"Anyway. Let's get to the main topic now."

Even though the pleasant family conversation had shifted to serious matters, the meal did not stop. The Emperor, the Empress, and Kishiar all continued eating at a steady pace, effortlessly steering the conversation.

"As you may have guessed, while you were away on leave, Kironne da Diaka made up his mind to betray his father."

"The bait you offered him—was it the title?"

"More precisely, it was the chance to be fully recognized as the young lord. And a promise to turn a blind eye to everything happening inside House Diaka."

As he spoke, the Emperor sliced into the dish in front of him with a knife. Vivid red juice burst forth from the precisely divided cut, releasing a tart scent that tickled the nose, perfect for stimulating the appetite.

"He still thinks we know nothing. He believes we're solely focused on resolving the attempted attack on the Empress and restoring royal authority. The one who truly knows nothing... is him."

Since awakening, the Emperor had subtly disrupted the internal information channels of House Diaka. Simply using information acquired through his ability in the right places began to produce results. The Duke of Diaka, his direct descendants, and the nobles who followed them gradually became suspicious of their surroundings and were gripped by a growing unease—aware that something had changed.

They never even considered the Emperor might be the cause. Before they knew it, they were fixated on identifying internal enemies and restoring their own power and dignity.

Kiole da Diaka’s changing reputation, and the bold act of sending Imperial Guard reinforcements to the South during his disciplinary leave, were like oil-soaked sparks added to the flame.

Kironne, who had never received official confirmation as heir from his father and was quietly growing anxious, resolved to kill his youngest brother Kiole, staging it as an accident. Many in the private guard bureau Kiole was heading toward were loyal to Kironne, so ordinarily it would have been an easy job. But unfortunately for him, the assassination attempt failed completely—because Kiole had, absurdly, become entangled with the Empress.

Not only that, but the Duke of Diaka learned of the incident and flew into a rage.

Driven out by his father, Kironne had been forced to retreat to a remote villa, where he was consumed by shock, fear, worry, and anger—emotions he'd never experienced so strongly before. For some mysterious reason, the food and supplies that should have been delivered to the villa were not. His loyal brothers and subordinates also began to fall prey to “strange whispers and rumors from somewhere,” contradicting one another. Having always lived under the protection of his father’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° authority, never needing to make difficult decisions on his own, Kironne was now in the most terrifying and confusing period of his life.

It was then that the Emperor’s covert message reached him.

"I had a trusted courier evade the eyes of others and tell him this: '—It was no coincidence that Kiole da Diaka narrowly avoided assassination and happened to save the Empress.'"

He was told that this was all a ploy by the Duke to make the youngest son appear to earn merit, solidifying him as the undeniable heir. That the Emperor had discovered this, and if Kironne didn’t act soon, he would never return to the estate again, let alone become heir.

"Once that was delivered, I received a response the very next day—without hesitation."

Of course, none of it was true. Had Kironne been in a calmer state, he might have suspected manipulation and tried to investigate further.

But in his first taste of true hardship, that message felt entirely real—an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss. A perfect chance to betray his father while hiding the fact that he had tried to kill Kiole.

The Emperor had made it so Kironne believed choosing ambition was his best and only option.

"People often don't believe the truth, but only what they want to hear," Kishiar murmured with a trace of scorn.

"Exactly. He was the perfect example of that—then and now."

Fueled by the Emperor’s manipulated information, Kironne’s paranoia and mistrust toward his father grew. The Emperor gave him space to act freely and promised him a shot at power under the name of succession. All he asked in return was short-term cooperation—enough to bring down the Duke, and the Crown Prince Kachian, whom the Duke had elevated.

Sure, it might seem suspicious for the Emperor—an enemy of House Diaka—to suddenly offer such a deal. But historically, it wasn’t so strange.

The emperors of the Orr Empire had spent a thousand years repeatedly feuding and then reconciling with the ducal houses. The history of House Diaka itself was proof—they had once saved the royal family in a time of crisis, earning the right to maintain a large private army near the capital, yet now sent assassins at the Emperor more frequently than any other faction.

And though the Emperor and the Duke were bitter enemies, Kironne himself had no direct enmity with the royal family. That was key. The Emperor had likely chosen Kironne precisely for that reason. Kironne thought so.

What he didn’t realize was that even that line of reasoning had been carefully planted by the Emperor.

Blinded by ambition, Kironne began to act.

"I had thought he might lose his nerve when the time came, but he didn’t. He sent assassins to deal with his father—without a shred of hesitation, and with far more brutality than I expected."

“That part... certainly proves he’s the Duke’s son,” Kishiar said coolly.

“Indeed. I hadn’t anticipated Kiole appearing that day, though.”

No one could have foreseen Kiole choosing that exact day to visit his father. But thanks to that, the Duke was left in critical condition—and when Kironne heard Kiole had been present, it only reinforced his belief that he’d made the right decision.

“To Kironne, as long as he’s guaranteed the dukedom, nothing else matters. He told his close aides that the Duke, Kiole, even the Crown Prince—none of it matters compared to becoming Duke. He believes he can fix everything afterward once he’s in power.”

“His behavior in the Room of Truth already made that clear,” Kishiar noted.

“Indeed. He’s now returned to the main estate and is boldly working to seize leadership of the house, making sure the Duke doesn’t recover.”

Kishiar smiled faintly.

"Well, I hope it goes well for him... but I doubt he’ll be able to control House Diaka as easily as he thinks. He doesn’t know why our father’s been growing paranoid and sensitive lately. He doesn’t know why the once-proud soldiers of House Diaka are suddenly acting like faulty machines. He doesn’t know why our youngest brother’s reputation has improved and why he keeps miraculously surviving. It won’t be so easy.”

The Emperor smiled the same kind of smile.

"Yes. It won’t be. The title of 'young lord' and a seat at the Conference of Light aren’t nearly enough to fully grasp House Diaka. And who knows—perhaps that youngest brother, whom they set aside, will suddenly reappear...”

“Or maybe the old raccoon who looks like he’s only waiting to die will unexpectedly wake up.”

“Indeed. That’s what will happen if Kironne doesn’t act properly.”

In other words, no matter what Kironne did, the means to stop him were already in the Emperor’s hands.

As if savoring the flavor of a fine meal, the Emperor closed his eyes and murmured quietly.

"Among those who attended the Room of Truth today, there were some I had spoken with beforehand—elders from the Temple, the Head of the Royal Mage Division, subordinates of Mucker. All of them... have now returned and are telling others they’ve heard very interesting things."