EOL Chapter 22

Hello it’s Raven~

and, Second Prince is prince Nient (I am changing his name from Niente to Nient because it makes much more sense lol).

After escorting the Emperor, Nient returned to his palace.

 

The term “Shengjin Palace” refers to the entire royal family. Not every member of the royal family resides in Shengjin Palace. There are several palace complexes near the Shengjin Palace. Princes and princesses have spent their entire childhoods at the Shengjin Palace. When they reach adulthood, they will be assigned their palace and relocate.

 

The current Crown Prince Xiu has spent his entire life in the Crown Prince’s residence, Chenxi Palace. He has never spent a single day in the Shengjin palace. The third prince was raised in the Crown Prince’s Chenxi Palace since childhood by the Crown Prince himself. Before reaching adulthood, he was exiled. Therefore, he never had his palace.

 

Unlike them, the second prince has been raised in the side hall of Shengjin Palace. After the death of the first queen, he frequently went in and out of the great hall, ate and lived with the emperor, and did not leave until he reached adulthood at twenty, demonstrating the emperor’s preference for him.

 

However, Nient is dissatisfied with the situation as it stands.

 

He was furious, and the first thing he did was smash an old beautiful vase as he returned to his palace.

 

The attendants rushed forward to clean. The butler assisted him in removing his dress coat and inquired, “My Lord, what is going on?” This vase is from the previous epoch…”

 

“Bear it, bear it, bear it, but how long? “My father still expects me to bear it!” Nient responded angrily, with a dismal expression, “I have endured it repeatedly, and I have endured it since I was a child!” Why have I been reading at school? At this age! Is it because I enjoy studying? Didn’t he want me to stay in school and avoid the right and wrong outside? It is better now. I obtained the highest honorary degree. There is no escape, and I must leave school. Has Chenxi Palace collapsed? Not only has the huge one at Chenxi Palace not fallen, but the smaller one has also been named a prince! I do not believe I am getting closer to the crown prince’s position, as my father claimed, but rather, I am getting far!”

 

The butler hastily motioned the male servants away, preventing them from hearing more nasty statements.

 

“The Crown Prince’s image has taken a hit, Your Highness. The prince was young and exiled before finishing school. What kind of predicament may he end up in? You must obey His Majesty and bide your time until Your Majesty makes the necessary arrangements. Sooner or later…”

 

Nient asked, “Why should I wait? I had been waiting for half my life! The position of crown prince should have been mine, as I am the true eldest son! If it hadn’t been for that woman’s ploy back then, how could her son have replaced me if she hadn’t delivered prematurely?”

 

The servants had all left, and only the old housekeeper remained. He grew increasingly liberated, and all the resentment he harbored broke forth.

 

“If I had realized this was the case, I would not have listened to my father’s remarks as a child. What about being patient and waiting for him to organize things? I should have found someone to take down Chenxi Palace Master!”

 

“Your Highness, this is not okay!” The butler instantly warned, “Everything you do will leave traces. The royal family wields enormous power, and you cannot conceal the situation if you take action! Isn’t it because Madam was treating the young prince?” The housekeeper was vague: “…were you just sent to live in a faraway place?”

 

Nient remarked indifferently, “It is a capital offense to assassinate the prince, even if you fail. But what happened a few years ago? My mother moved away from the main planetary circle, and nothing happened. My dad still prefers us. What am I afraid of, with my father watching over me?”

 

“If the Emperor was the only one aware of this matter, Your Highness, Madam shouldn’t have received any punishment because it never happened. The problem is that information that Your Majesty discovers can be discovered by others also, particularly by those with the authority to rule like… Crown Prince.” The butler gradually persuaded, “Sending the wife away from the planetary circle and never allowing her to return. His Majesty and the Crown Prince fought over authority, and in the end, they took a step back to maintain balance. Regardless of how mighty Your Majesty is, there are checks and balances from clan aristocrats and numerous organizations, and no one in this realm can genuinely rule everything with one hand.”

 

Nient gritted his teeth and replied, “Yes, clan members…Why wouldn’t my father dare to offer me the title of prince today if there wasn’t tremendous opposition from clan members? Now, even that boy can outrank me in terms of status. Why didn’t some thieves assassinate him in such a remote location as Lixing?”

 

He paused for a second, and before the butler could respond, he murmured, “Yes, if he’s with the one from Chenxi Palace… What will those clan members say when I’m the last royal left? What distinguishes orthodoxy and unorthodoxy?”

 

The housekeeper responded, “My Lord, this is true. The Chenxi Palace has been running on the main planet for many years and cannot be readily relocated; My wife was discovered before she took any action!”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Nient remarked impatiently, “I’m going to the gym, don’t bother me.”

 

While he was chatting with the housekeeper in this manner, his thoughts did not cease; instead, they were more focused.

 

He also knew that it was impossible to move Xiu or Alfred on the main planet. However, there is an incredible opportunity as these two people are returning from Xue Lixing soon.

 

Although the empire’s space navigation technology is deemed advanced, mishaps occur frequently on interstellar travels. Although the likelihood is low, when an accident occurs, it is severe, with few survivors. As a result, many ordinary people continue to not travel. He is scared of this means of transit and will never leave his home planet.

 

If you could do something about it…

 

He must handle this situation himself and cannot inform the emperor. Even if his father no longer liked the sons born to that woman, they were still his sons, and no one would intentionally kill their sons. 

 

If the problem isn’t solved, he will be punished, so he could only kill them first and then tell him afterward.

 

While considering alternative possibilities, he turned on the treadmill and resumed his evening workout as usual. 

 

But he didn’t notice when a tiny red dot appeared outside the window.

 

**************

 

A few days later, Xue Lixing.

 

“The second prince is inquiring when we will be heading back.”

 

Xiu’s gaze shifted from the book to Alfred’s face, questioning, “Why is he asking about this?”

 

“You’ve been lukewarm to me the past few days. If I speak ten words and you respond, why are you so concerned at his mention?” Alfred removed the book from his grasp, saying, “Prince, it breaks my heart to treat my two younger brothers so differently.”

 

Everyone understands this is a joke. After all, Alfred was personally trained and instructed in the Chenxi Palace, while although being the same age, Xiu and Nient could count on one hand how many times they spoke each year.

So Xiu just dismissed this dull charge and continued to ask: “Does he want us to go back, or is he like father and doesn’t want us to go back?”

 

“He probably does not want to. Isn’t he a good boy who listens to his father in everything?” Alfred said, “That’s what the emperor told me a few days ago, although he didn’t say it specifically. I will be going back before the birthday celebration, stay calm and don’t cause any problems. He will give me a wonderful prince-consecration ceremony. Do you know there may have been no Shengjin Palace contacts on your phone in the last few days? What does this mean?”

 

Xiu stated: “It means he has learned that I am under home arrest. If he wants to keep us from returning, he does not need to contact me; he only needs to persuade you.”

 

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous.” Alfred scoffed. “He doesn’t want to save you. But instead wants to keep you in this situation longer for the sake of that illegitimate child.”

 

Xiu was not enraged but merely stated, “He was not on good terms with his mother, and he married under pressure from his clan.”

 

“Yes, yes, I know.” Alfred seemed uninterested in this topic and stepped closer to Xiu, saying, “Recently, everyone appears to be paying more and more attention to when we will return. If it weren’t for the prince, you’d be screaming every day, ‘I have a headache.’  and then, I call the doctor to have painkillers prescribed. We should have begun our adventure long ago.”

 

If Austin were present, he would see this as a blatant fraud. For some reason, Alfred decided to stay here briefly. Regardless of whether the prince had a headache, he would not return to the main planet.

 

It just so happened that the prince stated that he hadn’t recovered from the effects of the explosion, so he had an easy explanation.

“Your Highness, how long have you been experiencing these adverse effects? Is it time to get better?” He said, “For those who don’t know, I think you just want to spend a few more days with me.”

 

Xiu gave him a harsh look, “Don’t make such frivolous jokes.”

 

“It turns out that’s not the case.” Alfred bent down, bringing his face near to Xiu’s, who was sitting in the chair. The distance was too ambiguous for a brother.

 

He inquired: “Then why do you keep claiming to have a headache?”

 

“Maybe it’s because of your etiquette.” Xiu answered, “You are not permitted to sit on the table. It’s quite unattractive.”

 

He changed the subject again.

 

Alfred stood up from the table, bored, because he couldn’t ask anything. The more Xiu avoided it, the more he wondered about it. The more he thought about it, the more he felt compelled to get closer to Xiu. He could see what was beneath this man’s mask.

 

“Don’t lock the door tonight, okay?” he requested.

 

Xiu’s demeanor shifted subtly for a minute, and just as Alfred assumed Xiu would ignore him, he heard a very subtle ‘hmm.’

 

At this point, someone rapped on the villa’s door.

 

They were sitting near the fireplace in the living room, close to the door. The gentle aura vanished abruptly. Alfred gritted his teeth and exclaimed, “Come in!”

 

The door opened roughly, and Austin dashed inside.

 

“Your Highness!” He didn’t even salute but stated, “Something big has happened!” Please come out with me immediately.”

 

“What are you making all this fuss about?” Alfred asked anxiously, “Isn’t it just that the second prince is dead?”

 

TL/n- aaaaaahhhhh ( ⚆ _ ⚆ ) that red dot that…….that was…. it is what i am thinking. Right?!