The genius prince : vol 7 ch 36

 "There is it, Your Highness" Keskinal tells us plainly.

"Since the past days, His Royal Highness Dimetrio has been seriously suspicious of his right to succeed to the throne."

"You doubt my right to the throne? Where is the room for doubt? I am.......!"

"Your not the son of the emperor, I won't allow  it."

Keskinal's words pierced him like an arrow.

"That possibility is emerging now."

Everyone on the spot lost their words.

It was a dumbfounding scene, as everyone was stunned, unable to comprehend the meaning of Keskinal's words.

However, who could blame them for their reaction? Dimetrio had spent many years as the first prince of the empire, and to be told that he might not be the son of the emperor, one could not help but be struck dumb.

"What ... .. What are you saying ......?"

Dimetrio spun his words in a trembling voice.

"I'm not the emperor's son?"

The question contained the hope that he had heard wrong. Keskinal did not change what he had just said. 

"Yes, so I can't admit until the doubts are cleared."

[............]

Dimetrio tried to say something, but could not, and after repeating it several times - anger erupted from his eyes.

"... Keskinal! Your words are no longer a joke!"

Dimetrio shouted, and the vassals around him finally came to their senses.

" yes! What is it that you have suddenly come up with that is so far beyond the reach of delusion!"

"How can it be so absurd to say that His Highness is not the son of His Majesty!"

"What proof do you have for such a thing?"

The vassals shouted like raging fire. Keskinal, however, was unmoved, and suddenly pulled out a book from his pocket.

"Please see this"

"What is that ... a diary?"

 "That's exactly what it is. It is the diary of the late First Empress Dimetrio's mother."

She is the mother of Dimetrio. It is considered the greatest taboo in the Dimetrio faction to mention her.

"I am sure you have all heard the rumors about her anger and dissatisfaction with the empire ever since her home country was annexed by the empire. "

"Rumors! No such thing!"

"Yes, but a reading of this diary suggests that her hatred of the empire is real."

Keskinal flips through the diary carelessly, opening the pages and showing them to the others. The pages are filled with so much resentment and bitterness toward the empire that there is not even space left for a paragraph. The depth of emotion that could be felt from every word was powerful enough to take one's breath away.

"on this page, a plan was written. It was to install a child without imperial blood on the throne as revenge against the empire. "

“... ・ Nonsense!! "

Dimetrio snatched the diary out of Keskinal's hands by force.

"I have never seen ......... No, no, this is ......?"

Dimetrio's hand trembled as he held the diary.

He did not recognize the cursed diary. The cursed contents of the diary, which described her hatred of the empire, made her want to turn away.

"I don't think this character is ......"

"No, this is not ......... No, this is the queen's handwriting...."

The vassals who were peering into the diary also gasped.

Keskinal tells them to chase after them.

"When I re-examined the records of that time based on the information in the diary, I found a slight discrepancy between the time when the Empress was pregnant and the time when His Majesty was attending under the Empress. "

"Yes, but the signs of pregnancy are different for each individual! How can we know for sure?!"

"Therefore, I have my doubts." Keskinal reverently informed him.

"As Imperial Chancellor, I will do everything in my power to track down and investigate this matter. If the results clear my suspicions, I will personally cut off my own head and apologize. However, until the results of this investigation are known, I must ask you to refrain from accession to the throne. I am sure you will all understand that it is never permissible for anyone other than a member of the imperial bloodline to assume the throne."

Silence fell once again in the ritual hall. Everyone looked at Demetrio in disbelief.

Being of imperial blood is an absolute prerequisite, a prerequisite for becoming emperor. That is why the imperial authorities were planning to support one of the three princes and make him emperor. This basic premise has been destroyed.

 If Dimetrio was not the son of the emperor, he could never become emperor. Even if he were to be cleared of suspicion, how likely would he be to visit Narsila again, leaving the other princes aside, if he missed this opportunity?

"That's absurd. .. ..."

Dimetrio took two or three steps backward with unsteady steps. The diary slipped from his hands and at the same time his knees gave out and he hit the floor.

Those around him stared at him, unable to move. No, they did not move. Rather, they were exchanging glances with those around them.

They were thinking. Should they reach out to Demetrio, say a few words to him, or, in some cases, leave quickly, seeing that he was no longer worthy of their support? In this sudden turn of events, they were also desperate to defend their position.

"Sir Keskinal, I have a question"

But there was one person among them who had a completely different agenda. 

"At your service, Prince Wayne."

"Then I don't hesitate .... Where can  you get the diary?"

Wayne had an idea where the diary might have come from. Keskinal then said exactly what he had expected.

"--It was provided by Her Royal Highness Princess Lowellmina."

Everyone's eyes turned to Lowellmina..

Lowellmina shrugs as if she was surprised at her massive gaze.

She said quietly. "As Keskinal says, I provided the diary."

"Why did you do that?" One of the retainers snarled at her, and she shook her head sadly.

"I got it by chance, but it is the diary of a person who is already deceased. At first I thought of not telling anyone about it.

But then I realized that if I truly cared about the future of the empire, I could not turn a blind eye to the truth, and I entrusted Keskinal with the responsibility of handling it. "

Lowellmina even had tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I don't think it's going to happen ... I am sorry, brother Dimetrio.."

Of course, most of this is a lie, as you can see from her bland attitude. The few facts that are true are that she got the diary by accident, but even then, she was seeking the weaknesses of the three brothers.

The discovery was the result of a thorough investigation of the surrounding area. It is more appropriate to call it the fruit of persistence than a coincidence.

(That's why I couldn't let Baldrosh or Manfred win.)

 When Lowellmina read this diary, she thought it was useful. The truth or falsehood of the contents did not matter at this point. By using this diary, she could make Dimetrio's bloodline suspicious. That was the most important thing.

If this diary belonged to Baldrosh or Malfred mother, the effect would have been weak.

 The reason was that those in their faction were largely motivated by their abilities, their personalities, and the promised bounty.

But Demetrio is different. He is the leader of his faction because of his bloodline. People followed him because he was the first prince of the emperor.

This is where Lowellmina aimed at it.

(Demetrio's faction will now completely collapse. The faction's personnel will be floating pawns, and she will snatch them all away from him!)

Baldrosh and Manfred have gained nothing from this war; on the contrary, the war has cost them dearly, plus their territory is in flames from the rebellion. They could not afford to do anything else. This is the perfect opportunity for me to incorporate Demetrio's faction

(And on top of that, I will officially enter the battle for the Imperial Throne!)

  Until now, Lowellmina official position had been that the imperial throne belonged to one of his brothers. However, the failure of the three brothers must have disappointed the people of the empire.

Taking advantage of this public opinion, Lowellmina intends to declare herself to be the emperor in place of her disappointing older brothers. The mobilization of the patriotic faction to retreat in Dimetrio's territory was part of the groundwork for this.

(Baldrosh and Manfred would naturally oppose me, perhaps even collude against me. But with their current wounded forces, I alone could deal with them, having swallowed up the Demetrio faction!)

Therefore, Lowellmina is convinced.

"I wouldn’t be so careless to think that, Lowa"

Wayne takes a step forward. Ahead of him is Demetrio, who is drooping weakly.

"Oh no, this is a hell of a mess, Prince Demetrio." Wayne put his hand on Demetrio's shoulder as if in exertion.

"I can only imagine your pain. I wish I could do something to help you, but I'm not sure if there is anything I can do from here..... "

 Wayne thought about something with a deliberate gesture and suddenly turned to Keskinal behind him.

"Sir Keskinal, you said you would keep Prince Demetrio locked up until your suspicions are cleared "

"...  Of course, I will treat him with the utmost courtesy as your Imperial Highness until the results are known. "

"If it's good" Wayne looked at the Dimetrio again and he suggested to him with a smile. "I'm sure Prince Demetrio is a little tired from all the commotion. What do you say we take a rest for a while in my country, Natra? "

"Prince Wayne ..."

"Natra is a nice place, only the cold is not so good, but the economy is booming and more and more goods from the West are coming in. There are things you can't get to know just by spending time in the Empire.”

Wayne spoke as if he was talking to a friend he had known for ten years, and it seemed as if he was genuinely concerned for Demetrio. But Lowellmina knows that this cannot be true.