How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love – Chapter 227

Author: Chewyy

“Before I say that, let me first tell you how Karl is doing at the Imperial Palace first.”

Karl was still residing in the detached palace that had been provided to him when he first arrived at the Imperial Palace. Since it had been confirmed that he bore the symbol of Estroa, the servants of the annex treated him with utmost courtesy.

After the Emperor announced he would hold a formal crowning ceremony, noblemen began lining up with requests for audiences— to figure out what kind of person Karl was, or to score points early on.

On the first day, the power balance between the two main factions was about even. But after a few days, only insignificant minor nobles remained.

That nobles were so lacking in influence they couldn’t even set foot in the established factions of the First or Second Prince. Some weren’t even accepted by the First Princess, so what more needed to be said?

Whether he was unaware of that fact, or simply didn’t care to notice, Karl accepted every request for an audience.

And he shamelessly took the bribes offered by a few of the nobles.

“A bribe?”

“He even kept demanding more, repeatedly.”

That is why the nobles who tried to figure out what kind of person he was immediately turned away. Because it was not worth looking into further.

The nobles who had a lot of money but no reputation and thus could not dare to participate in the struggle for the throne would cling to him and flatter him sweetly.

Karl, in turn, happily took their bribes and promised to share power with them when he became royalty. Then he asked for even more.

“The money they brought in the beginning must not have been small.… What on earth is he going to do with all that money?”

“He’s playing the nouveau riche.”

“Nouveau riche?”

“I think I understand a little why His Majesty declared that Karl was absolutely not his son.….”

The First Prince was also known for being a troublemaker, but now that title seemed more fitting for Karl.

Duke Khalid sighed, realizing that even among the nobles, there were levels.

The First Prince had a tendency to break bottles and overturn tables when drunk, but at least he never picked fights with innocent people for no reason.

Of course, the reason is that he deliberately hid his identity, went around, and revealed himself only when someone spoke ill of him—accusing them of defaming royalty. Not exactly noble behavior.

Karl, however, would drag anyone to their knees just for making eye contact.

He would draw his sword in shops if he didn’t like the items they brought out– even though royals were forbidden to draw weapons for no apparent reason.

Every shop he visited shut down the next day.

There was no need to explain how notorious it was, as even runny-nosed children would avoid that path when they heard the news that the prince was in the area.

“It seems like he’s determined to ruin the honor of the royal family….”

“Nouveau riche is the perfect way to describe it.”

Those who go from rags to riches often blow their money in ridiculous ways.

In Karl’s case, it was less “throwing money around” and more “throwing his status around.”

At least when someone spends like crazy, merchants might profit. But what were innocent commoners supposed to do when they were struck by misfortune from a clear blue sky?

“At first, I thought he had forged the symbol of Estroa and was aiming for the throne. But now, seeing how he’s acting, I don’t think we need to worry about that anymore.”

“Why?”

“Why? Which noble would accept a royal family member who behaves like that as their emperor? His Majesty would not have given up the throne to him in the first place. If necessary, we will also stop him.”

The imperial test that determines the crown prince of Estroa- This test is only conducted by the Emperor.

It means that the one who poses the question is the emperor, and the one who chooses the correct answer is also the emperor.

Of course, this is not the end.

The three dukes of the empire participate as judges and discuss whether the questions posed by the emperor are appropriate and whether the answers are reasonable. If all three dukes vote against, the test must be retaken.

That has happened only once in the Empire’s history.

But if Karl passes the test, the ‘second’ will be recorded in the history books of the Empire.

“If he truly had the crown in mind instead of gold, would he be acting this recklessly before securing a proper power base? At the very least, he would’ve watched our reactions.”

“You really think there’s no chance Karl could become emperor?”

“Of course—”

Duke Khalid started to nod, but then froze mid-motion.

How could someone like Karl—who might not even possess basic education, let alone imperial training—become emperor over the other three royal heirs?

It was simple: If there were no other heirs left to compete.

“You’re saying… he might harm the other royals? How would that even be possible? The palace security is so tight.”

“Have you already forgotten how a monster appeared during the banquet?”

Leonhard was right. Duke Khalid exhaled deeply and rubbed his chin.

“We’d better move quickly and catch the tail before something happens….”

“Have you found any clues yet?”

“Not yet. But there is someone I am watching.”

“Who is that?”

“Karl’s friend.”

When he first came to the palace, Karl was with his friend.

A friend he’d grown up with in an orphanage. Once Karl’s crest was verified and a residence assigned, that friend became his servant.

“He was hired as a royal servant? Was he nobility?”

“No, he was also from the orphanage.”

“So how did his friend end up being hired as a palace servant?”

“Because Karl wanted it.”

Saying “he can’t because he’s from an orphanage” would’ve been an indirect insult to Karl himself.

So the head servant of the annex had no choice but to accept Karl’s friend.

“Thanks to that, we were able to gather some information under the guise of a job interview.”

His name is Tommy. He’s twenty-five. He was abandoned at an orphanage without any identification or name, so the orphanage director gave him a name.

He and Karl were raised together, and before they turned ten, they were adopted by a wizard due to their magical potential.

Although he learned magic from a wizard, the process was close to abuse. So Tommy ran away with Karl, joined a group of mercenaries, and wandered the continent.

“What is the name of the mercenary group?”

“The Red Fox Mercenary Group. They joined a dungeon raid squad, but everyone except the two of them was wiped out.”

The investigation confirmed that the Red Fox Mercenaries did exist.

It is unknown whether Karl and Tommy were actually part of that mercenary group, or if they were using the information about them to help them hide their identities.

“What about the orphanage? Have you been there?”

“I did. The building itself is gone. The people nearby said bandits attacked, killing not only the adults but all the children too, and then set it on fire.”

“They even killed the children?”

Duke Khalid nodded.

“Even the dog they fed and raised at the orphanage—everything.”

Leonhard frowned.

If it really was a bandit attack, they should’ve at least kidnapped a child.

Slavery was illegal in the Estroa Empire, but that only made the underground market for children even more lucrative.

If they were a petty thief who wouldn’t have gotten involved in human trafficking, they wouldn’t have killed anyone in the first place and would have just stolen the goods. Even if they had accidentally killed someone, they would have just run away.

The only two reasons for indiscriminate slaughter—including animals—were:

To silence those who knew something, or because of overwhelming personal hatred.

“I guess we have to dig into that orphanage a bit more.”

“We already are, secretly. We’re investigating every orphanage in the nearby territories just in case.”

“What about that so-called wizard who adopted them? Have you found anything?”

“Well, since the entire orphanage burned down, there are no records left, and according to the head servant, neither of them knows exactly where they stayed,” he said.

At that point, Leonhard couldn’t help but wonder if they knew anything at all. He snorted softly.

“There are all sorts of ways to make excuses.”

“They are truly cunning people. That’s why Karl dared to think of pretending to have Estroa’s blood.”

Duke of Khalid said in a calm voice, draining his now-cold tea in one go as if trying to quell his frustration.

“According to the head servant, they haven’t done anything particularly suspicious in the palace. But it seems that during Karl’s bath time, all the other attendants are dismissed and only Tommy assists him.”

“Why is that?”

“Don’t you remember? Tommy wasn’t originally a servant. Until just a month ago, he was Karl’s friend.”

Seeing the look of realization on Leonhard’s face, the Duke’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“A friend helping with a bath? That’s ridiculous.”

Indeed. Now that he thought about it, that did seem a bit strange.

“Did they choose the bathroom because it’s a place where they can avoid others’ eyes?”

“It’s the perfect choice. It’s an enclosed space by nature.”

They had tried to set up surveillance, but apparently, that area was out of reach. Leonhard nodded at that explanation.

“I don’t know if it’s possible… but for now, we have no choice but to wait for something to come.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“For now, nothing. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

The Duke of Khalid gave a warm smile, saying that just having Leonhard here was already a big help. Leonhard, a bit uncomfortable, hid his expression behind his teacup.

‘Why… is he acting so friendly toward me?’

‘Was it because of his wife?’

Without realizing that he was the only one who had offered to help, whether intentionally or not, Leonhard sighed and set down his cup.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Ask me anything.”

Permission came too easily. Leonhard, who wasn’t planning on asking a pleasant question, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“About your ex-wife… you said you didn’t know she was pregnant, right?”

“Yeah. If her doctor hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known by now.”

“Who else? Was it only the doctor who knew about this?”

“As far as I know, yes. Why do you ask?”

“If even you didn’t know, and only the doctor knew… then how did Onyx find out?”

Duke Khalid’s face hardened terribly.