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Chapter 330: The Tough Choice
Once the princess’s name was mentioned, Aldrian more or less knew what the prince wanted to discuss. With everything that had happened lately, Prince Claude or the emperor would have to be foolish not to sense that something was wrong. Various events had occurred across the empire, some of which could not have been carried out without the involvement of someone from the imperial family.
Among the members of the imperial family, only one person stood out as the most suspicious. Someone who had connections to all of these incidents.
That person was the one he cherished most, the closest to him—even more than his own father. His little sister, Loraine.
The thought that his seemingly pure and kind-hearted little sister might be involved in such evil acts, even working with a family that had ties to the devils, made his heart crumble. He wanted to find another suspect, but he couldn’t lie to himself. All the evidence pointed to his sister, and there was nothing he could do to refute it.
"Young Master, if my guess is correct, you are the one helping the remnants of the Duclan family, right?" Claude asked.
"That’s right."
"Then, you must know the truth about them since you’re helping them. From my perspective, based on your past, you’ve never done anything that would benefit the devils. There’s no way you would help a fallen family that was judged for aiding them."
Aldrian nodded as Claude clenched his fist.
"Then, Young Master, do you think a member of the imperial family is involved in the past events that allowed the devils to operate freely within the empire? Do you believe the imperial family had a hand in the incidents that brought harm to innocent people because of the devils?"
Aldrian remained silent as he stared at Prince Claude. The prince, meeting Aldrian’s gaze, suddenly felt his confidence crumble and lowered his head. Aldrian’s stare carried the weight of judgment, even though his expression remained unchanged.
Claude gritted his teeth, knowing what that meant. He knew his question was merely an attempt to find another possibility—one that wouldn’t implicate his little sister. It was a way for him to escape a reality he didn’t want to face—the reality that he had to make a difficult decision about his own family.
Aldrian understood this, which was why he didn’t answer Claude’s question. The prince already knew the answer and what he had to do. However, when forced to choose between morality and law or his own blood, whom he deeply loved, the choice was far from a simple matter of right or wrong.
Looking at Prince Claude’s miserable state and the turmoil in his heart, Aldrian suddenly found himself facing a question directed at himself.
If I were in Prince Claude’s position, what would I choose? Would I choose righteousness, or would I choose my own family—the people who have been with me for so long?
He felt that, despite the weight of this question, he needed to have an answer if he didn’t want to find himself in the same predicament as Prince Claude. What if someone closest to him made a mistake—a grave mistake that forced him to choose between that person and his own sense of morality? his own sense of righteousness?
Aldrian sighed inwardly. This was the first time he had felt this way. Although he wasn’t facing this situation himself, it felt as though his heart was gripped, as if he were the one experiencing it.
What is the right choice?
Suddenly, he recalled the words of the monk he had met in the Forgeheart Kingdom:
Not every being’s heart can hold righteousness, and even if they have a righteous heart, not all of them can bear the weight of that righteousness.
The situation he was thinking about now could also fall into that category. In the end, to uphold righteousness, one must have a strong heart and bear its weight. But how can one remain strong when faced with their own family—the people they love?
Aldrian felt unsure of his answer. He felt lost. A part of him wanted to seek out that monk and ask for his opinion on this matter.
Pushing aside his thoughts for now, he continued to watch Prince Claude. However, since the prince remained silent, Aldrian decided to speak. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Your Highness, to be blunt, the imperial family has leeway in this situation. If you look back, don’t you think all the blame has been placed entirely on the Larson family? Have you ever heard any rumors about the imperial family being directly implicated in this matter?
Even when the imperial family’s name is mentioned, people simply dismiss it as ’the imperial family was deceived by the Larson family’ or something similar."
Aldrian paused before continuing.
"Even though, the Larson family could use that information to drag the imperial family down with them, and the Duclan family could do the same to exact revenge. Why do you think they haven’t?"
After a few moments, Claude raised his head and looked into Aldrian’s eyes. His own eyes trembled when he realized something.
"You... you are the one who planned all of this, right? The Larson family didn’t use that information to bring down the imperial family because they didn’t have the time to spread it. You and the people from the Duclan family attacked them just now, causing their entire family to collapse. As for the Duclan family, they didn’t drag the imperial family’s name into their battle with the Larson family because of your intervention," he said.
Aldrian sipped his tea and put down his cup.
"Look, the imperial family must maintain its reputation and dignity if you want to keep governing this empire with stability. Once the imperial family’s reputation takes a hit, and news spreads that one of its members is actually helping the Larson family, what do you think will happen, hmm? I think you know well what will happen to this empire, your highness."
"Vindas Empire is an important empire that borders devil territory. The last thing anyone wants is for the empire to plunge into chaos and instability, your highness," Aldrian said with a serious face.
Claude remained silent as what Aldrian had said sank in. From Aldrian’s tone and response, it became clear that Aldrian was indeed the one who ensured the imperial family’s name was excluded from the problem with the Larson family. Once the name of the imperial family was dragged into it, people would start questioning its integrity, and the populace would begin to distrust it.
No matter how much power the imperial family had, once the people of the empire lost faith in it, it was only a matter of time before the empire descended into civil war and collapse, splitting into smaller kingdoms with each noble as a new ruler. This was the worst possible outcome, especially for an empire that bordered devil territory. The devils could take advantage of it once the empire collapsed.
"Do you absolutely believe that my little sister is also responsible for the fall of the Duclan family and the devil’s plot against the Flamecrest family?" Claude asked again. He decided to be more direct, but his face had already withered, as though he had lost the will to continue this conversation.
Aldrian, also decided to match his directness and nodded his head.
"Her involvement is deeper than you think, and that’s because she has a personal connection to one of the devils. If you want to know more, then you’ll have to be ready to learn about Princess Loraine’s true character," he said with a calm expression.
Prince Claude was stunned. A personal connection with one of the devils? He felt that what he was about to hear would break his heart, but he wanted to understand the reason behind all of his little sister’s actions. From his understanding, there was no clear motive for what she had done, and that was the most puzzling thing for him and his father. If she didn’t have a motive, then what was the purpose of everything she had done?
Deciding to harden his heart, Claude chose to learn the truth from Aldrian. He believed that Aldrian, with his seemingly extensive knowledge, knew the reason behind his little sister’s actions.
"Please tell me, young master. I want to know about my little sister," he said.
Aldrian finally shared the story of the princess’s involvement with the Lust Devil, albeit with more refined words to keep the conversation civilized. Aldrian knew that it would break Claude’s heart, but he decided it was the best course of action for now—at least it was better than him having to personally kill the princess.
Throughout the story of Princess Loraine, Prince Claude listened carefully without saying a word. But once Aldrian had finished narrating what he had discovered about the princess, Claude suddenly stood up from his seat and walked toward the door.
"Excuse me, young master. Let me step out for a moment; I need some fresh air," he said before leaving the room.
Aldrian sighed at the sight. This was truly a tough and painful situation for both the prince and the emperor, and he could only hope they would choose the best course of action, the one that had already formed in his mind. If they didn’t, he would have no choice but to act personally.
