Ascension Of The Villain

The Monster Hunt Festival wrapped up without a hitch. One might expect the Haynes Empire to finally bask in some well-deserved peace. But peace was a fickle thing, especially when chaos was waiting in the wings, eager for an encore.

Rather than ushering in tranquility, the universe—or like, a certain princess and a grand duke—collectively decided to bring a whole arrangement of chaos.

Princess Maria, the not-so-willing guest from the Haberland Empire, had somehow managed to slip through the ironclad grip of the imperial family. And just like that, Haynes lost its prized bargaining chip against Haberland. Oops.

There were two potential outcomes on this disastrous chessboard.

Scenario one: Maria successfully made it back to her homeland, and Haynes would have to kiss goodbye to its hopes of milking Haberland for economic perks.

Scenario two: Maria didn't make it back, and both empires would soon be swimming in a pool of each other's blood.

Naturally, there was a third, more optimistic option: find Maria, prevent the imminent war, and pretend none of this ever happened.

But with Maria nowhere to be found—despite her not having crossed the borders yet, and with teleportation across borders being impossible—the second scenario was starting to look like Haynes's best bet.

However, instead of focusing on the impending doom, the noble court did what it did best: pointing fingers and playing the blame game.

Why worry about a potential war when you can assign fault and watch someone else squirm?

Just two days after the festival's curtain call, the imperial court gathered for a grand inquisition. The stage was set, and today's unlucky star was none other than the Crown Prince of Haynes, Easton Karl Haynes.

Let the spectacle begin, was what Vyan thought as Easton finished formally greeting the emperor.

"You concealed this, Prince Easton?" Edgar's voice was low, the kind of low that made the ground tremble before the earthquake. "For days, you kept silent while Princess Maria vanished under our noses?"

Easton stood tall despite the weight of his father's wrath and tried to keep his composure. "Your Imperial Majesty, I thought I could resolve the issue before it spiraled out of control. I had my men searching every inch of the capital. I was certain we would find her. I didn't anticipate—"

"Obviously, you didn't anticipate failure," Edgar interrupted, his tone laced with fury. "And yet, here we are. The princess is gone, and with her, our leverage against Haberland. You were given one task, Easton, one responsibility as the Crown Prince, and you have managed to mishandle it beyond repair."

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"I did fear that Princess Maria might escape; I even tightened the security—" Easton tried to reason.

"If you had feared something like this, then you shouldn't have gone to the Monster Hunt Festival, to begin with!" Edgar roared. "How did you not take into account that there could be an infiltrator who might be able to breach the security either way?"

Vyan, standing to the side, watched the scene unfold with his usual detached air, though there was a flicker of amusement in his wine-red eyes. He found it to be a little bit of an understatement to say the infiltrator 'breached' the security when Vyan practically destroyed them on his way out.

"I truly have no excuse for that, Your Imperial Majesty. Please forgive me," Easton said earnestly, bowing his head.

Edgar gripped the throne's armrest tightly. "I gave you a chance before, Easton. I told you that if you make one more mistake, you lose your fiancée. But now that you have made such a monumental blunder, I am not sure if that punishment would suffice alone."

With his head still bowed, Easton closed his eyes as he felt his chest tighten, thinking, so breaking off my engagement with Iyana really was inevitable, huh? I don't think there can be a punishment worse than this—

"You know what I ought to do? I ought to strip you of the title of Crown Prince altogether!" Edgar's thunderous voice interjected.

Easton raised his head to look at his father in shock. "What did you say, Father?"

"You heard me," Edgar continued, "You should be removed as the Crown Prince. After all, how can I ever trust you with the future of this empire? How could I leave it in such careless hands? Perhaps it is time to consider someone more capable, someone who wouldn't allow such an important person to slip through their fingers like water."

Easton flinched, the gravity of his father's words landing like blows. But he stood his ground, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Your Imperial Majesty, I made a mistake, I admit that. But stripping me of the title will not solve the issue at hand. Finding Princess Maria and resolving the tension with Haberland should be our priority. I still have resources at my disposal—"

"You had resources, and you failed!" Edgar's shout echoed through the hall, silencing any further argument. "This is no mere mistake. This is negligence. The kind that could plunge us into war! What will we do if that happens, huh? Are you even doing your best to look for the princess?"

Vyan exchanged a glance with Althea, a slight, knowing smile tugging at his lips. The Crown Prince had stumbled, and in the imperial court, stumbles often led to a very long fall. And one's fall meant the opportunity for another to rise.

So, seizing the opportunity, Althea stepped forward, her expression calm and poised.

"Your Imperial Majesty, please forgive me for speaking out of turn," she began, her words laced with the perfect balance of respect and subtle assertiveness. "I understand your concerns, and I assure you, I have already set things in motion to find Princess Maria. My team is currently searching beyond the capital, where it's likely she may have fled.

Wherever she is hiding in this empire, we will bring her back."

The sharpness in Edgar's eyes dulled, giving way to something resembling admiration—though the emperor was never one to show his hand too quickly. "You have taken action beyond the capital?" he echoed, a flicker of approval crossing his stern features.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," Althea responded with a firm nod. "It's essential we leave no stone unturned. The security of our empire is my priority, and I am committed to ensuring Maria's safe return to avoid any economic or war-crisis."

The court erupted into a flurry of murmurs, the nobles exchanging wide-eyed glances and whispered speculations. Althea's calm confidence had not only impressed the emperor but had also sparked a wave of realization among the gathered aristocrats and courtiers.

"She is more capable than we gave her credit for," one noble whispered, his eyes flicking from Althea to Easton with a hint of surprise.

"Lately, it seems Althea has done more for the empire than Easton," another remarked.

"Perhaps we have been backing the wrong horse," one noble muttered under his breath, receiving a few nods of agreement from those nearby.

"Really? I have been backing Princess Althea ever since the Walver Epidemic," someone else added.

"Yes, yes, me too."

The murmurs didn't go unnoticed by Easton, whose face tightened as their words settled on him. He had no idea Althea had managed to rally so many nobles to her side in such a short span.

While he was subtly trying to hold everything together, Althea made good publicity of her deeds and quietly grew her influence. And the more she rose, the more he seemed to slip.

But how could that be? The title of the Crown Prince was always his. There had never been any competition. He was always his father's favorite—the eldest son. The only child of his emperor with the imperial purification magic ability. So now… how could others be backing up Althea?

A cold sense of political uncertainty washed over Easton for the first time. Here he was being upset about losing the love of his life when his sole identity was threatening to crumble away.

On the other hand, Edgar noticed the shifting tide in the room. His gaze lingered on Althea for a brief moment before he turned back to Easton, and the emperor's face hardened once more.

"Easton," he said, "I am giving you one last chance to fix your blunder. But make no mistake, this is your final opportunity. The crown demands competence, after all. Find Princess Maria on your own in seven days, or you will be stripped of the title of Crown Prince."

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," Easton replied, though the confidence in his voice faltered. The pressure was suffocating, but he knew he had no choice but to meet it head-on.

Edgar's eyes narrowed as he declared, "I will not allow the future of this empire to be compromised by anyone's careless mistakes. That is why, Princess Althea, I would like for you to continue with your search as well."

"I will do my best, Your Imperial Majesty," Althea responded confidently.

As the court session drew to a close, Easton felt like the walls were closing in around him. Althea had the emperor's reluctant respect, the court's admiration, and the empire's hopes quietly beginning to shift in her direction.