Chapter 295
- Thamalasca
- 5 hours ago
- 8 min read
Where Tara and Lloyd have to make a grave decision regarding the future of the Family.
This chapter is dedicated to Nightsdawn! Thank you for your support and kind comment!
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Episode 295: About Two Months (3)
As time went by, the thought became clearer, and my suspicion that the Second Prince might have anticipated and acted upon the series of events currently unfolding took deep root in my mind.
After all, he was undoubtedly the kind of person who thought several steps ahead.
On top of that, Andrei, who was supposed to be working with the Second Prince, hadn't returned yet.
That meant their collaboration was still ongoing.
To confirm this, I placed several ads in the newspaper, but there had been no reply.
Perhaps he misunderstood me the same way Kyle did...
"Haa... I don't know. I'm going to stop now. It'll be over soon anyway."
That was true. The end was nearing. If my hunch was correct, our family had escaped the threat of annihilation. That was enough. It was all that mattered.
As I stepped into the mansion's hall, I resolved to confirm whether my intuition was correct. I intended to lend my final support to ensure a fitting conclusion. Only then could I peacefully retire to the countryside.
***
Elias Mansion Hall / Afternoon.
As I stepped into the hall, I saw Chloe coming out of her office in a rush, accompanied by her lawyers.
She was fighting tooth and nail to reclaim the property that had been taken from her.
“Chloe, where are you going?”
Looking completely exhausted, Chloe approached me with a faint smile.
“I’m going to the Central Bank. I need to look into the nominee accounts Father mentioned.”
She was gathering every asset she could use to try and make a comeback.
"Sister, you can sell my mine and my horse. I'll draw up the paperwork and leave it in your study."
"I'd like to say it's okay, but right now, I'm grateful for even that. Thank you, I won't refuse."
"Don't mention it. I'm part of the Elias family after all. But Sis, don't push yourself too hard."
“Yes. Right. You too.”
Chloe glanced at the dirt caked on the hem of my pants, gave a wry smile, and led the lawyers out of the hall. I watched her leave and muttered to myself.
"If things go well, we might be able to get them back..."
***
I changed my clothes and headed straight to my father’s bedroom.
"Doctor Oliver said you need to eat properly. Don't keep pushing the food away, please eat. Tara, try to persuade him."
Fortunately, he said there had been no torture. Nevertheless, perhaps the shock of being imprisoned in the Palace had been too much. Father hadn't gotten out of bed since his return.
Despite Mother's concern as she sat close beside him, Father said little as he leaned against the headboard, stirring his soup while staring out the window.
"Father, I came to tell you my thoughts, hoping they might be of help in this situation."
“.......”
However, Father seemed completely uninterested in what I had to say and just kept staring out the window.
He looked listless, but he wasn't so weak that he couldn't get up, so I immediately asked him.
“Father, please tell me now."
“.......”
"The final message that the Second Prince sent: 'The request for knight deployment is cancelled'. What exactly does it mean?"
“Don’t do it.”
“Huh?”
"Don't do anything anymore. Just rest. You don't have to keep struggling so hard for the family."
“Father.”
"I shouldn't have let you take the Administration exam. It's all because of my own greed. Stop it now."
I took the bowl of soup from my Father's hands and asked Mother to give us a moment alone. She smiled gently and stepped outside.
“You should leave as well.”
“Father. You know, don’t you?”
“What?”
“That the Second Prince is alive.”
“......!”
Father suddenly sat up straight and finally looked at me. His expression was one of shock, his eyes darting around the room.
“W-w-what are you talking about? That... that bastard... is a-alive?”
When I handed him a glass of water, Father gulped it down and pressed me for an answer.
“You’re not doing anything. You won’t even meet with the creditors when they come. You’ve kept silent all this time about the funds in the nominee accounts, and only informed Chloe recently. You should be doing whatever it takes to protect our assets, even if it means transferring the business ownership, but you’re doing nothing as if you’re expecting to get it all back.”
“W-well… it’s just… I’m not feeling well, so… don’t you see? You know… I haven’t been able to eat for days…”
“Beth has been checking every night to make sure you were getting enough food. Your complexion looks great—it’s a lovely pale pink. And I confirmed with Josh that you’ve been drinking the nutritional tea he made for you without fail.”
"Haha... even though we agreed to keep it a secret."
Josh had quit his job when Elias Pharmaceuticals had been taken over by the Palace and was currently staying at the Elias mansion.
"You are deliberately staying in seclusion right now, aren't you? Since acting is hard for you, you are trying to avoid meeting outsiders by any means necessary. Now, tell me. What exactly are the Elias Knights’ orders?"
My father, taken aback, opened and closed his mouth a few times before rising from the bed as if he’d made up his mind.
He sat down at the table nearby and gestured for me to take a seat across from him.
Having returned to his usual demeanor as the head of the household, my father calmly explained the situation to me.
"Your guess is correct. It seems a major operation is about to take place. You have no idea how fortunate it is that that good-for-nothing Logan had both his legs broken at the last minute."
That was indeed the case. Logan had secretly been traveling by carriage at night to cross the border when the carriage wheel broke, leaving him no choice but to walk.
.
Rumor had it that, as he walked through the dark forest toward the border checkpoint where his comrades were, relying on a single lantern to light his path, someone pushed him from behind, causing him to tumble down the steep slope.
When he came to, both his legs were broken.
It was his attendant, Victor, who had found Logan after he had been laying there for two days. Victor personally carried Logan on his back down the mountain. Since then, Logan had treated Victor as his savior.
Furthermore, when Logan belatedly heard the news that many of the comrades he had planned to cross the border with had died during the protest, his attitude—which had previously been filled with resentment over his injured legs—made a complete 180. According to Victor's account, Logan had breathed a sigh of relief, calling it a stroke of luck that his broken legs had saved his life.
It was Victor who was currently tending to him in the hospital. And it was also Victor who had pushed him down the steep slope as Logan walked the dark forest path.
Even though we were alone in the room, my father lowered his voice as much as possible.
"I ordered the knights to move to the Capital and wait for the signal to head for the Palace. Moreover, the fact that this entire operation has the Emperor's tacit approval means he already knows everything. That's why I didn't believe in the Second Prince's death. He clearly said he was preparing for the next operation. Also, even if he lacks manners, there is no one among the Imperial Knights that can match him. He's not the type of person to lose his life so pointlessly."
I slowly nodded at my father’s words and said cautiously.
“The Emperor's behavior is suspicious, too.”
“Yes. He immediately announced his abdication and rescued Baron Kezak and me. It was as if he knew the two of us would be arrested.”
"Yes. That is correct. And as if he had been waiting for this moment, the Emperor collapsed, and coincidentally, ended up paralyzed on one side."
"Why do you say ‘coincidentally’?”
"Ah...yes. It's a diagnosis I'm somewhat familiar with. Anyway, putting that aside, he immediately vacated the Palace afterward. There are only two scenarios where the Emperor would vacate the Palace: when he believes the Palace is safer without him or when he believes the Palace is the most dangerous place to be. Right now..."
"It's the most dangerous place."
"And the one who is known for planning ahead and orchestrating situations like this, just as he did on the hunting grounds..."
"Is the Second Prince."
“Yes. I believe this is all a planned scenario.”
“That’s why I’m troubled.”
Father furrowed his brow and let out a sigh.
“I, too, have come to share my thoughts because of your dilemma.”
“What?”
"That's why you've been secluding yourself like this, isn't it? Now is the time to make a decision, but it's a very difficult one to make. Whether to stay put, or to take action and stake the family's fate on it."
My father’s eyes widened and sparkled for a moment.
"What do you think should be done?"
“First of all, I think your decision is the most important thing. Whatever you decide, I’ll follow it unconditionally. If you say we should stay put or should take action, I’ll offer my advice accordingly.”
My father, who had been rubbing his chin, gave a sly grin.
“My daughter, you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Ah… haha. It’s not exactly a plan. Haha. Would you like to hear both options?”
"Alright. Let's hear them."
‘Phew…’
After taking a deep breath, I first offered my opinion on the option to do nothing and just wait.
“If we do nothing, starting now, our family will have to completely give up on any connection to the Palace. We should wait for the Second Prince to return and for the situation to resolve itself naturally. Then do our best to explore ways to reclaim our family’s assets. I also think we need to secure capital and focus our investments solely on the most profitable ventures to drive growth.”
“That is correct.”
“Finally, this applies to both scenarios: we need to prepare in advance for the possibility that Logan might be implicated when the Second Prince returns. Even if we’re lucky enough to resume the trading company's operations, its scale will be significantly reduced. Our standing within the Empire won’t be what it once was either. On the other hand, since we’ll no longer be tied to the Palace, we won’t be swayed by Palace politics, so many risks will disappear. However, we also won’t be able to receive the Palace’s assistance when major crises arise. Consequently, we’ll likely be excluded from large-scale national projects as well.”
“Haa... Yes. I suppose so. What if we decide to take action?”
“We’ll have to cooperate with the next heir to the throne. Who does Father think will ascend to the throne?”
There was a huge difference between merely speculating that the Second Prince was alive and acting with the conviction that he would return and inherit the throne.
“.......”
It was by no means an easy decision to make. The future of our Family was at stake.
Understanding my father’s dilemma, I emphasized once more.
“I’m simply offering my opinion.”
“It seems the Second Prince is taking the lead in this situation. The current Emperor is in agreement, and if so, the throne would next go to...”
My father finished the sentence that he previously couldn't bring himself to say.
"It will go to the Second Prince. So, naturally we need to support him."
Clutching the armrest of his chair, my father asked reproachfully.
“After all the humiliation you’ve endured, you still want to take that brat’s side?”
Editor's Note -
As promised here is chapter 295! Enjoy!
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