I’ll Save This Damned Family!

ady diverging a little.

 

The prohibition case, which should have happened around chapter 30, had already occurred.

 

Considering that the official letter requesting new administrators had arrived, we should've been at around chapter four.

 

At this stage, each character had been introduced one after another, their achievements listed, and the situation around the Ocerian Empire was being described.

 

It hadn’t been very interesting.
Was the reason I couldn't remember it because my fellow writer had forced me to read it?

 

The Second Imperial Prince.
All I could remember about him was that he was a powerful man.
A man who had destroyed the Elias family.

 

“But what the hell was he doing at Lackton Street?”

 

Ever since I'd seen him in the hallway, that question had kept circling through my mind.

 

Despite being an Imperial Prince, he'd looked like a beggar and had gotten beaten up by the Lackton gang.
He had obviously gotten assaulted on purpose.

 

I gulped down some water and immediately went to the library in the office building.

 

I didn't have much time.
This afternoon was Andrei Pitt's first visit to the mansion to teach us, and in the evening there was probably going to be a formal dinner.

 

I had to learn as much as I could about the Second Prince before meeting him.

 

I began to rummage through the newspapers, eating the small sandwich and milk I'd brought from the kitchen.

 

About an hour passed.
I was mumbling blankly.

 

“…Ha, this guy can't possibly be real…
Why is he so good at everything…?”

 

Here was the information I'd found by looking through the newspapers:

 

He was the second son of the current Emperor, Louis Amure.

 

Until five years ago, he wasn't that important.
Honestly, it was more accurate to say that he had been completely unknown.

 

When the Emperor suddenly brought him in as his son, it had caused a huge stir.

 

But it soon calmed down.
It was often dismissed as a minor blemish caused by the Emperor's capriciousness.

 

But as time passed, he had entered into a three-year long war with the maritime kingdom of Skandoa.

 

The Prince took command and acted as vanguard for the Empire.

 

In a moment of crisis, he won the head of the enemy, stimulated morale, and eventually led the Empire to victory.

 

He really began to stand out after the 3-years war.

 

In particular, at the end of the war, there was a famous story about him annihilating 300 Skandoan ships in a naval battle near Dolby Island with a fleet of only 60 Imperial vessels.

 

He was a master-ranked swordsman and was known for his brilliant tactical acumen.
The strategies he created with his considerable wits allowed him to catch his enemies off guard and win innumerable battles.

 

[Whoever makes an enemy of Oceria, no matter who they are, will not escape with even a single man left alive.]

 

Living by this creed, while on the battlefield the Prince was more thorough, ruthless, and cruel than anyone else.

 

And,

 

[The Sorbonne wine smuggling ring has been destroyed! However, only low level gang members have been arrested instead of the mysterious investors at the top.
The lifting of the prohibition order was nothing but hearsay.
Who could the secret benefactor of the 1st Imperial Palace be? – The Imperial Palace Daily]

 

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Military and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Security Department…
It was him.
The hidden contributor was the Second Prince.
Oh my God, that undercover investigation that I read about…
That's really….
quite amazing.
Truly…”

 

After leaving the archives, I returned to the main building.
My head was churning.

 

Would it have been better if I hadn't known anything about him?

 

Why did author Kim create such a cheat character to torment me?

 

It was obvious why he was visiting the Elias mansion under the guise of a false invitation.

 

I assumed it was for some kind of spying.
Until I gathered information through the newspapers….

 

Five years ago, he was only 22.

 

Kyle Amure, the 2nd Prince, who had achieved victory nearly every time in a war that came with no guarantees of success.
After the war, he took over the posts of Commander-in-Chief of the Military and Commander-in-Chief of Imperial Security.

 

Using his performance in the war, he'd gained momentum and aggressively outclassed the 1st and 3rd Princes.

 

And now at the age of 27, his influence was growing further.

 

The power of the Imperial Palace, which had been suppressed by the power of the nobility, had been gradually and persistently increasing over the course of the past five years.

 

Those who transgressed against the Imperial Palace were thoroughly investigated and charged with their crimes regardless of their status.
There was no mercy.

 

Therefore, as the Second Prince, who was a thorn in the side of the nobility, grew in influence, there would be more and more enemies seeking to keep him in check.

 

However, there were no major forces yet that could openly oppose his unrivalled presence.
So far…

 

Will I be able to prevent the destruction of my family working against such a man…? Should I just run away now….?

 

I should've been hungry because all I'd eaten was a sandwich, but my appetite had plummeted.
The steps on the way to the main building felt more burdensome than ever.

 

***

 

The 1st Floor Office.

 

“Your Excellency, Sir Andrei Pitt has arrived.”

 

“Ah…
Yes, it was today.”

 

He had completely forgotten about it.

 

Until yesterday, Lloyd had been curious about Tara's reaction.

 

But because of the Second Prince’s sudden arrival, he hadn’t been able to think about anything else.

 

It would only take an instant for them to be branded as a family that openly defied the laws of the Empire.
And all of this depended on the Second Prince, Kyle Amure.

 

The sight of Andrei Pitt entering the office drew attention, not only from Lloyd, but also from the vassals.

 

Habitually rubbing his throbbing temples, he dismissed the gathered vassals.

 

Andrei had long blond hair, earrings that dangled from his ears, makeup on his face, and one corner of his mouth was slightly raised.

 

At first glance, it was hard to imagine how such a delicate looking figure had become the head of an underground intelligence group.
It seemed incomprehensible.

 

But Lloyd was not fooled by his appearance.

 

Already, the atmosphere had undergone a significant shift since he'd entered the office.
Just like it had with the Second Prince…

 

Lloyd resisted the impulsive desire to take a step back.