“It’s just…”
Deon moved his lips as if it was trivial but hesitated.
It was just a small hesitation that could’ve been easily ignored if one didn’t pay attention.
In addition to half of his mind concentrating on Kathia, as well as not expecting much of an answer from him, Hughes couldn’t catch Deon’s momentary pause, as expected.
At the same time, the Second Consort and the Second Prince then entered, so that question became irrelevant.
Right away, while donning a mask of obedience, Deon bowed to them.
“Greetings, Mother, Brother. Have you been well?”
“Yes, has the Prince also been well?”
The Second Consort wore a soft expression as she replied tenderly.
Like Deon, she was a woman whose mind could not be read. At the meeting of the two old snakes, Hughes shrank away in disgust and glanced at the Second Prince who was standing behind the Second Consort.
Always overshadowed was the Second Prince, dismissed by every aristocrat as petty, unambitious, and having little potential.
However, he was born with great magic power and ability, so there are some people rooting for him to become Emperor.
Click. The sound came from Hughes raising his monocle as he looked at the Second Consort once more.
Until now, the Second Consort lay low, suppressed by the First Consort’s power and authority. Of course, no one, not even a dog, believed that she did so because she had no desire.
She must’ve vigilantly waited for an opportunity.
Maybe she even concocted a detailed plan.
The fact that she is popular among the commoners due to donating or building an orphanage couldn’t have resulted purely from the goodness of her heart.
Hughes was still somewhat uncomfortable around the Second Consort, who always had a smile plastered on her face.
In fact, the simple First Consort, who showed her intention to everyone clearly, seemed far better.
“Come to think of it, Prince. I encountered something very interesting a while back.”
“What was interesting?”
“Well, I set a trap to catch a mouse, but instead, a cat has been caught. This was quite unimaginable.”
Saying some unexpected words, the Second Consort cackled, unable to help herself.
Compared to his mother, the Second Prince, Daniel, kept glancing towards the front row with a gloomy expression.
“Oh my, I’ve rambled on for too long, keeping you standing around so long. Let us have a seat.”
Unlike Hughes’s hopes of sitting far away, the Second Consort insisted on sitting near Deon.
Daniel also picked up on his mother’s cue and sat himself down carefully.
Soon after, it was time for the trial to begin.
An uproar occurred near the front entry, the First Consort, the Third Prince, and the Duke of Tanium walked in together.
Still clad in black clothing for mourning, each of them scowled at Kathia before passing by her with their own intentions.
As soon as they sat down on the complete opposite side of Kathia, away from her, the panel of judges entered, as if they had been waiting.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Hughes clicked his tongue quietly. Their intentions were blatantly obvious.
Why don’t you just write it on your faces, announce that you came back from a clandestine rendezvous?
In any case, the entire imperial palace and judiciary are rotten.
So rotten, it’s festering, in the midst of bursting. The main source couldn’t be pinpointed, but as of now, the biggest fault lied in the incompetent emperor.
It’s better not to have the swaying authority of the emperor at all.
Thus, it was time for a new wave to cover everything and sweep away all the tainted earth.
Hughes, without a doubt, believed Deon was the one who would summon the wind to create that wave.
It was like that when they first met.
By the order of his mother, Marchioness Glodis, he entered the palace to be a servant to the youngest Imperial Prince, but after complaining and thinking he’s just grasping at straws, Hughes became mesmerized by a boy of the name Deon Arc del Brezina.
Being thrown into the world of black and white alone, how proud and uplifted he looked. How much light emanated from him.
Thanks to that, from that point on, it became the reason why he was following the unlucky boy three years younger than him.