Chapter 1.3 - The Princess's Dream

Chapter 1.3: The Princess’s Dream

“She just left . ”

Dian felt disappointed . He was surprised to see his half-sister, but he didn’t dislike it . Actually, he was glad .

However, if he voiced his true feelings, he felt that he would only be scolded and called a fool . Therefore, Dian hid his soft heart deep inside .

“I thought it was just a palace attendant . . . ”

Having watched the exchange between the brother and sister, the black-haired man muttered under his breath . Dian agreed .

“Who would have thought that the Princess would appear here?”

“She really glared at you with contempt in her eyes . ”

Dian grinned at Kuhn . He wanted to pick Kuhn’s brain and asked him a question .

“You’re the one who’s been staring at her . Isn’t she pretty?”

The black-haired man answered nonchalantly .

“She is a beauty . ”

“When she was young, she looked just like a doll . But now, I can see why everyone calls her a heavenly beauty . No, wait . Since she’s part of the Imperial Family, I guess it’s not wrong to say that she’s a heavenly beauty . ”

“No matter how beautiful a jewel is, it’s still a cold stone . ”

Dian clicked his tongue at Kuhn .

 

“Says the materialistic person who would take the jewel over a rose any day . ”

Kuhn pretended he didn’t hear him and changed the subject .

“Are you on bad terms with the Princess?”

“What could be bad between us? We haven’t even had a proper conversation with one another . ”

“Then I guess the Princess just hates you . ”

“Don’t say it so bluntly . You’ll hurt my feelings . ”

Kuhn snorted with laughter . Dian had a thick skin tougher than leather . Even he didn’t know what was hiding behind that smiling mask .

“I don’t think she hates me . She probably despises me . ”

“What’s the difference?”

“She’s ashamed of my existence because half of my blood is vulgar . I’m a half-blood . ”

No matter how low his place was as a prince, he was still the son of the Emperor . Even if everyone whispered about him and called him a half-blood behind his back, nobody dared to say it in front of his face .

Dian talked about himself as if he was talking about someone else, using the belittling term freely . His expression did not hold any rage or hurt at all .

“I don’t hold any ill will towards the Princess . I don’t want us to have a bad relationship either . ”

“You say that so easily . Do you really think the Princess will feel the same way? When you snatch the throne from her, she’ll probably try to kill you . ”

Dian sighed .

“You may find it hard to believe, but I’m not a man with that much ambition . ”

Dian expected Kuhn to laugh at him, but Kuhn only paid more attention .

“People think that the Emperor has it all, but do you know how many duties he has? You’re also the head of your clan, so you know what I mean . You know how frustrating it can be . ”

Kuhn knew . He knew it very well .

So Kuhn could not understand why anyone would unsheathe his sword to become king . Why did they even want that position?

From the moment he was born, Kuhn carried the heavy burden of his clan on his shoulders . He didn’t even have a chance to wonder why life was so difficult . There were too many people that depended on him .

“When I first found out that the Emperor was my father, the first thought I had was ‘I will play and eat what I want for the rest of my life’ .

If Dian’s loyal followers heard this, they would have been absolutely shocked . Dian could only reveal his true inner thoughts to Kuhn .

“But I can’t leave it like that . Princess Sienna doesn’t know what the world is like . She’s never been outside this vast palace . If the Princess becomes the Emperor, nothing will change . ”

The Empire ruled the world, and the Empire’s master was none other than the Emperor . However, the ones who actually governed the subjects of the Empire were the feudal lords and the kings . The Emperor of the Empire never stepped foot outside the safe palace .

From the get-go, it was impossible for one person to know what happened in every corner of the world . Therefore, the Emperor had to choose certain people to be his eyes and ears and assign them to certain regions . It was inevitable .

However, Dian thought that the Emperor should not learn how the world works through books or from hearsay .

“Are you doing all this for the greater good?”

“Nothing as noble as that . I just feel like some change could do us some good . ”

Dian was never too serious or too easygoing . It wasn’t easy to balance the two, but he managed to stay in the center .

If Dian had thought he was the sole savior of the world and called others to follow him, Kuhn would not have even thought of helping him .

“Did your negotiation with the Emperor go well?”

“More or less . I’m sure we’ll hear something back soon . ”

Dian glanced around at their surroundings .

“This location is pretty nice . We should probably change the place1, right?”

“It doesn’t hurt to be careful . ”

“Where should we do it . . . I’ll think about it some more . ”

Kuhn got up from his seat .

“I’m going to head back . ”

“Thanks for this . ”

Dian took out the envelope he had placed in his chest pocket and thanked Kuhn one more time . Inside was a check that could be cashed in at any time . The most important thing when it came to gaining more power was money . Kuhn supported Dian with everything: money, manpower, and information .

“When it comes to money, talk to me directly next time . ”

Dian gave Kuhn a knowing look and spoke up .

“Stephan scolded you again, didn’t he?”

When Kuhn decided to support Dian, his clan’s opinion was divided in two . Half supported Kuhn’s decision, and the other half were opposed .

Stephan was on the opposing side . He was also the one who was in charge of the finances . He was an honest and earnest man, and he had a gift when it came to making money . However, he also hated to spend money unnecessarily .

‘It’s difficult enough as it is to earn enough money through hard work . But you’re telling me you want to just give money away? That’s hilarious . ‘ Stephan told Kuhn as he hooted with laughter .

“Stephan, that miser . That money’s only a drop in the bucket, but he’s being so cheap . ”

Dian groaned internally . He received and spent a lot of money already, and he was probably going to receive and spend a lot more . Even if Dian spent three times as much as he already had, it still wouldn’t leave a dent for Kuhn .

‘He can only say that since he’s a rich man . ‘

To be exact, the clan was rich . However, because Kuhn was the clan’s leader, he was able to spend the money freely .

“What’s the point in talking to you directly? You can’t even touch the money without Stephan knowing . ”

“I have some private funds . ”

“What? You have a hidden nest egg? One that Stephan doesn’t even know about? You don’t look it, but you’re quite sneaky, aren’t you?”

“Don’t make me spend my money needlessly . Do you even know how much money I’ve already spent on you?”

The two men didn’t stop bickering, but neither one was particularly upset . They didn’t really mean the biting remarks they threw at each other .

“The riskier the investment, the more profitable it is . ”

“Only if it doesn’t talk . ”

Kuhn shook his head as he walked away .

“Do you need someone to send you off?”

“I’m good . ”

“Goodbye, then . Don’t get lost on your way back . ”

Dian’s words went in one ear and out the other .

Dian doesn’t reveal here what place he’s talking about . My guess is that he wants to change a secret meeting place and is thinking about moving it to the clearing in the maze garden .\n