Death… And Me

Chapter 457 - Shock

Huan could tell what the twins were thinking.

”Did you think I would refuse to answer until the very end?”

Rean and Roan nodded straight away, which made Huan laugh.

”Hehe... Well, I wouldnʼt do such a thing in normal circumstances. However, this is anything but normal circumstances, to begin with.”

Huan then looked at the twins before asking.

”First, tell me what you know so far. Iʼll talk about my part after that.”

The twins nodded as they told him what they found out. Of course, they didnʼt say how they got all the information.

”I see... First, it is not wrong to say that the situation wonʼt reach a breaking point anytime soon. This is just speculation from someone whoʼs watching from the sidelines. Still, I believe that a successor wonʼt appear during the next few years. After all, the Emperor isnʼt that bad.”

Rean immediately asked.

”So the emperor is really dying?”

Huan laughed at those words.

”Dying? Hahaha! Well, itʼs not like youʼre totally wrong. Thatʼs all I can say.”

Roan narrowed his eyes. Not totally wrong? What does that mean? He really wanted to know. After that, he asked something else.

”Who do you think will ascend to the throne in the end?”

Huan shrugged his shoulders as he replied.

”Who knows? The Emperor hasnʼt shown any preferences so far. Otherwise, you would have seen a crown prince or princess already.”

Rean didnʼt like the answer, though.

”Come on, Prime Minister Huan. You are the closest person to the Emperor, so you should have an idea at the very least, right?”

Roan obviously thought the same thing as Rean.

Huan looked at Rean before smiling.

”Well, I wonʼt say that he doesnʼt have any idea. Still, even he isnʼt sure about it yet.”

”Who is it?”

Huan shook his head as he said.

”He didnʼt tell me. Iʼm not lying. I really donʼt know who it is. Itʼs just that he only has an idea in mind.”

Roan nodded as he asked.

”I understand. So, youʼre thinking of the same thing as the Alchemist Guild. The next Emperor or Empress wonʼt appear anytime soon. Would you give it a decade?”

Huan nodded.

”With the way things are going, that would be indeed a good estimate.”

Rean also added.

”In that case, who are you planning to side with? Is it really true that you will only side with the person the Emperor chooses?”

Huan pondered for a bit before saying.

”Not really. The Emperor didnʼt make me the Prime Minister so that I could be his puppet. We are friends, but when it comes to the Empireʼs future, I have the freedom to do whatever I want. If I see that his choice is poor, I will refute it. You must remember that it isnʼt just because the Emperor selected someone that he or she will become the next sovereign. He also needs the approval of the court. At the same time, his selection would need to gain the recognition of the rest of the direct competitors.”

Rean and Roan nodded. With an empire at this size, the Emperorʼs decision would indeed weigh a lot. Still, he canʼt just ignore everyone else.

Roan then looked at Rean before he nodded. Rean understood his meaning, so he went ahead with the next part of the plan.

”What if I say that a new competitor for the throne would appear soon? Would you believe me?”

Huanʼs expression changed for a second before it quickly returned to normal.

”A new competitor? Who are you talking about?”

”Calina Sasamil.”

”Calina...”

Huan thought about that name for a moment before asking.

”Isnʼt that the name of the half-blood direct descendant who died?”

Rean nodded.

”The one and the same. Calina hasnʼt died, though. She is very well alive and kicking.”

”Oh! Now that I think about it, the place she died was really located in the region of your Jialin Country. So she faked her death, huh?”

Rean nodded as he said.

”You donʼt seem that surprised.”

Huan laughed in response as he said.

”Well, she is far from being the first one doing it. This is a war for the throne, after all. Still, it is not a good thing to fool the Imperial Family, you know?”

Rean smiled, not caring too much.

”Itʼs fine. Thereʼs one thing about the information you can get that isnʼt wrong. Calina was really targeted because of her half-Chrole bloodline. If we didnʼt intervene by coincidence, she would be dead already. It shouldnʼt be a surprise for someone of your status that Chrole Bloodline descendants are being targeted, right?”

Huan didnʼt mind confirming it.

”I see what you mean. That is Calinaʼs way of keeping herself alive. By the way, was it her who sent the two of you here?”

Rean nodded, not mind that lie at all. Their plan was to make Calina the next Empress, so they had to make it look like she was planning everything.

”I see. Well, what makes you think Calina has a chance of taking the throne to begin with? She has no influence whatsoever. Her being considered dead wouldnʼt help with that either.”

Roan then looked at Huan before saying.

”Itʼs quite simple. Once the Emperor makes his move, oneʼs influence will matter little.”

Eventually, an expression of shock appeared on Huanʼs face as he looked at the twins. However, he quickly noticed a faint smile appearing on the twinsʼ faces. He, the Prime Minister, had fallen for their trap. His expression quickly returned to normal before saying with a displeased voice.

”You have quite the guts to play with me like that, you know?”

Roan always thought that the Emperor would make a move. Rean didnʼt have a reason to doubt it either. All the information they had been collecting so far was to guarantee that they would be ready for it. Still, neither of them had any confirmation... until now. Huanʼs expression when they mentioned that was all the confirmation they needed. From now on, they could work on this line of thought.