Chapter 409: It will be two for one
"Are you sure you want to come with me, Amalia?"
"Mm."
In the Third Princess’s chambers, Astrid gazed at the black-haired little girl before her, dressed in a fluffy princess dress, pulling delicate white thigh-high stockings up her legs, and spoke softly.
"Since you’re so insistent, I won’t try to stop you."
"But if you feel uncomfortable at any point, tell me immediately. Don’t push yourself. Just say you’re feeling uncomfortable, and I’ll take you to the restroom to rest for a while."
Astrid naturally understood the animosity between Amalia and Lucas. Although she herself deeply disliked the eldest prince’s playboy demeanor, she could still manage basic communication with him.
"I’m fine, sister." Amalia replied softly.
Whether it was her intense possessiveness toward Astrid, or the deep-seated prejudices and hatreds carved into her bones, she could conceal them all perfectly, without anyone noticing.
This future Empress of the Empire was far more patient than Astrid had imagined.
Seeing the girl’s answer remained firm, Astrid nodded slightly and said no more, placing the small leather shoes prepared earlier by the head maid onto the carpet, then bending down to gently grasp Amalia’s white-stockinged little foot helping her.
When Astrid finished, Amalia curled her alabaster toes a few times, then stood up and flexed her ankle, lightly tapping the toe of her shoe against the floor.
"Sister."
Noticing Astrid’s collar was slightly disheveled, Amalia tiptoed, her nimble fingers threading through the silver-white pendant, gently smoothing it over the other’s collarbone.
"Your hair and dress are a little messy."
After helping Astrid tidy her clothes, Amalia blinked, and while her white-stockinged heels, faintly pink beneath the sheer fabric, was still not fully back in the shoe, she quickly pressed her lips to Astrid’s cheek.
"Let’s go, sister."
Realizing Amalia’s little gesture, Astrid gave a gentle smile, leaned down to adjust the thin strap of her high-heeled shoe, and returned the affection with a kiss on the girl’s forehead.
Amalia loved expressing closeness through these small actions, and Astrid didn’t mind it at all.
Still, one thing puzzled Astrid: if the girl simply asked, she wouldn’t have hesitated to kiss her. Yet Amalia always preferred to act first.
Could it be... to build tacit understanding between sisters?
Amalia, on the other hand, had a completely different explanation, whenever she initiated the kiss, she could freely choose where to place it. By touching positions reserved for only the most intimate relationships, she could express the burning passions hidden deep within her heart.
Perhaps it was just a trivial little trick.
Leaving the chambers and boarding the carriage to their destination, twenty minutes later, Astrid pushed open the private room Lucas had reserved.
"Good afternoon, brother."
Seeing Astrid enter, Lucas, draped in a luxurious robe, politely nodded. When his eyes fell on the girl holding her hand, his gaze paused.
"Good afternoon, sister."
"...and Livia."
She brought her along too? They had important matters to discuss.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Lucas’s mind. At the same time, Amalia also felt discomfort, a nauseating wave of disgust churning in her stomach.
The man didn’t use a more formal "Miss" to address her, he directly called her "sister."
That title... how dare he use it...
Although inwardly disgusted, Amalia showed not a trace of it outwardly. She timidly held Astrid’s hand, her red eyes darting away toward the floor tiles.
"It’s been so long since we last had lunch together, brother. It’s such a rare opportunity, so I thought I’d bring Livia along." Astrid walked to her seat, not sitting down immediately, but speaking slowly.
"Livia is very well-behaved. She won’t disrupt our meal, and certainly won’t spread any private family matters outside."
The implication was clear: Lucas could speak freely, without worrying about leaks.
Hearing this, Lucas narrowed his blue eyes, sweeping his gaze over Amalia. Considering her usual timid demeanor and her status as Astrid’s adopted sister, he harbored no suspicions.
After all, they are on the same boat now. In this imperial succession struggle, Astrid had no choice but to support him. As long as she guaranteed Livia’s reliability, he didn’t need to worry.
He signaled to a nearby attendant to add another seat. As he turned his head, he noticed the head maid standing guard at the doorway, and couldn’t help but think, she’s everywhere. At the previous banquet, it was Elise who stood between him and Amalia.
This curvaceous black-haired woman, after all, was the Third Princess’s bodyguard and housekeeper. Lucas, who always maintains his "perfect older brother" image, still had to give her a little respect.
At least until he became Emperor.
Unaware that the man across the table was still dreaming of becoming Emperor, Astrid gave a light cough. Once the attendant had added the seat and left, her glossy, luscious lips parted slightly.
"Brother, you’ve been looking well lately."
Perhaps due to recent abstinence, Lucas’s complexion was no longer as pale as before, showing a rare flush of healthy color.
Lucas gave a slight nod, smiling with cultivated grace.
"Sister, you’ve become even more beautiful lately."
Exchanging a few polite compliments, the dishes arrived. Seeing that Lucas had no intention of getting straight to business, Astrid didn’t rush to bring up political topics either.
After all, the one in a hurry would be Lucas, not her.
Chatting casually while enjoying the chef’s carefully prepared dishes, Astrid cut a piece of foie gras and fed it to Amalia. The white-stockinged girl opened her mouth slightly, her pink tongue gently receiving the morsel from her sister.
Throughout the meal, Astrid hardly stopped tending to Amalia, feeding her, handing over silk handkerchiefs to wipe her lips. Sitting opposite, Lucas almost felt like he was invisible.
After eating a bit more steak and seeing most of the dishes nearly finished, Lucas took a sip of red wine, finally broaching the purpose of this luncheon.
"Sister, I’ve recently obtained some negative information about Alistair..."
"I never imagined my proud younger brother would secretly commit such horrifying acts."
Hearing Lucas get to the point, Astrid raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, her two black-stockinged legs elegantly crossed beneath the table, watching him with interest.
"Brother... what do you mean?"
Lucas, as Alistair’s political rival, should have some dirt on him. But none of it would be definitive evidence capable of sealing Alistair’s fate as a loser, otherwise, Lucas wouldn’t have waited until now.
Hearing Astrid’s question, a cold glint flashed in Lucas’s eyes, quickly replaced by his usual carefully crafted gentility, as he spoke with apparent sadness.
"Three days ago, someone encountered a naked black-haired boy at Rulo Port, covered in scars."
"They took him to an inn, used healing magic to treat him, and ultimately saved his life. Through subsequent investigation, we identified the culprit behind this tragedy."
"Alistair Valeria, the Empire’s Second Prince. He actually used such filthy methods to defile a young man, even satisfying his perverse desires through torture."
"If the witness weren’t standing right before us, I truly couldn’t believe such a demon could be my own brother."
The man’s voice was low and restrained, tinged with unmistakable pain. To an outsider unaware of the truth, Lucas’s demeanor might truly seem like mild anger toward a wayward brother.
But thinking carefully, even if Astrid didn’t know the brothers were now bitter enemies, Lucas basing such a grave accusation solely on one witness hardly seemed like the behavior of a caring older brother.
"Is there really such a thing?" Astrid held up her wine glass, her red eyes wide with surprise.
"At first, I couldn’t believe it either. But I sent people to investigate the mansion where he was supposedly imprisoned, following the witness’s statement..."
Lucas frowned deeply, his voice heavy.
"The mansion was completely burned down by a fire. All evidence disappeared in the flames."
"That’s rather too coincidental."
A classic method of destroying evidence. Next would be silencing the witness, eliminating the human proof before the matter spread further.
"..."
Her hand stiffly holding the wine glass, eyes instantly contracting, Astrid pretended as if her entire worldview had been shattered. To appear more convincing, she even slightly parted her lips.
"The timing... is just a bit strange..."
Seeing Astrid accept his reasoning, Lucas’s heart surged with excitement, yet he restrained himself from speaking immediately.
"So, brother, are you telling me this so I should stay away from the Second Prince?"
"Mm. Besides that, I have other thoughts."
Lucas frowned, his tone suddenly shifting.
"As members of the royal family, Alistair’s actions have already damaged the entire imperial house’s reputation. Considering it’s his first breach, I don’t plan to inform Father."
Oh, how magnanimous of you.
Astrid inwardly mocked her "brother" with a calm expression.
"So, what does brother plan to do?"
Now, she was truly curious to see what Lucas could do with this flimsy, unsubstantiated scandal.
"I’ve already sent people to gather any remaining evidence from the burned site, and the witness has been safely placed in a private location."
"Out of respect for the royal family’s dignity, this won’t be made public for now. But if Alistair commits any further acts unbecoming of a noble, I hope my sister will support me then."
"The Empire Weekly certainly has advertising space."
He wanted her to expose the Second Prince’s scandal, thereby eliminating his succession chances?
Astrid’s eyes sparkled, lightly swirling the transparent wine glass between her fingers.
As someone who lived in the internet age in her previous life, Astrid naturally understood how powerful public opinion could be. Once Alistair was linked to these so-called "crimes," even if not formally convicted, his political career would be permanently stained.
While Emperor Hibbort was still in power, the Emperor certainly had the ability to investigate thoroughly. Given his style, regardless of whether the truth was confirmed, Hibbort would never allow the Empire to be disgraced because of Alistair, he’d likely use political influence to suppress the matter, achieving minimal effect.
But if Hibbort fell seriously ill and lost the ability to investigate, and Astrid, the designated scapegoat, dropped this deep-water bomb, it would not only effectively eliminate a political rival but also divert the Emperor’s displeasure almost entirely onto the Third Princess. Of course, in Lucas’s view, that was merely an added bonus, the moment the Second Prince was no longer a threat, the throne would almost certainly pass to him.
One of the conditions for wielding imperial authority and gaining recognition was Valeria blood. As an adopted princess without the family name, no matter how favored Astrid was, she had no possibility of inheriting the throne.
What a well-calculated scheme, painting one brother as a heartless monster, the other as a vile, reputation-destroying rapist, while positioning himself as the pure, untainted lotus.
Amused, Astrid pretended to ponder.
"Wouldn’t Father be upset about this?"
Lucas shook his head, speaking gently.
"If everything is confirmed, we’re simply cleaning houses for the Valeria Empire’s royal family."
"Moreover, your brother will support you."
He believed Astrid should understand, there would be only one future Emperor: Lucas Valeria. Once he ascended the throne, whoever he wanted to live would live, and whoever he wanted dead wouldn’t survive until the next day.
And with her beautiful appearance, the silver-haired girl before him will never fall out of favor.
Astrid appeared to consider slightly, then after a moment, a glint flashed in her red eyes as she softly spoke.
"I understand, brother."
There was one thing Lucas might have already forgotten, the recording barrier stone from the land infertile was still in Charlotte’s hands.
If it ever came to using it, it would likely be a two-for-one strike.
Seeing Astrid so obedient, Lucas narrowed his long eyes, his mind floating with satisfaction, casually saying,
"Yesterday, Father invited me to his study for a discussion. We talked about many of the Empire’s political strengths and weaknesses."
He had a feeling that Hibbort’s most favored successor was none other than himself.
"Father’s figure has become increasingly thin lately, and he’s always coughing when he speaks. As children, we should shoulder more of his burdens."
Coughing? When he spoke to her yesterday, he showed no signs of it at all.
A faint doubt had just surfaced in Astrid’s mind when she heard Lucas speak again.
"I heard Father recently sent Mr. Trin to the Imperial Guard, something about personnel reshuffling."
The Imperial Guard... personnel reshuffling...
In the original story, this event was mentioned in passing, but definitely not now, it was supposed to happen two months later.
Could it be... that Emperor Hibbort’s illness had worsened earlier than expected?