Chapter 63
“What—what?! He went to meet the Princess—mmph! Mmph!”
The next morning after Eric had met with Allen and asked him to arrange a meeting with the Princess.
When Eric saw a royal servant show up at their lodging at dawn, saying he had come on behalf of the Princess, he immediately began preparing to go out.
“Pfft! Wait—what on earth happened yesterday?”
Lillian, whose mouth was hastily covered by Leona because of her loud voice, pleaded for an explanation.
Just yesterday, Eric had said he would look for a way to help Gregorius.
And now suddenly he was off to meet the Princess?
“Nothing much. I just asked my brother to introduce me to her.”
“What? But you said you were going to ask Lord Allen to support you in helping the Cardinal at the Holy Trial! How does that turn into meeting the Princess?”
Lillian tilted her head in confusion at his answer.
What on earth did the Princess have to do with saving the Cardinal?
He had come back last night without offering a single word of explanation, and now he wouldn’t even clarify what had happened overnight—it was maddening.
“There’s no need to be so shocked. The person who can help Sir Gregorius simply changed—from my brother to the Princess.”
Seeing her flustered, Eric shrugged as if it were nothing.
Only the person he would ask for help had changed.
The task itself remained the same.
All he needed was to make the Princess say the words ‘It’s regrettable’ regarding the upcoming Holy Trial.
“How does meeting Her Highness help the Cardinal, exactly?”
“Miss Malefica, surely you already know what I intend to ask of her.”
Malefica looked at him with a tone of concern. Eric met her eyes and replied calmly.
“…This could turn into something much bigger than you think.”
Gregorius being called to stand trial was a matter internal to the Church.
But asking the Princess for help meant dragging the Imperial Family into Church affairs.
Even if everything went perfectly according to Eric’s plan, he would still be criticized for acting rashly as the Church’s newly anointed hero.
And if things went wrong halfway through…
“That’s the point. I want to make this bigger.”
“If this goes wrong, not only the Cardinal but even you could be implicated.”
“If Sir Gregorius falls, it’s over anyway. People already assume we’re in this together.”
Despite the warning glint in her eyes, Eric nodded lightly, as if saying I’ll be fine.
He knew.
He knew exactly how dangerous this was.
He wasn’t even the one on trial—so why risk so much for Gregorius?
It was a fair question.
‘If I just sit quietly, Gregorius’s downfall won’t really hurt me. I’d only lose a single connection within the Church.’
But that alone wouldn’t make him a successor.
For the notorious troublemaker of his house to surpass his brilliant, beloved older brother and inherit the Grand Duchy, simply stacking up minor achievements would never be enough.
He needed influence—over noble houses, over the Church, and if necessary, even the Imperial Family—enough that the old men in the Senate would have to watch what they said around him.
And Gregorius’s authority in the North was something he could not afford to lose.
“But, my lord, how exactly do you plan to persuade the Princess?”
“Yeah! It’s not like she’ll agree to help a Cardinal she doesn’t even know!”
As Eric finished dressing and stepped out of the room, Leona and Lillian looked at him questioningly.
Eric glanced back at them, his voice confident and crisp.
“There’s no need to persuade her. Persuasion is for the one who’s desperate.”
“…Excuse me?”
Indeed—
Expecting a stranger to grant a major favor was absurd.
The Princess wasn’t stupid; she wouldn’t risk offending the Church unless she had something to gain.
Yes—unless she had something to gain.
“Then all the more reason you’ll need to persuade her, right?”
Lillian insisted, but Eric only smiled faintly and left the inn.
Contrary to his companions’ worries, the Princess would grant his request—without question.
No, more than that. She’d be the one to cling to him.
Because Eric was the only person in the Empire who could give her exactly what she desired most.
Following the waiting servant outside, Eric soon arrived at a quiet alley some distance from the Imperial Palace.
The servant pointed toward an old-looking workshop tucked away in the corner. Eric nodded and entered through the back door.
Creeeak—
Despite its dusty exterior, the inside was surprisingly well-kept.
An old man worked silently, polishing weapons without so much as a greeting, as if unaware of Eric’s presence.
Eric passed him by and found a small room deeper inside the workshop. Opening the door—
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Eric Ather.”
The moment he entered, his gaze was drawn to the woman sitting alone at a small table in the corner.
A dress elegant yet understated, highlighting her refined beauty.
Red hair braided with stately grace.
Even without adornments, her noble aura was unmistakable.
“…Lucio. Lucio Draconis.”
〈Lucio Draconis〉
Level: 15
Strength: [20]
Agility: [35]
Endurance: [30]
Mana: [75]
Traits: [Holy Sovereign], [Blessed by People], [Iron Lady]
Lucio Draconis—
Second Princess of the Empire.
Clink—
Setting her teacup down, Lucio spoke in a firm voice before Eric had even sat.
“I’m not one for pretending to be polite like other noble ladies, so I’ll be honest.”
Though it was their first meeting, Lucio already disliked him.
Allen had begged her the previous night to grant the meeting, and she’d reluctantly agreed—but she had better things to do than waste time on pointless small talk.
“I only came because Lord Allen asked, but I don’t plan to stay long. So, let’s keep this brief.”
She turned her disinterested gaze aside, waiting for his reply.
Eric Ather.
She knew the name well.
The Church’s new hero, who’d recently solved strange supernatural phenomena and defeated several named monsters.
Rumor even had it that the notorious Northern wastrel had turned over a new leaf.
But Lucio didn’t believe a person could change overnight.
He’d probably just come to babble about something trivial, like all the other opportunists who’d tried to profit from her position.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but a Holy Trial will soon be held by the Church.”
Eric went straight to the point, unfazed by her wary gaze.
There were many reasons he’d specifically asked Allen to arrange a meeting with Lucio, among all the royals.
One was precisely her straightforward, no-nonsense nature.
It told him she valued results over principle.
‘Getting involved in Church affairs is like picking a fight with them. The other princes or princesses would never touch this.’
“The Cardinal of the North—Saint Gregorius—is to be judged before the statue of the Goddess.”
“Cardinal Gregorius… yes, my father, His Majesty, mentioned him. A devout, admirable man, I heard.”
Lucio nodded, recalling stories the Emperor had told her from the Great War.
Saint Gregorius—
The name rang a faint bell.
“So?”
“I hear Your Highness has been troubled lately. His Majesty must be considering the Empire’s future, but the gap between you and the First Prince remains… frustrating, I imagine.”
Eric smiled softly, steering the topic away.
It would have been a mistake to bluntly beg her to support Gregorius at the trial.
Once you defined what you wanted, it was hard to ask for more.
“…And what does that have to do with me?”
Exactly.
If he instead dangled something she wanted, everything else would fall into place.
Of course, that required knowing what she desired—and the means to grant it.
Fortunately, Eric had both.
Otherwise, he never would’ve dared ask Allen for the meeting.
“It has everything to do with you, because I can make your wish come true.”
It was obvious what Lucio desired most.
Every citizen of the Empire knew.
But the means to actually help her achieve it—
that belonged to no one else in the world but Eric Ather.
“…You’re saying you can help me claim the throne?”
“Yes.”
Lucio’s eyes narrowed, startled by his confidence.
At present, there were only two real contenders for the Imperial throne:
Her half-brother, the First Prince—child of the current Empress and legitimate heir.
And herself—born of a concubine, but gifted and supported by the Mage Tower and lesser nobles.
Yet most other siblings had sided with the First Prince, and even the knights and high ministers supported him.
So how could this northern noble claim he could make her Empress?
“Ha! Even a Grand Duke couldn’t meddle in the succession. What could you possibly—”
“If I were just an ordinary northern noble, you’d be right.”
Was he delusional?
Or simply spouting nonsense to use her?
Lucio gave him a mocking look—then froze at his next words.
“I’ve heard that even cadet branches retain imperial succession rights.”
Cadet branch?
At that word, a long-buried story flickered in Lucio’s mind—
a forbidden tale within the royal family.
A frail princess who had fallen for a Grand Duke and left for the North—
Her Majesty’s own sister, Selen Draconis.
“…Isn’t that so?”
She had borne a child there, but unable to endure the harsh northern climate, she’d wasted away and died.
The baby—cursed to be born without the Goddess’s blessing despite royal and ducal blood—was deemed a shame to the dynasty. The former Emperor forbade anyone from speaking of them again.
“Lady Lucio.”
Now, more than a decade later,
that very child sat before her—
wearing a sly, confident smile.
