Chapter 88…………………………………….
“Your Majesty! You mustn’t!”
The empress cried out in shock. Mikhail also wore a grave expression, but he said nothing.
“As of this hour, Mikhail Petus Asteroth shall relinquish his position as Crown Prince and return to the status of First Prince, as he held prior to his investiture. The matter of who shall next become Crown Prince will be decided at a later time. That is all.”
The emperor finished speaking in a low voice and turned toward the exit. The empress hurried after him.
“I don’t know what has happened, but please reconsider! How can you so easily strip the Empire’s Crown Prince of his title?”
“It was not easy. It was a difficult decision.”
“Mikhail is the legitimate son! Your rightful heir! Even if he has made mistakes, shouldn’t he be forgiven at least once?”
“I have already forgiven him several times.”
“Dominic! You mustn’t fall for that wicked bastard’s tricks!”
“Mind your manners, Empress!”
The emperor stopped and looked at her coldly.
“If you dare to call my son wicked again, I will not let it pass.”
“Are you taking that wretch’s side right now?”
“I’m not asking you to think of him as your child. I only ask that you show the minimum courtesy.”
With that final remark, the emperor no longer looked back at his wife and walked away. The empress staggered and returned to her original spot.
“What is the meaning of this? What in the world did His Majesty mean just now?”
Though she glared at Terrence, she directed her question at her son.
“…Mother, your complexion is poor. Perhaps you should return to your quarters and rest for now.”
“Is rest the issue right now? What is this about the Crown Prince giving preferential treatment to a suspect?”
“Why not see for yourself?”
Terrence took the key from the guard beside him—almost snatching it—and opened the door to the locked room before Mikhail could stop him.
“My goodness!”
The empress groaned upon seeing the interior of the room, which hardly resembled a prison at all.
“Mikhail!”
Riena rushed out of the room and threw herself into her lover’s arms.
“How hurt you must be! His Majesty went too far! How could he do this to you?”
“Riena, I…”
“You don’t have to say anything. I know how you feel.”
Pointing at Riena, the empress demanded,
“Surely the Crown Prince didn’t turn this room into such a state? For that girl… for Riena?”
Her son was too busy embracing his lover to answer, so Terrence replied in his stead—kindly adding extra details.
“That’s correct. In addition, the guards have been attending to Lady Cassius personally.”
“Ah…”
Perhaps the excessive shock in such a short span of time was too much—clutching the back of her neck, the empress collapsed backward. Terrence instinctively caught her.
“Mother!”
“Your Majesty!”
At once, Mikhail and the empress’s maids rushed over as though she had been soiled with filth. Soon, one of the maids carried the empress on her back, and the party left.
“Wouldn’t Her Majesty have preferred her son to carry her?”
At Terrence’s remark, Mikhail answered at once.
“Mind your own business.”
“How curt.”
“Are you pleased? You’ve made my mother collapse. I was naïve to think that even for a moment we could somehow resemble a family.”
“Hmm.”
Terrence’s lips curved into a smile, though his eyes remained dry and cold.
“I fail to see how that is my fault.”
“I told you before. If you touch someone of mine again, I won’t treat you as my elder brother.”
“You did.”
“I heard you were the one who led Father here. And you made Riena sad. From now on, we are enemies.”
As Mikhail openly displayed his hostility, Riena also glared fiercely at Terrence. Their synchronized indignation felt almost laughable, and Terrence found he could hardly muster anger.
“As you wish. I’m busy.”
“Wait! I want to meet Elliot Rude. Grant me visitation.”
Terrence glanced briefly at Riena. It was obvious that Mikhail’s desire to see Elliot was because of that woman. Was he planning to use him as a messenger pigeon?
“Denied. He is still under investigation and cannot meet just anyone.”
“Am I ‘just anyone’?”
“Come to think of it, you’re not just anyone—you’re the Crown Prince… Ah, my mistake. Prince Mikhail.”
A vein pulsed at Mikhail’s temple.
“We’ll see how long you can keep acting so arrogant.”
“As long as I please.”
Leaving the imperial prison, Terrence reflected on what had just happened. To depose the Crown Prince—this was no small matter.
Judging by the palace staff, they were already abuzz with gossip. Terrence had expected the emperor to be furious, but he hadn’t anticipated such decisiveness.
‘I’ll be busy from now on.’
As he absently considered future plans, he shook his head. Only one thought filled him with urgency. Though he had seen Idel just yesterday, he already wanted to see her again.
Come to think of it, there was Elliot. The investigative team had roughly concluded his interrogation that morning. Terrence had promised Idel he would transfer Elliot back to the security bureau’s annex. It was a perfect excuse.
‘While I’m there, I should instruct the subordinates to tighten security. Mikhail might barge in demanding to see Elliot.’
With that in mind, Terrence headed toward the investigative unit.
Location: Security Bureau Annex, the room where Elliot was being held.
Seated in what had somehow become my personal chair, I watched the two men bickering.
“This brat—how touching! To prepare something like this just for me!”
Count Miloam laughed heartily as he reread the document for what must have been the fiftieth time.
“Give it back! I said give it!”
Elliot jumped repeatedly, trying to snatch the paper from the count, but there was no way he could outmatch him in strength or agility.
“Don’t be shy!”
“Who’s shy? I just think it’s a waste to give it to someone like you after reconsidering!”
“Sure, sure.”
Even to me, Elliot seemed embarrassed. After all, he had handed over the development proposal thinking he would never see it again—only for it to come right back.
Waiting for him upon his return to the security bureau after just a day was Count Miloam, who had been deeply moved upon receiving Elliot’s “gift” from me. And they had been like this ever since.
‘They seem to be getting along. Should I just leave them be for now?’
To be honest, there wasn’t much for me to do other than watch them.
In Riena’s first life, Count Miloam and Elliot formed a lord–retainer relationship without my involvement. If I interfered unnecessarily, that same bond might not form. In the first place, the reason I’d stayed here was to make sure Elliot didn’t do anything foolish.
My thoughts naturally drifted to Terrence, who had brought Elliot to me today. Unfortunately, he had stayed only briefly before leaving.
‘Well, of course. The emperor has just declared the deposition of the Crown Prince.’
Terrence had to attend the formal announcement. He had carved out a small sliver of time just to inform me of the result—one born from the information I had given him.
I never imagined the emperor would go that far. Though the situation had arisen because of me, I was quite shocked as well. In the novel, the emperor never learned the full extent of Mikhail’s actions.
“At this point, it’s only my conjecture. But from what I heard about the Crown Prince’s temperament in Cassius, I can’t rule out the possibility.”
That was how I had put it to Terrence yesterday. I couldn’t speak of novels or transmigration, so I phrased it that way—but in truth, it was written in the novel. There was a scene where Mikhail bribed the guards for Riena, who had been imprisoned in the imperial palace dungeon.
‘Though the reason and timing of her imprisonment are different.’
The current Iver Merchant Guild incident was something I, as a transmigrator, had caused. In the novel, the Iver Guild prospered until the very end.
In the story, Riena was falsely accused by a villain and unjustly imprisoned, much later than now.
It struck me anew how much this world had diverged from the novel because of my actions. The Iver Guild had fallen. The Crown Prince had been deposed.
‘At first, I only intended to divorce the heroine’s brother and leave. How did things end up like this…?’
Still, I had no regrets. Looking back, ever since I ran out of the Cassius estate declaring I would divorce, I had done my best to make the right choices.
Above all, I was truly glad I could be of great help to Terrence. He always understood my intentions well; I wanted to be his strength in return.
“Miss Idel! If you’re hungry, shall we eat together?”
At that moment, Count Miloam beckoned to me. He was lining up several times more cornbread than usual on the table inside the bars.
“I won’t refuse. Vineta, you should eat too!”
“I’m not particularly hungry…”
“Come now, knight! The more people who eat together, the better it tastes!”
There were two tables in the room—one inside the bars, one outside.
We pushed them together across the iron bars so they faced each other. Vineta and I sat outside; Count Miloam and Elliot remained inside.
“Now, now! There’s plenty, so eat your fill!”
I asked the count as he offered the bread,
“Why is there so much bread today?”
“To show gratitude to our genius here! I brought extra especially for him!”
“Hmph, I have a small appetite, so even if you bring a mountain of it—”
“Then take this chance to increase it!”
“Mmph—!”
Count Miloam kept stuffing cornbread into Elliot’s mouth, then reached through the bars to hand me a piece.
“Miss Idel, eat heartily and gain strength!”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Next was Vineta’s turn.
“You as well!”
“Thank you.”
“Gah! Cough—ugh…!”
Elliot barely managed to pull the bread from his throat and snapped angrily,
“I thought I was going to die! Are you trying to assassinate me?!”
