Kaliph bluntly pointed out the issue. Evidently not expecting him to be so straightforward, Ustia’s face briefly tensed up.

“Liou, that is…”

“Rumors are swirling that Duke Garnet is planning to banish me, hence my standing is shaky.”

“No, Liou. How could that be? The Duke is simply angry because you imprisoned Rellia. So let these absurd rumors go in one ear and out the other.”

Ustia tried to comfort him with hand gestures. Kaliph found her attempt merely amusing. It was comical to think she was worrying he might be hurt by the rumors.

“It doesn’t matter if the rumors are false. Whether the Duke plans to banish me, or my standing is shaky, it’s all just laughable.”

“Liou.”

“Yes, what right does the Duke have to shake the standing of me, the Crown Prince of the Empire, let alone banish me?”

Kaliph spoke sarcastically. Ever since the day he had seen both Duke Garnet and the Empress, he had stopped pretending to be Liurian Petrov.

Both the Empress and Duke Garnet seemed to find his changed demeanor strange, but never suspected he wasn’t Liurian.

It was the same now. The Empress didn’t seem shocked, even when seeing him deride her husband.

Whether she had adjusted to his changed demeanor or thought his emotional state was affected by the rumors, the reason was unknown. But her eyes were filled with a nauseating pity.

“Liou, you will never be ousted from power, nor will your position as the Crown Prince be shaky. I can promise you that, but…”

“…?”

“Release Rellia now.”

Ustia spoke as if pleading. Kaliph immediately raised an eyebrow and sharply asked.

“Why should I?”
“Why must it be so, Liou. Are you asking because you don’t know who Lady Rellia is? The Count comes to me every day, insisting that if I don’t release Rellia immediately, he won’t stand idly by!”

“There’s no need to hear more. If you called me here to discuss Lady Rellia, then I have nothing to say to you. I will take my leave.”

With that, Kaliph stood up from his seat without any hesitation. He walked past Eustia and headed towards the palace exit; his steps were unhesitant.

He was just a few steps away from reaching the doorknob.

“Liurian.”

Eustia’s suppressed voice caught his ankle. Kaliph calmly turned back and willingly gave her his attention.

“If you continue to be stubborn, I will have no choice but to intervene. But if that happens, you’ll certainly look foolish. So, Liou, please listen to your mother…”

“Mother has already made a fool out of me directly.”

“What? What on earth…!”

“Wasn’t it you, Mother, who bribed me to imprison the Lady and then spread false rumors that she is the Crown Princess?”

Kaliph pointed out the fact that had always irritated him, without even waiting to hear the end of Eustia’s statement.

Momentarily disconcerted, Eustia couldn’t reply. This only twisted Kaliph’s heart further.

“Thanks to you, I’ve become a fool who spills his guts without discretion if it involves a woman.”

“W-what! Who dares?!”

“Is that all? I’ve even become so shameless that I couldn’t recognize my long-time lover due to the temptation of a supposed Crown Princess.”

Eustia seemed as if she would foam at the mouth. She seemed fixated only on the fact that the courtiers were mocking her son, even after he explicitly told her that she was the cause.

Her stupidity was truly unparalleled. The sight of such an Empress truly disgusted him. He didn’t want to share the same space with her anymore.

Kaliph began what amounted to a final warning.

“I fear neither Duke Garnet, nor the power he wields, nor anything else. I have my position as the Crown Prince not because of the Duke, but because I am the son of you, Mother, and His Majesty the Emperor.”

“……”

“So I would prefer it if you did not tell me to become their puppet anymore.”

He had not planned to be so explicit about his feelings, but the Empress left him no choice.
“I am the sole Crown Prince of the empire. I’m not a puppet who will hand over all power to Duke Garnet.”

He had already decided to act as he pleased in life. For him, the name Liurian Petrov was no longer necessary.