Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Checks for Balance
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The word "secret" caused Arsen's demeanor to shift subtly. He was smiling, but he made no effort to hide his displeasure. It was clear he was thinking something along the lines of how dare a mere viscount respond like that to an imperial prince's question.
Ian looked down at the boy without losing his smile.
‘He's brimming with malice to an astonishing degree.’
He sensed malice that went beyond mere cunning. They exchanged silent gazes for a moment. Then Arsen grinned playfully and swayed his body side to side.
"Ahaha. Lord Ian, you seem like such an interesting person."
"You're too kind, Your Highness."
Even if Arsen and Jin looked like identical twins, distinguishing between them was no great issue. Their personalities were far too different. Arsen was always in full bloom, vibrant and open, while Jin was like ice that refused to melt in the shadows—calm, cold, and indifferent.
"I made a mistake. If I hadn't smiled, it would have worked."
Arsen murmured regretfully, touching his cheeks. He seemed to think he'd been caught not by his dimples, but by the fact that Jin never smiled.
Creeeak.
"Lord Ian, please come in."
"Is His Highness Arsen joining us as well?"
"Your Highness? How could you come out in this cold? Please come here."
At Ian's gesture, the chamberlain gasped and draped his own outer garment over Arsen's shoulders. As if he'd been waiting, the boy let out a short cough.
"You've caught a chill already."
"How could I not wait when I heard Lord Ian was coming?"
Arsen beamed and extended his hand. It was a gesture inviting Ian to take it and go inside. Ian politely declined the prince's offer.
"My hands are cold. I'd chill Your Highness's as well."
"Do you dislike me, Lord Ian?"
"Of course not."
"Then take my hand. With your right hand."
It was a command. At the boy's firm tone, the chamberlain bowed his head and urged Ian on. His stubbornness was legendary; once he dug in his heels, he wouldn't budge. Ian carefully took Arsen's hand while looking down at him. As if nothing had happened, the boy flashed a bright smile and pulled him along.
"Come on in."
Creeeak. Thud!
Warmth enveloped them the moment they entered. Despite the early hour, Dillaina sat on the sofa in perfect attire, sipping tea. She gave Ian and Arsen a puzzled smile upon seeing them enter.
"Arsen, I was wondering where you'd gone."
"I went to greet Lord Ian."
Jin sat across from Dillaina, posture straight, maintaining his dignity, rigid. When his eyes met Ian's, Jin lowered his gaze slightly in greeting. His eyelashes cast long shadows in the morning sunlight.
"Lord Ian, have a seat. I know you're busy with work, so this won't take long."
At Dillaina's gesture, Ian adjusted his coat and sat. Meanwhile, Arsen scurried over to Jin and stuck close, whispering so quietly no one else could hear.
"I held the mage's hand?"
"......"
Jin glanced at Arsen with just his eyes. It wasn't all that surprising. Arsen always liked to get one step ahead of everyone else.
Simply seeing mana with his own eyes probably wasn't enough for him, like the other imperial children. So he'd gone and touched the hand of a mage—and not just any mage, but the one who had dealt with Wesley.
"Next time, I'm going to touch a mana orb. What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"
Remembering his own memory with Ian at his brother's boastful words, Jin recalled the warm, fluffy sensation of mana swimming between his fingers. What face would Arsen make if he knew Jin had touched it first?
"Why aren't you answering? Isn't it impressive?"
"...Impressive. Arsen."
He wouldn't stop until he got a response. Arsen grinned widely and held out his palm to Jin, as if to say, you couldn't touch it, but at least look. At that moment, Dillaina cleared her throat pointedly, reining in the two princes.
"Princes, behave yourselves."
"Yes, Mother!"
"...My apologies."
Though both received the same reprimand, only Jin's shoulders hunched noticeably. In that sight, Ian glimpsed fragments of his own past. A precious childhood squandered because he hadn't realized his own worth. If only someone had properly guided him then, he wouldn't have suffered so pointlessly.
‘Mages are rare, but most come from commoner stock. If you're found out, you'll be thrown out of the estate, so hide it.’
Crony. Traitor, uncle, and the only adult Ian could rely on outside the palace. To young Ian, his words had been the world, the truth.
‘As a family member watching over you not as your uncle, but as kin: Ian, do you think you have what it takes to be emperor? You're just a mage born into a noble house. If you seize the throne through mere luck of circumstance, you'll only end up hurt. So refuse the offer.’
In the end, he'd been right. Ian had ascended to the throne only to crumble in rebellion, losing precious people like Naum. Though he hated to admit it, Crony was among them.
"Lord Ian?"
"Yes, Lady Dillaina."
Ian looked up with a bright smile, as if he hadn't missed a word. Dillaina elegantly touched the rim of her teacup and broached the subject.
"You look unwell."
"I've been too busy with work to sleep properly."
"I hear you're also involved in selecting the Magic Department Minister."
"That's true. Especially now, we need someone steady at the helm on the front lines."
"And what of Prince Marib? Hasn't he offered any words of encouragement?"
Dillaina subtly dangled the bait. She was probing whether Ian's patron was Marib—which meant checking if Marib stood to gain when Ian became minister.
"It's an internal Magic Department matter, so no separate encouragement has come from the palace yet. It would be a great honor if you offered it first, Lady Dillaina."
In the current landscape, where alliances between Marib, Gail, and the lower princes were foreseeable, Ian left room in his response. Dillaina unwittingly placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief.
"Hoo."
"Are you alright?"
Why is she acting like that? Ian looked at her curiously, but Dillaina just shook her head.
"Then, has the Captain of the Mana Stone Management Division, among your supporters, joined as well?"
"Lady Dillaina, you've met with Prince Gail."
"......"
Silence means consent, as they say. Instead of answering, Dillaina closed her eyes briefly and frowned. From her demeanor, it was clear Gail had approached her with a proposal for a temporary alliance.
‘Come to think of it, I don't know much about Dillaina's family background.’
With Arsen and Jin so young, and older princes blocking above, her influence in the palace was negligible.
But Dillaina was a woman who had earned the emperor's trust and filled the role of empress. Given the lack of rumors about her origins, she was at least noble, and possibly even foreign royalty.
"Yes. Precisely, Gail came to me. First time he's entered the palace since returning. I thought the situation must be dire for him, but upon reflection, it didn't seem like solely his problem."
"The more adults in the palace, the better. That way, Princes Arsen and Jin will have much to observe and learn."
If the balance between Marib and Gail tipped, the fallout would pour onto the twin princes. Dillaina couldn't afford to stay neutral. She realized that aligning with the tilting side to restore balance was the key to survival.
"Gail told me there's someone in the Magic Department to replace Wesley. I figured it must be one of the minister candidates, but no one fitting came to mind."
She took a sip to wet her throat before continuing.
"Most are small fry without backers, and the only promising one among the candidates, Captain Jang, I was planning to support myself."
Ah, so the one backing Captain Jang was Dillaina. Ian nodded slightly, as if things were clicking into place.
"But if you're Gail's hidden card, that's a different story. Why share the pie? I'll support you actively as well."
"It's an honor."
This would birth a Magic Department Minister backed simultaneously by the First Prince, Second Prince, and Fourth and Fifth Princes. No one would dare voice opposition. Ian swallowed a chuckle at Gail's scheming.
‘You're busy on all fronts, Gail. Even so, if we're in the same boat, it wouldn't hurt to give a heads-up on matters like this.’
Without information sharing, he couldn't tell how much Dillaina knew. Not to mention what they'd traded for this temporary alliance.
Gail might be building a provisional force, but what about Dillaina? What had she gained? She wouldn't have jumped in just for maintaining balance.
"So, you summoned me to confirm that?"
"That's the most important thing. Right now."
Dillaina smiled faintly. The word "right now" carried much weight. Ian returned a ceremonial smile and bowed his head.
"When you become Magic Department Minister, I'll arrange another meeting."
"I'll be waiting."
"Know this: then you'll have access to all the Magic Department's records. And once you know, you can't go back to not knowing."
The confidential records would surely detail the oracles about Arsen and Jin. Was she implying there was more beyond the revealed prophecies? Well, he'd find out in time.
Ian rose with a composed farewell.
"Call on me anytime you need. I won't forget your gracious support, Lady Dillaina."
"Music to my ears."
"Then I'll take my leave."
"Oh, have you heard this?"
Dillaina stopped Ian.
"This isn't from Gail, but something I overheard at a gathering of noble daughters. I'm curious if it's true."
"Please ask."
"There's a rumor that Gail is betrothed to the daughter of House Haiman. Do you know anything?"
House Haiman. The noble house gripping the heart of Bariel finance. With royal blood from foreign lands, they were power incarnate. Perfect to fill the void left by Wesley's death.
"I'm sorry, I know nothing about it."
"Is that so? Pity. Very well."
If true, Gail was a man who wouldn't die easily. He could properly smash the back of Marib's head, who would relax thinking him half-dead.
Creeeak.
As Ian exited, Dillaina toyed with her hair, lost in deep thought. Amid the bloody feud between Marib and Gail, she and her sons were always the ones trembling in anxiety. Even if she smoothed things over now, wouldn't they eventually clash head-on someday?
Before Arsen and Jin came of age, either Marib or Gail would surely come at them with a blade.
‘Marib and Gail, and Ian.’
Ian felt like the point where gears meshed. He surely held the key to checking both simultaneously. If only she could grasp it properly...
"Mother, what are you thinking about so deeply?"
"Hm? Nothing, dear."
Dillaina affectionately stroked the head of Arsen, who nestled against her affectionately, then looked at Jin. He remained seated, gazing at his mother with impassive eyes.