Chapter 92
“I heard that a kind of test was conducted during the trade agreement period. In my limited understanding, it seems the plan should be set in motion as soon as possible. Of course, I believe Your Highness already has something in mind, and I, in my foolishness, have come to seek your guidance.”
Her rhetoric, which maximally lowered herself while elevating her counterpart, was transparent—but effective precisely because of its obviousness.
Smith decided to set aside the anger he had been about to pour out on the vexing tool before him.
As she herself had admitted, this commoner was foolish, so he ought to show some generosity.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm. Of course I have a plan.”
“As I expected.”
Before bringing up specifics, Jane picked up a pen that had been prepared nearby and waved it slightly.
“I’ll absorb every word, so perhaps with this.”
Like the old saying that daytime words are heard by birds and nighttime words by mice, she was suggesting they communicate in writing for a matter where security was paramount.
The next moment, Smith’s face turned crimson like a boiling kettle, and he shouted:
“That won’t be necessary!”
At his sudden outburst and anger-filled face, Jane immediately fell silent, holding her breath.
Smith stretched out his claw-like hand and snatched the pen Jane was holding.
Crack.
As the pen’s body broke with a chilling sound, Smith parted his lips.
“This is my palace.”
In response to the anger, impatience, and tiny hint of pride in his voice, Jane maintained her smile and said:
“You’re saying that since you control every part of the palace, we don’t need written communication even for confidential matters.”
“If you state the obvious one more time…”
Facing Smith as he rolled his bloodshot eyes, Jane obediently bowed deeply, very deeply.
“I sincerely apologize, Your Highness.”
Even as she said this, Jane’s smile never faltered.
She wasn’t at all afraid of the Third Prince who erupted in anger like he was having a fit.
He was merely a tool with whom she had joined hands because they each had something they wanted—nothing more, nothing less.
Jane knew too well that regardless of whether he felt humiliated or angry, he couldn’t lay a hand on her.
Quite some time passed while Jane remained deeply bowed, her back stiffening and cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Only then did the Third Prince command her:
“Raise your head.”
When Jane finally lifted her head, she noticed the base satisfaction and sense of superiority lingering at the corners of the Third Prince’s mouth, but she only laughed inwardly.
She spoke with more courtesy than anyone else in the world.
Since she didn’t want to sit across from this man for long, she needed to get straight to the point.
“When you mentioned the ‘plan’ last time, you said the Second Prince would meet with an unfortunate accident.”
Her tone was as casual as if she were commenting on the smell of bread baking next door, but the meaning was enough to turn the Empire upside down.
Smith’s eyes flashed momentarily at Jane’s excessively calm expression and elegant demeanor.
He knew she was bold enough not to hide her desire to remove Bolshevik’s heir and take that position, despite being merely a shadow…
Well, if she was confident and gutsy enough to fall into her own trap, she’d be a useful card to play and discard.
He soon nodded.
“Yes. What seemed like an unfortunate accident would actually be a meticulously planned assassination.”
He added with a twisted smile:
“A tragedy orchestrated by Riina Bolshevik.”
Jane calmly nodded and asked the obvious follow-up question:
“What kind of unfortunate accident? You just mentioned having a plan for it.”
“Indeed. I have something useful.”
A suspicious group fostering discontent toward the Empire and cultivating an atmosphere of unrest.
Though he would need to investigate thoroughly, Smith had already decided to use them.
“There is a subversive group seeking to harm the Empire.”
“A subversive group?”
When Jane asked, Smith relayed everything Einar and Sierre had discussed, with a thoroughly condescending expression.
Of course, he presented it all as if it had been his own thinking.
“So I plan to use this group.”
Smith’s eyes flashed intelligently as he spoke ambitiously, but Jane only blinked slowly.
After watching Smith’s confident expression for a while, Jane belatedly realized he wouldn’t speak again and asked:
“How do you intend to use them?”
When Jane asked for specific and clear details, Smith shook his head.
“First, we must investigate who they are and what they’re plotting.”
When Smith fell silent again after saying this, Jane had to try her hardest to suppress the contempt that rose to the tip of her tongue.
Since even her gentle smile had twisted, Jane covered her mouth and gazed steadily at Smith.
She had thought him foolish, but to this extent?
He knew nothing about what he planned to use?
To place vague hope in something so uncertain and plan for tomorrow.
What they were plotting and going to carry out was an extremely dangerous undertaking—assassinating imperial blood and framing Bolshevik for the crime.
Although that detestable impostor currently posing as Bolshevik’s heir was indeed a fake, no one else knew that yet.
And he was readily starting such an impossibly difficult and challenging task like this?
Relying on plans that weren’t concrete and information that was inaccurate?
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
Jane organized the thoughts she’d been having, intending to stop him.
But after calling him, she couldn’t help but hesitate.
The temple, the hunting competition, and their meeting at the Third Prince’s palace.
Based on the information she had read about the Third Prince and the tendencies she had observed after meeting him, if she, a “commoner,” were to oppose his plan…
The outcome would be predictable without even seeing it.
The man before her was incredibly stupid, but his pride and greed were disproportionately large.
Such a man would never listen to others’ advice.
Moreover, “that other” was currently a commoner nobody who wasn’t even treated as human by him.
It wasn’t difficult to realize that Smith would use her as a tool and discard her once her usefulness ended.
That fool didn’t even seem to try hiding his petty intentions.
Anyone with average perceptiveness would easily understand.
After quickly organizing her thoughts, Jane’s lips parted.
“What would you like me to do?”
“We should start with gathering information.”
Smith spoke with an expression that mixed irritation at having to explain such obvious things and a sense of superiority, and Jane bowed her head.
Such a sloppy thing that couldn’t even be called a plan was far from satisfactory, but she had her original plan even if the Third Prince’s failed.
Joining hands with him was only for the secondary self-satisfaction of sending the impostor to ruin with certainty and watching her writhe in agony.
As she organized her thoughts, Jane’s gentle smile deepened slightly.
“As Your Highness wishes.”
However, at this moment, Jane didn’t know.
She didn’t know that the Third Prince, whom she treated as a fool, could be terribly persistent and manipulatively cunning when it came to getting what he wanted.
Around the time Jane and Smith sat across from each other, dreaming different dreams.
Riina was sitting with her arms crossed in one corner of a dusty training ground.
And beside her was Becky, who had been about to offer a handkerchief to block the dust but now stood with wide eyes and an open mouth, inadvertently eating the dust.
Clang!
Clang-clang-clang!
The sound of swords clashing assaulted their ears, but Riina didn’t even blink.
A series of sharp sounds followed, and a smile began to spread across Riina’s face.
“I suspected as much, and I was right.”
Due to Riina’s terrible luck, the family had assigned her guards.
And the skill of these guards would not be significantly inferior to the most renowned fighters in the Empire.
Yet Lione was blocking the guard’s attacks.
Without missing a single one.
How much time had passed since the two crossed swords?
Clang!
Though he staggered, Lione didn’t drop his sword, and the guard who had struck his blade forcefully stepped back, creating distance between them.
The two faced each other on the training ground as the dust settled.
The guard who had crossed swords with Lione couldn’t hide his bewilderment, and strangely, Lione wore a similar expression.
And Riina, watching them, could read Lione’s thoughts almost exactly from his face.
How could he block the guard’s attacks so easily?
Eventually, the guard sheathed his sword and bowed toward Riina.
Clap!
Simultaneously, Riina lightly clapped her hands, rousing Lione who had been standing in a daze.
“Well done.”
As she nodded to the guard, he withdrew without further response, leaving only Lione, Riina, and Becky on the training ground.
“G-good heavens. The dust.”
Becky, who had come to her senses belatedly, urgently but meticulously tidied up around Riina.
Meanwhile, Lione was blinking as he looked down at his hand holding the sword.
“What is this…”
In response to his inadvertent words, an answer came from in front of him.
“More than ‘some aptitude,’ I’d say.”
“Ah…”
“Do you know what they call someone who can handle a sword like this without proper training?”
Just as Riina was about to cover Lione’s hand gripping the sword hilt with her own:
“Looks like you’re having fun.”
A low, familiar voice sounded from behind them.
