The Prince Wants to Retire

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Crown Prince’s Desire for Retirement

6. Which Line Should I Grab? (2)

While the Nobles were thrown into chaos, the Inspection Department and Security Brigade were actively moving.

Without a hint of mercy, they began rounding up criminals, causing the Criminal Organizations in the Capital to collapse.

As a result, account books that weren’t properly hidden came to light, and Lower Nobles were successively taken away.

Interestingly, High Nobles seemed to be avoiding capture.

“Thorough, as expected.”

Kariel chuckled softly as he watched only the lowly ones being caught.

It was expected for any High Noble to have a haven ready to escape to.

Is there evidence linking Counts of above rank to Criminal Organizations?

That only happens when someone desperately needs money or when their head is a complete fool.

And among those fools was Count Osunville, who was caught smuggling military secrets.

“Count Osunville caught selling military secrets. The Inspection Department vowed, ‘This time, we will dig thoroughly.'”

“The issue of revoking Count Osunville’s title is raised at the Nobles’ meeting!”

The Count Osunville incident made big headlines in the newspapers.

The mere involvement of a High Noble was unprecedented under the current Emperor’s regime, causing a frenzy in the press.

Still, some Nobles thought Count Osunville’s corruption investigation would gradually die down; however, the Aristocratic Faction would never allow that to happen.

If the Emperor’s Faction struck, the Aristocratic Faction had to respond.

“Intrigues within the Imperial Palace. Is it the Emperor’s Faction behind them?”

“Most of the Inner Court Attendants are from the Emperor’s Faction. Unless we drag them out, the situation won’t change.”

As the Aristocratic Faction launched their attacks, the Emperor’s Faction retaliated.

In contrast, the Neutral Faction remained quiet.

With Count Osunville causing danger for the Neutral Nobles, they were only looking out for their own safety.

Because of this, the lower Nobles hadn’t been able to sleep properly these days.

Those who bought their titles with money.

Those who acquired titles through corruption.

The Empire had been rotting for decades with such people thriving, and they were the root cause of rampant corruption within the Empire.

Yet, these individuals lived pompously, oppressing commoners, believing in their ties with High Nobles, who were now shrinking back, leaving them unprotected.

“Are they in the situation of ducks in a pond?”

Kariel chuckled as he muttered a saying from Earth.

Lower Nobles, one of the culprits responsible for his anger in his previous life.

Though they were part of the corruption, their sheer numbers made them difficult to deal with, and seeing them wandering with no one to align with brought him great satisfaction.

“Your Highness, Sir Toto has arrived.”

“Oh, I’ll head out now.”

Upon hearing the attendant’s words, Kariel changed into his workout clothes and stepped outside.

“You’ve lost a lot of muscle, Your Highness.”

“Ahem, I’ve been busy lately.”

“I heard you won’t be busy for a while now.”

With a fierce gaze, Toto spoke, causing Kariel to slightly avert his eyes and click his tongue.

Cursing Talion’s loose lips while avoiding Toto’s eyes, Kariel followed him to the personal training grounds, where Toto, being sincere about exercise, began pushing him.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

As he started squatting lightly to warm up, his legs began to tremble already.

“That’s all because you took a break from training.”

Toto clicked his tongue as he began working out beside him.

Not just talking, but actually exercising next to him, Kariel couldn’t complain.

“Say, Your Highness, can I ask one thing?”

“Hu! Hu! What is it?!”

Kariel breathed heavily, looking like he was about to die, and Toto cautiously asked, “How long will you be investigating…?”

Kariel looked puzzled at Toto’s question.

He thought Toto only knew about exercising, so his sudden inquiry about politics piqued his curiosity.

“Why? Is someone you know involved in a crime?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Toto trailed off, blushing, though he maintained perfect form while working out, making him seem monstrous to Kariel.

“I’ve invested in something, but… the situation isn’t looking good lately.”

“Investment? As long as it’s not related to Criminal Organizations, I shouldn’t care.”

As Kariel squinted, wondering, Toto quickly waved his hands.

“It’s a place selling workout equipment. They also supply some to the Imperial Palace, but due to the current situation, no orders are coming in.”

Kariel nodded, understanding, with an ‘Ah!’ expression.

Since the palace is in shambles, they must be busy handling that.

Unless it’s essential items like food supplies, they wouldn’t have the mental space to place new orders.

“Well, I don’t plan on making any moves for a while.”

“Really?”

With that, Toto’s face brightened, causing Kariel to frown.

“Yeah, just don’t go spreading it around.”

“Of course!”

Toto, beaming with excitement, whispered, ‘Finally, a big break in my life!’ nurtured hopes for his invested business to flourish.

Watching him, Kariel wore a wry smile. According to his plan, a huge ‘single blow’ was still left.

‘It’s better that he doesn’t know.’

Thinking so, Kariel finished his workout with Toto, washed up, and moved on to his next plan.

After all the teachers sent by the Emperor were smashed by him, lessons had switched to self-study for a while.

With that newfound leisure, Kariel began to make moves for the next step of his plan to retire as Crown Prince.

“Who will be my successor?”

Kariel muttered, considering his two younger siblings.

For him to step down from being Crown Prince, one of his younger siblings had to become Emperor.

Though there was a younger sister, she was too young.

If he had to remain the Crown Prince until she reached an appropriate age, he would have to be over twenty, which risked the disaster of never being able to step down from his position.

“Five years left…”

Checking his remaining time, the fifteen-year-old Kariel realized he needed to bolt the moment he turned twenty to definitely escape the palace.

‘To escape securely, would four years be enough?’

Nodding at the thought of the rapidly deteriorating Emperor when he turned twenty-one, he concluded he needed to settle things before that happened.

To do so, it seemed reasonable to check in on his younger siblings first.

Ding-dong.

After ringing a small bell, an attendant cautiously entered the room some time later.

“You called, Your Highness?”

“Deliver these letters to my younger siblings.”

“…Yes?”

The attendant’s eyes widened in surprise at Kariel’s words.

“What are you doing?”

As Kariel expressed annoyance at his hesitation, the attendant quickly regained his composure and bowed before leaving.

It was understandable that the attendant was shocked; since the Empress’s death, Kariel hadn’t sought out his siblings even once.

In his previous life, he believed the Empress’s death was caused by the Consorts, and thus had never approached them again.

‘But it was actually done by someone else.’

Kariel ground his teeth, recalling his past life.

He was utterly convinced that the Consorts from two noble families belonging to the Aristocratic Faction were behind the deed, while he believed the opposite.

Above all, the reason Kariel hadn’t approached his younger siblings back then was that he was frail and feared he might be poisoned to death if he mingled with them.

That’s why all the food brought into the Crown Prince’s Palace was thoroughly inspected, and he never sought out his siblings.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

As Kariel said this, he silently flipped through his notes.

He had plenty of methods to deal with the Nobles.

Still, he felt a pang of regret, thinking most might remain unused.

“It wouldn’t hurt to present gifts to those who might become the next Emperor.”

Muttering to himself, Kariel prepared to head out.

“Your Highness.”

“Oh! Did you handle the things I asked?”

As Talion rushed in, Kariel greeted him eagerly.

“I heard you’re meeting with your younger brothers.”

“Yeah, I’m planning to see them after a long time.”

“…Are you sure that’s alright?”

With a worried expression, Talion looked on, but Kariel smiled lightly, indicating he was fine.

“Stop worrying and just prepare.”

“…Understood.”

At Kariel’s command, Talion bowed carefully and withdrew.

*

A while later, news that the Crown Prince was summoning the princes spread.

“My brother calls for me….”

Second Prince Rufiel frowned, tilting his head.

He had been quite close to his elder brother as a child, but now they were practically enemies.

The reason for keeping his distance after the Empress’s death was his brother’s doing, so he was puzzled as to why he was suddenly summoned.

The same confusion gripped the Third Prince.

“My brother wants me? How unexpected.”

Upon hearing Kariel’s call, Seriel’s expression morphed in a strange way.

“Well, if he’s calling, I should go.”

After confirming, Seriel stopped his training and went to prepare.

As Rufiel and Seriel finished their preparations and made their way to the Crown Prince’s Palace, the news also reached the Emperor’s ears.

“Hmmm…”

The Emperor, wearing a serious expression, listened to the report from the Attendant Hall.

“Could he really be…?”

With the previous remarks from the Crown Prince in mind, the Emperor felt uneasy about the gathering of princes.

“Was his earlier claim to step back sincere?”

Though a part of him thought Kariel was leveraging political power to convince himself, his actions indicated otherwise.

The Crown Prince’s current moves showed no way back.

Calling his younger brothers amidst such rampant captures of Nobles, and after years of animosity?

“What a headache.”

The Emperor pressed his fingers against his temples, feeling a throb in his head.

Clearly, Kariel was attempting to maintain balance.

He wasn’t touching the Emperor’s Faction while targeting only the Aristocratic and Neutral Factions.

Yet, with no sign of improvement, chaos only intensified, leaving him distraught.

And amidst all this, Kariel was oblivious as he tried to meet with the princes.

“Ugh…”

“Your Majesty.”

“I’m tired, so step back.”

As the Attendant stepped closer, surprised, the Emperor waved him off, reaching for a concealed tobacco pipe.

“Ah, nothing beats something like this for relaxation.”

What is commonly referred to as a drug by the world.

As the Emperor took a deep drag, his expression turned blissfully dazed.

*

While the Emperor temporarily enjoyed his peaceful escape from complex issues, the two princes arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace to meet Kariel.

“Did you come?”

Kariel greeted the two princes with a warm smile, causing a slight tremor in their eyes.

As if hosting an esteemed guest, lavish tea and sweets were laid out on the table, welcoming them into the room where Kariel soon took a seat.

“Since we’re all busy, shall we get to the point?”

His words made the princes tense with anxiety.

‘What does he want from me using our maternal family as a bargaining chip?’

‘Is this a threat?’

The Second Prince wore a displeased expression, while the Third Prince scoffed.

Yet soon, contrary to their expectations, completely different words slipped from Kariel’s mouth, leaving them stunned.

“Is there anyone among you interested in this position?”

Upon hearing Kariel’s question, the Second Prince wore a puzzled expression.

What on earth could be his intention by saying something like this?

Meanwhile, the Third Prince burst into sarcastic laughter.

‘Is this guy trying to mess with me now?’

As thoughts of fury danced across Seriel’s face.

“For your information, I also informed the Emperor that I would pass the Crown Prince position to one of you.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the princes’ eyes started to uncontrollably tremble.