“Now, now, call the attendants and maids and go to the dressing room! You have a banquet later, don’t you? Go get even prettier, all scrubbed and polished! I have to clean the bedroom!”
In the end, Licht was practically chased out of his bedroom.
Should I try getting ready a little?
Today was Rubian’s coming-of-age ceremony.
A special party was scheduled to be held at the Imperial Palace.
Because the Emperor had specially lent out one of the Imperial Palace banquet halls, Sapphire Hall.
For no reason, Licht felt nervous too.
Because...
I’m going to ask her for a dance at the banquet.
There was a saying in the Babilon Empire.
A saying that at a coming-of-age banquet, the first person of the opposite sex one danced with outside of family had a high chance of becoming one’s partner.
I never cared about it once before now.
Licht rubbed the back of his reddening neck. Even if it was an empty rumor, for some reason, he felt desperate about it now.
I want to see her soon.
He walked a little faster.
It seemed he intended to at least tidy up this messy hair.
That was when—
“Hah, what rotten luck from the morning onward.”
As he rounded a corner, he ran right into the First Prince.
Ah, honestly.
Licht smiled properly.
Rotten luck, indeed.
“Good morning, Brother.”
“Good morning, my ass!”
The First Prince kicked over a nearby ornament. He seemed to be in an especially foul mood today.
There was a crash and the sound of something breaking, but Licht’s smile did not waver.
Because he knew very well why the First Prince was in a bad mood.
He must have found out there was a problem at the gambling den.
The illegal businesses the First Prince had been secretly touching. Licht was destroying them one by one from behind. The gambling den was only the beginning.
At the right time, all at once.
Licht was waiting for the moment he could detonate all of it at once and deal the First Prince the greatest possible blow.
Everything was about timing.
Until then, he had to act like a gentle prince. He had to hide every card as though keeping his claws tucked away.
“It seems I appeared when you were in poor spirits. Excuse me.”
Licht gave a brief bow and walked away.
“That fox bastard...”
He could hear teeth grinding behind him, but it sounded like music instead.
An aide who spotted Licht nearby approached him. Licht spoke in a low voice.
“After a little time, strike the fighting arena I mentioned before. Secure proof that the First Prince illegally smuggled slaves to raise funds. If anything resists in the process, kill it. Don’t leave anything behind that can’t be controlled.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The smile did not disappear from his coldly gleaming turquoise eyes.
The seat of Crown Prince.
There was truly not much left now.
...Ah. I see.
Licht realized anew why he had been dissatisfied while looking in the mirror that morning.
Now that he thought about it, it was nothing unusual.
Not once had he ever considered himself good enough.
But if he became Crown Prince, perhaps things would be a little different.
The place he had prepared for, for a very long time.
Once he seized something with his own hands like that, then.
Wouldn’t everything finally become all right? Perhaps even he himself might become a little more tolerable than he was now.
He had clawed his way this far to deny the words “the useless Fourth Prince.” At first, it had been to fill his own lack, but now it was a little different.
He wanted to fill himself so he could give.
Because if he became complete, lacking nothing, he could give her only the best things in this Empire.
Licht awkwardly scratched his cheek. It was his own thought, but it felt a little embarrassing and ticklish. Still, he had no intention of denying it.
He composed his expression and began walking again.
“Come to think of it, I heard there was some commotion in the palace at dawn. What happened?”
“Ah, His Majesty had the King of Casalia... Princess Sebelena...”
Only one step remained now.
“Seems like that bastard Licht is stirring things up.”
The First Prince ground his teeth.
“And why has the palace been so noisy since earlier!”
At his irritation, the attendant bowed his head.
“W-well, today, Princess Zebbert’s coming-of-age ceremony will be held in Sapphire Hall...”
“Tch.”
It was not rare to lend an Imperial Palace banquet hall to high-ranking nobles. Moreover, this was the youngest daughter of the House of Zebbert.
Ugh, she makes me shudder.
Princess Zebbert was terribly detestable. Unlike her harmless-looking face, she had a strange talent for infuriating people.
Sapphire Hall, of all places. Father must have been completely taken in by that sly little thing too.
That was an ultra-luxurious banquet hall not even opened easily for members of the Imperial family.
Sapphire Hall was its nickname.
The building was set upon the water, surrounded by a blue lake, and its dazzling, beautiful scenery was widely praised. It was even said that the Empress two reigns ago had fallen so deeply for its charms that she moved her residence there entirely.
No, wait. Sapphire Hall?
The First Prince’s eyes narrowed.
“Licht will attend too, won’t he?”
“Yes, of course.”
The First Prince’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
His businesses, which were falling apart.
Whether this was truly because of Licht or not.
Let’s test it.
As for the princess...
If she gets caught up in it, it can’t be helped.
*****
I was a little bored.
“How loooong are you going to do my hair?”
How many times were they going to apply fragrant oil? Why did they put cream on my face and then wipe it off?
“I did a cucumber massage too!”
“A cucumber massage? There weren’t any cucumbers left.”
I patted my round belly.
“They’re in here.”
“A cucumber massage for your organs?”
Hazel frowned deeply.
Hm. With nothing more to say, I went still like a doll again. Since the maids were bustling around everywhere, that was my job.
I’m boooored.
As I twisted my whole body, my gaze suddenly fixed on the potion sitting on the dressing table.
A sudden question occurred to me.
But... this really is real, right? It hasn’t been tampered with, right?
Maybe because it came from the King of Casalia’s pocket, it felt a little unsatisfying.
It really looks exactly like the fake one I made.
I was playing with the potion bottle in my hand when—
“Save me.”
Dad walked in with hollow eyes, carrying a mountain of documents.
“Oh no. Another work bomb.”
I familiarly offered him the sofa.
“If I want to go to your birthday party, I have to review three documents per minute starting now. Does that make sense?”
“Are you running a kingdom behind my back or something?”
Dad twisted his lips in a smile.
“Ruby, this is the reality of adulthood. Do you still want to become an adult?”
This was bad. My duke of a dad had become thoroughly warped.
Is that why he hates His Majesty the Emperor?
Whenever he stayed in the capital, a work bomb got dropped on him.
“But if you’re busy, shouldn’t you be working in your office? Why work here?”
“Because I want to.”
Scratch, scratch went his moving hand.
In any case, it was not as though this was the first or second time Dad had roamed the whole estate working like a digital nomad, so I turned back to the mirror without thinking much of it.
My gaze went back to the potion bottle.
Ah.
A fun idea suddenly came to mind.
“Daaad.”
“What?”
“Should we test whether this is real or not?”
Shake, shake.
I smiled playfully as I shook the bottle. Dad’s eyebrow rose slightly.
Of course, Dad knew how this potion had ended up in my hand.
“Do you need to test it?”
“Juuust in case.”
And I was a little bored.
“If there’s something wrong with this potion, then your hair and mine will get mixed together. Since we aren’t real father and daughter.”
“And if it’s a real potion, they won’t mix?”
“Probably?”
At that, Dad looked thoughtful for a moment.
“But why do you say we aren’t ‘real father and daughter’?”
“Huh?”
“We’re real father and daughter. Are we fake father and daughter?”
“...”
“Do you know how much Dad cherishes you...”
Mutter, mutter, mutter.
This is bad.
Dad was sulking.
“Oh, come on, it was just a figure of speech. Why are you nitpicking one word... Real by blood! We’re real, super-duper, triple-real father and daughter! Happy now?”
At that, Dad let out a hmph and leaned back against the sofa. Honestly. He grew more childish by the day.
“Sorry, but Dad is a little sensitive right now. Since the bastard who might be your birth father is under the same roof.”
Ah, is that so.
“Anyway, are we doing it or not!”
Dad picked up the documents again. He signed with quick strokes and stamped his seal, thump, thump, before slowly opening his mouth.
His sharp purple eyes slid toward me.
“If you’re that curious, go ahead and mix them.”
