Chapter 70
To Smith, who had revealed his ambition for the imperial throne, Riina had asked:
‘Third Prince, no, Smith. Will you prove that you’re worthy of being Emperor?’
‘Prove?’
To Smith, who frowned as if displeased, Riina shook her head and clung.
‘I don’t mean prove it to me. To others… no, this method is too complicated and takes too long anyway.’
She immediately brought up the next method for gathering power to ascend to the imperial throne.
‘You should promise benefits to those gathered at your feet now when you become Emperor.’
Smith’s lips twisted as he recalled up to that point.
Yes. He needed to throw food to those prowling around looking for prey.
Before being rejected by Riina, Smith’s ‘food’ was ‘Bolshevik.’
Getting closer to the massive Bolshevik family.
Back then, Smith was like a master key that could freely open the Bolshevik doors.
But now he was just a useless key that didn’t fit.
That’s why he too, like everyone else, was knocking on the Bolshevik doors.
But if the door won’t open no matter how much you knock, there’s only one solution left.
“I’ll have to break it.”
Bolshevik.
If you could use them, they were the best card, but in someone else’s hands, weren’t they the worst card?
But bringing down the Bolshevik family would be an extremely difficult and arduous task.
No, it would be nearly impossible.
At minimum, they would need to be labeled with the tag of ‘treason.’
“Rebellion…”
Smith, who had muttered so quietly even his own ears could barely hear, shook his head.
If he couldn’t produce clear, obvious evidence of plotting treason, there was a high possibility that he himself, who brought up the ‘rebellion’ story, would be in danger.
Smith had great greed but little courage.
Moreover, he vaguely knew his own capabilities and was cunning.
In the end, Smith decided to use Jane.
No, he had intended to use her as a tool from the start, but he decided to use her in more versatile ways.
This too was something Riina had said one day in the past:
‘The most fearsome enemy is not someone else but the enemy within.’
Until now, Smith had looked down on Riina who confessed her love and clung to him, and was disgusted by her one-sided love.
But everything he was thinking of now came from Riina.
After all, it was she who had made him, who had been all surface and empty inside, into what he was now.
Of course, Smith himself wouldn’t notice this, and even if he realized it, he would never admit it.
His inflated ego, firmly believing he would become Emperor and rule over everyone’s heads, couldn’t accept that fact.
-Click.
A sinister smile spread across his lips as he turned the handle of the carriage bearing the imperial crest.
He couldn’t burn the Bolshevik family down to its foundation stones.
But there was a way to weaken their power and make them unable to even raise their heads in the empire he would rule for the next several decades.
And that method would also take care of the troublesome First Prince right away…
-Screech.
Just thinking of Einar made Smith’s blood boil, and the door handle screamed in his grip.
Smith opened his eyes after squeezing them shut and boarded the carriage.
Yes, that method was also an exquisite move that could eliminate Einar.
“I’ll make you watch clearly with both eyes as your precious Bolshevik family crumbles.”
Smith’s desire, looking up at the imperial throne in the center of the palace, was gnashing at his feet.
* * *
When Smith turned back toward the imperial palace without seeing even a strand of Riina’s hair,
She was sitting face to face with Einar, their heads together.
“I’ve thought about it, but there’s no clear solution.”
“So it seems.”
They knew everything – Lione’s miserable end, those who would trigger it, and the whole process.
But simply knowing wasn’t enough to prevent what would happen in the future.
“First we need to separate him from that so-called friend, that’s certain, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But we can’t just suddenly tell Young Lord Bartorio to cut ties with his friend.”
At Riina’s words, Einar nodded and added,
“And we can’t suddenly tell him to break off the engagement either.”
The conversation kept returning to square one like a hamster wheel, and Riina and Einar let out light sighs.
In truth, the simplest and surest method would be to tell Lione all the truth and warn him.
But…
“Even if we tell Young Lord Bartorio the truth, would he believe it?”
“What truth? His death?”
Riina shook her head.
“Anyone would think you’re crazy if you said such things. I mean the sinister truth that the one he considers a friend harbors other intentions.”
This time Einar shook his head.
“That possibility is infinitely low. He seemed to care excessively for his friend. Well, I suppose that’s understandable since he said he’s his only friend.”
“By that logic, it seems unlikely the friend would give up on Young Lord Bartorio either.”
“Right. He endured for such a long time, hiding his heart so thoroughly.”
Recalling the sight of the two together, Einar added,
“Young Lord Bartorio didn’t catch on at all.”
“That’s why the shock must have been greater. Someone who was so close and whom he thought was his only friend did such a thing.”
How could that be the only incident of passion involving Lione Bartorio, everyone’s sweetheart?
Incidents of people threatening to kill each other would break out whenever things seemed to calm down.
Of course, none were as tragic as the bloody incident between the one who called himself his friend and his fiancée.
Even through various such incidents, Lione hadn’t broken down.
For someone like that to blame himself to the point of making an extreme choice because of those two people…
Einar tapped his chin and spoke again.
“Even if we stop the engagement, it won’t help if that friend stays by his side.”
“Yes. Since that friend’s ultimate goal was to possess Young Lord Bartorio.”
The two staring at each other clicked their tongues briefly as if by agreement.
“Even if this engagement breaks off, Young Lord Bartorio will have another engagement.”
“Then only the person changes.”
“In the end, the friend is the problem.”
“That’s right. The incident happened not long after Young Lord Bartorio’s marriage talks started.”
“Hmm, did it happen before the engagement ceremony?”
Watching Riina tilt her head while searching her pre-regression memories, Einar suddenly spoke as if something occurred to him.
“By the way.”
“Yes?”
“You remember our engagement ceremony is coming up soon?”
“Ah… Of course.”
He couldn’t miss the slight pause in Riina’s answer.
“You forgot.”
“Please say I just wasn’t actively keeping it in mind.”
Einar laughed at that brazen answer.
“If you say so, I should believe you.”
“Of course. It was the price of our bet after all.”
Einar paused at Riina’s casually thrown words.
Her words were clearly true.
Their engagement was just the price of a bet.
‘…How about a bet on whether your luck or my luck will win?’
‘I’ll take that bet. However.’
‘Since you’ve decided to keep me by your side anyway, please engage yourself to me.’
Yes. That must have been clearly it, but…
Why did his heart feel a dull pain the moment he heard those words from her lips?
As Einar rubbed his aching chest and tilted his head, Riina’s voice flowed into his ears.
“Einar.”
“Hmm?”
“You said earlier you’d believe my words.”
“Naturally, since they’re your words.”
At his answer that came as naturally as breathing, Riina paused briefly, but soon tapped her lips and continued.
“What if, instead of a third party saying it, we make the friend himself confess? That he’s thought of him as more than a friend for a very long time, and has no intention of giving up?”
“It might not be the best… but at least it could move Young Lord Bartorio more than third parties gossiping.”
Strangely enough, when people firmly believe in something, they can hardly accept it even when evidence is thrust before their eyes showing that something is actually false.
It can’t be. Surely not. That’s impossible.
But you can plant seeds of doubt in firm belief.
“There’s an old saying, isn’t there? Start with certainty and end with doubt…”
Einar naturally completed Riina’s words.
“Start with doubt and end with certainty.”
The same smile spread across both Riina and Einar’s lips as if by agreement.
Of course, they couldn’t ignore the possibility that it might not work at all and might instead make him fall deeper into that something to protect his belief…
“We should at least start.”
Einar said this with a grin.
“I have quite a good feeling about it.”
At those words, Riina nodded without another word.
* * *
Should I not have nodded then?
Riina was gazing hazily into the distance while held in Einar’s arms.
Where am I, and what am I doing?
About an hour ago.
Riina had been spending a relatively ordinary day at the Bolshevik residence, reviewing documents processed by Jane.
