He’s My Real Brother, Duke Chapter 145

“Ugh!”

 

The Prince let out a short shriek and glared at the brute, but he didn’t give up and extended his left hand once more.

 

“If you don’t want me to break your left wrist as well, you’d better keep still.”

 

“You beast…”

 

The Prince’s hand trembled. The beast-bastard, Duke Anais, grabbed the Crown Prince by the nape of his back without any change in expression.

 

“You let your guard down, Your Majesty.”

 

The Empress stared at him in bewilderment. 

 

What was this air of superiority, she wondered, as if he had expected her to show up in such a place.

 

He knew the Empress survived and wielded a defensive weapon, but how could the Duke be alive at all?

 

But there was no time for questions. The Prince grabbed his tattered right wrist with his other hand and cursed.

 

“How dare you, you animal, you know nothing of the subject!”

 

Unmoved by the scream, Duke Anais grabbed the Crown Prince by the scruff of the neck and dragged him before the Empress, who was already more than ten paces away from him.

 

After dragging him like a pig, Duke Anais paused for a moment. As if he had something to say.

 

“Go ahead and activate the totem and travel to the past, Empress. Preferably just before we deal with the Crown Prince.”

 

Twisting his limbs in protest, the Crown Prince’s eyes widened and he shouted furiously.

 

“Mother, no! Give it to me, please!”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Listening to their conflicting voices, the Empress felt the bird’s beak lightly pecking at the back of her hand, eager to turn back time.

 

She drew a complex magic circle in her mind and whispered softly.

 

“Prince, if you were to return to ten years ago, before the Duke of Anais rose to power, would you be able to win?” 

 

I asked, and the Prince replied triumphantly.

 

“…Of course!”

 

He sounded as if he truly believed it. 

 

The Empress smiled wryly. The cold mockery was unheard of, even for a Crown Prince.

 

“No, Son, even if you were to go back twenty years, you wouldn’t be able to win.”

 

“Mother!”

 

To the very last, there was no remorse.

 

Even if he was my son, I could not give wings to one who was no longer human.

 

The Empress was the mother of the Crown Prince, but in the end, she was also the mother of all the people.

 

“I understand.”

 

The Empress’s fingertips trembled slightly at the thought of breaking this vicious cycle.

 

“We will return to the past now, my son. For the sake of the imperial family.”

 

“Yes, if the Empress gives me the totem!”

 

A greedy glint burned in his eyes. The Prince reached out to her, his body panting.

At last, it was all over.

 

I’ve got no idea why the beast has suddenly gone quiet.

 

But it didn’t matter if it held a blade to my throat or not. If the Empress triggered the totem and I went to the past…!

 

Whether the Duke of Anais pointed a knife at his throat and grabbed him by the collar like he was handling a dog.

 

But the Empress betrayed his expectations, sending the pure white bird flying into the air and closing her eyes.

 

“No.”

 

With those words, the bird fluttered from her fingertips.

 

“I must go to the past, my son, to pay for my sins.”

 

The Crown Prince, watching the pure white bird’s wings, cried out in horror.

 

“Mother!”

 

He swung his hand in the air, but the bird had already flown away.

 

The bird flapped its wings many times. 

 

The white bird’s nimble wings continued, and soon a storm arose in the air.

 

The ruined ground twisted, shattered, and collapsed roofs and pillars rose back into the air.

 

As the Crown Prince and Empress gazed upon the scene, their bodies collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the weight. 

 

The only one still standing was the Duke of Anais.

 

And then it was darkness again.

 

🐾

 

When the Crown Prince finally opened his eyes.

 

The Empress’s voice pierced his ears with clarity.

 

“As Empress of the Empire, not as the Crown Prince’s mother, but as His Imperial Majesty’s representative, I command you.”

 

At that moment, the Duke of Anais and Cassian Gray simultaneously pointed their swords at his throat.

 

The Crown Prince throbbed and glared at the Empress. The Empress, despite being covered in dirt, stared at him majestically.

 

“What the hell is this…”

 

Cassian mocked the Crown Prince with a sneer.

 

“I don’t know, let’s call it a plan gone awry.”

 

The Prince looked around quickly: several of the vassals who sat at his round table had already fallen to their knees, their bodies wrapped in chains.

 

And Duke Anais and Cassian had swords at his throat.

 

Hell, it was the exact same point as before I used the totem. 

 

No, it was actually worse, as the blade pressed against his throat, threatening to cut him at any moment.

 

“Mother, how dare you use such a precious opportunity…”

 

The Crown Prince used his free hand to quickly rummage through the inside pockets of his uniform.

 

“There’s no totem, it’s gone!’!

 

But the totem in his hand was already gone. 

 

Once used by the Empress, it could never be used again. He had truly lost his chance.

 

He glared at the Empress with a burning gaze. But the Empress spoke in an emotionless tone.

 

“Take the criminal into custody immediately.”

 

Her cold gaze turned toward the son she had given birth to.

 

The Duke of Anais nodded toward the entourage that stood in the doorway as if waiting.

 

“As you commanded.”

 

The Duke’s guards approached quickly and bound the Crown Prince’s body.

 

As if by magic, as soon as the ropes were tied, his body stiffened beyond recognition.

 

As the Prince glared at the Empress with bloodshot eyes, the Duke of Anais spoke.

 

“Now let’s get rid of the rest.”

 

With those words, the vassals were led away.

 

Everything the Crown Prince had prepared was crumbling like a sandcastle.

 

Anger rose inside him, but he was helpless, bound from head to foot.

 

“How dare you…”

 

The Empress, watching this scene, never once showed a hint of sorrow.

 

Seeing her stern expression, the Duke of Anais twisted up one corner of his mouth and whispered.

 

“I will not hesitate to use torture if necessary to uncover the truth, Your Majesty.”

 

“So be it…”

 

The Empress nodded her approval. Cassian dragged the Prince out of his chair, still holding the knife to his throat.

 

The miserable-looking Crown Prince fell to his knees.

 

“Mother.”

 

Having become miserable in a short time, the Crown Prince, unable to even twist his body, said indignantly

 

“How can you do this to the child you bore in your own womb?”

 

The Crown Prince’s golden robes fluttered from his shoulders as he was dragged away by rough hands.

 

His misery was compounded by the dirt-stained clothes he wore and the gaping wounds around his eyes that might have been signs of regression.

 

“…”

 

The Empress was silent, her eyes taking it all in.

 

As the silence lengthened, the Duke of Anais spoke,“I don’t think it’s worth listening to any more of this. Take him away.”

 

Cassian Gray retracted the blade at the Prince’s throat and answered.

 

“At the command of Her Majesty the Empress and the Duke.”

 

The Empress locked eyes with Cassian Gray.

 

She was recalling the time she had met Cassian at the Imperial Palace before they had traveled here.

 

Having failed in her attempts to reach the Emperor through the Crown Prince, she had often traveled to the Imperial Palace through the secret passageways.

 

That day was no different.

 

She had set up a few signposts to make it easier to get in and out of her usual secret passageways.

 

Thanks to this, she was able to reach the Emperor’s bedridden bedchamber.

 

‘Thank goodness, there’s a secret passage that only the Emperor himself knows about.’

 

Arriving at the imperial palace, she heard the knight speak to the bedridden Emperor.

 

— ‘His Highness the Crown Prince could be put in a life-or-death situation.’

 

Even then, she could see the Emperor’s eyes widen in surprise. She deliberately made a small noise as she entered, so that they would pay attention to her.

 

As the Empress had expected, Cassian gave her a sharp glare.

 

— ‘I did not know the Empress was here.’

 

Even as he spoke, Cassian’s hand went to the sword at his waist.

 

Turning to him, the Empress opened her mouth to speak, quietly, and replied,

 

— ‘The Crown Prince’s right to live or die, I will answer you.’

 

— ‘Yes.’

 

— ‘The Crown Prince has done far too much damage to this Empire.’

 

— ‘…’

 

— ‘In the name of the imperial family, I grant you permission to have the Crown Prince deposed, and if found guilty, to consider execution.’

 

— ‘Empress! The right to life and death, you should think a little more…’

 

— ‘I beg your pardon, Empress, but how can I trust your word?’

 

The Empress calmly explained the plan she had prepared, until Cassian’s disbelieving eyes widened in horror.

 

The Crown Prince has stolen the totem, an Imperial treasure, and will no doubt use it if he can.

 

If he does, he plans to activate the defensive device himself.

 

There are criminal records in the Crown Prince’s palace, so we should be able to confirm his involvement.

 

…Same thing, the whole thing.

 

At this point, their plan has been perfectly executed.

 

The Empress was putting the finishing touches to the plan with an unwavering demeanor.

 

She watched the Crown Prince’s back as he was dragged away by Cassian and gritted her teeth.

 

Now was not the time to falter.

 

“I will have the Crown Prince disposed of in the dungeons.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Watching the Empress’s stern expression, Duke Anais turned away. 

 

Now, he would have to grant Astel’s last request, which was almost like a dying wish.