Chapter 114 (1/2)

Chapter 114: Chapter 114

“Why did you ask to see me secretly, Allendis?”

After agonizing for a few days and nights, I asked for a secret audience with the emperor. I asked my father to arrange a meeting for the first time in my life. Keeping my meeting with the emperor secret was essential to stop the noble factions from smelling a rat.

Looking at his sharp blue eyes, I told him what I had done for the noble factions until recently, ranging from the types of intelligence that I took from the pro-emperor factions, the behind-the-scene negotiations with four kingdoms except for the Lua kingdom to the detailed plan to assassinate Tia amid the turmoil of the princesses, which he came to know only a few days ago.

Even though I tried so hard, I still had no power to protect my young lady. It didn’t matter if I were punished for daring to betray the pro-emperor factions and stealing information about them because it was much more important to me to protect my beloved lady.

Having heard me without much agitation, the emperor offered me a deal. In return for the emperor stopping the noble factions’ plotting and protecting my lady, I would steal quality information from the noble factions and give it to the government department doing the background investigation of the princesses who came as the crown prince’s bride candidate.

I knew it was an unfair deal because the emperor had no other choice to protect my young lady even without striking a deal with me. However, the fairness of the deal was not important because it was more important to me to protect Tia from the noble factions’ plot and from myself who didn’t know when I might be sucked into the dark.

“Even if you reveal this information to me, I won’t forgive you. Why did you confide in me? I don’t think you are doing this to lessen your punishment. Is it because of Lady Monique?”

“… ”

“I think my guesswork is right. Tut, tut. As she is so precious, there are more and more guys trying to win her heart. What should I do about you? Your crime is very severe.”

“I will accept it even if you execute me.”

“Oh my, I’m not a foolish man. How can I execute you, the genius of the century? Let me punish you like this.”

I came out of the meeting room only after I got “punished” by the emperor.

Suddenly, I missed my lady very much. For the next couple of months, or less than that, I wanted to see her.

But I could not. I was dangerous now from my point of view. In order to protect Tia from me, who didn’t know when I would go crazy, I had to minimize my contact with her. While I looked at the building of the 1st Knights Division, where my lady was on duty, I turned, biting my lip and holding back my frustration.

“I’m surprised to know there is a safe house in a place like this.”

I thought the noble factions were nothing, but they were more powerful than I thought.

That’s why even the current emperor with absolute power couldn’t get rid of them completely.

A shabby house in the residential area of commoners. At the noble factions’ meeting, I was struggling to steal the information about the princesses and the details of the plan to assassinate Tia. Recently, the nobles who were loyal to Duke Jena were losing ground to Tia, who designed a very popular hairpin, and Viscount Sharia who marketed it successfully.

Because of this, I had to be more cautious to deceive Duke Jenna who was plotting to do harm to my lady, vowing to get even with her.

There was nothing more important than money in a power struggle. Tia already secured a large line of funding, namely, the Sharia family who ran merchant vessel groups, Viscounts Nuen and Naira who owned gemstone mines and Viscount Senk, famed for jewelry craftsmanship. She made a powerful group by pulling together the noble families who usually weren’t noticed. She did it without help from anyone.

Instead of getting stuck in the dark, she suddenly grew up and exuded light little by little, stepping forward.

I walked along the street sadly, while I was satisfied with her achievement.