Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Erewin von Edbalt
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Erewin von Edbalt.
No other modifiers are needed. She is currently the empire's one and only princess.
She must draw the gaze of all the empire's subjects with every step she takes, receiving their praise.
She must display the greatest talent among all women.
That is the fate of one who has become a princess. That was what she had been taught, and she believed it must be so.
But Erewin could not do it. Because Rubia de Clarent had been born in the same era.
In appearance and talent, Erewin surpassed Rubia in nothing.
She had mobilized every means possible to overcome this, but she only felt her limits more acutely with time.
Currently, the one point where Erewin surpassed Rubia was singular. Her status as princess.
But the moment Michael became emperor, this would be reversed.
Rubia would become empress, and Erewin would have to leave the imperial family.
Whether it was Abigail's long-cherished desire or not, Erewin could not tolerate Rubia becoming empress more than she could tolerate Michael becoming emperor.
However, even if her mother won, it wouldn't change much.
Erewin would still have to leave the imperial family someday. That, too, was part of her fate as a princess.
If it came to that, Erewin would ultimately vanish from history.
She didn't want that. She wanted to leave a chapter in the empire's history for herself, in some form or another.
There was still a way.
Damian. He had shown potential.
His growth was incomparable to two years ago.
If this continued, surpassing not only the other princes but even Michael would not be impossible.
No, she would make it so.
She would capture Damian's heart and use every means to place him on the emperor's throne.
And Erewin would become the greatest empress in the empire's history.
Her influence would be incomparable to her mother Abigail's.
And above all, what she desired most was this.
The fact that she had taken what Rubia wanted.
* * *
The green flames died down. The artifact—one of the causes of the problem—had left no trace behind.
Aum Pasha said it was a confluence of coincidences.
But Ariella only mentioned Boris and Erewin's mansion.
The rest, she meant, they could handle themselves.
Hoo. As Damian caught his breath for a moment.
-D-Damian! We found her! We found Lady Ariella!
Dennis's urgent voice came through the communication device.
-W-Where is she...?
"She's in her own room, right?"
-H-How did you know that, Lord Damian?
"It seems to have been resolved well. I'll head up soon myself."
As the tension released, languor spread through his entire body.
Even though it had been a simple battle. That was how sensitive Ariella's issue had been.
"I'm sorry, Sister. Since it was the tower master's matter, I may have been a bit rude."
"No, it's fine. It was a major issue for the Magic Tower. And you're close to the tower master, like family. Still..."
Tok. Erewin's white finger tapped Damian's chest.
The flustered look from moments ago was gone, replaced by her usual haughty expression.
"Even think of your real 'family' a little."
What was she getting at? She didn't even truly think that way.
Damian reflexively swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape and smiled softly instead.
He couldn't fathom what emotions this woman—his half-sister—harbored.
It seemed like behavior driven by awareness of Rubia, but even so, she was increasingly crossing lines.
"I'm a bit tired. Mind if I rest a moment before heading up?"
Without waiting for an answer, Erewin lay comfortably on the sofa.
He had no choice but to sit on the remaining chair, but Erewin ultimately pulled Damian to sit beside her.
"Damian. Do you know?"
In the dim space with just the two of them, Erewin closed the distance.
"In the early days of the imperial family, incest was rampant. To preserve pure bloodlines, or so they say."
Damian adjusted his clothing and leaned back slightly.
A thick scent tickled his nose, and he couldn't help but grimace.
But Erewin kept her gaze downward, missing it.
"It's taboo now, but you and I could be said to be products of such incest."
"...That's news to me."
"I figured. Parts of the empire's early history were deliberately damaged. I saw it in Father's study when I was young."
That book had been discovered and taken by Kyle, Lucas's exclusive butler.
Moreover, as punishment for reading it, she had been banned from Lucas's chambers for a month.
"From that book, I learned there were even female emperors in the past. It seems it only solidified as male succession a few hundred years ago."
Damian grabbed Erewin's shoulder and pushed her away.
Erewin pouted. But it soon relaxed.
It wasn't unpleasant. Damian's hand had touched her directly.
"Damian, who do you think will become the next emperor?"
He was about to stand, but the follow-up question halted his movement.
This was an opportunity. If he guided it well, he could gauge the current strength of the legitimate faction.
"By imperial law, the eldest son has priority, so it would be Brother Michael."
"Too textbook an answer. Fine, let me rephrase. Who do you want to be the next emperor?"
"Sister. I don't understand the intent of the question."
"Don't you feel a little wronged? You have no chance."
"Well, because I'm..."
"An illegitimate child. So what? The most noble bloodline in the empire is the imperial family. Nobles of the four great houses or commoners are all insignificant before it."
Erewin burrowed back into Damian's embrace, whispering in a low voice.
"I know your strength, your talent. You have what it takes to be emperor."
Erewin no longer saw Damian as the frail illegitimate of the detached palace. She saw him as timber worthy of aiming for the throne.
"Honestly, I feel a bit wronged too."
"What about?"
"I can't become emperor, nor empress."
She said the obvious as if it weren't. Had the recent battle blown away her reason?
"...Don't you want to resist that fate? Together. I can fill what you lack."
It was a dizzying statement.
For such a woman to be the empire's sole princess—it was hard to hold back a sigh.
Erewin's feelings toward him were now clear. She must have hit her head.
[Wow. She's impressive in every way.]
Gremory's voice rang out. Unlike other demons, she took interest in such matters.
'It's not just a matter of immoral emotions.'
Erewin planned to completely overturn the current situation.
Not only treating Michael and Rubia as enemies, but antagonizing Abigail as well.
If it were Abigail, she would rather push Michael to emperor than see Damian become one, even in death.
Even if it meant her one and only daughter Erewin becoming empress.
'And she wouldn't permit incest either.'
The fundamental reason she could harbor such audacious thoughts was one. Damian.
He had grown incomparably to before his regression.
She judged that by using him, she could become the final victor.
And today, she had revealed it to Damian.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. It's an unworthy endeavor. Even with you and me together, we can't defeat the other brothers."
Rubia aside.
At the unspoken addition, Erewin's lips quivered.
"Don't worry. Sister has it all planned. And you don't need to fret about that Rubia wench at all. The world hypes her up, but she's really nothing special."
Seeing Damian's face still stiff, Erewin pinched his cheek.
"That wench took a fatal wound in the ancient ruins. Couldn't even counter properly—knife right in the chest."
"...That didn't happen."
"No need to cover for her. Why do you think I know?"
Drawing even closer, Erewin whispered into his ear like a breath.
"We planned it. Got it? She's just that kind of woman."
Even as she said it, her lips still trembled. The facade Erewin showed now was mere bravado.
'I thought it possible, but to think it was true.'
Then the perpetrator was...
'Ciel?'
With her aura, such an ambush wasn't impossible.
But Ciel only followed Abigail's orders. The cautious empress wouldn't permit such a reckless plan.
'No way...'
-Ciel, right? Isn't she really attractive? I like women like that.
Boris's words from long ago resurfaced. He had been a young boy then, but his eyes were filled with clear lust.
He didn't know how she had seduced her, but it seemed Boris had made Ciel his own.
Of course, that didn't confirm a rift with the empress.
'What a tangled web.'
Erewin spoke as if she had played a role too, but Boris and Ciel must have devised the specifics.
Then why had Boris executed such a reckless plan?
The reason was simple. He didn't want it to end with the legitimate faction's victory—he wanted to become the next emperor himself.
For that, he needed a remarkable achievement, and removing Rubia was the surest way.
But it had failed.
The monster favored by magic had her pride wounded, and those involved would pay the price.
'Not a bad situation for me.'
Just because they were in the same boat didn't mean they were on good terms.
Moreover, the emperor's seat held allure enough to shatter even good relations.
If it had ended in the legitimate faction's victory, another civil war might have erupted. Entirely plausible.
Ultimately, all this chaos was Emperor Lucas's fault.
He practically neglected state affairs and couldn't even manage his household properly.
He was a man with nothing but his birth as the emperor's child.
"So, what's your answer? Need more time to think?"
Before he knew it, Erewin had wrapped both arms around Damian's neck.
Having bared her heart, she no longer held back.
To her, Damian was no longer a half-brother but a man.
'You think you can control me?'
It wasn't just using him as a pawn. She aimed to place Damian at the top and hold his leash.
'Fine. Then I'll play along.'
If the legitimate faction tore into each other, it was nothing bad for Damian.
He harbored no great personal feelings toward the empress or his half-brothers. They were merely obstacles to his ascension.
Unlike with Michael and Rubia, he didn't need to cut their throats himself.
So Erewin needed to run wild even more. She had to check the 2nd and 3rd princes while continuing to antagonize Rubia.
For that, what Damian had to do was...
"!!"
Startled, Erewin looked up. It felt like electricity coursed from her toes to the crown of her head.
Her left cheek went numb. Damian's lips had just touched it there.
She saw herself reflected in Damian's clear eyes. His long lashes—for a man—trembled faintly.
An expression faithful to desire. He unveiled emotions he had hidden, directing them solely at Erewin.
She hadn't revealed her heart today expecting an answer.
She had been tickling Damian's desires bit by bit, aiming to make his emotions hers.
'Was... that it?'
She couldn't think straight. The moment she had dreamed of was unfolding now.
Yes, she had known it would be like this. Damian's heart held a place for Erewin.
A heart even Rubia couldn't claim. The only one in the empire that belonged solely to Erewin.
—Or so she let herself believe, through his acting.
Agnes and Ramsey said Damian's acting was obvious, but fooling just Erewin in a situation like this was within his ability.
"..."
Erewin's lips parted, her face flushing red. Damian silently embraced her.
Her heart felt like it would explode. Intoxicated by emotion, even her breathing grew ragged.
She had won. For the first time today, she had bested Rubia.
The man she had desperately wanted had become hers today.
"Hnng~."
Erewin buried her face in Damian's chest, savoring his scent.
A heart neither Rubia, Agnes, nor any woman in the empire could obtain.
'She's losing it.'
Damian let out a hollow chuckle as he looked down at Erewin. Acting to deceive others wasn't as easy on the conscience as it seemed.