I was startled and pulled on Demian’s arm.

Hadn’t he detested the throne enough to turn his back on his mother? Demian speaking seriously about the imperial throne now seemed unfamiliar.

Cain’s reaction was also unexpected. However, he appeared more interested than surprised.

“This is not a joke. I have someone to protect now, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect that person perfectly.”

Demian spoke in a serious tone, like someone who had made up his mind.

“Demian, why are you suddenly like this?”

“Meeting Baron and Lambert changed my thinking. There are too many men who want Yerena.”

The response came from Cain.

Cain clapped his hands a couple of times and nodded.

“What remarkable devotion. How can my lovely brother change so much?”

“As you already know, since my return to the imperial palace, letters from nobles pledging their support arrive almost daily. Father is too frail to attend banquets, so the day for a new Emperor to ascend is not far off.”

That was a clear warning.

That if Demian wanted, he could aim for the Crown Prince position, or even further, the imperial throne.

I couldn’t easily imagine this kind and lovable man holding a sword to Cain’s neck.

But perhaps I was the only one worried, as Cain merely leaned against the railing with a relaxed smile.

‘Perhaps there’s a reason he’s the Crown Prince after all?’

“And above all, what displeases me most is that you and Yerena shared a secret.”

“You’d aim for the throne just because of that?”

“Yes.”

This time, it felt like a warning directed at me. That he cares this much, so please tell him about what happened with Cain.

The sharp atmosphere Demian was creating made even the surrounding air feel stifling.

“Brother, you’d better prepare yourself.”

At those words, Cain’s previously relaxed face grew somewhat serious.

And then, Demian took my hand and began to murmur something peculiar.

“But since my lovely Yerena seems to dislike the idea of me becoming Emperor, I also want to make a deal with you, brother.”

…A deal?

Come to think of it, Demian had mentioned making a deal with the Crown Prince before.

I quietly listened to his words.

“If you promise that even after becoming Emperor, you won’t cast out Mother or take away what she has, then I won’t covet your position.”

Only after hearing this did I finally understand why Demian had been saying things so unlike himself.

Demian had pretended to covet the throne, created a serious atmosphere, and then planned to express what he really wanted.

This cunning man.

Cain’s response was laughter.

“Ha, hahaha.”

He laughed so heartily that he even coughed from choking.

“My brother goes out into the world briefly and returns a different person. Falling in love, acting, proposing deals.”

Cain seemed to have noticed Demian’s intentions.

His strategy of pretending to want the throne, only to ultimately demand what he truly desired.

It was such a cute and straightforward tactic.

Despite his plan being completely exposed, Demian merely maintained a stern face.

As if he had anticipated his plan would be discovered, but didn’t particularly care.

Perhaps Demian needed a justification to protect Empress Patricia?

“Brother, will you accept my deal?”

“But Demian. The poison that Her Majesty the Empress once gifted me was truly terrible.”

“…I feel apologetic about that as well.”

“I don’t particularly want to take away what Her Majesty possesses either. I already have plenty, and I’m not particularly greedy. But I will ensure that horrific attempts like poisoning never happen again. If you can agree to this point, I’ll make the deal with you.”

“Specifically, how do you plan to prevent it?”

“I’ll replace everyone who serves the Empress with my own people and have her monitored. Very thoroughly. So thoroughly that she wouldn’t dare commit any evil acts for fear of me.”

Demian nodded without hesitation. He seemed to have already prepared for such restrictions.

He even wore a faint smile as he looked directly at Cain.

“With this, I’ll have no reason to aim for the throne.”

“…Pfft, how long do you plan to keep acting? I’m certain you wouldn’t aim for the throne even if you died and were reborn.”

“Brother, don’t be so certain. As they say, you can know ten fathoms of water, but not one fathom of a person’s heart.”

“But Demian. If by chance I don’t live long, I want you to succeed me. There’s no one as trustworthy as you.”

“Don’t talk as if you’re about to die.”

Demian even told Cain not to joke about death.

Cain laughed as if it had been a joke, but his face somehow looked sad.

In that moment, I recalled Cain’s sickly moments.

‘Could it be… that his health is genuinely poor, but he’s hiding it from the palace people?’

If rumors spread that the Crown Prince’s health was poor, people like Empress Patricia would pounce on Cain.

Could it be that Cain is hiding his illness to secure his position? Even while pretending to be the sickly son of a count and secretly receiving treatment there.

“And let’s make sure to formalize what we discussed today in a document soon. I’d feel more at ease that way.”

“Sure, please speak well to Her Majesty the Empress about this.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“How nice it would have been if we’d done this earlier?”

“Indeed… Back then, I only thought that disappearing from the palace was the best option. But after meeting Yerena, I decided not to run away anymore. That’s why I can make such a proposal to you now.”

Cain gazed at me intently. It was a look that conveyed gratitude for taking care of his brother.

“Lady Yerena has played a significant role. Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. For making efforts to ensure that Prince Demian and Empress Patricia don’t get hurt.”

“Of course, I also resented Her Majesty the Empress, who drove my mother to her death. But revenge only breeds more revenge. If I had treated her as cruelly as Her Majesty did, I wouldn’t be able to have this relationship with Demian now.”

Revenge breeds more revenge.

It was a sentiment I could relate to. That’s why I didn’t seek revenge against Benjamin.

“Now then, my friendly brother, would you show me your ability after so long?”

At the Crown Prince’s words, Demian murmured in a small voice.

“Potato Wiki.”

No sooner had he said this than numerous yellow boxes appeared before our eyes, just like I had seen at the guild before.

“While you were away from the palace, if there was one thing I missed most, it was not seeing your ability.”

“Is there something you’re curious about?”

“Hmm… Does it also show where the most beautiful woman in the world lives?”

“……”

Demian silently looked at Cain. It was a contemptuous gaze.

“Just kidding. Rather, let’s see something about the Monsters.”

“About the Monsters, you say?”

“Yes. You showed me a lot of data about otherworld monsters before. That came to mind.”

Saying this, Cain glanced at me. He seemed to be asking how my Monster was doing.

Our Bless said he didn’t want to go to crowded places, so he was waiting for me near the banquet hall.

Even though I told him to rest comfortably in the room, he said he couldn’t stay still because he was worried something bad might happen to me.

Why is Bless so admirable?

If he were in his Monster form, I would have smothered those lovable cheeks with kisses. What a pity.

“Alright. As it happens, I want to see it too.”

Demian pressed the yellow box related to ‘Monsters’ and shared the information with Cain.

I stepped back and watched the two men talking shoulder to shoulder.

‘I thought I was Demian’s only support, but Abel and Cain were already good pillars for him.’

I was glad Demian didn’t look lonely. I sincerely hoped he would never be lonely for the rest of his life.

***

After concluding our meeting with Cain, we promptly returned to the Second Prince’s Palace.

The banquet was scheduled to continue until morning, but we didn’t want to stay there any longer.

‘Meeting the Crown Prince’ was the very purpose of our attendance at that banquet, and we had achieved that.

Moreover, the banquet wasn’t as splendid as I had imagined.

People making scenes while drunk, people flirting with others, people gossiping about me as I stood noticeably by Demian’s side…

They were all just dressed up nicely, but it didn’t seem much different from the world I originally lived in.

Therefore, there was no need to stay any longer.

I much preferred walking in step with Demian now than being at the banquet.

“Yerena. Are you really not going to tell me what happened with my brother?”

Until I received this somewhat troublesome question.