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Join the ServerThat night, the moon was hidden, and the wind howled fiercely.
Inside the royal palace, the King’s study remained brightly lit.
Standing in the grand hall, faint whispers of conversation could still be heard drifting from the second floor.
“Have you given it much thought?”
The King, seated with his back to the desk, gently massaged his temples as he inquired.
Before the desk, a silver-haired man stood respectfully, his gaze lowered. “Father,” he replied, “I will act according to my convictions. The throne and my brother—I will have them both!”
His voice was resolute, brimming with power.
Louis turned his head, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Sasaki.
Sasaki’s expression was firm and composed, no longer as impetuous or one-sided as before. His eyes finally held the gleam of a determined purpose.
Louis was pleased.
Since he had forcefully made the boy choose last time, Sasaki had retreated to his chambers and not left.
It seemed his period of self-isolation had allowed him to mature quite well.
Louis smiled. “Very well. Ambition is a good thing. However, I wonder if you possess the capability to realize that ambition?”
Sasaki confidently lifted his head, meeting Louis’s gaze. “Father, you need only wait and see.”
“Haha, good… Then, after all these years, how well have you grasped control over the kingdom’s forces?”
Louis began to test Sasaki.
Sasaki replied with a hint of pride, “Eighty percent of the nobles, from count and above, have already sided with me.”
Louis furrowed his brow, the slight cheer he had felt instantly vanishing. He let out a low growl of displeasure:
“Fool! Is that what I asked? Nobles? What good are nobles? Sasaki, let me tell you, nobles are mere pawns! To govern a kingdom well, we need tools, we need power! Tell me, what is my greatest strength?”
Sasaki’s body trembled slightly as he hesitated. “The Judgment Army, the Holy Sanctuary, and the Archmage Workshop…”
“You still know! So what have you done all these years? You’ve ignored the true pillars of statecraft, yet you’ve showered affection upon a group of pawns that can be replaced at any time. What exactly were you thinking?”
Louis grew increasingly agitated, his shouts involuntarily growing louder.
Sasaki felt a pang of injustice. “But these three factions report directly to you, Father. I’ve never even had a chance to approach them in my daily life…”
“If there’s no opportunity, then create one! I refuse to believe that among a group of people all living in the royal capital, you couldn’t find a single chance encounter!”
Sasaki silently lowered his head.
He had indeed been mistaken.
He had naively assumed that these three factions, directly under the King’s command, would naturally become his strength and fall under his control once he ascended the throne.
Louis’s words had served as a sharp warning.
Evidently, before he could control these powers, he first needed to earn their recognition.
Sasaki couldn’t help but feel a surge of remorse for his past approach.
Seeing that Sasaki understood his error, Louis said no more. After giving Sasaki a moment to reflect, he spoke again:
“Right now, there is an opportunity to gain the favor of the Holy Sanctuary.”
Sasaki paused, then hesitantly asked, “Are you referring to… the counterfeit holy water case?”
He recalled the news he had incidentally heard from a subordinate that afternoon.
Although he had been cooped up in his chambers for days, his intelligence network was still active, and he had some understanding of major external events.
“Precisely.”
Louis nodded. “The counterfeit case is neither major nor minor, but it has truly shaken the fundamental interests of the Holy Sanctuary. Our Chief Healer is quite furious and has been pressing me to thoroughly investigate this matter. What are your thoughts?”
Sasaki responded without hesitation. “Father, please entrust this matter to me! I will uncover the truth and provide the Holy Sanctuary with a satisfactory explanation!”
Louis did not seem entirely satisfied with Sasaki’s answer. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door.
“Get out of the way! Let me through! I’m here to see my dad; what business is it of yours? You dare to stop me? What kind of people are you? Get lost, or I’ll have Father fire all of you!”
Following this, a continuous stream of shouting and shoving, utterly out of place, erupted.
Sasaki suppressed a smile, cautiously observing his father’s expression.
Louis looked somewhat helpless; he knew perfectly well who was outside the door.
Aside from that rascal Susumu, there were probably few others in the entire royal capital who would dare to make such a ruckus outside his study.
In fact, his shadow guards had informed him the moment Susumu entered the palace grounds, but he hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.
Louis gave Sasaki a meaningful look, signaling him to open the door.
Sasaki understood immediately.
“Creak—”
The door swung open.
A slightly smaller, silver-haired boy, caught off guard, stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground.
Beside him, several figures cloaked entirely in black pressed in, obstructing his path.
Su Mu finally steadied himself, only to see the tall Sasaki standing before him. An awkward smile immediately spread across his face:
“Brother, you’re here too, ahaha, what a coincidence…”
Sasaki did not reply, simply stepping calmly back to his original position.
Louis gestured to the shadow guards standing near Su Mu.
To Su Mu’s astonishment, the figures who had been blocking him seemed to sink into the ground like black phantoms, vanishing from sight.
‘Damn, that’s kind of cool.’
‘It feels a bit like the Shadowkhan from that anime I watched in my previous life, Jackie Chan Adventures.’
“Susumu, arriving so late at my place, do you have something to discuss?”
Louis narrowed his eyes, a fox-like smile playing on his lips as he looked at Su Mu.
“Cough, Father, I heard Katusha was apprehended by your men. She’s my friend; could you possibly release her?”
Su Mu didn’t beat around the bush, stating his purpose directly.
Louis burst into laughter upon hearing this, turning to Sasaki. “Look at your brother; he’s much stronger than you. While you’re still contemplating how to seize an opportunity, your brother is already prepared for what comes after seizing it.”
Sasaki remained silent, his face grim as he lowered his head.
‘Opportunity? What opportunity?’
Su Mu was utterly confused, but this didn’t stop him from pressing again. “Father, please release my friend.”
Louis looked at him and asked, “That merchant’s daughter violated our kingdom’s laws. Why should I release her?”
Su Mu frowned. “Violated the law? Are you referring to her selling fake medicine? But the final verdict hasn’t even been delivered yet. How has she broken any law? Arresting someone without evidence—I don’t believe that’s stipulated in the kingdom’s laws, is it?”
“It seems you’re quite well-informed… Heh, indeed, she is currently only a suspect. Otherwise, she might not have merely been arrested.”
Louis sneered.
Su Mu fell silent, his brows furrowed in thought, considering how to persuade Louis to release Katusha.
Louis continued, “Selling counterfeit holy water severely damages the Holy Sanctuary’s reputation. It’s impossible to release her based solely on your word. However…”
He stared at Su Mu, leaving his sentence unfinished.
Su Mu gritted his teeth. “Speak. What are your terms?”
Louis chuckled. “However, my Chief Healer has stated that if you can prove her innocence and uncover the ultimate truth, it might be possible to let her go for now.”
Su Mu felt a surge of annoyance.
He knew it. Getting involved in this matter would inevitably lead to a heap of trouble.
Sure enough, he couldn’t escape the messy business of selling fake medicine.
Since he couldn’t avoid it, Su Mu simply stopped trying. He forced a smile. “Father, rest assured, I will deliver the truth you desire.”
“Hahaha…”
Louis laughed heartily as he descended from his seat, patted Sasaki’s shoulder with a look of pity, and then, without another glance at the two in the study, walked out.
“Come, I’ll take you to retrieve your friend.”
Su Mu, having been forced into this mess, was not in a good mood. Coupled with his eagerness to save Katusha, he paid no mind to Sasaki’s forlorn figure in the room, following closely behind Louis as they both departed.
The small study soon held only Sasaki.
In the silence, a persistent grinding of teeth could be heard…
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read My Star, Your Star! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : My Star, Your Star
