Translator: Nox

Chapter 30

* * *

The Frazier Grand Duchy covers a staggering third of the Briyang Empire’s total landmass.

Even so, the sheer scale of the empire meant that traveling to the Imperial Capital was a grueling trek.

A week in a carriage would be enough to reach our destination, though.

“My terms for our agreement are simple, teacher: stick to your original itinerary.”

“…I don’t follow.”

“Why else would the White Tower send their most junior Pneuma to the Frazier Grand Duchy? Our families aren’t exactly on friendly terms.”

It was a logical deduction. When an organization’s brightest rising star is suddenly shipped off to a distant province, it usually means a massive promotion is waiting for them upon their return.

“You’re heading to the Imperial Palace next, aren’t you?”

“…Does your mastery of the Ancient Language provide you with some sort of divine foresight into world affairs?”

“My grandfather taught me a great deal.”

“It’s clear the Grand Duke holds you in high regard.”

The Grand Duke?

It was hard to guess what kind of strange idea he’d gotten into his head.

Regardless, that conversation sealed the pact between myself and Schulz Schmidt.

He would proceed to the Imperial Palace as a Pneuma, just as the original game dictated.

He had actually startled me when he initially told my grandfather he intended to stay at the Grand Duchy permanently to continue my education.

I couldn’t let that happen; he was my bridge to the Crown Prince.

Schulz Schmidt was undeniably talented—or perhaps just incredibly shrewd. He had somehow managed to secure Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s blessing for my trip to the Capital.

I found myself wondering what kind of silver-tongued argument he’d used to convince the old man.

I peered out the window as the carriage rolled along. The journey was surprisingly pleasant, thanks to a luxury coach outfitted with thick, high-quality padding. Before I knew it, the spires of the Imperial Capital were visible on the horizon.

“However…”

I shifted my gaze to Assis Grand Duke Frazier, who sat across from me, buried in paperwork.

I couldn’t quite wrap my head around why the Grand Duke himself was coming with me to the Palace.

* * *

“The Grand Duke will be here momentarily.”

Alessandro, the ruler of the Briyang Empire, grumbled to himself as he stepped into the prepared Central Audience Chamber.

Even for a man of his status, the elder Frazier was a figure who commanded respect—and perhaps a bit of wariness. Alessandro was closer in age to the Grand Duke’s son, Marquis Aster Frazier, than to the patriarch himself.

“Your Majesty.”

A melodious voice broke his reverie. A stunning woman, trailed by a retinue of attendants, approached in her regal finery.

“Empress.”

It was Empress Carmi. Her auburn hair glowed with health, and a crown encrusted with flawless sapphires and emeralds sat atop her head, marking her station.

“I’ve come to offer my greetings before I escort the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to the White Tower.”

“I see.”

“The White Tower is providing scholars of immense wisdom to serve as tutors for both boys.”

Standard protocol dictated that the White Tower send its Pneumas directly to the palace. However, Carmi had shifted the venue the moment she learned of the Grand Duke’s arrival.

She was well aware that Assis Grand Duke Frazier loathed her. He viewed her as a woman who had dragged the very concept of nobility through the dirt. She had no desire to endure his judgmental, icy stares.

“The Second Prince is still quite young,” she added, her voice a picture of practiced humility. “He isn’t quite ready for a formal audience with the Grand Duke.”

Under normal circumstances, Alessandro might have snapped that a Grand Duke was still just a subject, but the reality was more complicated. Assis was old enough to be his father, and the Frazier influence was undeniable.

The Grand Duchy was like a fortress built on an unbreakable foundation. Their annual tax contributions alone were vital to the treasury. Furthermore, the Marquis, Aster Frazier, had spent over a decade winning glory at the borders.

While everyone knew the Marquis hadn’t gone to the front lines out of pure devotion to the crown, his victories had bolstered his family’s prestige to untouchable heights. Even the twin sons were the talk of the Academy for their brilliance.

‘Didn’t he have a daughter as well?’

The Emperor vaguely recalled that Aster’s daughter was traveling with the Grand Duke today. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. The empire was teeming with minor nobles. He saw no reason to dwell on a child rumored to be an outcast within her own house.

“I am, however, concerned about the Crown Prince,” Carmi murmured.

Alessandro’s expression soured instantly. “What now?”

“He will undoubtedly believe the Second Prince is the reason he’s missing the chance to meet a figure as prominent as the Grand Duke. As a mother, it breaks my heart to see him so resentful.”

Every syllable she uttered seemed designed to grate on his nerves.

Alessandro had once been unfaithful to Empress Olivia, conducting a clandestine affair with Carmi while she was still a lady-in-waiting. The trauma of discovering the betrayal while pregnant had shattered Olivia’s health. After her passing and Carmi’s subsequent elevation to Empress, Grand Duke Frazier had been the loudest voice in the chorus of condemnation.

The old man had lectured him under the thin veil of ‘advice,’ and the Emperor had never forgotten the humiliation. Now, mentioning the Crown Prince—the very boy whose existence reminded the world of Alessandro’s past scandals—only fueled his rage.

“Ferdinand is the Crown Prince, but he is still my subject!” Alessandro barked. “If he thinks he can ignore a direct order, tell me at once. If he mistreats his brother, I want to know!”

“Please, calm yourself,” Carmi urged, looking distressed. “I only spoke out of maternal worry. He rarely listens to me since I am not his biological mother, but…”

“But I am his father!”

“The boy carries deep emotional scars, Your Majesty.”

“Scars? At his age? That’s nothing but a facade!”

The Emperor’s resentment burned bright. If only Olivia hadn’t poured her Divine Power into the child while she was in such a fragile state. That power was the reason the public refused to let the past die.

“That cursed Divine Power,” Alessandro hissed, his voice low and bitter.

The knights and courtiers in the room didn’t flinch. They were well-acquainted with the Emperor’s frequent, foul-mouthed outbursts. The air in the chamber remained thick with a familiar, suffocating tension.

The Emperor’s open loathing for his own flesh and blood was a constant shadow over the court.

After a tense silence, Carmi spoke again in her soft, practiced tone. “I shall depart for the White Tower with the princes now. It is a pity I won’t be here to welcome the Grand Duke myself.”

* * *

“The villages are becoming much more frequent as we approach the capital.”

The prosperity of the empire was evident in the bustling towns we passed. The trip had been remarkably smooth, and I found myself a mix of nerves and anticipation at the prospect of meeting the Crown Prince—the primary love interest.

Then, Schulz Schmidt delivered a piece of news that hit me like a physical blow.

“Wait, we’re parting ways here? You’re going to the White Tower? Why?”

The shock was so great that I forgot my manners, speaking to him without formal titles. Technically, since he’d resigned his post at our estate, he was my subordinate under imperial law.

Most nobles kept up the polite formalities with their former tutors out of habit, and Tulia’s original character was known for being a rude brat anyway, so I didn’t worry too much about the slip.

“The Crown Prince is at the palace,” I pressed. “The Second Prince is there, too.”

I knew from the game that Schulz would eventually become the Crown Prince’s tutor, bypassing the Empress’s own son. As a Pneuma, it was his destiny to teach the imperial elite.

Schulz Schmidt paused, his expression turning guarded.

“Miss.”

“Yes?”

“I mentioned I was heading to the Palace, but I never said a word about tutoring the imperial family.”

His eyes sharpened as he studied me.

“How did you know exactly who I was going there to teach?”