I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep

Chapter 33 “Conflict?”“Imperial faction and noble faction, His Majesty the Crown Prince and Her Majesty the Princess. Your Majesty did not want the Empire to be divided in that way.”“What does that have to do with… Are you saying that His Majesty thought the division would be worse if it became known that he cared for the Crown Prince?”Erinne nodded her head.“Yes, and… the Princess is not an enemy. Your Majesty was concerned about that part.”I burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. She spoke in circles, but in the end it was a simple story.The Emperor loved his son Caesar, but he loved the Empress and the Princess that much, or perhaps even more.He couldn’t openly help Caesar because he was afraid of hurting the Empress and the Princess, who were not his enemies. Taking sides would disrupt the balance of power.‘But what about Caesar, who’s not the enemy, and he’s allowed to be hurt?’How hard it must have been for Caesar to grow up thinking that his mother died and his father did not care about him. If the Emperor had only said one word, if he had only told Caesar that he was watching him…If the Emperor dies so soon, Caesar will never know the love of a parent.As if reading my expression, Erinne hastened to add.“Of course, I don’t mean to imply that he was a decent father… either.”‘No, not only are you not a decent father, you’re not a decent Emperor either.’He hates conflict, but look at the state of the Empire right now. The imperial and the nobility are more divided than ever, more polarized than ever!The Emperor was not thinking of resolving the situation, he’s just avoiding responsibility.He’s either stupid or an idealist.Words that I couldn’t get out of my mouth because I was afraid that my throat would be blown over for insulting the royal family lingered in my head.“Anyway, so… You know what I mean, right? I can’t appear in front of the Crown Prince. Your Majesty doesn’t want it to be revealed that he’s involved in this work.”With an apologetic face, Erinne got up from the bench again.“Wait!”I grabbed Erinne’s arm this time. I couldn’t let her go like this.“What if we don’t tell anyone?”“What?”“We just have to make sure no one knows he’s involved, not even the Crown Prince himself!”“However….”“You said he doesn’t like conflict. If no one knew that Your Majesty was involved in this, there would be no conflict.”I looked up at Arin with desperate eyes.“If you don’t help me now, the aristocrats faction will go wild. The country will be torn apart, and the Crown Prince will lose his position.”Erinne couldn’t easily shake my arm off.“It’s a matter of life and…… death.”A loud cracking sound was heard. Erinne’s eyes fluttered.She must have felt a tiny bit guilty for Caesar. Having seen him up close, she should feel more compassion for him. I touched that part.“This is something only you can do, please help me.”  ***** A few hours after that, the atmosphere in the banquet hall where the second part had started was subdued. It was because of the one man bowing his head in front of the podium, Duke Spiegel.All eyes turned to him. The Duke spoke his words to the Emperor and Crown Prince who were seated in front of him.“Your Majesty, I just, I just want to make sure!”His voice was so squeaky that it could be heard throughout the ballroom.“The reason why the Crown Prince’s hair has become darker!”On the other hand, the Emperor’s response was weak. He was supposed to be lying in the bed, it seemed difficult to even sit in his chair.“Why, is there a law in this country that says we can’t change the color of the hair…”“Of course not, I’m just saying that since you’re the crown prince, representing the whole empire, it’s only right to explain if they are dislike about the change of the hair color.”“Dislike?”It was Caesar who spoke this time.“Disliking the hair color…. Who cares about the color of my hair?”‘Crown Prince…!’Duke Spiegel bowed his head and gave a sullen smile. If not the emperor, the young crown prince would be an easy target.“I have a report!”“Report?”“Yes, right here… The report is that His Highness the Crown Prince’s hair color has changed because of none other than His Highness’ illness!”The banquet hall was very noisy.A Crown Prince’s illness, an illness that can change the color of his hair. If it was true, the Crown Prince’s position could be in danger.‘How is it?’The Duke glanced up with a cheerful smile, and a small chuckle escaped him.‘Chuckle?’There was a clear smirk on Caesar’s lips as he looked down at him. The Duke’s brow furrowed.‘You’re laughing instead of trembling in fear?’It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.Caesar’s expression looked extremely relaxed. It was almost as if Duke was the one caught in the trap, not him.‘Am I caught in a trap? That’s impossible…’Duke Spiegel struggled to shake off his anxiety. Caesar continued without hesitation.“So what do you want to check?”“That…”The Duke felt a cold sweat running down his back.‘He’s only a 15-year-old kid…’When he first heard of Ian’s plan, he thought everything would be very simple.Apparently, when he saw Caesar at a banquet not too long ago, the Duke had thought him a mere child. However, Caesar in front of him now was by no means an easy opponent.‘What the hell happened in the last few days?’Duke Spiegel swallowed dry saliva at Caesar’s drowsy pressure.‘… Yes, the Crown Prince is weak. And even if things go wrong, it doesn’t matter.’The Duke clenched his teeth and took out a bottle from his bosom.“All I ask is that you drink this.”“Drink?”“It’s just a potion to change your hair color back to its original color. If you change your hair color just to make yourself feel better, as the Crown Prince said, your hair color will return to its original state. There will be no harm.”“But what if it’s not?”“What?”Caesar’s voice was as cold as frost.“What if it is true that I have a chronic disease? Does this Empire even have plans to kill the Crown Prince who is ill?”“Of course not! Nothing will happen to you, you’ll just keep your hair the same dark color.”It was true. What Duke Spiegel had prepared was merely a potion that would make the magically changed hair color return to its original color.If the Crown Prince really changed his hair color by magic, it would go back to normal, otherwise nothing would happen.So even if the Duke or Ian were mistaken, there was no danger.‘Yeah, if that happens, the person who made the report… and charges will be Ian.’In short, there was nothing to lose for the Duke himself. If this was a way to get rid of Ian, who had no idea what he was up to, it was a good thing.The plan was perfect. There is no such thing as a trap, the Duke reassured himself.“Well….”Caesar crossed his legs slowly. Then he leaned forward and set his jaw.“Why should I trust you and drink that potion?”“Yes?”“What if there was poison in it?”“Your highness, that would be impossible!”“We can’t it say for sure.”“If you mean to excuse yourself with such words, then…”“Excuse myself?”Caesar’s voice echoed through the hall, hardening in an instant. The Duke flinched and shuddered.“You’re being insolent, Duke.”“That’s not it.”There was a deathly silence. The Duke’s hands were covered in sweat, and an anxious feeling came over him.‘Surely… I’m not getting myself into trouble here? Should I back off?’The Duke swallowed hard and thought to himself.Finally, Caesar broke the silence.Enough. I’ll be merciful and forgive you for reporting for the public interest, and if you want it so badly, I can drink the potion .“Th-thank you, Your highness.”The Duke’s face widened..“But it’s still annoying. How about this?”“Yes?”“You should drink it first.”Caesar shrugged and said lightly.“As you said, if it’s not poisonous, taking a sip shouldn’t be a problem.”“Ah….”He lowered his head as if he was in trouble, but the Duke secretly smiled.‘I knew it was going to be like this. You’d doubt me.’That’s why he’d prepared a potion that wasn’t really dangerous.“Okay, I’ll drink first.”The Duke took the bottle he had prepared and opened the lid tightly sealed with wax.‘Heh, this potion I can drink it a hundred or a thousand times.’With that thought in mind, it was just when he brought the bottle to his lips.‘… Huh?’Duke Spiegel’s eyes saw a maid approaching Caesar’s side. She’s a maid with a ridiculously large ribbon around her head.She leaned in close to Caesar and whispered something to him..‘That maid must be the one who just…’The Duke realized that she was the same maid who had bumped into him in the ballroom before coming here, knocking all of his belongings over.‘She picked up this potion for me too…’The potion spilled from the tilted bottle, and the Duke unknowingly drank it.‘Wait, no…’