“Even so, this is a chance we’ve obtained. It’s better to use it more effectively. I haven’t seen you for so long that I might forget what you look like.”

Now, the Emperor does not deny the existence of my halfbrother.

It was not a bad change. It was risky to delve deeply into royal issues, but that wasn’t a big problem for me. I had no intention of turning back.

I took a short breath and opened my lips again. But the Emperor’s voice was heard before mine.

“Actually, I was hoping a little. Calex said you might have another plan.”

“……”

“Of course, I’m not trying to belittle you. This much is wonderful. You pleasantly overturned my prejudice.”

He’s lying. The Emperor looking at me had a face that hoped for something more.

I exhaled slowly. The brightly staring eyes were burdensome as if they were rushing me.

“That alone should be enough. After all, I don’t have any rights of succession.”

“Rights of succession?”

“The previous Emperor marked Creighton with the stigma of treason. And, the mark is still there.”

“Oh….”

The Emperor squinted his eyes and subtly pulled his body back. Although we both knew the story, he seemed not to expect it to be mentioned in this way.

I calmed my pounding heart and slowly chose my words in my mind.

Otherwise, harsh words seemed to pop out.

While the whitehaired old man and the young man were quite different, I always remembered his father while looking at the gentle Emperor’s face. He, at least, had the same eye color as his father.

I pressed my chest with the palm of my hand.

“I am both the symbol of Creighton and nothing at all.”

The right of succession in the family was literally the right to succeed the family. It was not just a matter of performing the duties of a head of a family, but the fact that I couldn’t inherit anything from the family.

And I was a halfcreighton who was deprived of the right of succession.

I was no different from a gilded trophy. The blood flowing in my body was proving the history of a family that had been handed down for a long time and speaking of the legitimacy of Creighton, but that was it.

Unless I put forward a member of another family who had the right of succession, or the mark of treason marked by the Emperor disappeared, I could never claim ownership of anything belonging to Creighton.

Even to run a small business in my name, I had to solve the problem of the right of succession.

“What does this have to do with this matter?”

“It means that the prey will come to find you on its own without rushing.”

“Find?”

“You’ve already reached out. If a problem that is difficult to deal with arises, naturally you will think of your proposal.”

An unusual confusion was settled on the Emperor’s face.

I stared at him quietly, waiting for the Emperor to regain his expression late.

Once the treason is established, it’s not easy to reverse it. Treason, one of the most serious crimes, required a proper reason to erase the mark of treason, no matter how much an emperor.

Even if it was just a matter of transferring the names of a few businesses, it was not a problem that the Count of Creighton could solve on his own.

Especially on the day the Emperor called Bake, he came back late and seemed to be worried more than anything.

It was easy to know that the Emperor had made an attractive proposal.

The Emperor I’ve observed so far was not the one to miss given opportunities.

But I didn’t feel betrayed. The period was too short to build trust.

After all, I never trusted him from the beginning.

The reason why I decided to help the Emperor was not to strengthen my relationship with him. As long as I achieve my goal, that’s all that matters.

To avenge my pitiful daughter.

“You seem to have pushed yourself too hard. Your face is pale.”

“It’s because I’ve been riding a horse for the first time in a long time. It’ll be okay if I rest for a while.”

“Then shall we rest for a while and go?”

“No, we don’t have time. It’s enough to rest when we get back to the mansion. We’ve thrown off the pursuit, but if it takes too long, it will be suspicious.”

I adjusted my pressed hat and hastened my steps.

The Emperor had given me an excuse for the debutante issue, but Bake was getting increasingly venomous lately.

While he was afraid that I might have an affair with Duke Pieren, he couldn’t interfere with me and was anxious. And as a result, there were more eyes watching me, and I had to be careful in my movements.

Even though the meeting place and the palace were not far away, it was because Cheshire, who volunteered to escort, decided to look out from time to time.

“I’ve been waiting. Please come in.”

First, when Cheshire in the lead showed his card to the gatekeeper who was waiting, the gatekeeper immediately opened the door. They seemed to have agreed beforehand, or rather, they may have become accustomed to it.