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As I stepped inside, Count Kaiman was perched on the windowsill, staring at me intently.

‘Now that I know what kind of guy he is, just looking at him makes me want to beat him senseless.”

Steeling myself, I opened my mouth to speak.

“I kept my promise. Now, isn’t it about time for you to leave?”

“Hahaha.”

Suddenly, this lunatic burst into laughter. Not only that,

“Why should I?”

“What?”

“Oh, Your Highness, you’re so naive. Did you actually believe what I said?”

Moments later, Count Kaiman rose from his seat.

“As a matter of fact, Duke Kairos stopped by earlier to ask me whether I’d truly made such a promise to Your Highness.”

“……”

“I told him no, of course not.”

The smile on Count Kaiman’s face quickly shifted into a feigned look of sadness.

“Oh, dear. Don’t make such a scary face. I was just curious, you see.”

“……Curious about what?”

“Your reaction. I was really looking forward to seeing you struggle.”

As he spoke, Count Kaiman licked his lips with his tongue.

“So please, don’t misunderstand my affection. This is all part of life experience, isn’t it? If you go through something like this when you’re young, you won’t fall for scams when you’re older.”

“You crazy bastard. I knew you’d pull something like this.”

“……Huh……?”

For a moment, Count Kaiman tilted his head in confusion. Clearly, my unexpected response had caught him off guard.

“But what are you going to do? Thanks to the confirmation from not two, but three……”

Trailing off, I reached into my coat and pulled out the item I had prepared.

“……I’ve even got a royal decree.”

“……!”

It was an official edict, stamped with the seal of the King of the Hart Kingdom.

“With the kingdom’s only three dukes and an additional two marquises in agreement—five out of eight grand nobles have united to denounce you as a threat. How could the King turn a blind eye to the pleas of his loyal subjects?”

“……”

From the beginning, I never trusted any promises made with a lunatic. That’s why I had planned this meticulously.

When the landlord says to leave his house, what can the tenant do but leave?

“Now get out of our house.”

“……Haaaaa……”

At that, Count Kaiman, who had been silent until now, let out a deep sigh.

“Your Highness always exceeds my expectations.”

“Enough of your bullshit.”

“At this rate, even I can’t hold back, can I?”

I didn’t bother replying and simply waved my hand dismissively. With a faint chuckle, Count Kaiman picked up the royal edict.

“But…… While I can see how you persuaded that bat-like old Duke Kairos, how on earth did you convince Duke Serin?”

It takes one eccentric to recognize another. Count Kaiman looked genuinely curious.

“What will you give me?”

“Pardon?”

“If I tell you, will you grant me one favor before you leave?”

“A favor……?”

Count Kaiman blinked in surprise.

“You’re the reason I’m being kicked out of this comfortable home, and now you want a favor?”

“Weren’t you the one demanding justification earlier?”

“Hahahaha!”

Soon, Count Kaiman let out a hearty laugh.

“That’s true. I was the one who intended to break my promise. So, what is this favor?”

“I doubt that bat-like geezer will stop his scheming just because of this.”

“Oh?”

“So, if you have any shred of conscience, make sure to tell him as you leave, it was because of me that you were kicked out.”

“In other words, you’re asking me to support you, Your Highness.”

Count Kaiman once again let out his characteristic laugh and nodded.

“Very well. And what about my question?”

“A blood oath.”

“……What?”

“Fool me twice, shame on me. Write it down in blood and make it official. Then I’ll tell you.”

“……”

Standing there dumbfounded, Count Kaiman eventually let out a wry chuckle.

“You’ve learned well. Alright. I’ll do it.”

With that, Count Kaiman began writing in blood. All the while muttering nonsense like, ‘Our dear prince is growing up so well’.

“Here it is. Now, please tell me.”

“Though you can read ten fathoms into a man’s heart, you’ll never grasp the depths of a madman’s mind.”

Count Kaiman tilted his head again.

“……That sounds slightly different from the saying I know.”

“What do you think it means?”

“Who knows?”

“It means that thanks to a few lunatics like you, the world is changing beyond your empire’s control.”

“……!”

At that moment, a new emotion flickered in Count Kaiman’s eyes. It was unmistakable ‘ecstasy’.

“……What a delightful world.”

Of course it is—this lunatic longs for war more than anyone.

“Hmm……”

Left alone in the room, Duke Serin stared silently at the floor. There, a coin engraved with a soaring dove lay still.

It was the ‘heads’ result the prince had predicted.

“……You truly are fascinating, Your Highness.”

There had been no trickery during the wager. If there had been an attempt at sleight of hand?

The offending fingers would’ve been sliced clean off.

If mana had been used to influence the coin’s movement? The mage’s core would’ve been crushed to bits.

Or if he’d propped the coin vertically while spouting nonsense about ‘fate’?

His mouth would’ve been smashed, and Duke Serin would’ve forced him to flip the coin until he got a proper result.

But the wager had been conducted transparently.

In short, Duke Serin had lost fair and square. The prince’s words afterward still buzzed in the duke’s mind.

“Was it dull, having no twist at the end?”

“……!”

“Well, life is often like that, isn’t it? Everyone dreams of a dramatic comeback, but it’s not so easily achieved. Unless, of course, someone is as extraordinarily fortunate as you or me.”

Duke Serin’s eyes widened.

‘So I…… was purely outmatched in luck?’

Even Duke Serin himself considered his luck remarkable. Born an illegitimate child, his rise to family head was nearly unprecedented.

He didn’t know the exact statistics, but surely more than 90% of illegitimate children perished before adulthood, victims of the intense power struggles that defined noble society.

Yet Duke Serin not only survived, but he also pierced through the needle’s eye of 1%, ascending to the role of family head.

It wasn’t a feat mere talent could explain—luck had undoubtedly played a key role.

And yet.

‘……Better luck than my 1%?’

Duke Serin chuckled quietly to himself. He’d been intrigued.

So he asked,

“You’re saying this was a pure test of fortune…… But what would you have done if it had landed tails?”

“I’m not sure. Well, judging by your reaction, I doubt you’d have let me off easily. I might’ve just insisted we flip it again.”

“You’ve got a sharp instinct, Your Highness. For the record, I’d have cut off your limbs and sent you as a gift to the Meeke Principality.”

“A gruesome outcome.”

“So, answer me. Enough joking around.”

“I’m not the type to take risks without confidence in my odds. Let’s just say…… Luck is one of my stronger suits. But, since you brought it up, I did think of an idea.”

Duke Serin raised an intrigued brow.

“Go on.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to lose my limbs at this age. So, what if I cut off one of your limbs instead? Send it to the Queen, who no doubt grinds her teeth at the mention of ‘Duke Serin’.”

“……”

Duke Serin’s face turned icy.

The previous duchess of his family was of royal blood. In other words, the sister of the current Queen.

The Queen likely still bore a grudge against Duke Serin for killing her blood relative.

It was the reason Duke Serin had initially taken an ambiguous position within the nobility as part of the ‘Noble Faction’.

“So please, stop saying such frightful things.”

“……Hahaha. If Your Highness dies, I’ll be sure to open you up. Surely, you have at least two hearts?”

The prince simply shrugged.

“Debt must always be repaid in full, right?”

***

After concluding my talk with Count Kaiman, I returned to my quarters, where Duke Serin’s parting words echoed in my mind.

‘How did it feel, seeing someone just like you? Duke Serin.’

Yes.

For someone like Duke Serin, I prescribed ‘mirror therapy’.

‘Someone who’s lived a life like yours—me. I’ll endlessly continue down the path you took and reflect your every move. But if you still don’t feel anything, then……”

There would be no other choice. On a lifeboat with limited space, not everyone could come aboard.

‘……I’ll have to kill you.’

***

That evening, Duke Kairos paid a late visit to Duke Herman.

“The prince lied to us.”

“Pardon?”

“You said Count Kaiman wanted ‘justification’ to return. Yet the count himself acted as if he knew nothing of it.”

Duke Kairos grimaced, deeply displeased.

“I believed the prince’s words and lent him my support. Now I’m caught in a precarious position, risking enmity with the Empire in my old age.”

Watching him sigh deeply, clearly agitated, Duke Herman frowned. Ultimately, this worn-out snake would’ve supported Ancelot, anyway.

The king’s stance toward the Empire was still crucial, and Duke Kairos would prioritize loyalty to the crown.

With Duke Serin’s agreement, opposing the prince would achieve little, and defying the king would be disastrous.

“The promise from before is also concerning.”

“……What do you mean?”

“The royal decree guarantees Count Kaiman’s return to the Empire. But wasn’t the original agreement more than that?”

Catching the arsonist behind the fire at the Twilight Palace—this was the promise Ancelot had made.

Duke Kairos highlighted this failure.

“Stop beating around the bush. What’s your point?”

“It’s nice that you’re quick-witted.”

Duke Kairos’s sly smile grew as he revealed his intent.

“Since I’ve been stabbed in the back, and the prince failed to uphold his promise……”

The words that followed were audacious enough to stun even Duke Herman.

“……The half of Black Swan that the prince requested—I’ll take it for myself.”

***

“……Is what that senile fool said.”

Duke Herman stormed into my room later that night, huffing with anger.

“The fact that he’s a fellow noble is an embarrassment!”

“Don’t get so worked up. I’m fine.”

“But I’m not fine, you rascal.”

“Well, I anticipated this and already made preparations.”

“What……?”

Duke Herman looked puzzled.

By the next day, he understood exactly what I meant.

“Thank you for your hospitality. We’ll take our leave now.”

“Safe travels, Count.”

“Yes. Then, we’ll be going back to the Empire.”

The three dukes and I escorted Count Kaiman and his entourage to the gates. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, the count turned back.

“Oh, right! Before I forget, there’s something important I must tell you……”

True to his word, the count had kept his promise, though in his usual madman fashion.

-The fire at Twilight Palace? That was my doing.

“……What!”

“This lunatic……!”

“……!”

Duke Kairos, Duke Herman, and Duke Serin responded in turn. Judging from their reactions, I wasn’t the only recipient of this revelation.

Should I say it was fitting of a Master of the Empire?

He used a sophisticated method of conveying his will to multiple specific targets simultaneously.

“That lunatic.”

I couldn’t help but curse out loud. I asked him to push me a little, and he nearly hurled me off a cliff instead.

* * *