Free Web Novel"What exactly... is going on?"
The night was still the same, but the various firelights, smoke, and the lights formed by converging magic illuminated this originally quiet, vast private area as bright as day.
When Albert rode in a carriage and silently arrived at a corner along the edge, what he saw was already the miserable sight of half a marquis’s estate reduced to ruins. Nobles from every direction who had received the news sent people here to probe the situation. Along with the knights who came after understanding the commotion, all kinds of carriages and people crowded the periphery. In the Upper City, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, this sprawling estate—still no smaller than a suburban manor—rarely saw such liveliness.
"One of the heirs of the Blood of Glory, an ancient family with a thousand-year imperial legacy, and their estate is actually attacked by so-called rioters and ruined to this extent?"
Albert rarely showed such violent anger. He slammed a fist onto the table in front of him and said in a low voice, "This is the Upper City! What rioters would have the guts?!"
"Speaker, please calm your anger."
After leaving Celicia’s surveillance, the robin that had been circling in the air for a long time finally landed in front of Albert. Inside this private carriage space, his expression was also somewhat grave. freēwēbnovel.com
"For something like this to happen was indeed beyond all of our expectations. But from the intelligence we currently have, the other side is no ‘rioters.’"
"What do you mean?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Do you truly believe that Princess Celicia suddenly invited you to dinner together at a time like this simply to ‘build rapport’ with you?"
"It was her scheme?"
Albert’s pupils shrank. The many strange points from tonight finally linked into a complete thread at this moment.
These days, he had been too immersed in being the “Crown Prince,” to the point that he had almost forgotten where his soul truly belonged, which was why he hadn’t connected it immediately.
"Heh heh. Sure enough, that ‘little sister’ of mine holds more information than we imagined. On the ‘Renren Library’ app you can read the latest updated chapters of ‘The Blond Villain in the Phoenix-Ao-Tian Novel Also Wants Happiness’ ad-free, with over a million books all free to read. renrenshuku.com the full spelling of Renren Library .com lets you access the app’s official website."
"Perhaps when she visited the Dion estate last time, we revealed some flaw somewhere without knowing."
The robin flapped his wings. "Back then I already contacted you. That princess had already pressed in to a deadly extent—at that time, she was only one step away from discovering the truth."
"But why, even now, is she still biting down and refusing to let go? Andrew is already dead. What use is it for her to keep biting me? Or is she still standing up for that damned House Campbell?"
Albert pondered slightly observedly, then his face suddenly sank.
"No, choosing to stand up at a time like this would only harm House Campbell. Choosing to do this at a time like this... could it be that... she also wants to..."
"...From a certain angle, it’s not impossible."
The robin thought for a moment and nodded. "After all, the blood in her body is also the purest royal bloodline."
"But she’s a woman!"
"If she can make the Crown Prince not the Crown Prince, then naturally she becomes the Empire’s only legitimate heir."
The robin said, "Don’t forget—Princess Celicia is not trash like Andrew."
"...True. Celicia is a smart woman."
Albert suddenly calmed down. He leaned back against the seat, and the shadows cast by the light outside the window covered half his face, making him look sinister and imposing.
"But it’s only petty cleverness. She doesn’t understand that even if she knows that matter, she still ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) can’t bring me down, because those interest groups that gathered around the most legally justified identity of the ‘Crown Prince’ don’t care about so-called souls. They only care about identity, bloodline, position, and... what they can get."
Albert looked at his own pale, slender hands, filled with youthful vitality.
"Just as the Blood of Glory links up the Inner Council, so interests—and the old nobles’ dissatisfaction at the Emperor being suppressed—construct the Albert of today. Not an Albert who merely represents the Crown Prince... She alone, at most plus House Campbell, how is she supposed to fight me?"
"That’s why she used this kind of move. She’s probably thinking of letting go and gambling with it."
"Ridiculous. My only weakness now is that body. Unless she truly can..."
Albert and the robin exchanged a look, and their gazes abruptly snapped toward that estate that was nearly half-ruined.
...
...
"How... how could this be?"
Dion estate, cellar.
Sharp returned after failing to chase down Bruce. Looking at the empty cellar, the blood in his entire body nearly flowed backward in that instant.
"Strange... The only person who broke in here has already been driven back by me, and none of the other rioters ever infiltrated this deep. Why... why?!"
Because of the side effects of beastification, Sharp—his body still somewhat weak—trembled as he walked into the cellar. But no matter how he searched in the already cramped cellar, he could not find the old marquis’s body that should have been placed here.
In the end, he only found a note on the ground. It was written in cute handwriting:
"Thanks for the hospitality. The steak was nice, the wine was good too. I’ll take grandpa with me first~"
That frivolous tone made a steamed-bun face that sent one’s blood pressure soaring almost instantly appear in Sharp’s mind. His head buzzed, and at the same time he only hated that he’d learned too much aristocratic etiquette—at a time like this, he couldn’t even spit out any real filth.
"Trash!"
Albert, who had entered the marquis’s estate through the secret passage, was also there. The moment he saw this scene he immediately understood what had happened. His face ugly, he barked furiously:
"You can’t even guard a single body. What use are you to me?"
"I am very sorry, Father."
Sharp’s knees bent, and he dropped straight to his knees before this likewise young figure.
"It was my negligence. I didn’t expect that Bruce was also only a decoy. Please give me another chance. I will definitely recover your body—"
"Shut
up, trash!"
The enraged Albert swung a slap, but unfortunately this body was too frail at the moment, and it only tilted Sharp’s face slightly to the side.
Albert’s chest still heaved. Since being born into House Dion, he had rarely been this angry.
"Speaker, please calm your anger."
The robin flew a circle around the cellar and landed at the entrance to the passage, offering counsel.
"Now is not the time to deal with family matters like this."
"I understand... It’s just that this unfilial son makes me too angry."
Albert let out a long breath and gradually calmed down.
"Can you tell how long they’ve been gone?"
"From the traces, they just left—no more than ten minutes at most."
"Ten minutes. Then there’s still time."
Albert murmured as if hesitating about something, his expression turning uncertain.
But in the end, he made his decision. From his clothes he produced a sharp, black conical spike. After taking a deep breath, he suddenly drove that spike into his own chest.
Pft.
Flesh tore. Blood flowed. The intense pain made Albert’s body tremble and his expression contort.
Black patterns spread outward from the conical spike, finally merging into Albert’s flesh like a woven net, firmly binding something within his body.
"Father!"
Sharp looked extremely worried and even wanted to rush forward, but the robin held him down.
"Don’t move. This is a method to temporarily cut off the connection between his soul and the original body."
"Cut off the connection?"
"As a precaution—if the other side has obtained the body, and if there’s a curse or some other method to directly attack the Speaker’s soul through the connection between the original body and the soul, then it would be trouble."
The robin explained, "All of this was completed with our full participation, and since we know its weak points, naturally we also have countermeasures. Of course, as I just said, this method is only temporary."
"Is that so..."
Sharp had only just let out a breath, when he immediately tensed again.
"But... if they have the body, wouldn’t they be able to—"
"Relax. A single body proves nothing."
Albert lifted his head with a feral, twisted face. The black patterns wriggled beneath his skin like an evil ghost.
"Soul transfer leaves no evidence. An empty shell of flesh proves nothing either. And stealing a marquis’s body is not something they can even bring into the open. Therefore, as long as there is no absolute, indisputable proof that I am not me, that the Crown Prince is not the Crown Prince, then I am unassailable. The identity and legal legitimacy of the Crown Prince remain immovable."
"Heh. They think that by grabbing my only weakness they can overturn me—how naive. I’ve schemed for so long, how could I not have already thought of sealing every loophole shut?"
Albert gradually returned to calm and slowly straightened.
"But to be safe, we must recover my body as soon as possible."
"How do we do it?" said Sharp at once.
"Crush them with force."
Albert thought briefly, then said in a low voice, "Forcefully go after House Dion’s estate. This time, Celicia is ultimately on the side that is at fault. Tomorrow, you will take this matter straight to the Imperial Council, use the Empire’s laws to pressure Celicia into handing over the body. I will assist you. At the same time, I will use this opportunity to seize back some initiative within the Imperial Council from that ridiculous bear. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
"This time, you must not fail!"
"Yes, Father."
Sharp lowered his head, a sharp light flickering in his eyes.
"I will not fail twice against the same opponent. This time, I will wash away my humiliation!"
...
...
The next day.
Sharp, who had not slept all night, arrived at the palace early.
Over at the marquis’s estate, it was still a complete mess. Before dawn, almost all of Sharp’s energy had been spent dealing with the knight order, as well as those nobles who seemed kind on the surface but harbored ill intent.
After all, in Belrand there were probably not many nobles who would openly allow other people to help them “rebuild the estate and investigate the culprit.”
Many things would rather be utterly destroyed than be seen in the light.
More importantly, Sharp already knew perfectly well who the so-called “culprit” was, didn’t he?
And now, what he had to do was make that culprit regret what she had done.
After entering the palace, he made his way all the way to that ancient, elegant door. Sharp straightened his formalwear and cast several wakefulness spells on himself to confirm he was in his best condition. He then reviewed his prepared draft once more, ensuring he would absolutely not slip up in this debate and pressure—
and finally... he pushed open the doors of the Royal Council Chamber.
Gentle sunlight gilded all things in brilliant gold. Sharp narrowed his eyes, and his gaze swept rapidly across the meeting hall.
Regent Oranlier, Crown Prince Albert, Marquis Angus, Marquis Modor, Count Bugald... and even Princess Celicia, sitting calmly with a look as though it had nothing to do with her.
Whether leading roles or supporting roles, the highest-ranking figures of the Empire were all gathered here at this moment.
This was Sharp’s stage—his stage to wipe clean last night’s disgrace in one stroke!
Sharp lifted his head high and walked toward the long conference table at Pink Bear’s signal.
And then... his gaze naturally shifted to the end of the table, to the old man who should not have been here at all.
Sharp froze in place.
"Ahem. Looks like everyone’s here."
Pink Bear flipped open the documents in his hands. "Though it feels like discussing this kind of thing in the Imperial Council is making a mountain out of a molehill, since it’s a request from a marquis’s house, we still have to give it a perfunct—no, solve it."
"But before that, I have a question."
Pink Bear lifted his head, looking in confusion at Sharp, who had gone stiff as a wooden chicken.
"Lord Sharp is accusing Celicia of hiring people to attack the marquis’s estate and steal your father’s corpse, so that he can’t rest in peace, but..."
Pink Bear turned his head in the same way toward the end of the long table, toward that smiling old man.
"Your old man... isn’t he sitting right here, perfectly fine?"
