Kneel Before The Villain - Chapter 132

At the Crown Prince’s Palace.

 

“…Did something like that happen?”

 

The Crown prince tapped his desk with a curious expression on his face.

 

“ Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Standing in front of him, Baron Cheston nodded his head nervously. The servant standing next to him was even more so.

 

Cold sweat broke out on his face and his body was overly stiff with tension.

 

Even just a few months ago, he  got a glimpse of the chivalrous Prince.

 

Everyone respected and adored the gentle, just and humane master.

 

However, after breaking off his engagement with the princess, the crown prince changed his former mild side.

 

With a sharp and nervous appearance, he became addicted to alcohol for a while and lived like a disabled man.

 

However, not too long ago, he seemed to have come back to his senses again, pushing himself harder than before and working steadily on his political affairs.

 

As a result, the scandal surrounding him was gradually fading.

 

At first glance, the current prince seemed to have regained his former self, no, he looked even better than before.

 

People started praising him again and everything he touched was getting good results.

 

However, it was only limited. Although the crown prince still looks dignified and gentle outside, he exuded a gloomy atmosphere when he returned to the palace.

 

In addition, he drank strong alcohol every few days and locked himself in his room.

 

Then, when Baron Cheston went to tidy up the room every day, the room looked miserable, as if it had been swept away by a storm.

 

Scattered and broken objects were rolling around on the floor, along with bottles, and occasionally glass or mirrors.

 

In just a few months, nearly half of the courtiers working at the Crown Prince’s Palace nearly died or were kicked out.

 

It was because they made him angry when they made minor mistakes or went against his mood.

 

At first, the courtiers also missed the gentle master of the past but the icy atmosphere persisted and they couldn’t remember that time anymore.

 

“A duel? What a joke.”

 

The Crown prince raised the corner of his mouth. However, the grave, cold expression told that he wasn’t amused in the slightest.

 

“Is it really that they don’t care anymore?”

 

He put down the papers he was holding in his hands.

 

His voice, which had a somewhat gloomy tone, revealed his agitation and the attendants flinched with nervousness.

 

If there were things the crown prince reacted the most to, one was about the second prince, and the other was about Princess Lillian.

 

In addition, the shocking recent situation of Baron Dana’s daughter, who had not been seen for a while, was sure to play a part in hurting his heart.

 

‘I would have never thought that while that good-natured and innocent-looking young lady met His Highness the Crown Prince, she was dating other men.’

 

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine it.

 

He felt miserable when he recalled the image of the Prince and the lady walking around the palace affectionately.

 

The attendant lowered his head and only slightly rolled his eyes to look at the crown prince.

 

The shock he received from the unbelievable news was great but it could not be compared to the sense of betrayal he must have felt.

 

With that kind and gentle personality, he was betrayed and deceived by a baron’s daughter, so fear struck him as he thought of what it would be like inside.

 

Fortunately, however, the crown prince seemed to have no interest in the attendants, just lighting a cigarette he had taken out from the drawer.

 

When he lit a cigarette, the office was quickly filled with thick smoke because the windows were not opened.

 

The air everywhere was heavy and stuffy, and the attendants felt as if they  would suffocate at any moment.

 

However, what stifled people more than the cigarette smoke was the sense of intimidation exuded by the crown prince.

 

“She pretended all mighty and it turned out that way…”

 

Even in the thick smoke, the sea-blue eyes that shone brightly gave off a gloomy atmosphere that made them even more terrifying.

 

Recently, the emperor’s physical condition had deteriorated significantly.

 

The chronic disease he suffered for a long time was getting worse day by day and was eating away at his lifespan.

 

This was a fact that only the emperor’s aides knew.

 

His father concealed it so thoroughly that even he, his son, did not notice the slightest hint of it until he saw him coughing up blood as his condition suddenly worsened during the treatment.

 

After learning of his father’s condition, he interrogated the court physician, who said that the emperor’s lifespan would not last long.

 

When he first found out about it, he was devastated and upset.

 

At the same time, a sense of betrayal flooded over him.

 

Hiding such an important fact, in his head he wondered if he was his son.

 

“The longest is 5 years, the short is 3 years.”

 

The owner of the throne would change within the next five years at the latest. After inheriting the throne, everything will be stable.

 

When the time comes, he will be getting Roxana back. It would be the first thing he would do.

 

So, he and she were only separated for a while.

 

However, as people constantly talked about her being involved with other men, he was very displeased.

 

Especially with Elvin…

 

Recalling the image of him bewitching Roxana with his arrogance every time, the crown prince clenched his fists.

 

He then ordered with a sullen face.

 

“Tell the second son of the Grand Duke of Croix. Don’t waste this good opportunity.”

 

The crown prince extinguished his cigarette in the crystal ashtray then got up and opened the window.

 

The sun was setting in the darkened sky.

 

The sun bathed the whole world in an ominous red light.

 

“Last time it failed, they were suspicious. If this fails again, tell them to reconsider the deal between us.”

 

“But, Your Highness, if by any chance things go wrong and he ever implicates Your Highness, what are you going to do then? His Majesty would be very angry if he found out that Your Highness was trying to harm the young master of Croix.”

 

As Baron Cheston said, if the emperor found out about this, he would be very angry.

 

He seemed to care more about his nephew, Elvin, than he did his own child.

 

So, in his childhood, he suspected that Elvin might be his hidden child.

 

Although he realized that the idea was absurd when he grew up.

 

Among the three sons of the Grand Duke of Croix, Elvin was the most similar to the Grand Duke’s appearance.

 

His jet-black hair and his pair of ruby ​​red eyes were also inherited from him.

 

People often said that Elvin was very similar to the Grand Duke in his youth.

 

So it was an unmistakable fact that he was the grand duke’s biological son.

 

The reason why the emperor was fond of Elvin was because he had a close friendship with his sister, Elvin’s mother, the late princess.

 

People said that the imperial family was heartless, still there must be at least one dependable resting place in this spacious and cold palace.

 

He only vaguely guessed that the princess who had been killed by her father might not have been that kind of being, just as his mother had been to him.

 

But now his own relationship with his mother was gradually unfolding.

 

Although he didn’t realize it, Roxana, whom he had always been waiting to come back to, had also left his side.

 

Elvin, Payne, and his father all had been responsible for the separation between him and Roxana. But Elvin’s fault was the greatest.

 

 

No matter how much the Emperor loved him (Elvin) or not, he dared to take away his (CP’s) possession.

 

“Even if something goes wrong, what does that have to do with me? He did everything and I didn’t do anything. Besides, he’s not even that stupid. Isn’t there someone who can be used instead of him?”

 

The crown prince coldly twisted his lips.

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Baron Cheston nodded his head with a slightly uneasy expression.

 

Seeing him like that, the crown prince added in a cold voice.

 

“Leave.”

 

Not too long ago, the youngest son of the Grand Duke of Croix had secretly visited him. (*Elvin is the oldest)

 

He offered himself a deal.

 

If he helped to get rid of Elvin and take the place of the heir to the family, he would help the crown prince ascend to the throne.

 

If things went well, they could get rid of Elvin who was an eyesore and in the future, he would gain the power of the Duchy and also had a weakness.

 

Even if things went wrong, his (CP’s) involvement would be hidden, so all responsibility would be taken by the youngest son of the Grand Duke of Croix.

 

There was nothing to lose, only gain, so there was no reason not to accept it. The crown prince sneered.

 

How many people would know that he (Elvin’s brother, second son of the GD) was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, who looked kinder than anyone else.

 

His despicable side, unknown to others, was distorted with jealousy and resentment towards his half-brother (Elvin), the eldest son of the family.

 

For high ranking families, things would look harmonious outwardly, but inside was rotten. Like the complicated story hidden in the family of the Grand Duke of Croix.

 

Seeing that he (Elvin’s brother) hired an assassin to kill his brother (Elvin) secretly, the youngest son of the Grand Duke was as heartless and full of hatred as the imperial family.

 

However, it was unfortunate that the Grand Duke knew nothing.

 

* * *

 

Count Pline’s residence.

 

“This guy! Either you’re crazy or you’re determined to ruin the family line. You wouldn’t do this otherwise!”

 

Count Pline let out an angry roar and at the same time struck the young master on the cheek.

 

As the enraged Count used all his strength, his eyes flashed for a moment in dizzying pain.

 

When the cheek was slapped, the pain continued to feel as if he had chewed his tongue.

 

“Father….”

 

He looked fearfully at his father.

 

The usual majesty was not to be found in that shabby appearance.

 

Plus, the blood flowing from his mouth made him look even more pitiful.

 

However, nothing could be seen in the Count’s eyes, which were white with anger.

 

“Insulting the young master of Croix and Princess Lillian in front of people and even fighting them? Are you insane?”

 

“It wasn’t me who started the fight, it was the princess. It was the young master who threatened me by mentioning the safety of our family when I refused.”

 

The young master of Pline, answered in response while choking and swallowing the blood that was rising in his mouth.

 

He thought his father would be angry but he didn’t expect him to react so violently.

 

He was also embarrassed.

 

At first, he had no intention of making things like this.

 

But didn’t Princess Lillian insult Claire first?

 

Apparently, it was highly likely that it was the princess who spread the false rumors about her.

 

She was bitter because she couldn’t bite Claire, who was always quiet.

 

It was the Princess who started the fight and it was the young master of Croix who provoked him who was trying to finish the matter quietly.

 

However, even after telling the truth and correcting the wrongs, Count Pline’s anger showed no sign of abating and only grew stronger.

 

“Shut up! Do you know what you have done?”

 

Seeing his father’s ferocious face for the first time, the young master flinched.

 

Before he could react, the Count struck him down with the staff in his hand.

 

“Ugh! Father!”

 

The beating continued, and it stopped only when his whole body ached and his mind became distant.

 

The Count threw his staff angrily on the floor and took a rough breath.

 

“Go and beg. Plead that the duel never happened.”

 

“Don’t you know that it is already too late to turn around now?”

 

The young master of Pline spat a bloody spittle and staggered to his feet.

 

As the Count grabbed his neck and was about to fall down, young master Frain, who was by his side, supported him.

 

“Are you okay, father?”

 

Young master Frain ordered the servant to help the Count.

 

“Call the physician right away.”

 

The Count raised his hand to dissuade him.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“Are you all right?”

 

“What if I’m not okay? The first thing to do is to solve the trouble he caused. But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with a way. If the Duke’s family were to hold our family accountable for this, how would we handle it….”

 

The Count let out a heavy breath as if his chest was tight.

 

The young master of Pline, who was watching the conversation between the two, bit his lip. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket with a sunken face.

 

“You don’t have to worry about that.  Because I was afraid of that, so I made an arrangement in advance.”

 

***