Reforming the Villain Family (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 179

Everyone waited for me to continue. Calmly, I explained what I had deduced.

“As the Emperor aged, his support naturally began to weaken. No—in fact, as word gradually spread about his incompetence, that weakening accelerated even faster. Meanwhile, Elijah ascended as Crown Prince, and key officials have already started preparing to shift their allegiance toward him. Some of those noble houses are waiting for powerful families like ours to clearly declare our stance.”

Lately, families who had previously had no contact with us have increasingly sent letters inquiring after our well-being or invitations to tea parties. Most of them were central government officials who attended state council meetings alongside Father.

In truth, not all central officials came from wealthy or powerful houses. For now, they merely maintained the appearance of supporting the Emperor.

Though his support base had weakened, the Emperor still held final authority over state affairs. Our family, however, was an exception—we possessed the strength to stand independently without reliance on the imperial court.

Most other nobles weren’t like us. Openly supporting the Crown Prince at this moment would grant them almost no benefit and might instead draw the Emperor’s suspicion, hastening their family’s downfall.

It was precisely because we had begun subtly leaking information—indicating our gradual support for the Crown Prince—that these nobles had recently started sending letters to our house.

They were undoubtedly ready to instantly switch sides the moment a powerful house like Duke Crustel’s openly and actively endorsed the Crown Prince.

The Emperor couldn’t possibly be blind to this situation, even if no one spoke of it aloud.

“The Emperor isn’t ignorant of officials turning against him. As you know, Emperor Fraser is a cunning fox who usurped the throne from the previous Emperor. And now, while his support base crumbles, he’s placed at his side a consort of dubious origins—who happens to be my mother.”

The word “mother” tasted bitter in my mouth when referring to Rebecca. I swallowed hard and continued.

“My biological mother’s identity is clear, but my biological father remains unknown. The Emperor surely knows this as well. As Elijah explained earlier, the Emperor already knows I’ve formed a contract with the Divine Beast.”

I barely managed to suppress the sigh welling up in my throat. It was a painful speculation I hated voicing—but one I couldn’t possibly dismiss.

“If a holy maiden, the contract holder of a Divine Beast, were suddenly revealed to be the Emperor’s long-lost daughter…”

“……”

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