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Chapter: 42

The morning brought a flurry of activity to the fortress, leaving its owner in a foul mood.

His sleep had been restless, and for days, the reckless prince\'s refusal to leave had caused his heart to pound and his face to flush with anger.

Upon hearing the reason for the commotion, the Lord of Naam Fortress roared, "...What, what did you say?!"

An unthinkable incident had occurred, right within his fortress, his home. The enraged Lord\'s face paled.

"Is that truly the case?!"

Senior Secretary, a civil official, had been discovered with bellflower, a processed form of the forbidden flower.

"...That damned fool!"

Jong Sangye, despite holding a position in the palace, had become a liaison in hopes of gleaning even the smallest benefit. What good was his official title when his actions were no different from those of a vagabond\'s?

And now, he had caused a major incident, right here in Naam Fortress of all places.

"How could my luck be so terrible..."

The mere possession of the forbidden herb was punishable. At the very least, dismissal from his position was inevitable.

Jong Sangye had no opportunity to offer an excuse.

The truth of the matter was no longer of consequence to the Lord of Naam Fortress.

It had been one of the prince\'s attendants who had discovered him collapsed on the porch, clutching the bellflower. There was no way for a mere civil official to silence the prince\'s attendants. They wouldn\'t be swayed by a few coins.

The Lord of Naam Fortress thought to himself, \'It\'s over. Completely over.\'

The misfortune brought by the reckless prince was systematically dismantling the wealth he had painstakingly built.

He had to escape, even if it meant leaving everything else behind.

Meanwhile, Heo Seokgyeom, the first to discover the collapsed Jong San-Gye, pondered.

What a coincidental incident.

* * *

Having gone to bed late the night before, rising from my bed was a struggle. But laziness was not an option. It was Yoo Geung who had come to wake me at the crack of dawn.

As I opened the door, Yoo Geung, standing before my sleep-disheveled self, abruptly declared, "I have something to report."

I listened to Yoo Geung\'s report with half-open eyes.

In truth, I already anticipated what he would say.

"Senior Secretary Jong was found in possession of bellflower."

I had to feign surprise.

"What? Say that again."

"Senior Secretary Jong was found in possession of bellflower, Your Highness."

I forced a hollow laugh. Yoo Geung lowered his eyes, his face grave.

"I must go and confirm this myself."

At my words, Yoo Geung nodded and left the room. I dressed and opened the door. Yoo Geung was waiting right outside.

"Let\'s go."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Suppressing a slight excitement, I composed my expression. As I walked through the fortress’s corridors with Yoo Geung, I noticed the servants looking at me differently than before. Was it my imagination?

Leaving the fortress and walking along the hallway, I questioned Yoo Geung.

"Captain Yoo."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I have a question."

"Please ask."

"How did Senior Secretary Jong acquire the bellflower?"

The sunlight was dazzling. The morning was warm and bright. I frowned.

It was the perfect weather to lay out a mat in the shade and take a nap.

Unfortunately, I had things to do.

"We have not yet ascertained that, Your Highness."

"Really? You didn\'t ask? What\'s Commander Heo doing? I thought he\'d be interrogating him even without me around."

"We attempted to interrogate him, but he claimed ignorance."

Of course, he would. He genuinely didn\'t know.

Even I didn\'t know the exact source of the bellflower. Only Shin Gwiryung, who had somehow managed to acquire the forbidden flower, would know its origin.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

I let out a chuckle.

"Then let\'s see if he can keep up the act in front of me."

Heading towards Naam Fortress\'s interrogation chamber, I saw Jong Sangye, already apprehended and trembling in fear. He was tightly bound with ropes, unable to move.

Lord Naam and Heo Seokgyeom stood before him. Heo Seokgyeom\'s brow was furrowed in a deep frown, and the Lord\'s face was far from composed.

The three of them bowed upon seeing me.

"Your Highness."

"First Prince."

Senior Secretary Jong\'s face contorted upon seeing me.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Lord Naam inquired. His voice, like his complexion, was somber.

"Thanks to your consideration, I had no complaints."

I offered a faint smile and turned my head. My gaze shifted from the lord to Jong Sangye\'s fear-stricken eyes.

"But it seems there\'s a surprise awaiting me this morning."

At my words, Jong Sangye flinched, almost like he was having a seizure.

I spoke in a chilling tone.

"Senior Secretary Jong Sangye."

Jong Sangye\'s lips quivered.

"Yo-Your, Your Highness, Fir-First Prince."

I didn\'t respond to Jong Sangye\'s calls, merely staring at him silently. It was a signal for him to speak if he had something to say, but he might have interpreted it differently.

"Your Highness...?"

He tried to force a smile, but couldn\'t hide the despair in his eyes.

"Lord."

"Ye-Yes, Your Highness."

The Lord of Naam Fortress hastily replied. He was clearly flustered, a stark contrast to his demeanor yesterday.

"As the First Prince of this nation, I bear a heavy responsibility. How can I simply stand by and watch this unfold?"

It was a rather inappropriate statement for a supposedly ‘mad’ prince, but it didn\'t matter. My face was thicker than cowhide.

And no one dared to point out my recklessness to my face. Wasn\'t that enough?

I continued without hesitation.

"Has he been interrogated?"

Heo Seokgyeom answered.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Report."

Heo Seokgyeom relayed what he had learned through the interrogation. Jong Sangye didn\'t appear to be under the influence of bellflower, and when questioned about its source, he simply claimed ignorance.

Possession alone was a serious crime. Whether he had used it or not, obtained it himself, or received it from someone else, there was no escape for Senior Secretary Jong from this situation.

The lord of Naam Fortress couldn\'t be his savior either. A careless statement could implicate him in this mess without any chance for recourse.

Since I was involved, this matter would undoubtedly reach the ears of the King.

"I grant Commander Heo the authority to investigate this matter on my behalf. I also order the Lord of Naam Fortress to cooperate fully with the investigation."

I met the lord\'s eyes.

"Lord Naam."

"Ye-Yes, Your Highness."

"Do not give me any reason to doubt you. I truly believe you can be a good ally to me."

A brief silence followed my words.

The Lord of Naam Fortress replied cautiously.

"...I am deeply honored. However..."

He glanced at the bound Jong Sangye. A flicker of hope briefly appeared in Jong Sangye\'s eyes, but it was fleeting.

"Please, I beg you to retract the word \'doubt.\' I swear to heaven, I know nothing of this villain\'s deeds, and I will wholeheartedly assist you in any way Your Highness requires."

I nodded.

"I believe you."

"I am deeply grateful. I will never betray Your Highness\'s trust."

Lord Naam had abandoned Jong Sangye. If Jong Sangye truly was the liaison to the Woo faction, this incident would lead to the lord being abandoned by Duke Woo Joong or other relatives of the Second Prince, whom he had been aligning himself with.

Even if he wasn\'t completely abandoned, losing their trust was inevitable.

He would have no value left, except for perhaps the fact that he was harboring Gae Yeohwa.

I chuckled inwardly, mocking his predicament where his immediate survival was paramount, even at the cost of being discarded by Duke Woo Joong’s faction later.

He couldn\'t be unaware of this reality.

Perhaps driven by the fear of abandonment, Jong Sangye\'s body and hands trembled.

I delivered my verdict to him.

"How could someone like you be entrusted with the solemn affairs of the palace?"

Jong Sangye\'s face turned pale.

"Yo-Your, Your Highness...?"

Ignoring his plea, I continued.

"Senior Secretary Jong Sangye deserves to be dismissed from his position."

At those words, Jong Sangye looked towards the Lord of Naam Fortress. But what help could he expect from him? Would the lord gag me on his behalf? There was nothing the lord could do.

The best he could offer was to ensure Jong Sangye received decent meals in his temporary prison cell.

Ahem. The lord cleared his throat. It was his response to Jong Sangye\'s desperate plea for help.

"From this moment on, you are no longer a civil official."

Jong Sangye\'s shoulders slumped. He looked as if his soul had left his body, leaving him lifeless. His head drooped as if his neck had lost all strength.

I averted my gaze from Jong Sangye, who was staring at the ground.

"Commander Heo."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Seek the cooperation of Lord Naam and find out if there are others connected to this man and the bellflower."

"Yes, Your Highness."

With a brief but firm reply, Heo Seokgyeom barked orders at the soldiers of the Naam Fortress and left the interrogation chamber. Despite having his authority over his own soldiers disregarded and usurped right in front of him, Lord Naam remained silent.

He merely attempted to appease me with words.

"Such an unfortunate incident occurring while Your Highness is present... I am deeply ashamed."

"There\'s no reason for you to be ashamed," I added in a gentle tone.

"Did you instigate or assist this man in any way?"

The lord vehemently denied any involvement.

"Absolutely not! I have no connection to this matter!"

"Of course, of course. I believe you. You have nothing to worry about."

The Lord of Naam Fortress forced an awkward laugh.

"Haha... I am simply worried that I haven\'t been able to serve the First Prince with the hospitality he deserves, so I can\'t seem to calm my mind. How can you say I have nothing to worry about?"

"I have been comfortable throughout my stay thanks to you, so there\'s no need for such concern."

I smiled and nodded. With this, the matter of dismissing Jong Sangye was settled.

It was an unexpected stroke of luck. My original plan was to persuade the Lord of Naam Fortress and Gae Yeohwa, even if it meant revealing some of my cards. Fortunately, with luck and Gon\'s assistance, I didn\'t have to show my hand.

But it wasn\'t over yet. My goal remained unfulfilled.

Lord Naam had to lose the trust of Duke Woo Joong.

The benefits he could gain from handing Gae Yeohwa over to me had to outweigh the benefits of giving her to Duke Woo Joong.

There was only one thing I could offer Lord Naam in exchange for this deal.

I desperately hoped he was a man of quick calculations.