I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 214
As if the gentle smile was all a facade, Prince Cardo’s blue eyes widened.
If Tess kills him, it would be a problem due to the blood relationship, but if I do it, things would be different.
“Oh, Prince. It seems you don’t know much since you’ve been locked up in the annex. The Emperor has delegated all his authority to me.”
“Even if it’s the Emperor’s brother, you can’t just kill me without reason.”
“In other words, if I prepare and seal a document declaring the execution of Cardo Neusville and present it to the Chancellor, that would be the end of it. And as for reasons?”
My broad smile made the prince shiver.
“An assassination attempt on the future Empress… would that be a suitable charge?”
He looked utterly surprised, his eyes wide.
“Oh, you didn’t know that I’m betrothed to the Emperor?”
“……”
“Perhaps if I were carrying the Emperor’s heir, public execution might even be an option.”
“You…”
“It’s just a threat, but it seems to be effective. I haven’t had a check-up at the palace yet, but I’ve been sharing the bed with the Emperor daily. The possibility is high.”
The threat was working, though it was purely a bluff.
“Prince, it seems you’re out of touch with reality since you’ve been confined in the annex. The current Emperor’s child is valued far more than the late Emperor’s.”
The youthful prince displayed a sense of despair.
“I’ll give you a choice, Prince. You can either tell me everything and live, or stay silent and die.”
“……”
“Do you know what’s in that room?”
Since this matter related to the hidden room, it was difficult to hand it over to the Chancellor or my father, so I needed to handle it myself.
“Prince?”
However, the stubborn prince seemed unlikely to give up easily. So, I struck his shoulder joint, and he screamed.
Tess’s brother glared at me while gasping and panting.
“Your sister is watching. But, you…”
“Oh, was that the issue?”
I easily lifted the prince with one hand and headed towards the dressing room. After closing the door, I smiled.
“Gael isn’t here, is she?”
My sister didn’t seem inclined to run away, but I continued to keep an eye on the movements beyond the wall. What remained was dealing with the prince.
Debating was tiring, and I just needed to find out how the prince knew about the hidden room. There might be an informant inside, after all.
I twisted the prince’s right index finger backward with clean precision, as if handling an object without any personal feelings.
“I’ll keep twisting until you speak. Now, next—”
“—I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”
It seemed the prince finally realized I was serious.
“Do you understand what I’m asking?”
“Yes, yes. Yes, yes!”
The prince, who had just come of age, confessed tearfully.
“Do you know what’s in that place?”
“It’s… something that can kill Brother, the Emperor.”
“Who told you about it?”
“A priest came to visit once,… that person told me.”
A priest, huh? This complicates things.
“Which priest?”
“It was a Lux priest. I don’t know who.”
During the reign of the late Emperor, a small Lux shrine within the palace had priests stationed there. Although it’s no longer there, I recognize the priest’s attire.
“Do you know what can kill the Emperor?”
“No.”
When I returned the prince’s finger to its original position, he screamed again. He began spilling details I hadn’t asked for, perhaps mistaking my actions for further harm.
“I hated being confined. I wanted to get out, but the Emperor wouldn’t allow it. I don’t want to kill the Emperor, but the only way I can be free is through that…”
“Did the priest also tell you how to get inside?”
“Yes, yes. He told me to find the room myself. He said there might be something hidden by the Emperor in the Hill Palace.”
“And then?”
“To destroy it.”
It seemed to refer to the first Emperor’s body, but if that went wrong, it could cause problems for Tess as well.
I decided to disregard the prince’s protests for now.
“That priest must be a fool. There’s only a statue inside.”
“What… What?”
The prince’s eyes wavered as if he’d been betrayed.
“There’s a room dedicated to God inside. I thought the priest knew that. It was made by the late Emperor.”
“Bu, but why…”
“The priest either didn’t know properly or wanted to sow discord between the Emperor and you. It could be one of those reasons.”
“Ugh.”
The prince, despite having some character, seemed quite naive. Believing my words, he continued to cry.
“Ugh, huh. I just wanted to get out…”
Since the matter was beyond my immediate control and there were more urgent issues to address, I decided to restrain the prince for now.
“Chief Attendant.”
I called loudly as I opened the bedroom door. The Chief Attendant, who had been waiting in a nearby room, quickly came in. Upon seeing the prince, he showed a rare glimpse of emotion.
“No, why is he here?”
“I suspect there’s an internal accomplice. Find out how he managed to get out of the palace and who informed him about the empty space at this hour.”
I recalled the possibility of an agent from the Southern Empire, as Tess had once hinted at.
“It’s all my fault.”
“Right now, I need your help. Apologies can be dealt with later, once we find the spy.”
Seeing the Chief Attendant tremble, I tried to reassure him.
“I’ll also tell the Emperor that you’ve worked hard and done your best.”
The Chief Attendant, miraculously stopping his tremors, agreed and summoned knights. He glanced briefly at Gael but did not say a word.
“Now, my dear younger sister, will you explain why you’re here?”
Gael, who might have faintly heard the prince’s pained cries, surprisingly remained calm.
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