I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 213
The sight of red flowers blooming between the branches is a strange yet beautiful scene.
“Tess.”
Holding onto the ever-blooming red flowers gives me a sense of his presence.
We promised to go flower watching when spring came, but I wonder when that promise will be kept. I wonder if he’s sleeping well or eating properly.
“I miss you.”
Being near you allows me to clear my mind.
Ber said I made the impossible possible, but difficult things are still difficult.
“Why is it so cold… oh.”
It was only when my backside got wet that I realized I was sitting on the cold snow.
“Ugh, I should just focus on magic practice.”
No matter how much I worry, it won’t change anything.
Yes, as always, I need to find my own breakthrough.
* * *
Although I have the imperial seal, I’m only a spectator, and I don’t have any decision-making power.
Therefore, I focused solely on matters within the palace. Even then, the attendants took care of most of the tasks, so I didn’t have much to do.
My father seemed overly concerned, so I made constant efforts to divert attention from the telegrams coming from the border, which temporarily brought some peace to the household.
Of course, such time was extremely brief in the urgent wartime situation.
One day, a friend who should have been at the border appeared at Hardland.
“Ethyl?”
“Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
When someone asked to be let in without showing their face, I wondered who it could be, and it turned out to be Ethyl.
“Euel, it’s a message from His Majesty.”
“What?”
“‘Someone tried to infiltrate.’ His Majesty said you would understand if he sent you this message. He also commanded me to check on how you are doing.”
Ah, I understood immediately.
Surprisingly, Ethyl must be quite trustworthy to Tess. Or maybe Ethyl is considered naive enough that he wouldn’t notice anything?
“Thank you for delivering the message. Are you heading back right away?”
“No. Delivering the message to you is the priority, and I also need to see the Chancellor.”
I almost asked, “What about Aurin?” but barely managed to hold back.
“Alright, take care. By the way, how is the situation?”
“We’re on the defensive.”
Ethyl’s usually composed face immediately crumpled.
“The Southern Empire has more troops, but the difference isn’t significant. In fact, our army fights much better.”
Given their combative nature, that makes sense.
“Their advantage over us is in their wizards.”
“Wizards?”
“I heard General Panet say that the Southern Empire has more high-level wizards. If they unleash a major offensive spell during the fight, the tide of battle could turn instantly, which is a big problem.”
It seems the information I received was thoroughly filtered.
It looks like my father negotiated with the Chancellor. For now, I should put this aside.
“For now, keep it a secret that I came to see you.”
“So that’s why you wore such a thick cloak and covered your face. Alright, I’ll make sure the household keeps quiet.”
After sending off Ethyl, I found myself deep in thought. I should head to the palace as well.
It’s been quite a while since I last visited Tess’s bedroom.
At first, I spent a lot of time in the palace, but recently I had little to do. It seemed my father deliberately reduced the time I spent in the palace, and I sensed an opportunity.
Like Ethyl, I took measures to ensure my presence in the palace went unnoticed and asked the chief attendant who was always loyal to me.
After ensuring no one knew I was there, I requested that the area near the Emperor’s private quarters be kept clear.
Keeping it a secret even from my father, I lay low in Tess’s bedroom for several days.
After about three days, I felt a presence outside the heavily guarded door and quickly hid behind the curtain covering the window.
Late at night, the door opened silently.
There were two of them. One moved with considerable stealth, while the other was rather clumsy. Their figures were faintly illuminated by the unextinguished glowstones, revealing they were a man and a woman.
They stood by the bed, placing their hands on it, and their intended actions were all too clear.
They were trying to access a hidden room.
It was easy to deal with this clumsy duo.
“What’s going on in a room without its owner?”
“Kyaak!”
“Hah.”
The two, completely unaware of my presence, turned around in shock.
“Prince Cardo. And…”
Even I couldn’t avoid taking a deep breath.
“…Gael.”
“Sis, Sister.”
My younger sister, with platinum hair shining even in the darkness, trembled.
In an instant, I approached the two and struck the prince in the solar plexus, knocking him down. I bound him with the rope I had prepared, rendering him powerless and on his knees.
“Si, Si, Sister.”
I was unable to muster the courage to hit my shivering younger sister, so I tried to ask.
“What’s going on here, Gael? What were you planning to do with the prince?”
“It’s just that, Sister—”
“Gael.”
When the fallen prince called out Gael’s name, my younger sister fell silent in surprise.
“Is this person the fairy?”
“Sister, I’ll explain everything.”
“You wanted to see the fairy, but do you know what you’re doing with the fairy right now?”
I was angry, not knowing how much Gael understood or why this was happening, but I tried to stay as calm as possible.
“Gael!”
When the prince called out, Gael fell silent again.
Oh Prince. It seems that he has quite an influence over my sister.
I took Gael’s trembling hand and channeled my mana into it, sensing an irregular flow. I was pressed for time and couldn’t examine it in detail.
Moreover, it seemed Gael was emotionally influenced or mentally dependent on the prince.
Except for the moment I first met, I had no sympathy towards the prince, so I had no qualms about grabbing him by the collar.
“Prince, please be quiet.”
“If I don’t stay quiet, are you planning to kill me? I don’t think you have the right to do that.”
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