Would he not rethink his engagement to Astina if he learned of this?
âNo, Your Highness, there seems to be a misunderstanding in the future I know.â
âWhatâs that?â
âWell, in âThe Future I Knowâ Demimore doesnât become the emperor, as you say.â
There, I revealed my cards.
Cameron snorted in surprise, contrary to my expectation that he would be astounded or at the very least scowl at me for saying it.
I was shocked that he went with an entirely different response than what I had in mind.
âWow, what should I do?â
Cameron displayed genuine surprise on his face.
âDemimore will not become emperor.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âHe said this is exactly what youâre going to say.â
Cameron looked down at me with mockery written on his face.
Who could have said those things to Cameron? I wondered. Someone who is as knowledgeable about the original work as if they had read it.
I had the unpleasant impression that nothing I knew mattered when I saw Cameron looking at me so assuredly and almost pitifully.
Will Demimore actually rule as an emperor?
There might have been information regarding that in a side story that I missed. There is someone who is more familiar with the original content than I am.
He is currently supporting Cameron and using him as a pawn in his scheme to remove Demimore and make Cameron an emperor.
Then I remembered the God of the Underworld, who knew the name Ha Sohee.
He even copied the way Demimoreâs eyes curved when he smiled. Itâs not a hunch, Iâm certain.
âPrince.â
I spoke softly when I called Cameron. Cameron made a ridiculous expression in response to my serious call.
He was still laughing at me, I could tell. Such a simple-minded person lusting after the throneâŠ. Itâs hopeless.
âAre you in contact with the God of the underworld?â
I asked Cameron bluntly, unable to stand that sight of him.
The mocking expression on Cameronâs face seemed to vanish in response to my direct question. His reaction convinced me that the underworld god was behind him.
âIt wonât go over well if people learn that the first prince is working together with the god of the underworld.â
ââŠâŠYouâre talking nonsense.â
âYou would be ridiculed not only within the empire but also throughout the continent.â
âPreposterous.â
âOh, does His Majesty already know? Just like the last dagger incident, heâs going to take advantage of the Grand Duke of Conler, the imperial marionetteâŠâŠ.â
âShut up!â
Cameron lost his cool in response to my provocation. It was the first time he had dropped his facade in front of me.
The genuine anger in his face and voice was a little eerie, but I glared at him undaunted.
Now that I knew that the god of the underworld was behind Cameron, I didnât want to lose.
âWhatâs going on?â
Theodore came running out to us when he heard Cameron shouting. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively.
âTheodore Conler.â
Theodoreâs name came out of Cameronâs mouth like he had just reconnected with his long-lost foe.
âYour sister is so rude. Educate her properly.â
âIâll make sure to tell Gilbert. Her education is his responsibility.â
Theodore answered sluggishly. He spoke politely, but it was enough to annoy Cameron.
Cameronâs face twisted into a grimace as he took a step closer to Theodore.
âAs soon as Iâm Emperor, Iâm going to order Gilbert Conler to get your minds reformed properly.â
Uh, who needs the most mental restructuring here?
âIâll tear down that damn household. I donât want to see you running around. Do you hear me?â
Cameron started to lose control. It seemed as though a seal had been broken.
Word by word, Cameron expressed his anger, becoming more like himself after having been oddly calm up until this point.
I secretly glanced at Theodore to see what he would be thinking as I watched Cameron let all of his suppressed feelings out.
We briefly locked eyes as Theodore turned to look at me.
Theodore appeared equally perplexed as I did before he narrowed one eye.
The sudden wink almost made me feel bad, but I could see that his ideas were in line with mine.
He seemed to be saying, âLetâs just bear with it because heâs pitiful.â
Yeah. Thatâs what you do when you feel inferior.
Theodore and I decided to act like adults and listen to whatever Cameron said with one ear and let it out the other.
Oh, how I wish we had a tape recorder so we could catch him doing this on tape.
I stood there and listened to Cameronâs tirade, planning to tell Gilbert about it later.
âI canât stand the damn demonic blessing. Itâs so disgusting that itâs killing me. Youâve been blessed so grossly, that your mother died!â
No, I tried to listen.
Isnât the talk about our mother going a little too far?
Theodore also appeared to be very upset about it because his hand, which was resting on my shoulder, started to shake.
When I looked down, I noticed that his other handâthe one that wasnât wrapped around my shoulderâwas emitting a black aura.
Theodoreâs hand was full of dark energy, so I extended my hand as far as I could and grabbed it.
I canât allow him to use magic on royalty.
âApologize.â
âWhat.â
âFor insulting my late mother.â
âDo you harbor feelings of love for a mother you have never met?â
âPrince.â
âOh, is it guilt? Because itâs no different from killing her yourself?â
âPlease stopâŠâ
âWho are you going to kill next time?â
Cameronâs words reminded me of the curse spoken by the god of the underworld. My body stiffened. Theodore, who was standing behind me, reached out his hand towards Cameron without any hesitation.
Before I could stop him, a spherical black figure stretched out of Theodoreâs hand and attacked Cameron.
âArgh!â
âHa, I really tried to hold it in.â
Theodore approached Cameron, who was sprawled out on the ground, and ran his hand through his hair.
Although Theodore was the youngest and cheeriest of the three brothers, he was surprisingly the coldest.
âYou bastard, are you crazy, huh, attacking the royal family?â
Theodore replied in the same lazy tone heâd been using, and Cameron clutched at his chest, struggling to breathe.
âYes, Iâll be sure to tell Brother Gilbert and learn manners.â
âYou, keuk, are going to prison, ack.â
âThe jail must be very crowded with Sofia inside; are there any available cells?â
âWhatâs wrong with you, really!â
I hugged Theodore tightly to stop him from continuing to taunt Cameron.
If Theodore ends up in jail because of me againâŠâŠ. Theodore squeezed my shoulder as I wallowed in self-pity. He looked me in the eye and said,
âItâs not because of you. Donât think itâs because of you. I just wanted to beat him up since the first day I entered the academy.â
âButâŠâ
âDonât blame yourself for my impatience; even if I go to jail, it will be because I messed up. Got it?â
âOh, whatâs going on?â
Someone approached us. I had never seen that particular man before. Cameron was stumbling around on the ground when he ran to him.
Come to think of it, itâs been a while since Iâve seen Cameronâs aide. Is this a new one?
âNo, whatâs going on? Did you get your ass kicked again?â
âX?â
Cameron yelled out the manâs name while posing as though he was perplexed by his presence.
Xâs eyes were fixed on me as he extended his hand to help Cameron stand up.
âI donât feel good.â
I hugged Theodore closer in response to the manâs persistent gaze.