yet, right? Huh? Just say no!"
Millenia raised her head. Her unfocused gaze stopped near Oslo's chin.
"I don't know why I should tell you that. What do you want from me?"
"I told you I love you!"
"Do you think that your love is some great weapon? Your Highness, your love is the most worthless thing to me."
She slowly pushed Oslo's hand away.
Oslo's grip loosened limply even though his hand had no strength at all.
"As a guardian, I advise you to give up your position as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces."
The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces is elected by vote from among the applicants of the Imperial Family or high-ranking nobles participating in the Great Rift.
Oslo had to become commander-in-chief. That was the only way left.
"Are you trying to push my brother to become commander-in-chief?"
Oslo was certain as he watched Millenia shrug her shoulders without answering.
She loves Kalit.
He lived his whole life having everything he wanted. He never once complained to anyone.
That was why he had never felt such despair before. He felt suffocated when je thought that he had lost the blind heart that had been directed only at him.
How can I catch her? The only thing that came to mind was violent methods.
Dump-.
Oslo resisted those countless impulses and knelt down. It was the first time in his life that he gave up his pride.
"I was wrong. Please forgive me just this once."
"..."
Oslo took Millenia's unresponsive hand and rubbed his cheek against her palm.
"I truly love you."
His delicately extended eyelashes fluttered. Soon, clear tears fell.
But Millenia's reaction was colder than a midwinter lake.
She firmly pushed his hand away.
"If you're done talking. I'll go back."
"I love you! I'm not lying. I'm not trying to deceive you. I really love you! Please believe me!"
"Yes, I'll believe you."
"Me, really?"
"But Your Highness, your heart is nothing but trash to me. It makes me uncomfortable that you keep asking me to accept trash."
"My heart is... trash?"
Oslo's expression became blank.
He threw away his pride and clung on, but all he got in return was humiliation.
'There's no way Millenia would do this to me... ?'
It wasn't Millenia who was moved by a single word or shy away from a passing touch.
She was not this cruel. She was not this cold-hearted.
Oslo got goosebumps at the thought of facing another woman with the same face.
"Yes, wait a minute!"
Oslo hurriedly grabbed Millenia who was turning around and held his hand, which had been injured yesterday, in front of her nose.
"Millenia, I'm hurt here! It hurts so much I think I'm going to die... Can you really leave me in such pain?"
"You're being too harsh on a mere scratch. People don't die that easily."
"What?"
"Look, I've been threatened with death several times by Your Highness, and yet I'm still alive."
"..."
Oslo dropped his hand with a pale face.
Millenia shook her hand as if it had touched dirt, then raised her voice.
"Sir Chevio, please guide me."
Chevio strode over to Millenia and grabbed her hand. Nadia then ran over and stood opposite her.
Oslo sat there dumbfounded until Millenia disappeared from sight under the protection of the two men.
Then he slowly opened his hands.
A long, straight line across the palm.
'How did you know this was a scratch?'
***
Unlike the first day, the summit was held in the Imperial Palace Grand Library on the second day.
It was the Emperor's consideration to allow people to freely consult the literature that recorded the Great Rift.
Chevio, who had escorted me to the front of the Grand Library, tapped the back of my hand.
"Youngest, have a good meeting. I'll wait for you when it's time to finish."
"Tell your big brother about what happened today."
"I will do that."
As we entered the main library, Rahon, who was sitting with a bored expression, gestured to Nadia.
I was about to head towards it with Nadia, but then I stopped.
Anton was sitting hunched over right in front of me. His shoulders were hunched over and his eyes were fixed on the desk, no different from yesterday.
Except for the three long fingernail marks on his cheek.
I quickly scanned the surroundings. The attendees were either conversing or looking for materials, so they didn't pay attention to us.
Only then did I whisper secretly to Nadia.
"Nadia, you have a friend who has been assigned to the Grand Duke's quarters."
"Yes, Miss."
"Meet that kid and find out what happened at the dorm yesterday."
"I will do that."
Nadia, who had guided me to my seat, bowed her head and turned around to leave.
Rahon rested his chin on his hand and asked.
"What happened?"
"Everything is going according to plan."
"Good."
Oslo appeared long after I sat down.
A relaxed expression filled his smiling face. There was not a trace of him crying just a moment ago, rubbing his cheek against my hand.
He glanced at me as I sat down.
I felt a persistent gaze. I lowered my eyes as if I didn't notice and recalled the conversation I had heard in the audience room.
"Have you forgotten my mother's will? Didn't you promise to give me a chance by the end of this year?"
In the meantime, the Emperor had several opportunities to expel Oslo.
Yet the Emperor covered up Oslo's actions, an action that was in contrast to his decision to appoint Kalit as his successor.
At first, I thought it was because Oslo left no conclusive evidence.
As an Emperor, it would have been difficult to reveal his son's incompetence.
But as time went by, I began to think something was strange.
Oslo's power is not what it used to be.
As I left, the focal point disappeared, and Oslo's influence was greatly weakened as the future was revealed.
In this situation, if the Emperor had ordered only Kalit to attend the summit, the balance of power would have collapsed quickly.
However, the Emperor invited both Oslo and Kalit to the summit.
'As if making the two compete.'
I didn't understand it at all.
If you're planning to make Kalit your successor anyway, why do you keep giving Oslo chances?
Is there any reason why it has to be that way?
So, when I handed over the painting of the Nokron Prison to the Emperor, he aimed for two things.
Like the fork tactic in chess, where two pieces are targeted at the same time.
The strategy was a complete success, with Oslo suffering a major blow by having his entire staff replaced, and the Emperor's weaknesses also being exposed.
"The Emperor's promise to Countess Beatrix was due by this year.."
Of course, I have no intention of waiting until then.
I have to make it so that he has no choice but to break his promise.
While I was lost in thought, the attendees were engaged in a heated discussion about the size of the coalition forces.
Among them, the one who most actively led the atmosphere was Oslo.
He had no aides around him. They had all been dismissed by order of the Emperor. New aides will probably be appointed tomorrow.
In this situation, Count Gideon and Count Saiga were not in good moods either.
Only Oslo was in high spirits. From the outside, it didn't look like it had been hit at all.
But I saw his true face. His true form, struggling desperately to not sink underwater.
"30 years ago, the number of monsters that appeared in the Great Rift was 30,000, and the mobilized Allied Forces were 100,000. The number of monsters that will appear in the upcoming Great Rift is more than three times that number. So I think the size of the Allied Forces should also be 300,000."
"300,000? That is a truly enormous number. What do you think Your Highness the Third Prince should do about the ratio of troops between countries?"
"Considering both population and military size, shouldn't our empire provide the largest military support?"
"Oh, that's right! That's right! The Third Prince of the Empire seems to have a truly fair personality!"
Everyone in attendance except Kjer, Ian, and Kalit applauded Oslo.
It was natural that the foreign participants cheered, especially since as Oslo said, their own country only needed to provide a small amount of military support.
Couldn't the clever Oslo know this? How could he?
He ignored my warnings and began working behind the scenes to get elected Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces.
'Yeah, it should come out like this.'
I secretly smiled as I watched Oslo respond to the attendees with a proud expression.
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