Obviously, It's My Child - Chapter 162
The once-clear silver hair was now dirty and disheveled. The face seemed strangely familiar.
Claire furrowed her brow as she felt an odd sense of deja vu. At that moment, Maximilian gently grabbed her arm.
“Lady Claire.”
He bent down and whispered urgently and quietly into her ear.
“This man is Prince Linus.”
Claire inhaled sharply.
Could this even be true? Why would Prince Linus be here? And in the water, no less?
Claire instructed the doctor to take good care of the patient and then stepped outside. She grabbed Maximilian and pulled him into the living room.
“Are you certain?”
“It has been five years since I last saw him, but I am certain. I’ve known him since he was a child.”
“Of course. You’ve been a close associate of Erich’s for a long time.”
He must have seen the prince frequently.
Collapsing onto the sofa, she clasped her head and asked.
“Tell me everything you know.”
“There’s nothing special to report. Prince Linus has mainly been in Duchy Ernst’s estate. It was the Empress’s order.”
“I know that he was moved to the estate for his safety.”
After Crown Prince Jared was assassinated, there was no guarantee that Prince Linus was safe either.
At that time, there was concern about retaliation from the Crown Prince’s faction.
Claire slightly bowed her head, her expression troubled as she thought.
‘It was strange that he was still there, but not completely inconceivable given the circumstances. There was always a lot of talk.’
With the Emperor having no other children, Prince Linus would eventually become the Emperor.
But there was also much controversy.
This was against the Rommel-Aren succession laws. Therefore, Prince Linus was behind Archduke Victoria in the line of succession.
Because both Archduke Manfred and Erich’s mother had married Rommel nobles, could Prince Linus hold the second place.
She hadn’t thought it through this far yet, but there was a chance that he might even fall behind the child she and Erich might have.
For this reason, Prince Linus had not yet been made the Crown Prince despite having no siblings.
If nothing had happened and he had been the only prince, no one would have brought up succession laws.
But Crown Prince Jared was assassinated. Who did it was clear, though evidence was lacking.
The same was true for the late Empress Henrietta.
She died weakened after childbirth, but after the death of Crown Prince Jared, there were whispers that she, too, might have been assassinated.
It wasn’t as if the Emperor doted on Prince Linus either.
He no longer appeared in public, and even before that, he did not love his second son.
Sometimes it seemed he completely forgot his existence.
‘It would have been better to keep him away from the capital to avoid complicated talk.’
It also solidified the influence of the Ernst family over the prince.
But now that he was turning twenty, it was almost time for him to return to the imperial palace.
Although no exact time had been mentioned, it was expected to happen soon.
‘No matter what anyone says, Prince Linus is the most legitimate heir to the throne.’
No one seriously questioned his right to succeed. The Empress was determined to push him to the imperial throne.
Claire absentmindedly bit her lower lip in thought, then startled when she noticed a shadow of a hand in front of her.
Maximilian had clenched his fist and lowered his hand. He spoke in a low voice.
“You’ll hurt your lip if you keep doing that.”
“Ah, thank you for caring.”
Claire touched her lip. It seemed not to have bled.
She sighed.
“Why would Prince Linus be in Ludendorff? Was he traveling?”
It was still odd. A prince drowned in the sea, and yet there was no one around him.
Shortly after, the head of the search team reported back.
“There was no one on the nearby beaches.”
“Thank you for your efforts. Check if there are groups searching for someone in the city as well.”
“Understood.”
“Even if he moved discreetly, there would have been guards and attendants.”
Claire sighed and spoke to Maximilian, who responded gently.
“Rest for today. I will inform you if there’s any change in the prince’s condition or if we receive any new information.”
“But…”
“You’ve traveled a long distance today and have had many things to deal with, so you must be tired.”
Maximilian extended his arm.
Claire, acknowledging that was true, sighed again and took his arm to stand.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’m fine. I have the stamina. It seems better to have someone in command awake tonight in case of an emergency.”
“That makes sense. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Maximilian escorted her to her bedroom and then withdrew.
Claire took off her outer garments and sat on the bed.
She absentmindedly stroked Elliott’s head as he lay there breathing softly in his sleep.
A malicious thought briefly crossed her mind.
Even if there’s no one else to take the Emperor’s crown, would the Empress continue her reckless ways?
“No. If I act on such thoughts, I become no better than them.”
Muttering to herself, Claire pulled Elliott into her arms and lay down.
That night, she dreamt of muddy waters. She saw lotus flowers swaying at the same height as her head.
Unlike the lotuses, however, her feet didn’t touch the muddy bottom, causing her slowly to sink.
It was the first time she felt such a need for Erich.
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