Chapter 91: Who’s Side Is Your Highness On?

Chapter 91: Who’s Side Is Your Highness On?

Meanwhile, inside the banquet hall, Crown Prince Leon glared ferociously at Cassadin.

I want to talk with Sir Cassadin

But Im too scared to approach them because of His Highnesss expression.

Fearful of the Crown Prince, the people inside the banquet hall hesitated to come closer to Cassadin.

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Leon stomped up to Cassadin and grabbed his shirt collar.

Ive gone through the trouble to hide it, but you just had to ruin it all, making Aren cover for you and getting dragged away. What were you thinking?

.

Talk! With that mouth of yours!

Leons hand trembled as it clenched Cassadins shirt collar.

Cassadin, on the other hand, stared dryly back at the man who had grabbed him by the collar.

As he looked at Leon, Cassadin remembered several days earlier, when the Emperor had tested him.

The Emperor had suddenly summoned the busy Cassadin to the throne room and asked him to play a game of chess.

In that loud silence, only the sound of chess pieces moving could be heard.

After a long time had passed

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The Emperor spoke up as he moved his black rook.

Checkmate. It is my victory.

Cassadin bowed his head and responded.

It was an honor to play with you, Your Majesty.

But then, the Emperor stared straight back at Cassadin.

I know that you have lost on purpose.

.

Why did you move your knight instead of your pawn on the last turn? If you had moved the pawn, you could have easily blocked my attack. Not only that, the pawn would have reached the end of the chessboard and could have been promoted to a higher-ranking piece, so you would have definitely won. Are you trying to deceive me?

To answer him, Cassadin raised his right hand to his chest.

Even if I had changed the pawn to a better chess piece, the pawn could never become a king. Even a queen can only be used as a shield to protect the king.

How could I ever dare deceive Your Majesty? I merely attempted to understand Your Majestys intentions.

Hearing Cassadins response, the Emperor smiled with satisfaction.

Hahahah! You are correct. No matter how much a pawn struggles, it can never become a king.

With his eyes still fixated on Cassadin, the Emperor asked him,

What do you think of Lady Serkia?

She is a warmhearted lady who accepted me into her family when I was a mere gladiator slave.

Warmhearted, you say? That is true. Unlike other noblewomen, Lady Serkia is quite quick-witted and yet manages to be kind to an extent.

The Emperor slowly stroked his beard and continued,

How do you feel about arranging for the Grand Duke to be with Lady Serkia?

Suppressing the fierce urge to kill the Emperor, he answered in a calm voice,

I wish to know the reason why Your Majesty wants to do so.

If I compare the Grand Duke to these chess pieces, he is a king, just as I am.

The Emperor observed his black king standing on the chessboard.

Hale, my younger brother, had been given the title of Grand Duke to rule over the northern regions in return for stepping back from the battle for the crown. He, who seemed to reside quietly within his territory, suddenly passed away, leaving a single son. The son Hale left behind is Damian. Though he does not have an official right to the throne, he is closer to the crown than all others.

After a moment of silence, Cassadins mouth creaked open.

If it is to keep check on the Grand Duke, then Your Majesty can merely use me, as it has always been. Is there any reason to bother with pushing Lady Serkia together with the Grand Duke?

The Emperor grinned slyly.

I am not trying to push those two together just to keep a check on the Grand Duke.

If not that, then what?

Sir Cassadin. Do you truly believe I am unaware of the current situation?

It was only after he heard the Emperor speak that he realized.

The Emperor had known about Cassadins feelings for Aren all along.

Despite this knowledge, he had offered Princess Bella to Cassadin.

Cassadin had impulsively caused the scene in an attempt to protect Aren before the Emperor or Damian could expose their relationship, but ultimately, Aren ended up protecting him instead.

And he was certain the Emperor would spew any amount of nonsense necessary in front of Aren to turn her into another piece on his chessboard.

Cassadin watched the Crown Prince with a stoic expression.

Much as he loathed to acknowledge it, the man before him was the only one who could resolve the predicament.

This was because the Crown Prince was not only the Emperors beloved son but also his sole vulnerability.

In a deep voice, so soft that only the person nearest could hear, Cassadin addressed the Crown Prince.

Whose side are you on, Your Highness?

What?

Leon frowned at Cassadin, not grasping the implication of the question.

However, after posing that question, Cassadin remained silent.

It was a question laden with significance.

Whose side was he on? Of course, he was

On Arens side.

I did feel extremely sorry for my father.

Since not only had I damaged the familys reputation, but he was also going to hear news that I had feelings for Cassadin.

He will indeed be shocked.

But it could not be helped. This was the best I could do.

Serkias healing ability was a blessing, but they did not have the ability to heal themselves.

A healer from the Serkia Family couldnt heal a person with the same Serkia blood.

Because of that, I was able to cure those who were on the brink of death, but I was unable to heal my own father.

It was indeed such a selfless ability.

If by any chance my father fell ill after learning of this situation, then I could nurse him with my knowledge of herbs and medicine.

But he may not want to see me for the time being.

While I was thinking of my father, the Emperor stood up straight again and began to speak to me.

It is a shame, but I have decided to terminate the promise that continued between the Serkia Family and the royal family for the past several hundred years.

Your Majesty!

When I looked up at the Emperor in shock, he simply stroked his beard and smiled.

Since Miladys reputation has already plummeted, it will be quite troublesome if you continue to visit the palace as you previously did.

But thanks to Miladys efforts, Cassadins reputation has escaped the danger of completely crashing to the ground. I do have to give my salutations to Milady for that.

After judging that I was no longer of use to him, he threw me away without hesitation.

Since Milady has also cured my illnesses in the past, I will not imprison you.

However, I must say that it will be difficult for Milady to find the royal familys support in any future matters.

My entire body trembled with anger at the Emperors behavior.

Why dont you change your mind now? It is not too late. If Milady agrees to meet the Grand Duke, then I will reconsider my decisions.

Why is it that Your Majesty wants to connect me to the Grand Duke so much?

The Grand Duke has remarkable swordsmanship abilities. However, even he was unable to compete with Cassadins swordsmanship. There is just one thing that Cassadin has that the Grand Duke does not. What does Milady think that is?

Something that Cassadin has, but not Damian.

What sort of question is this now?

I am not sure.

As if he hadnt expected an answer from me, the Emperor curled the corners of his lips and spoke up.

It is Miladys heart.

It was hard to understand what he was implying.

Seeing my frown, the Emperor clicked his tongue and spoke again.

I had known for quite some time that Milady had feelings for Sir Cassadin. Who in this world would smile so brightly while speaking of the warmth of a family?

I wanted to show him the warmth of a family. His status didnt matter to me.

The Emperor had seen through my feelings from that moment on.

So, with full knowledge, he attempted to separate me and Cassadin.

An indescribable surge of fury welled up inside me.

I assure you, but the Earl must also be aware of this.

!

Perhaps, he may have realized it even before I did.

Father knew about this?

Then why hadnt he said anything?

Reading my thoughts, the Emperor responded.

The Earl likely wished for Miladys happiness.

.

Isnt it a pity to sacrifice your entire family for a fleeting love? It will not be difficult for me to restore your familys reputation. Therefore, meet with the Grand Duke. Based on what I observed at the banquet hall, the Grand Duke seemed to harbor feelings for Milady. Sir Cassadin has the Princess as his partner now. What better offer could there be than this?

Offer? Hardly. This was a threat, using my family as leverage.

Telling me to meet with Damian was a way to divert attention.

Pairing the Princess with Cassadin was a tactic to ensure he remained forever under his thumb.

The Emperor was a cruel man.

Perhaps it was in their blood, but Damian and the Emperor were identical in that regard. That same blood allowed the Emperor to treat people as mere tools.

I will ask you one last time, Lady Serkia. Will you accept my offer? Or

The wrinkles around the Emperors eyes deepened. His golden eyes gleamed like a well-sharpened blade.

Are you prepared to lose everything youve worked for until now, all for that single emotion?

Fucking bastard.

Just as I was internally cursing the Emperor, the thick iron doors swung open with a loud thunk. As soon as the door opened, several imperial knights rushed in at once.

They appeared to have run all the way here, as the knights were all breathing heavily. Looking at the knights who dared to intrude on the Emperor without permission, the Emperor shouted loudly.

Impudent fools! Do you realize where you have dared to enter!

The imperial knights bowed, and one of them spoke up.

Y-Your Majesty! We apologize for the intrusion, but His Highness has collapsed.

What?

The Emperors face suddenly turned ashen at the knights report.

His Highness has drunk poison!