A massive mansion in the prime location of the imperial capital.
In one of the rooms of the mansion, Gido felt extremely uncomfortable.
"Gido... What did I tell you?"
"C-C father... T-that..."
"Answer the question. What did I say?"
A dukedom with the second-longest history in the empire.
The current head of the Holzvart Dukedom.
A middle-aged man with long brown hair, tall and exuding a calm demeanor. However, his eyes were cold as they stared at Gido.
"L-Leonard Your Highness's faction... to join..."
"Yes. For the sake of the Holzvart Dukedom, I wanted to join the rising faction of Leonard Your Highness. To ensure the Holzvart Dukedom retains its influence no matter who wins. What did you do in response to that?"
Rolf calmly stated and gestured for Gido to continue.
Gido, with a frightened expression, shook his head.
"I had no choice! Arnold suddenly snapped and wouldn't listen! It's all his fault!"
"Gido... Don't disappoint me any further. Answer my question. What did you do?"
It was a gentle and calm inquiry.
However, there was an undeniable pressure behind it.
Gido, shuddering, averted his gaze and said,
"Your Highness. Why don't you learn?"
"He's a washed-up prince! Just a lazy good-for-nothing! He's always been beneath me! He doesn't deserve the title of Your Highness!"
"Is that so? You were intimidated by someone who has nothing and is beneath you... and ended up falling on your butt?"
"That... I didn't think he would get angry!"
"Attacking others is a dangerous act. There's a risk of retaliation. You should always consider the possibility of retaliation when you attack. But you didn't even consider it when you attacked a prince of higher rank. It's nothing but foolish."
Gido, shocked and with his pride wounded, glared at Rolf, but quickly averted his gaze when Rolf narrowed his eyes. He then kicked the floor repeatedly, venting his pent-up anger.
"I knew you were bullying Arnold Your Highness. Probably because you were receiving strict education every day and had pent-up frustration. I understand that you didn't like the carefree prince and that bullying was a way to vent your frustration. However, do you understand why I didn't stop you?"
"T-That's because... he's not a significant prince...?"
"Even more foolish. Listen carefully. I wanted you to learn. I wanted you to take it as a good lesson. That attacking others will lead to painful consequences. But you didn't have the opportunity to learn. Because Arnold Your Highness didn't retaliate. I was disappointed. Then you grew up. You brought many followers and I thought you had grown up. But you haven't grown up at all. You are even more immature and foolish than I imagined."
"B-But I am a grown-up now!"
"If you were a grown-up, you would maintain a facade. The other party is the son of the emperor. It's not a child's play but a discussion between adults, so it's natural to be polite. You didn't do that. And you received retaliation from the prince. At a very important and crucial moment, you received retaliation. If you blame it all on the prince, then so be it. If you had learned a painful lesson as a child, this wouldn't have happened. Arnold Your Highness has been mature since childhood, which is why you remained arrogant and immature, growing only in body. It's very disappointing."
Gido clenched his lips at Rolf's words, which seemed to praise Al. It was unacceptable to him that Al, whom he despised, was being praised.
"He's a grown-up!? Where? He never did anything!"
"That's right. And you did everything."
"That's right! I worked hard, and he didn't!"
"The result is this. Your hard work led to you failing my request and embarrassing yourself in front of many nobles. On the other hand, Arnold Your Highness achieved this result without working hard. I prefer a lazy wise person to a hardworking fool... What about you?"
Gido, unable to bear it any longer, raised his hand to strike something.
However, at that moment, a sharp voice rang out.
Gido's tantrum subsided at Rolf's voice. Then Rolf said gently but cruelly,
"I entrusted your education to your mother because she doted on you. That's why I didn't interfere more than necessary. But it seems to have been a mistake. Go back to your room. You need to cool your head."
"I don't like repeating myself."
Gido, silenced, left the room in a rage, and the sound of something breaking could be heard from a distance. Rolf sighed deeply.
The one who entered this time was a slightly younger boy than Gido. He was tall like Gido but more athletic and didn't wear the eccentric clothes that Gido did. His cheerful smile made him a believable son of Rolf. The boy's name was Rainer von Holzvart, the second son of the Holzvart Dukedom, who was sixteen this year and the heir apparent.
Rainer, unlike Gido, didn't resemble his mother as much, so his mother didn't dote on him as much. Therefore, Rolf had been involved in Rainer's education. As a result, their personalities were so different that it was hard to believe they were brothers.
"Was your brother in a bad mood?"
"He was even more agitated than usual. He must have been really upset about being glared at by Leonard Your Highness."
"It's his own fault. It's all his responsibility. However, entrusting him was my responsibility. This situation needs to be resolved."
Leon's faction had entered the imperial succession struggle.
I intended to send Gido to Leon's faction to curry favor, but it ended up making him angry.
It's clear that Leon trusts Al. Angering Al means the worst impression from Leon.
"To be honest, as long as my brother is around, I don't think it's possible to ally with Leonard Your Highness."
"I agree. Although I don't think Leonard Your Highness is the type to hold a grudge, Gido said something that made him extremely angry. It's unlikely that the relationship can be repaired."
"I can't go either. What do we do?"
"If necessary, we'll have to eliminate them. If Leonard Your Highness becomes emperor, we won't be able to exert the same influence as before. We might be respected as an old dukedom, but we'll be far from power. The plan to avoid that has failed."
"That's true. But it's troublesome."
Rolf nodded at Rainer's words.
Both of them had been closely watching Al, who glared at Gido.
Many people think that Al suddenly got angry and Gido was surprised, but their opinions were different.
It was clearly the gaze of someone with power.
If this is true, the enemies are the rising hero prince and the wise prince who has hidden his claws for years.
If possible, we don't want to be enemies.
But Gido has already taken the first step towards enmity.
"I should have interfered with Gido earlier..."
"Even if you say that, he would only give a good answer on the spot. I was surprised too. Going to ask for a favor in a high-handed manner is crazy. It's his personality. It can't be changed."
"Can you win with such a Gido?"
"Everything depends on how you use it. If necessary, we can disown him. If Mother opposes and wants to leave, let her. She can marry a new noble."
"That's true. It's very reasonable. Using Gido's tendency to cause problems to make him do something might be useful. If we disown him beforehand, it won't hurt us."
Rolf and Rainer laughed as they thought about it.
Their smiles, plotting something evil, were both cold.
The bad guys are getting more and more numerous...