The Second Prince's Gift
The tension in the office had reached its peak. The air felt razor-sharp and icy, like a bowstring pulled taut to the limit. It was an overwhelming killing intent that made it hard to even breathe properly.
I was currently sandwiched between two of the empire's most powerful figures. On either side of me, glaring at each other, were Adel and the Second Prince, Cayden.
How on earth did it come to this?
Things had been fine when Adel first started visiting. I'd even grown used to her showing up every single day.
That was when, accompanied by light, cheerful footsteps, the office door swung wide open.
Cayden entered with a bright smile, only to freeze the moment he opened the door. His gaze landed on Adel, who stood beside me. It was a look full of wariness.
Cayden smiled, but his voice was deceptively gentle as he asked,
There were thorns hidden in his words. His eyes, however, weren't smiling at all—they stared coldly at Adel.
Adel replied with a smile, completely unfazed. She tilted her head toward me.
She looked like she was begging to be petted. Before I knew it, I'd reached out and obliged her.
The moment my hand touched her, Adel's expression turned languid with satisfaction. She smiled faintly and glanced sideways at Cayden. His eyebrow twitched.
Adel buried her face against my shoulder and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
With those words, the two of them locked eyes again. Sparks seemed to fly between their gazes.
Ouch. It's getting hot in here.
Instead of responding to Adeline's firm refusal, Cayden let out a dry laugh and sat down beside me.
A thin vein bulged at Adeline's temple with an audible twitch.
Cayden narrowed his eyes.
Cayden's expression hardened instantly.
Cayden's eyes burned with stubborn determination that said he would never back down. Adeline snorted in response.
Their conversation was running on completely parallel lines. Sandwiched between them like the filling in a sandwich, I could only watch the situation in a daze.
Why are they acting like this? Do they not get along? What's going on?
As far as I knew, the two of them had never had any major points of contact before. Had something happened between them while I wasn't looking—something that turned them into enemies?
Ah, I don't know. Let them fight. I'll just eat my snacks.
It's got nothing to do with me anyway.
I pulled the plate of cookies on the table closer and took a big, crunchy bite of a butter cookie. Delicious, as always.
With their childish bickering serving as background music, I chewed with puffed-out cheeks and the most peaceful expression in the world, already scouting my next target.
But my peace didn't last long.
Adeline wrapped her arms tightly around my right arm, pressing it firmly against her chest. Not to be outdone, Cayden grabbed my left arm and refused to let go.
With both arms completely pinned, I couldn't even reach for the cookie plate on the table anymore.
When I grumbled in a muffled voice, both heads snapped toward me as if they'd been waiting for it.
Adel smiled and picked up a cookie. But at the same time, Cayden's cool voice cut in from my left.
Cayden looked at the cookie in Adeline's hand with clear mockery and picked up a fork. He stabbed an ornate chocolate cookie and brought it right up to my lips.
Cayden's fork and Adeline's fingers crossed in front of my mouth like an invisible barrier.
With cookies being thrust at me from both sides, my mind went blank. In the end, I had no choice but to eat whatever came at me.
Crunch. Munch. Nom.
The two of them glared at each other with wide eyes, as if competing over who could feed me more and faster—like children in a silly contest. Thanks to their childish competitive spirit, my cheeks had swollen up like a hamster's.
This was too much. There was already no room left in my mouth, yet another cookie was trying to force its way in.
(Stop shoving them in! I'm going to burst!)
My words came out completely garbled because my mouth was stuffed full. With my cheeks puffed out to the limit, I whimpered and tried to push their hands away.
Only then did the two of them freeze.
I glared at them with teary eyes, cheeks still comically swollen. Heh. My acting has reached the level where I can summon tears at will now.
I turned my head away, pretending to be upset. The two of them immediately panicked.
Leaving them behind, I fell into thought.
The current power structure in the imperial family was flowing in favor of the First Prince. He had the backing of a powerful noble alliance and the legitimacy of the imperial bloodline. But if he became emperor, the empire would be finished. He viewed the North not as the empire's shield, but as a cancerous tumor that needed to be removed.
If he seized complete power, his checks against the North would become far more blatant. The resulting pressure would weaken the northern forces considerably.
It wasn't properly mentioned in the original story, but after Adeline's death, the empire began to decline at an alarming rate. Of course, Cayden and Elena eventually overcame it and managed to set the empire right again.
But there was no need to take such a long detour.
I also hoped Adeline wouldn't die.
The important thing was that the North was a far more critical strategic point than they realized.
Cayden and Adeline. The two of them were the perfect allies for each other. Cayden would gain the North—a solid shield to check the First Prince—while Adel could secure the North's right to exist under official imperial protection.
There was no way they didn't know that.
Up until now, Cayden, who had shown no interest in the throne, still lacked any real faction of his own. From the latest information, it seemed he was finally starting to develop some ambition… but it still felt a bit slow.
Even if he pulled in the North, he still lacked the strength to step forward completely. There was no clear focal point for the older brother to rally around.
The First Prince already had the majority of the empire's great nobles on his side. Those rotten vested interests sucking up all the sweet nectar of power.
What Cayden needed to draw in were the alienated emerging powers and the local lords. They were angry at the First Prince right now, but they hadn't seen a clear enough path to victory to risk their lives by siding with Cayden.
I smiled back at the two of them as they laughed awkwardly.
A powerful focal point, huh… There was one person who came to mind.
In the midst of the peace that had finally returned, Cayden reached into his coat. He paused for a moment when he saw Adel, then continued.
He pulled out a bundle of documents. The stiff paper was stamped with the imperial crest in an imposing manner.
What he spread out was a list of marriage proposals sent by the empire's influential families.
As he spoke, he glanced at Adel. Though he was asking me, it was obvious he wanted Adeline's—the North's leader—political judgment and opinion.
Adel didn't avoid his gaze and lowered her eyes to the documents.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone knocking echoed through the room. Cayden tucked the documents back into his coat and said,
The door opened, and Elena walked in.
Cayden tried to shake off the heavy atmosphere from earlier, speaking in a deliberately bright voice.
Elena smiled softly and placed a catalog of goods in front of me.
A thin silver bracelet on her wrist sparkled.
Good. That's more than enough justification.
I reached out. Elena blinked in surprise. In that moment, I grabbed her hand.
I smiled brightly, looking completely innocent.
Elena laughed, clearly flustered. Still holding her hand, I turned to Cayden.
I smiled brightly once more.
There would be many obstacles to overcome, but Elena would handle that herself. Prove your worth first. If you can't, then never mind. I have no use for someone who only amounts to that much.
A low voice spoke. It was Adeline. I turned my head. She was smiling. Definitely smiling. But her eyes weren't smiling at all.
I nodded vigorously.
Wonderful in what way?
Adeline very slowly looked down at my hand clasped with Elena's. Then she quietly approached and wrapped her hand around mine. Carefully, she pried my hand away from Elena's.
I nodded quietly. It had indeed been rude. Was she pointing that out?
Adeline whispered as she held my hand.