Chapter 23
Richard stayed silent for a while.
He didn’t say a word—just kept looking at me.
How many times did those crimson eyes of his flicker with emotions so complex that I couldn’t even guess what they were?
Finally, Richard opened his mouth.
“…What do I have to do?”
My face lit up.
“Thank you, Brother!”
Richard groaned at the sight of me, roughly ruffling his own hair. Then he suddenly lifted his head and gave me a wide grin.
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it. If you’re talking about gaining the Achenbach lands, even that brat Luke would be happy about it.”
He jerked his chin toward Rudolf as he spoke.
“So let’s just get rid of that guy.”
…‘That guy’? Seriously, Brother?
I glanced at Rudolf.
Richard acting like this wasn’t a rare occurrence, and Rudolf wasn’t the type to react to every little thing. In fact, he looked like he couldn’t care less about anything Richard said.
“Lucilia.”
Still, he seemed to be deep in thought about something.
“I really can’t understand you. Do you… love that boy Tristan?”
“What?!”
Maybe because I was so shocked, my voice came out much louder than I intended.
“What are you talking about? I’ve only met him once.”
I laughed, trying to brush off Rudolf’s words as a joke. Love? That was far too heavy a word to describe what I felt for my favorite character.
“How am I supposed to believe that you’d bring down the second most powerful man in the Empire—right after the Emperor—just to save someone you’ve only met once? Saying you fell in love at first sight and are acting like a fool is actually more believable. There are plenty of idiots like that.”
“That’s not it at all…”
It seemed Rudolf couldn’t understand the feeling of being unable to leave an abused child alone.
Even Richard hadn’t accepted it until I explained it to him. For Rudolf—someone who couldn’t comprehend others’ emotions—it was impossible to fully explain my feelings.
There had to be a way to approach Rudolf that suited him. After a short moment of thought, I spoke.
“But… is that really important?”
“What?”
“What I feel doesn’t matter here. What matters is what you stand to gain from all this, Brother.”
Rudolf looked a little puzzled.
“But you explained it to Richard like it was important.”
“People are different.”
I smiled as I said that. Especially you two—so different that of course the strategies I use have to change.
“Unlike Richard, you’re never going to know exactly what I feel. But so what? It’s impossible for everyone to perfectly understand one another.”
The Rudolf described in the original story was a cold-blooded man who couldn’t understand emotions at all. He despised feelings, and especially mocked the idea of love.
The real Rudolf in front of me wasn’t all that different. But that didn’t mean he was some monster who couldn’t live alongside other people.
Yes, it was creepy that he’d used his subordinate’s life to force me to attend the Emperor’s birthday celebration, but when he asked me to support him, he was actually easier to communicate with than Richard. Even earlier, when we arrived at the Opal Palace, he immediately set up a protective barrier for me.
In short, the Rudolf I’d met so far was like a terrible-tempered boss. But if you ignored his personality issues, he was actually easier to work with.
Sure, his personality issues were pretty severe—but who cares? It’s not like I’m here to play the female lead who reforms the trashy male lead.
“So don’t worry too much about why I’m doing this, Brother. Just think about how we can bring down the man who’s second only to the Emperor in power.”
I gave Rudolf a mischievous smile.
“Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Rudolf had jumped into the imperial power struggle purely for amusement. The harder the problem, the more exhilaration he felt when solving it. Could he really resist joining a game on ‘Ultra Hard Mode’ like the Achenbach dukedom?
Rudolf stared at me for a moment, then looked off into the air. He seemed to be thinking, but he didn’t look as serious as before.
Noticing that the tension in him had eased, I wrapped things up with a light joke.
“Honestly, the Duke of Achenbach is insufferable. Remember how he didn’t even greet you properly on the Emperor’s birthday?”
At my words, Rudolf tilted his head slightly and smirked. His silver hair swayed faintly, scattering a halo of light across his blue eyes.
“I remember.”
“You’re the one who said that compared to me, all the other nobles are like insects. You’re not going to just let an insect insult you and get away with it, right?”
“All right, all right.”
Rudolf raised both hands playfully.
“Let’s hear the plan first. If you’re going this far, I’m guessing you’ve prepared something specific?”
That was practically an agreement. I clenched my fists in excitement.
“Of course!”
“What if I hear the plan and then back out?”
Richard grumbled.
“You shouldn’t share information with someone who’s not definitely on our side. You only share truly important stuff with people you can trust completely.”
Rudolf merely swept his gaze over Richard without moving his head. Then he looked back at me with a warm smile—playful, for once, instead of his usual calm and steady demeanor.
“If you’re saying all this, it must mean Richard would be disappointed if I wasn’t involved. For his sake, I’ll help.”
“Hey! Why would I be disappointed if you weren’t here?!”
Richard slammed the table and jumped to his feet.
But Rudolf didn’t even glance at him. He simply picked up the teapot and began pouring tea in movements so elegant it was downright infuriating.
The scent of flowers filled the sitting room.
It felt almost like watching an ordinary quarrel between brothers—so peaceful it was hard to believe this was the Imperial Palace of Esperusa.
Relief washed over me.
Until I met with both of them today, I’d been filled with worry and anxiety. I’d been so tense that I could barely eat anything since morning.
After all, I hadn’t been sure I could get these two strong-willed, ill-matched men to join the same plan.
But in the end, I’d done it. Now they would both throw themselves into making Tristan the duke.
No matter how strong the Achenbachs were, I felt certain we could succeed with the two of them together.
As my heart eased, a hunger I’d forgotten about suddenly hit me hard. I turned to Richard.
“Brother, could you pass me that cake in front of you? I’m starving.”
Richard, still fuming at Rudolf, looked at me in shock.
“You’re hungry? You didn’t eat lunch?!”
His voice was so loud my ears rang. I think it was even louder than when he was yelling at Rudolf.
“It’s almost three o’clock. Of course I’m hungry.”
Truthfully, I’d been too nervous to eat much at lunch. But if I said that out loud, our palace chef might lose his head, so I kept it to myself.
Richard slid the plate of strawberry shortcake toward me. As I cut a slice and moved it to my plate, I said,
“Before I go over the detailed plan, there’s something I need to tell you.”
The combination of white cream and red strawberries was as heavenly as ever. I took a bite. The sweet flavor and fragrance were enough to make me forget everything else.
Ah… if only I could finish this before getting into work talk.
“Remember how I said I have a reliable informant?”
Still, I couldn’t just eat in front of them without speaking. Swallowing my regret, I continued.
“The truth is, there’s someone else involved in this plan. The Seventh Princess has agreed to help.”
Seventh Princess Theodora Hill Esperusa was the greatest information broker the Imperial Family had ever produced. She ran her own intelligence network and was strictly neutral when it came to the Solea issue.
Her only rule was money. She would sell information to anyone who could pay—siblings, strangers, even beggars on the street.
Rudolf, who had been sipping his tea, widened his eyes in interest.
“Theodora?”
Richard leaned toward me in surprise.
“You bought information from Theo? She’s ridiculously expensive.”
He glanced around the sitting room as if realizing something.
“If it’s about the Duke of Achenbach… you’d have to sell the Opal Palace three times over to afford it.”
“That’s a bit rude, Brother.”
I bristled.
What’s wrong with the Opal Palace?! Sure, it’s small, shabby, stuck in the far northern corner of the palace, and cold because it barely gets sunlight—but it’s my precious home!
“I’m just saying because I know you’re broke.”
“I didn’t pay in money. I traded her some information. But that’s not the point here.”
Since I couldn’t reveal what I’d traded, I quickly steered the conversation away.
“The point is, I wanted you to know that what I’m about to say is based on reliable information.”
“So what is it that you’re being so secretive about?”
I took another bite of cake, then washed it down with tea. Looking at the two of them, I said,
“The Duke of Achenbach is plotting a rebellion.”
Richard’s expression was one of surprise—but only for a moment. He shrugged.
“I figured it would happen eventually, but it’s sooner than I thought.”
“Are you saying you’re going to frame him for treason, or that he’s actually preparing one?”
Rudolf was equally calm.
Both of them were so politically sharp that they clearly saw the Duke’s rebellion as inevitable sooner or later.
“The latter. I’ll explain in detail, but he’s been preparing this for years now…”
…So I was the only one shocked by this news?
Was I really the only one surprised that the Duke wasn’t just being framed but was an actual traitor?
I’d worked so hard after transmigrating to stick to the original story, but now that the original kept turning out to be wrong, I didn’t know what to believe anymore!
…Of course, I couldn’t vent this frustration to my brothers, so I swallowed it down.
“My plan is this: First, we have to find proof of the Duke’s treason. Theodora will compile the details of his plan within a few days.”
“Theo?”
Richard picked up on the word.
“You’ve gotten pretty close to her, huh?”
“If we secure the evidence, the next step is to give it to Tristan.”
I ignored Richard’s comment and continued explaining. Why pick a fight during an important discussion?
“For an illegitimate son like Tristan to inherit the dukedom, he needs major achievements. So we’ll make it so that he’s the one who reports his father’s treason.”
“Good idea, Lucilia. But now I’m curious about one thing.”
Rudolf set his teacup down.
“How much does this boy Tristan know about your plan?”
“Well…”
As expected from Rudolf—he went straight for the weakest point. I hesitated before answering.
“The truth is, Tristan doesn’t know anything. I’ve only met him once, after all…”
In other words, here’s the problem—
“Before we start anything, we first have to convince Tristan.”
