He’s My Real Brother, Duke Chapter 138

The next item on the agenda was the Crown Prince’s succession to the throne. 

 

The Emperor had not yet awakened, and there was a growing consensus that the throne could not remain vacant for long.

 

But the matter of the succession to the throne would be raised so directly.

 

Moreover, it was the Marquis of Alvino, a close confidant of the Crown Prince’s, who raised the issue. As everyone was stunned, Count Pachin, a neutral nobleman, spoke up cautiously.

 

“By the way, how is His Imperial Majesty doing…”

 

The Crown Prince shook his head, gently straightening his almost crumpled face.

 

“Ah. That part.”

 

Slowly, the tightrope walk was becoming unnecessary. 

 

The rumors of his being a traitor were swirling around him, but if the Emperor didn’t wake up, they’d go down the drain. 

 

Feigning regret, the Crown Prince whispered to them, “I’ve heard that he’s very ill.”

 

His cold tone cut through the air.

 

“Perhaps we should prepare for His Majesty’s funeral.”

 

The ministers froze, staring at the Crown Prince’s mouth as he spat out the shocking words.

 

💫

 

After the meeting, the Crown Prince went straight to his palace. Cornwall, dressed as usual in black robes, was waiting for him in his parlor.

 

“I’ve spread the breath poison, starting with Cassian Gray,” he said.

 

“The defeat in the demon war must be certain.”

 

“Yes. Even if the beast is a monster, it cannot fight without a knight.”

 

By now, the knights on the battlefield were mostly complaining of diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

 

Morale was low, and there was no guarantee of victory tomorrow.

 

Looking up at the Crown Prince’s pleased face, Cornwall swallowed hard. He was a beast, and the only thing he cared about was Astel’s death.

 

“If I do, she’ll…”

 

The Crown Prince, whose senses were heightened by the thought that he might soon inherit the title, replied arrogantly.

 

“Rather, I’ll make sure the brute is mortally wounded, preferably by gray.”

 

“Very well, then…”

 

Cornwall’s eyes flashed, “You will deliver the wench into my hands.”

 

The Crown Prince, seeing the madness in Cornwall’s eyes, shook his head and replied nonchalantly.

 

“Once I have the beast, I will declare martial law in the capital.”

 

“After that.”

 

“Kidnap the girl, or kill her. Do as you will, and blame the Duke’s death and the Demon War on her and the Count of Vietry, including her.”

 

The Crown Prince looked at him and smiled wryly.

 

He had finished off Cassian Gray, who had become known for his close relationship with the Duke of Anais, and had dealt the Duke a bitter defeat as well.

 

“And then… when it’s over, we kill them all.”

 

Having gained the upper hand on the battlefield, it’s only fair that the loser shouldn’t have a chance to recover.

 

“It’s my honor.”

 

Before his eyes, Cornwall fell to his knees and bowed.

 

He ran a hand through his hair, realizing that sooner or later, this entire world would be within his grasp.

 

💫

 

The Demon War has been suspended.

 

Just as the war was about to resume, something unexpected happened.

 

Not only Cassian Gray, but many of the most prominent knights had fallen and required medical attention.

 

It wasn’t as if they were injured in battle, but the barracks were overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of sturdy knights.

 

The healers and the knights were overwhelmed by this.

 

As a result, the current state of the treatment barracks wasn’t quite the Abyss, but a miniature version of it.

 

I looked at the vomiting knights in disbelief.

 

“I’m going to die…”

 

“What the hell is going on?”

 

“Was there a curse spell?”

 

The knights’ morale plummeted halfway to the floor.

 

It was a far cry from the triumphant atmosphere of the previous Demon War.

 

Even Duke Anais, their moral support, was nowhere to be found.

 

“Unbelievable.”

 

As I watched the knights vomit in disbelief, I lazily fiddled with the healing potion.

 

One of the knights frowned and muttered, “But you know, it seems to make you healthier…”

 

“Health? What is this, a corpse?”

 

I stiffened for a moment.

 

Then the knight who said, ‘You seem to be getting healthier,’ looked down at my hand and muttered low.

 

“Once upon a time, my grandmother gave me a delicious medicine…”

 

“She did?”

 

“I had just broken out in a rash like this, and I was crying, and she said.”

 

There was no time to relax. I walked quickly toward his bed.

 

“It’s not that I’m sick, it’s that I got this rash from—”

 

‘That’s right, but you can’t give away the fact that it’s you!’ 

 

Pretending it was a mistake, I slapped the back of his neck.

 

Bam!

 

…No, I think I have hit him hard.

 

“Ouch!”

 

The knight’s already frail body went limp and collapsed.

 

“Why, why!”

 

I was at a loss for words when I saw the look of resentment in his eyes.

 

“That’s the thing.”

 

I turned to the knight and continued.

 

“You’re in trouble, and you’re dying fast!”

 

The knight’s complexion grew even more pale as he realized that he had been given a death sentence.

 

…Oops, Was I being too cheerful with the time limit?

 

Hearing the ultimatum and seeing the frustrated knight in shining armor, inwardly I cheered myself up.

 

There’s nothing I could do. I mustn’t reveal my secret yet!

 

“I can’t do that now… I haven’t even confessed to Lily yet…”

 

Seeing his frustration, I smiled, showing only my front teeth, in an attempt to defuse the situation.

 

“I’ll try to find a way to save you as soon as possible.”

 

“Alas, I’m… on a time limit…”

 

Of course, it didn’t seem to register with him.

 

I tried to hide my sympathy for him and thought of the barracks where Knox was staying. The poison seems to have spread through the Knights.

 

I think it’s time for them to make their move.

 

If that’s the case, perhaps I should stay with Knox tonight.

 

This seems a little odd, but I mean no ill will.

 

I thought to myself, with a slightly wistful look on my face, as I manually placed a sleeping pill into the mouth of the knight who had been sentenced to a time-limited death.

 

💫

 

That night, the Crown Prince’s palace was plunged into deep darkness.

 

The air was thick with conspiracy.

 

Then, a petite, out-of-place woman entered the palace.

 

“I’m here to see you, His Highness.”

 

“Princess?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“I thought you were under a golden decree.”

 

“I took advantage of a lapse in surveillance. I apologize.”

 

The Crown Prince frowned, his brow furrowed.

 

He didn’t know how the Princess had gotten out, but she had become a nuisance.

 

“Go back.”

 

“…Her Majesty the Empress is very worried. She wants you to stop everything, she said.”

 

The tone was dry and blunt.

 

But that face, dutifully shaking its head, impatient as ever.

 

“Tell the Empress that when the Emperor dies, which will be soon, I intend to release my mother’s golden feet.”

 

The princess muttered quietly, with a hint of reproach.

 

“You speak as if you know that His Majesty’s death is imminent.”

 

The Crown Prince’s expression twisted at the sharp point.

 

“If that is the case.”

 

“That is…”

 

“So, is there anything you can do?”

 

The words were spoken with a smug expression. Stepping up to the crown prince, he lifted his index finger to her chin and warned her bluntly.

 

“I see you have nothing to show for giving a lowly provincial nobleman’s daughter to serve as princess.”

 

“…”

 

“Hold still.”

 

With her chin held, the Princess looked the Crown Prince squarely in the eye.