The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness

“Eldest Prince?”

Muen frowned. “Why would I need to probe the Eldest Prince?”

Although Muen was also extremely curious about the Eldest Prince whose brain illness had suddenly recovered, at present he had no need to come into conflict with that Eldest Prince. In fact, if the situation later became clearer, he would very likely end up standing on the same side as that Eldest Prince.

For someone who might become a future ally, suddenly probing him so rashly was not a wise choice.

“The reason is very simple. Don’t you think... my Eldest Imperial Brother is a little too mysterious?”

Celicia tapped the rim of her cup and spoke with meaning.

“Mysterious?”

“Yes. You know, I just went to the imperial palace.”

“What does that have to do with the Eldest Prince?”

“In the palace, I met Father Emperor.”

Celicia paused briefly. “But I did not see Imperial Brother Albert.”

Muen’s hand, which had been sneaking bites of a small cake, stopped. He focused his gaze on Celicia. “You mean...”

“Ever since the news spread that Imperial Brother Albert’s brain illness was cured, he hasn’t met anyone at all. Since he has lived in the imperial palace since childhood, no one dares to force their way in.”

Celicia said slowly.

“Don’t you find that strange? If he were truly interested in that position, then after his brain illness was cured, what he should have done was present himself to the outside world as much as possible—showing a normal, intelligent Eldest Prince, perhaps even one far more outstanding than Imperial Brother Andrew. Only in that way could he accumulate power in the shortest amount of time.”

“But instead, he hid himself...”

Muen quickly followed Celicia’s line of thought and asked:

“You think... this could be a deception?”

“The possibility is very small. A deception will always be exposed. For the overall situation, it does nothing but muddy the waters. Moreover, deceiving so many people—no matter who has the nerve, that crime...”

Celicia lowered her head, a faint glint flashing through her cool eyes.

“Unless that person is...”

“You’re not suspecting... His Majesty, are you?”

Muen lowered his voice.

Celicia shot him a cold look. “I never said that.”

“No, that line of reasoning just now was obviously—”

“What’s wrong with my line of reasoning? Do you know me very well?”

“... ...”

Muen felt a sharp ache in his teeth. This damned woman was far too difficult to deal with.

Damn it. If he ever got the chance, he really needed to teach her a hard lesson. If she kept being this arrogant, sooner or later she would—

“Do you really want to be thrown out?”

“Very sorry. I was wrong.”

“... ...”

Celicia rubbed her temples and sighed.

“In any case, this matter isn’t a bad thing for you either. If the imperial faction truly ends up standing on the Eldest Prince’s side in the future... you can’t possibly support someone without even knowing whether they’re human or a ghost. You’re simply moving the step of understanding him a little earlier.”

“That makes sense.”

“Since that’s the case...”

Without giving Muen much time to think, Celicia asked:

“What’s your answer?”

“Ah... this damned cherry, why is it so hard to deal with.”

Muen irritably poked at the last plump red cherry left on the small cake with his dessert fork. Because the cherry was round and slippery, he couldn’t get it onto the fork no matter what.

Fork to the left, fork to the right—he still didn’t answer.

Celicia glanced over, then suddenly reached out and pinched the cherry. With her other hand, she grabbed Muen by the collar, her gracefully curved body pressing close. What she radiated was a terrifying chill, sharp enough to sting bare skin.

“Your. Answer.”

“Of course I’ll go.”

Muen swallowed the cherry that had been brought to his lips in a single bite. His gaze swept over Celicia’s face at close range, then drifted downward, smiling faintly.

“Since this is my dear Cia’s order, even if there were no special purpose at all, I would still go up mountains of knives and down seas of fire without hesitation.”

“...Hah.”

Only after sizing up Muen’s face—now showing his true appearance—for a few more moments did Celicia release him and sit back down.

“That sounds nice.”

“This isn’t just talk. I’m the kind of person who always does what I say. You can doubt my character, but you must believe in my sincerity. After all, sincerity is—”

“Shut up.”

“Oh...”

Celicia crossed her long legs clad in black stockings, leaned back slightly, and once again fixed her cold gaze on Muen’s face as if thinking about something. Her long slender fingers interlaced, supporting her smooth chin.

“Um...”

After being stared at like this again and again, Muen suddenly felt an ominous premonition. He shrank his neck and asked tentatively:

“Is there... something dirty on my face?”

“No.”

Celicia said,

“But are you really planning to go to the palace with that face?”

“How could that be possible?”

Muen shook his head. “If Muen Campbell swaggered in openly like that, those bastards would slap a huge charge of ‘defying an imperial decree’ on me on the spot. Who could withstand that?”

“And you think Bruce’s face will do? I don’t need to remind you that the name Bruce, along with that face of his, has already entered the sight of many nobles. A gang leader... would never be allowed to attend a palace ball just like that.”

“Then what do we do?”

Having been hit right where it hurt, Muen fell into thought.

“And it has to be the heavily guarded imperial palace. Ordinary disguises definitely won’t slip through. But if I want to commission another face... time-wise...”

“It’s definitely too late.”

Celicia stated her conclusion decisively.

As a princess who had grown up in the palace, she knew very well that even if she personally brought someone in, that person would still have to undergo strict inspections, with disguised identities being one of the main points of scrutiny. Tricking experienced royal knights was no easy task.

“Although commissioning a new face isn’t very realistic...”

The corner of Celicia’s mouth suddenly curved into a strange smile.

That smile—like ice and snow melting, like winter plum blossoms blooming—made Muen freeze for a moment, staring in a daze.

“N-not realistic how?”

“But... if I remember correctly, you seem to have more than just one disguised identity.”

“More than just Bruce?”

Muen froze again. After thinking for quite a while, he shook his head.

“That doesn’t seem right. No matter how I think about it, I’ve only disguised myself as that one person. There shouldn’t be any others.”

“The Academy.”

Celicia replied concisely.

“The Night of the Invasion.”

“... ...”

Muen’s mouth slowly opened wide, enough to stuff an entire goose egg inside.

Certain memories he never wanted to recall were jolted awake by those few simple words. They cut through layers of his sea of memory and surfaced from the deepest sealed recesses of his mind.

At the same time, once he understood Celicia’s intention, a chill rose from the depths of his ★ ★ bones, making the hairs on his body stand on end as he shivered.

“N-no way.”

Muen stammered, forcing out a stiff smile.

“You’re joking, right? Hahaha... I never thought you’d be this humorous too, Celicia...”

“I will.”

Celicia lightly brushed her hair aside.

“I never joke.”