CH 57

Fakes Don’t Want to Be Real

~ 57 ~

“The Duke took my daughter.”

The Crown Prince’s face turned pale at the words that were let out. It was as if saying that Verndia should listen carefully.

‘The Crown Prince is always just like this due to lacking managing his facial expression.’

Verndia said to his mine. The Emperor and Logan are a pair. No matter what Widnix says, he’ll just watch. This kind of game only targets one person- the Crown Prince.

“Haven’t I already told you? Rumors are different from the truth. You don’t have to worry. Princess is living happily enough.”

“Duke of Lestir. Is that true?”

The Crown prince’s voice trembled as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Did the Duke really take Princess Silkisia?”

“Yes.”

Verndia replied coolly.

“The princess was having a hard time, so I brought her home with me.”

A look of wonder crossed Logan’s face.

‘I guess this man thought I wouldn’t admit that easily.’

Logan’s thoughts were clearly visible just by his expression. Verndia crossed his smiled and curved up his lips. The reason why Logan didn’t inform about Psychke’s escape was that he thought it would not help his reputation. But well, that foolish Lenox ruined it all.

He slapped Psychke in front of everyone. So, Logan will use that to stir Verndia’s relation with the Crown Prince.

‘It’s not a bad plan.’

His opponent was not that better at all.

“Duke of Lestir. Can you explain?”

The Crown Prince’s gray eyes became bitter. If Verndia ties with Silkisia, his relationship with the Crown Prince will drop drastically.

Verndia responded naturally.

“As I said, Princess’s life is Silkisia was hard.”

‘Then why would you take care of her?’

That question flashes across the Crown Prince’s face.

“I don’t know if Your Highness heard it, but the Second Prince of Silkisia once slapped the princess on the cheek.”

“…. What?”

“It’s also on the boulevard where everyone can see it.”

The Crown Prince heard it from the rumors, but he never knew it was real. His face turned paler than earlier. As if holding back his anger, Logan’s face turned red hearing Verndia’s continuous revelation.

“That was not all. I once visited Silkisia to visit the Princess but the Second Duke ran with a horse whip as soon as he saw her. I felt like my life was threatened at the same time.”

“……”

“….”

He knew the horsewhip? Logan’s expression changed to match the Crown Prince’s expression.

“Moreover, the Duke was coercive. The princess’s hand that motioned ‘No’-”

“So, are rumors of discord the result of what you did?”

Logan, who came to his senses belatedly, turned the topic around to turn into a family problem.

“I admit that the atmosphere in the house has been ruined since the return of my biological daughter. However, that is something I, the head of the family, have to manage. Even though you two are engaged, it is not a matter for the duke, who is an ‘outsider’, to intervene in my family affairs.”

He emphasized the word outsider, which made the Crown Prince suspicious.

“That’s right.”

Even it means he loses that ‘person.’ Verndia frowned because the Crown Prince was easily swayed. He gave this man a power so that he could keep an eye to the emperor but this man wouldn’t be off a better emperor, either.

“I never planned to say until that though.”

He pretended that it was a mistake and that he regretted it.

“Actually, the princess shared a part of the ‘Book of Devil’.”

“What……!”

Logan was stunned by the name of the book that popped out of nowhere.

Book of Devil.

A book that condenses the knowledge of Silkisia and studies all the monsters in the dungeon.

Logan had been asking her about it due to emergency, but he refused because he hated the fact that he would be taught by a kid who was not even a biological blood of Silkisia. There were also other reasons.

But who told her that?

‘I guess he didn’t expect it.’

Verndia leisurely looked at the face that was slowly rising in anger. Then he opened his mouth, and he immediately intercepted it.

“The duke, who was kind to the north, did it for us. Without any cost. It’s late, but I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you.”

“… ”

Logan was at a loss for words. At Verndia’s words, the careless Crown prince intervened.

“Really? It must have been a difficult decision, but that was great.”

The Crown Prince has already dropped the topic, but it was different from Logan. He gritted his teeth and opened his mouth, unwilling to stop.

“As much as you are experiencing difficulties due to something unprecedented… it’s only natural… isn’t it…”

“Aside that, the Princess ha offered more than one or two help to the North even though it was usually hard to do so.”

Glancing at Logan’s quivering mouth, he spoke calmly.

“Thanks to that, I can breathe a lot. That was why I helped the Princess in need.”

“That was very different from the rumors.”

The Crown prince pointed out the rumor that Psychke was incompetent and not working hard.

Verndia laughed.

“Your Highness will be surprised at how clever she is. Aren’t there rumors spreading between me and the princess?”

“That’s right. Then…”

The Crown prince looked at him like someone who wanted to say something difficult. Are you going to get married with her might be what he was thinking.

Verndia raised his eyebrows. He wanted to tell that it was out of his business, but

“You’ve had a lot of trouble, Duke.”

The emperor, who had been watching him and Logan’s argument with a blank expression all the time, opened his mouth. It was an indescribable voice.

“Duke of Silkisia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Didn’t you say that the dungeon was almost closed?”

“Yes, but…”

Why is this story coming out now, Logan became a puzzled expression. On the contrary, Verndia guessed the emperor’s intentions.

‘He didn’t lend a hand to the North on the pretext of closing the dungeon in the South.’

Even that dungeon hadn’t caused any problems for decades. Because of just that, people who didn’t have to die died.

Verndia trembled once again in anger.

“You can withdraw from the south soon.”

Arrogant gray eyes reached Verndia. Now that the emperor was here, he was upset but he can’t reject the offer, too.

Verndia lowered his head and muttered words that were not in his heart.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s deep consideration.”

“It must have been a lot of burden since it was an unwanted engagement between you two.”

A moment of doubt passed through the eyes of the Crown prince and Logan. It was the same with Verndia. Wasn’t he the one who urged the engagement? It was not like the emperor was giving him medicine or something.

‘What is he planning?’

As if enjoying their gazes, the emperor lazily tilted his glass. Only after the clear liquid had disappeared halfway, he turned the glass around and talked.

“Not too long ago, the messenger of Hestie asked for a private meeting.”

“…….”

“They said they want to have a close relationship with the Empire and through marriage.”

“What…….”

Verndia was stunned.

Hestie was a small kingdom at the northern end of the continent. It snows all year round there, and there is a snowstorm that one can’t even see an inch ahead.

A land not worth conquering because of the weather conditions. No one wants to marry someone from a small country. Even though the emperor knew that, there was no way he would have said such a thing out of boredom.

If so, what could he be planning?

“Just in time, the heir to the throne of Hestie is looking for a wife for him.”

“… ”

“As you know, there is no princess in the imperial family who is ready to marry, so she tried to ask the Duke of Silkisia for his understanding.”

Unfeeling gray eyes scanned Logan’s face.

Perhaps because Logan was already informed about it, he didn’t show any unusual expression.

“I felt bad because I felt like I was tearing my blood and kin back after 10 years.”

“…….”

“By the way, Princess Psychke of Silkisia wants to leave Silkisia-”

The emperor’s eyes focused on Verndia. His face was distorted beyond description.

“The duke seems like an opportunity to end an unwanted engagement with the Princess.”

“Your majesty.”

He managed to prevent himself from swearing at the Emperor. His cod purple eyes were looking at him, narrowed.

“The princess is my fiancé.”

Purple sparks flew around him in his imagination. Even though he took the medicine before coming to the imperial palace, he looked like he was so angry. The emperor tilted his head boredly. It was a face that didn’t comprehend his kind of reaction.

“Didn’t you want to break up?”

“Why does that matter?”

An angry voice soared high in the sky.

“What does it have to do with my wish to break off the marriage and the princess going there after our breakup?”

“I don’t know why Duke is acting like this when Silkisia hasn’t said anything yet.”

“The Princess is my fiancé.”

Verndia gnashed his teeth.

“Insulting my fiancé is insulting me, too.”

“…..”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

Disgusting.

He felt that the emperor was disgusting, and he was going to get crazy.

He made the excuse that he was not feeling well and got up. He didn’t want to be here any longer.

“Duke.”

As he was about to leave, the emperor called and stopped him. Verndia looked at him reluctantly.

The emperor was expressionless as usual. However, the gray eyes were colder than ever.

A suffocating silence surrounded them. If air had weight, one would hear a heavy sinking sound. It was the emperor who broke the silence.

“It sounds like the Duke has no intention of breaking up with the princess.”

“Yes.”

Verndia readily acknowledged it.

“I have no intention of breaking up with my fiancé.”

The shocked Crown prince’s gaze reached him, but he ignored it. What is he going to do if Verndia twists his plan?

He turned around and left.