“Father gave such an order? Impossible!”

Aiden glared at Carlo with murderous intent and stepped right up to him.

“……”

However, far from being intimidating, Aiden had to tilt his chin up to look at Carlo, causing him to retreat half a step.

“Even if such an order was given, I am the Crown Prince of this Empire. If I cannot see Father, then who possibly can!”

“When His Majesty permits it, I will authorize your entry.”

“Authorize? Did you just use the word ‘authorize’ with me?”

Aiden tried to push past the soldiers after staring Carlo down, but his entry was immediately blocked. Meanwhile, the servants who had been caring for the Emperor dared not help him, only watching cautiously.

Aiden roughly shoved aside one unfortunate soldier and approached Carlo again.

“You claim to be carrying out Father’s words exactly? You, who has ignored and neglected Father all this time?”

“I’m merely following orders. Is that a problem, Your Highness?”

“I was under the impression you harbored quite negative feelings toward Father. When did you become so loyal? Have you decided to become Father’s obedient dog now?”

“Where loyalty lies and what honesty means in this place… Someone like me couldn’t possibly know such things, as you’re well aware.”

Aiden’s brow immediately furrowed at Carlo’s strangely captivating, leisurely tone.

Of course, Grand Duke Carlo’s compliance with the Emperor’s orders couldn’t possibly stem from simple goodwill.

His father must have promised Carlo something. No, that was certainly the case.

What could it be?

Thanks to his father’s unnecessarily long lifespan, he was only growing older while remaining Crown Prince. He couldn’t properly exercise power and was becoming a laughingstock.

He wasn’t unaware that people whispered about him being an incompetent man hiding behind his mother’s skirts.

Growing anxious, Aiden rolled his eyes and lowered his voice to ask Carlo:

“What did Father promise you?”

“I wonder.”

Carlo deliberately lowered his gaze indifferently and stared at Aiden.

“Was it a proposal valuable enough to move someone more cruel than beasts and less courteous than a rat?”

Aiden stared at Carlo in shock, unable to breathe easily after hearing the exact words nobles, including himself, had used to disparage Carlo’s domineering attitude upon returning from war.

“I… I’ve never heard such words.”

“That’s fine. I wasn’t asking for the source.”

“Then you won’t tell me what Father promised you?”

Carlo laughed brightly and replied casually.

“How could I not tell you? His Majesty the Emperor told me about his greatest authority.”

Greatest authority?

For Aiden, whose mind was completely filled with thoughts of the imperial coronation, Carlo’s provocation was enough to make him obsess over the delusion that the Emperor might be planning to remove him and hand the throne to Carlo.

After all, Carlo was the very person who had kept his father’s breath attached to his body, so there was no guarantee such a conspiracy hadn’t occurred between them.

He wanted to rush to his father immediately to confirm, but the Emperor had already declared that his son’s entry was forbidden.

Carlo calmly bid farewell, pretending not to notice Aiden’s anxiety.

“It’s getting late, so I must be going.”

“Wait. What exactly is this authority Father promised you…?”

“Well, it was certainly an authority difficult for me to refuse…”

The more Aiden conversed with Carlo, the more reasonable his suspicions seemed, and he grew increasingly anxious.

“You don’t actually believe you’ll receive such authority in this Empire just because you extracted such a promise, do you?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Carlo!”

“I apologize for causing you concern, Your Highness. It would be best for you to hurry and consult with Her Majesty the Empress.”

“What?”

“Everyone is waiting for that, after all.”

At Carlo’s response, Aiden stepped back as if he’d been struck on the back of his head.

Aiden looked around with anxious eyes like someone feeling an indelible humiliation, and realized that not a single person was objecting to Carlo’s words.

Did everyone think the same way?

Hesitantly approaching the departing Carlo, Aiden lowered his voice and asked:

“What should I do, Carlo?”

“……”

Carlo raised one eyebrow calmly, as if he didn’t understand what Aiden meant.

“I have no intention of consulting with Mother.”

“……”

“I’m saying I can make decisions perfectly well on my own.”

“I agree, of course. Your Highness is in a position to make any decision.”

“You mean you’ll only tell me about Father’s promise if I prove my abilities to you, right? Only then will you authorize my entry to Father’s bedroom.”

When Carlo maintained a natural silence, Aiden nodded as if he understood Carlo’s intentions.

“Very well… Considering what you’ve been focusing on lately and what you deem important, I’ll make a decision on my own. You’ll soon see that Mother relies on me, not the other way around.”

As Aiden waited for Carlo’s response, Carlo narrowed his brow and sighed lightly, as if he found Aiden’s words difficult to comprehend.

“I cannot fully understand Your Highness’s intentions, but…”

His blue eyes, looking down at Aiden, shone like a desolate winter lake.

“I have never doubted that Your Highness is remarkable in certain ways.”

“Would you please stay still!”

Late at night, Genevieve received the belated report that Carlo had come at the Emperor’s summons. She hurriedly changed from her chemise into a dress and rushed to Cedric’s bedroom, but Carlo had already left.

Moreover, servants acting on Carlo’s instructions blocked her path.

Just as she was about to scream at the servant’s statement that Carlo was strictly limiting access to the Emperor’s bedroom by imperial order, Aiden burst into the Empress’s office and shouted at her.

“Didn’t I tell you I would handle everything myself! Didn’t you hear that report?”

“Aiden. Stay out of this, such matters aren’t something you can handle…!”

“I said I’ll handle it!”

When Aiden shouted loudly, Genevieve looked at her son with an utterly bewildered expression.

What on earth had happened to make her son behave this way?

Genevieve approached her son, composing her face calmly, intending to persuade him.

“That’s right, you should handle everything. But since the matter has grown too large to manage, I only wanted to help your decision a little…”

“Are you planning to make me look like a dull-witted Crown Prince again? The stupid Crown Prince everyone laughs at!”

Genevieve’s eyelids almost closed in shock before she suddenly widened her eyes.

“Did Grand Duke Carlo say that? Did he dare call you dull-witted…!”

“No! Carlo didn’t say that. I’m saying you’re making me that way!”

“…Aiden.”

“Don’t enter Father’s bedroom for the time being. I have a plan. I’ve already calculated everything in my head. If you interfere, you’ll ruin everything.”

“You shouldn’t listen to Grand Duke Carlo. He’s as cunning as a snake. You know the Grand Duke is no ordinary person, don’t you?”

“Are you saying I’m inferior to him?”

“That’s not what I meant…!”

“What do you mean, that’s not it! I have more excellent judgment than he does. You’re the one belittling me as inferior to him!”

Speechless, Genevieve stood with her mouth open before rushing forward to grab Aiden’s hands.

But Aiden roughly shook off her hands.

“Father has given the Grand Duke authority to carry out orders, so don’t create any more discord! I’ve made myself clear. Mother, don’t do anything!”

“You’re being deceived. You’re falling for the Grand Duke’s scheme and turning against me…!”

At Genevieve’s frightening response, Aiden stood directly in front of her, gritting his teeth.

“I may not know exactly what you’re thinking, but I’ve already noticed that you’re plotting something with Count Azanie. Am I still being foolishly deceived?”

“That’s…! Yes, I should explain everything to you instead…”

“No, that’s enough! You’ve repeatedly pushed me aside and deceived me with sweet talk. ‘You’ll soon be Emperor. Your father is critically ill, so it will be soon. Everything will be resolved if you just listen to me!’ But there’s been no sign of such a day coming!”

“This is all because of that arrogant Grand Duke!”

“Yes, that’s what you always say! The Grand Duke is always the problem. That’s why I wished Carlo would never return whenever he went to the battlefield! But look, he became a hero while I turned into a fool who didn’t protect the Empire! I won’t listen to you anymore. I will exercise my rights as Crown Prince on my own.”

Aiden looked at Genevieve with a strong expression, as if stabbing the air with a knife.

“I won’t say this twice. Leave the Grand Duchess alone. You’d better not touch that woman the Grand Duke values so much. I will protect her myself. Do you understand?”

As soon as her son finished speaking, Genevieve’s expression froze instantly.

First the arrogant Grand Duke, then Count Azanie a few days ago, and now her son—all trying to protect that girl for different reasons.

Before her trembling eyes, the beautiful mansion that had taken her in during the past gradually overlapped.

The child of that house had also received everyone’s protection.

Lea’s mother, that woman who had reached out to her without any conditions, beautiful like a painting.