Chapter 8

I immediately shook my head.

The risk of war breaking out seemed far too great to prioritize our own safety while traveling.

“Even so, I think we should reach the battlefield as soon as possible. What if the demons lose patience while waiting for us and launch an attack?”

No matter how I thought about it, if war broke out…

“The people of the Empire would be in danger.”

Even though I had possessed this body, I had lived here and grown attached to this place for a full twenty years.

I didn’t want to die pointlessly at the age of twenty-five, but even if I could survive while everyone else died, it would still be far too serious a matter.

However, Aiden spoke calmly.

“I heard that Crown Prince Habelon is moving immediately toward the border of the neutral territory. If an unexpected situation occurs, he will take command and contact us, telling us to hurry.”

“…Ah.”

If that was the case, it was reassuring.

But I still hesitated.

The demons had suddenly gathered in large numbers.

Even if they had agreed to wait for us, there was no telling when they might change their minds.

“No. I think it would be better to reach the battlefield as soon as possible and begin negotiations.”

“……”

Aiden calmly adjusted his reins again.

“All right. Then let us ride to today’s destination.”

Late that night, all the curtains in the study were drawn.

The Emperor dismissed all of his attendants and had a late tea time with Crown Prince Habelon and Prince Isilon.

“Habelon, why don’t you reconsider, even now?”

There was displeasure in the Emperor’s voice.

And understandably so.

He was already old.

Perhaps this would be his last tea time with his beloved son.

The Emperor had six princes and four princesses from the Empress and four imperial consorts.

Among them, he particularly cherished his fourth son, Habelon, and had appointed him Crown Prince.

The reason was that Habelon was the only legitimate son born to the Empress and the child who most closely resembled the Emperor himself.

“Isn’t this a good opportunity?”

Habelon lightly swept back his crimson hair and smiled calmly.

There was only one lovely name occupying his thoughts at that moment.

Ophla Ratinel.

The day Ophla, the illegitimate daughter of an insignificant viscount family, caught Habelon’s attention was the entrance ceremony of the Elliot Empire Imperial Academy.

She had been sitting behind Lady Hedesson, who was by far the strongest candidate on the list of potential Crown Princesses.

Because Ophla was an illegitimate daughter, her name hadn’t even appeared on the list of Crown Princess candidates.

But to Habelon, Ophla looked like a single lily.

From the moment he saw her, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Seeing Habelon like that, Prince Isilon, who was a senior at the academy at the time, had lightly poked him in the side.

“You noticed her immediately, didn’t you? Isn’t Lady Hedesson incredibly beautiful?”

Apparently, he had mistaken the direction of Habelon’s gaze because they had been looking in the same direction.

Instead of answering, Habelon remembered what the Emperor had said.

Lady Hedesson was supposedly an ideal bride.

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also known for being quiet and obedient to her parents.

The Emperor also viewed her ordinary academy graduation results favorably, considering the Hedesson family’s traditionally average academic performance.

His reasoning was that as long as the woman wasn’t particularly clever, the Crown Prince would be able to control her as he pleased.

“With a young lady like that, she would be absolutely obedient to the Crown Prince. And if she comes from House Hedesson, the Crown Prince’s support base will be solid as well.”

The Emperor believed that Habelon’s reign would be extremely smooth if things went according to plan.

Habelon had no particular disagreement with his father’s thinking.

If he eventually fell in love with someone else, he could simply take her as a concubine.

However, the Emperor’s opinion began to change within just a year.

Contrary to the Hedesson family’s history, Theodora’s achievements were extraordinary.

A Crown Princess who is smarter than the Crown Prince? That won’t do.

After becoming an adult, she even surpassed the heir of House Wolverlake.

At that point, the Emperor completely removed Theodora from consideration as a Crown Princess candidate.

Had he known that House Wolverlake and House Hedesson would later enter into an engagement, he would never have made that decision.

Around that time, Habelon had fallen deeply in love with Ophla all on his own.

But there were simply too many watchful eyes around him for him to approach her.

He hesitated until he graduated, and then found himself facing a serious dilemma.

How could he bring Ophla to his side without attracting the attention of the future Crown Princess?

Then an unexpected situation arose.

The Grand Duke of Wolverlake suddenly turned dark and began behaving strangely.

What he demanded from the Emperor was an unprecedentedly large-scale matchmaking operation.

A war crisis had arisen in the neutral territory between the Demon Realm and the human world, so he demanded that Theodora, who was unmarried, be conscripted according to wartime regulations.

“When he said their engagement had been broken off, I thought the problem had resolved itself. But who would have thought the Grand Duke of Wolverlake had already set his sights on Lady Hedesson…”

The Emperor pressed his fingers against his temples, his head aching.

“Dealing with the Grand Duke of Wolverlake’s power alone is difficult enough. The thought of adding Lady Hedesson’s intellect to the future equation is dreadful.”

The Emperor wanted to oppose Aiden’s marriage.

But House Wolverlake was simply too powerful, making it impossible for him to reject Aiden’s demand.

Habelon fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.

The demons had gathered in the neutral territory, creating a war crisis.

But no true disaster was supposed to occur.

That was merely the background for the matchmaking operation Aiden had created.

Even so, having a massive demon army concentrated in the neutral territory was not good for the Empire.

Establishing a defensive front was essential.

Under wartime regulations, unmarried nobles also had to be conscripted.

Ophla was among them.

There was little chance she would actually die in the war, but Habelon was deeply worried about her.

He couldn’t ignore the possibility that something unpleasant might happen because of the hierarchy within the Knights.

On the other hand, this was also an opportunity for him to intervene personally and distinguish himself.

He would go there, protect Ophla, help her earn merit, and return as her lover.

Habelon had already made up his mind.

Once he became Emperor, he would recognize Ophla’s achievements, grant her a title, and take her as an imperial consort.

But if he presented that as his justification, the Emperor would immediately object.

So he offered a more convincing reason.

“This is our opportunity to suppress House Wolverlake’s influence.”

He strongly argued that this was the time to turn the crisis into an opportunity.

“The Imperial Family has been preparing for a long time to keep House Wolverlake in check. Furthermore, Aiden is currently the only remaining member of the Wolverlake bloodline within the Empire. Now that he stands alone is the perfect time.”

The Emperor’s brow furrowed with a sigh.

“I know.”

It had been the Emperor’s long-standing ambition.

Though he had never revealed it openly, he wanted to weaken the power of House Wolverlake, which held the Empire’s true power.

After a long and secret investigation with the Empire’s magical scholars, the Emperor had determined where the materials needed to create an artifact capable of sealing off the neutral territory could be found.

He had also prepared a special magical potion capable of sealing the power of one member of House Wolverlake.

“The die has already been cast, hasn’t it?”

Although Aiden and Theodora had not been told the purpose of the mission, the map given to them was precisely the die the Emperor was referring to.

If they followed the map, Aiden and Theodora were destined to encounter magical scholars and spirits.

During that process, they would naturally acquire four amulets.

They were the materials needed to create the artifact that would seal off the neutral territory.

Habelon spoke confidently.

“The Grand Duke of Wolverlake and Lady Hedesson will collect all the amulets according to the imperial command, won’t they?”

“Without even knowing what they are.”

Just as Habelon said, the Emperor had told Aiden and Theodora only that the people they would meet would provide information about the demons and supply the equipment they needed.

“If we seal off the neutral territory, House Wolverlake will lose its power.”

That was the Emperor’s first objective.

Habelon then voiced the second objective he wanted.

“Then all we have to do is seal Aiden’s power. Is the magical potion being used already?”

The Emperor nodded.

“Of course.”

Everywhere Aiden stayed, the magical potion was continually being added to his food.

It had no color, no smell, and no taste.

Neither humans nor demons could detect anything.

Nor would there be any immediate outward signs.

Its effect was progressive memory loss that applied only to those of Wolverlake blood.

If the person had fallen in love, even those emotions would gradually disappear.

In other words, the farther Aiden traveled, the colder his feelings toward Theodora would become.

And the final dose of the magical potion would be administered at the Imperial camp positioned on the border of the neutral territory.

Once Aiden consumed that dose, his magical power would disappear.

His memories would also be completely erased.

Who he was.

Whom he had loved.

Once that happened, the Imperial side would immediately activate the artifact and seal off the neutral territory.

Then they planned to eliminate one powerless man who no longer had his memories.

And, as an added bonus, the overly intelligent woman as well.

Duke Hedesson was supposed to receive news that his daughter had died in a fierce battle against the demons.

Knowing all of this, Habelon strengthened his justification.

“All that remains is the historic moment when relations between demons and humans are completely severed. If I am the one commanding the forces at the forefront at that moment, no one will dare oppose imperial authority.”

“That is true, but…”

“The more the Empire appears to be in danger, the more I should stand at the forefront.”

“Even so, the number of demons is enormous.”

“Only the atmosphere of war has been created. The chances of an actual war breaking out are low, aren’t they?”

Habelon’s unconcerned words prompted genuine concern from the Emperor.

“But if this operation fails, it will be extremely dangerous. If anything happens to you…”

The Emperor’s gaze shifted toward Isilon, the third prince.

In that gaze was a clear message:

If the Crown Prince dies on the battlefield, then you should be the one to go out there and die instead.

Ordinarily, anyone would have been hurt by such a sentiment.

But Isilon actually preferred it that way.

The influence held by the person who commanded the forces at such a historic moment—

That was precisely what Isilon wanted.

He didn’t have the Emperor’s support, so if he gained enough power, he could seriously contend for the throne.

“Your Highness, as His Majesty the Emperor said, it would be better for me to go.”

But Habelon reached a different conclusion from the Emperor’s intention.

“If an unexpected vacancy arises because of that, I am sure you will manage things well in my absence, Brother.”

Habelon smiled pleasantly at Isilon.

“Isn’t that right, Brother?”

The Crown Prince was deliberately stepping forward himself.

Isilon wouldn’t even have the opportunity to do so.

But he couldn’t reveal his frustration.

So he merely nodded.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

We spent a day at the old mansion of a reclusive lord.

He was an elderly man with a hunched back who lived alone.

The previous day, the lord had taken Aiden’s knight’s uniform, saying he would have it washed.

But the next day, he came to us and awkwardly scratched his head.

“Apparently, one of the seams on the Grand Duke’s trousers came loose from riding all day. They say you’ll have to wait until evening if you want them to finish the washing and repair the trousers as well. What would you like to do?”

I didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

“You’re saying a seam came loose on an Imperial Knight uniform?”

That couldn’t be right.

The Imperial Knights’ uniforms were made from the finest fabrics available.

Besides, the Grand Duke hadn’t been moving particularly roughly.

Perhaps the maid had mishandled the laundry or made some other mistake.

Mistakes could happen.

But there was no reason to hide one like this.

I looked at Aiden beside me, hoping the lord would be honest and apologize.

More importantly, what mattered was Aiden’s reaction, since he was the person directly involved.