Who would have imagined that someone, who had been the Crown Prince, since birth, would treat him this way?
Franz, facing adversity for the first time, gritted his teeth, fighting back tears.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt not only his pride wounded, but also a deep shame bordering on madness.
"Don't be silly.
I'm the Crown Prince, the next Emperor!"
Franz, surrounded by arrogance, stared at Eric with misty eyes.
“How long do you think you'll be able to keep going like this?”
Eric tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
“I don't understand what you mean”
“When I become the next Emperor, you will be...”
At that moment, Eric quickly raised one of his hands that was on Franz's shoulder towards his neck.
Although he did not hold it tightly, Franz saw it.
His fingers were curled inward, and his wrist was slightly twisted.
It seemed as if, should any trouble arise, Erich would grab Franz's neck and snap it.
'That, that crazy bastard just grabbed my throat...!'
But Franz, facing Eric face to face, remained silent.
'What is this look...?'
Franz was trembling.
For someone who grew up in a greenhouse, facing a war hero, who had slaughtered many enemies in battle, was a shocking experience.
'This crazy killer might actually kill me!'
At that moment, Eric gently loosened his grip on Franz's stiff shoulder.
His soft face had a smile of contentment that made his sister fall in love with him.
“I didn’t think you understood my words, so I explained to you with my actions.
Now that you seem to understand, I feel relieved.”
It was clear sarcasm.
Franz, as usual, was not going to let anyone make fun of him get away with it.
But Franz was too weak to rebel against Eric.
There is no longer an unjust hand.
Finally, Eric dropped his hand from Franz's shoulder, bowed his head, and addressed him as courteously as ever.
“Your Highness, you don’t look well.
I think it would be best for you to return to the palace as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I'll do what you say.”
“Since you seem to be having difficulty moving, perhaps you could enlist a servant to help you...”
But Franz, who had already tasted fear, rushed toward the door before Erich could finish his proposal.
Eric watched his retreating figure and sneered:
“Nice journey home, my Crown Prince.”
Bang-!
With the door slamming shut, Eric lowered his cold blue eyes.
The prince he saw at the founding ceremony parade had always been bullying his sister, who was much older than him.
It was as if he was taking out his anger on her.
“She hid him, so he won't be able to get close to her for a while.”
Eric went to the window and stared at the carriage emblazoned with the Empire's emblem.
When the Crown Prince's carriage set off, he looked at his watch.
“I thought she would be here by now; she's a little late.”
He straightened his clothes and pushed himself to his feet.
“Just to be sure, I should go and check.”
Knock-!
Knock-!
“Your Excellency, I am Zenon.”
At the sudden appearance of his subordinate, Eric sat down again.
“Come in”
When Zeno entered and bowed, Eric asked him,
“How is your assignment going?”
“Well, about that matter, you should be arriving soon.
However, that is not what I wanted to discuss.”
Erik, wondering at Zenon's apparent discomfort, asked, "What's wrong?"
“Archduke Tarrant has come to visit.”
Eric felt uncomfortable, but he didn't show it.
“The Duchess is currently absent, so tell him to come later.”
“I already told him that, but he insisted on waiting until she returns...”
Eric rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet.
Well, it's a good thing she's not back yet.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
I moved to the proposed inner room, accompanied by the saleswoman, and a sharp-tempered young man with emerald green hair appeared.
His red eyes, visible from behind his monocle, met mine, and he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, it seems our uninvited guest is a swan.
Ah, or should I say a black swan?"
I was offended by his choice of words, even though he had options like empress or duchess.
Instead of getting angry or blaming him, I chose to sit down.
“I came to buy a bottle of red”
After hearing that, he continued, smiling sarcastically,
“We don't have any red bottles.”
“You're lying.
You sold it here secretly.”
“Do you mistakenly think that this is an assassination guild?
Are you so mad from longing for your husband that you resort to such words...”
In response to his obvious sarcasm, I quickly raised the fan I was holding, directing it towards his throat.
“How about this?
You didn’t even have time to use the ‘thing’ you were showing off about.”
Even though it was just a fan, he couldn't move a muscle.
The sharp stings protruding from the tip of the propeller now showed their prowess.
“In order to do business with you, I have put up with your outrageous behavior, but it is better for your safety that you do not provoke me further.
Baraquil.”
When I mentioned his name, he made an expression of astonishment.
“You even know me, which means...”
I pulled out my fan and stared at him.
“Yes, I will buy the firearms you made.”
Barakil, a master of firearms, was a genius who developed an arsenal of incendiary weapons that had been hidden for over a hundred years.
He was also a pivotal figure who contributed to the success of the revolution.
'Joined the rebels due to a miscalculation of the Emperor'
Led by Barakil, some alchemists in the Empire sought to develop firearms more practical than cannons and muskets.
Their goal was to reduce the firearm's major weaknesses, reload time, and make it more convenient in weight and size compared to existing models.
They asked the Emperor to support firearms, emphasizing their potentially significant contributions in individual combat and group battles.
But the current emperor did not intend to support the production of firearms.
This was because although the reloading time of firearms had improved, there were limitations, and their weight was not exceptionally light.
Moreover…
He realized that even if the weapon was improved, it would still be very difficult to hit a fast-moving transcendent.
And…
'I also realize that the commercialization of firearms may threaten the status quo'
Although it cannot kill transcendentalists, advanced firearms are capable of penetrating thick armor.
This meant that helpless commoners could kill a knight, something that was previously impossible.
Even if we control it and make it for military use, if we are negligent, it may fall into the hands of a hostile state, and it is only a matter of time before it reaches civilian hands.
An uncontrolled sword is no better than no sword at all.
Therefore, the Emperor tried to prevent the development of firearms by strictly prohibiting their manufacture and closely monitoring alchemists.
However, humans tend to do the opposite when asked to do so.
Alchemists secretly developed and sold firearms.
The good news is that only wealthy nobles could afford them, and complex production meant they were impossible to produce in large quantities.
However, when the revolution broke out, the measures taken are not known, but the leaders of the revolution were provided with a large number of firearms.
This means that there must be forces that support the revolution.
Perhaps their actions were...
Perhaps six years later, after the Emperor's death, they began production in earnest.
Unlike the Emperor, Franz, being inexperienced in military affairs, was not vigilant in monitoring alchemists and suspicious activities within the Empire.
So I had to prepare for that moment.
But the problem was that the other party was unlikely to take my suggestion lightly.
“Ha, do you think I'm crazy enough to sell firearms to the princess?”
“Didn't you need the money?”
“Yes, but you know very well that the production of firearms is prohibited...”
“A million gold”
As soon as I mentioned an astronomical amount, he closed his mouth and stared at me with trembling eyes.
'When it comes to wanting things, money comes first'
I finished my words,
“If you succeed in producing firearms according to my requirements, I will purchase them for this amount.”
Barakil opened his mouth.
“Well, regardless of the success of the production, what do you plan to do with this amount of firearms?”
Barakeel stared directly at me and added in a worried voice.
“Even if you are the princess, having this many firearms will undoubtedly make the Emperor suspicious of your evil intentions.”
I laughed and answered,
“Oh, you don't have to worry about that.”