This Bastard is Too Competent - Chapter 141: Now I Know

‘Selling off the First Princess?’

Ian was left speechless, disbelief evident in his expression.

Even though he knew that nobles changed sides according to their interests, it was still shocking.

The First Princess was their lord, whom they had been serving.

‘But to not only abandon their lord but also sell her off?’

His gaze sharpened, and he promptly rang the bell beside his bed, summoning a servant.

Ding!

“Immediately bring the knights and chamberlain.”

“Yes, Prince Ian.”

Within moments, the parlor was lit, and people were entering.

Galon, who had been waiting outside since the beginning, was looking very well. The others looked a little sleepy.

But that was short-lived.

Everyone’s eyes began to change at the information the spy had brought back.

“How could they do such a thing?”

The spy urgently bowed.

“They must have felt that the tide had already turned against Prince Ian, so they decided to make a marriage pact with—”

“With whom?”

“That would be… Cardinal Cesare,” the spy revealed.

Ian’s incredulity grew at the mention of the First Princess being sold off.

“Cardinal Cesare, do you mean the man from earlier?”

“That’s right.”

Ian let out a laugh.

Cardinal Cesare was in his late thirties.

‘He looks almost like a nephew.’ 

But age wasn’t the problem.

“It seems they plan to arrange a marriage between that man and the First Princess and unite their strength for the succession war in Kaistein as allies.”

“That’s preposterous. Do they truly believe the people, let alone the royal family, would accept such a proposition?”

Cardinal Cesare was a man of the Holy Empire.

Not only bringing in a foreign power for the succession war, but Kaistein was not the kind of place to silently accept the First Princess being sold off to a foreign cardinal. However, the spy shook his head.

“Under normal circumstances, that would be the case.”

“?”

“I have just learned that Cardinal Cesare intends to apologize to this country as a representative of the Holy Empire.”

“How can a marriage pact with my sister be an apology?”

“Cardinal Cesare is capable of doing so. After all, he is one of this country’s nobles.”

“That’s impossible,” Galon interjected, astonishment evident in his widened eyes.

It was a similar case to the Fifth Prince.

Not a royal, but a nobleman of the Adria Duchy.

Ian finally realized the schemes being woven by Adelas and his faction.

‘Not sure how he survived, but… the story that Adria Duchy was unfairly accused of treason is predominant.’

Furthermore, the Adria family had demonstrated considerable generosity, leaving a lasting impression on the commoners.

“And as of now, it is believed that Cardinal Cesare may be the only person with knowledge of the Adria Duchy’s assets and information. It poses a significant threat to us.”

“Since the direct lineage is all gone, even the collateral lineage cannot be ignored.”

Ian found the remark amusing but chose not to comment.

He was well aware of the direct lineage, and his true feelings toward it were repulsive.

“A man of this country. And they’re going to turn the tables by having the First Princess marry a nobleman who’s more of a commoner than anything else?”

It wasn’t a bad plan if it worked.

By highlighting Adria’s noble lineage, it could attract public support while also being able to control him based on his background.

It was the sort of thing the nobles would think of.

And Cardinal Cesare was likely thinking the same.

‘A mutually beneficial strategy.’

The chamberlain nodded in agreement.

“The First Princess won’t be able to resist either. If she’s at least aiming for the throne, there’s no better plan than this…”

“But Cardinal Cesare is a priest. No matter what, wouldn’t marriage be impossible?”

Ian shook his head at Galon’s words.

“According to the doctrine of the Holy Empire, it’s not that marriage is impossible; it’s just that if she’s betrothed to a cardinal, she’ll have to live the rest of her life locked up like she’s entered a monastery, never to come out.”

“Crazy…”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the parlor turned sour.

Everyone’s faces crumpled, but Fiosen in particular looked so irritated that he even swore.

The story seemed to shock him, especially since he had a younger sister whom he cared about.

The chamberlain looked up in surprise.

“Well, there have been such precedents… but how did you know about it, Your Highness?”

Ian just smiled bitterly.

In fact, in his past life, he remembered the Second Princess, who had even ascended to the position of Crown Princess.

It was because of the proposal that had come to her.

Of course, there was controversy even then.

‘I never thought something like this would happen to the First Princess.’

When exactly was this plan made?

At the same time, Ian recalled memories from his past life.

The First Princess back then was not engaged to anyone.

No, she didn’t meet with anyone after Nathan died, almost as if she was honoring him.

But that wasn’t the important thing now.

Nathan frowned slightly.

“I guess that’s just my father’s opinion, right? There’s no way the First Princess would agree to it.”

“You’re right. But apparently the entire faction agreed to it a long time ago.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“The support behind the return of the Fifth Prince is Marquis Adelas and his faction. It seems they had been in contact with Cardinal Cesare even before this victory ceremony.”

“!”

The victory of the Northern Expedition.

And it had been set in motion the moment Ian had taken Bahara.

Ian’s face flashed with abomination at the words.

“Then why did they send the Fifth Prince to cause terrorism?”

“Perhaps when Kaistein was stained with blood. To appear with the priests, perhaps.”

Ian burst into laughter at Chamberlain’s words.

“Does that reduce hostility and raise expectations towards the Holy Empire?” Ian chuckled, recognizing the cunning strategy at play.

The plan involved Cardinal Cesare appearing at a crucial moment, saving the people, and subsequently marrying the First Princess.

It was only natural for him, as a priest, to provide aid to the victims and the injured.

The chamberlain nodded.

“Not only that. If they bring in supplies from the Holy Empire without Kaistein’s knowledge and distribute them through the priests…”

“Public sentiment is crucial. The people will rise up in support,” Ian concluded.

“Obviously, His Majesty will have no choice but to allow an engagement to a cardinal for the sake of justification.”

“!”

The knights grumbled at Ian and Chamberlain’s conversation.

“These lunatics…”

“No matter how power-hungry they are, this is too much…”

“Planning a marriage alliance with the priest while allowing terrorism in the country?”

“Why would the Fifth Prince… do such a thing to his own sister?”

No, it wasn’t just about being upset.

It was simply unforgivable for the Fifth Prince, Haverion.

While Haverion’s execution was still scheduled, it seemed like Nathan would spit on him before that.

However, Ian’s expression remained unchanged, his mind contemplating another possibility.

‘Perhaps Marquis Adelas is trying to use his sister as a scapegoat to get his way.’ 

Although it was a historical pure-blood noble family that contributed to founding the country, it was true that it was pushed aside by the dukedom.

He must have thought that now that Garcia was behind, there was an opportunity.

Of course, that wasn’t the important thing.

‘My sister won’t be able to avoid this offer.’

And that was then.

“Why did the Saintess come then? Even if the plan went awry, there was no need for her to come.”

“Hmm…”

Everyone fell silent, pondering over the question.

Only Ian realized this.

‘The ability the saintess possesses!’

It was the power of prophecy

Ian clearly saw it.

He noticed how Cardinal Cesare intentionally avoided contact with the Saintess.

The reasons for this avoidance remained unknown to Ian, but…

‘There may definitely be something he wants to hide from the saintess’s eyes.’

And his reason for bringing the saintess here?

‘To have her touch my sister so she can see the future.’ 

To be exact, the future after becoming engaged to Cardinal Cesare.

Perhaps, to identify any potential interference from individuals who opposed their plans.

But there was more to it than that.

‘In our country, we can show our gratitude because the saintess who never moves came to apologize.’

But it wasn’t an apology.

Their arrival was already scheduled.

No, the future changed when Ian successfully led the Northern Expedition.

‘In my past life, I neither conquered the North nor gained the trust of the people… Everything flowed according to their plans.’

He wouldn’t have had to force himself to move.

In his previous life, the Fourth Prince had died at the hands of the Second Prince, who, in turn, fell to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince ultimately succumbed to Garcia and took his own life.

The First Princess met her demise due to her entanglement with the Second Prince, leaving only the Second Princess to survive and ascend to the position of Crown Princess.

‘In the end, I, who received help from Garcia, was defeated.’

But even Ian, in the end, dies due to Garcia’s betrayal.

Yet Garcia’s allies were Haverion and Cardinal Cesare, along with the Holy Empire.

Ian’s mind began to spin rapidly.

‘Then what caused the Holy Empire to collapse due to mania?’

However, it wasn’t just the Holy Empire that collapsed.

The surrounding countries also experienced upheaval, reaching out to the Holy Empire for support.

Perhaps what happened after Ian’s death was not properly understood.

‘It would have been possible to integrate all the weakened countries, including Kaistein, without any issues.’

If all of the weakened countries were integrated, it would be enough to not only overcome the Cantum Empire but also other empires.

In fact, they may not even need to engage in direct conflict.

‘Perhaps… they had already planted seeds in other empires.’

At that moment, a man came to mind.

The Second Prince of Cantum, whom Ian had used to bring down the Crown Prince of Cantum, quickly took the Crown Prince’s place.

Ian’s eyes lit up with realization.

‘Come to think of it, Bahara was similar.’ 

After an inexplicable civil war there, Arak, the first warrior general, ascended to the throne.

And then they attacked Kaistein.

It’s as if they are trying to undermine Kaistein’s power.

No, in fact, the national power has been reduced and weakened significantly.

Ian smiled bitterly.

‘I thought I was using them, but was I the one being used instead?’

They were more cunning than he had thought.

It wasn’t just Kaistein; they had their hands in several places.

However, now that Ian had gained this insight, the situation was bound to change.

‘I’ll turn the tables on them instead.’

The First Princess? And Kaistein?

‘I’ll keep them so preoccupied that they won’t even notice.’

Ian has driven a wedge through Bahara’s affairs, and he has even laid out plans to handle the other princes one by one. He wouldn’t let anyone hinder him.

‘Once this incident is over, it goes first to that older brother.’

So Ian stood up.

Unlike in his previous life, he met the eyes of his knights, who believed in him.

“I have a task for you.”

“Just give the order.”

Unlike usual, Nathan was the first to step forward.

His gaze was more serious than ever.

Ian began giving orders.

“Immediately, Sir Fiosen, head to Bahara.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Sir Nathan, go to the Marquisate of Adelas… and Sir Galon, please go to the First Princess.”

“!”

“And I… must meet the Crown Prince of Cantum.”

The knights were startled.

“You don’t mean… You’re going to bring in a foreign power, just as they’ve done?”

The very moment when everyone panics.

“I wouldn’t go that far. It would be a waste to simply use him like that. I merely wish to have a conversation with my brother.”

Ian smiled mischievously.