The Price is Everything of Yours (76 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 224

“Club?”

Abelus, who had been sitting quietly as Megara dressed him, repeated the word with evident disapproval.

Young noble men of the Empire spent their days idling away time together in gentlemen’s clubs. The more prestigious the club, the stricter its membership policy—making it a coveted place for those eager to cultivate connections among the highborn.

But this had nothing to do with Abelus, who resided in the Imperial Palace—the very place where the noblest people in the realm gathered.

Having anticipated Abelus’s reaction, Megara quickly added in an endearing tone,

“His Majesty said he wished to discover more young talent. He doesn’t trust anyone currently in the palace.”

“True. Whether this one or that one, they all think my sister is the Crown Prince, not me.”

Not long ago, the elderly Minister of Finance, Marquis Odroy, had caused an uproar by submitting a formal petition regarding the Crown Prince’s consort. He claimed, “I have no daughter of my own, so I speak only out of sincere loyalty to the Empire…”

It was obvious who had whispered into that old man’s ear: “Hurry and welcome Valentine Elantria as Crown Princess.” After all, Marquis Odroy had long been a fervent admirer of Princess Kaymil. And who didn’t know that Kaymil disliked Megara, and that Valentine felt the same on that matter?

The minister had committed three offenses: first, daring to meddle in his sovereign’s marriage; second, aligning himself with a royal who wasn’t the Crown Prince; and third—thanks to Megara’s tearful outburst that day—forcing Abelus to spend hours calming her.

Driven by resentment over these three transgressions, Abelus publicly rebuked Marquis Odroy. He had even deliberately exaggerated his anger to set an example.

After becoming especially close to Megara, she had cautiously pointed something out to him. In her eyes, the relationship between Kaymil and Abelus wasn’t normal.

If she was merely an elder sister, then fine—but why did she act as though even his official status as Crown Prince were subordinate to her?

She had a point. Wasn’t it exactly like staging a protest against the Emperor and Empress themselves—the very couple who had chosen Abelus as Crown Prince—to constantly summon him about, regulate his every action, and even try to handpick his consort according to her own wishes?

Because it concerned imperial power dynamics, Megara’s remarks had been exquisitely subtle. Yet, to Abelus, every word rang true.

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