Chapter 115: The Bait (1)

“W-What did you just say?!” Eyes wide with shock, words stumbling over each other— it was clear from a glance how astonished the king was.

Levans was equally taken aback.

“Th-that… umm… th-that…” He pointed back and forth between Page and Pablo as if he’d lost his ability to speak coherently.

Pablo decided to add some spice to this situation. With a hand on Page’s lower abdomen, he looked at Levans warily.

“Don’t shout too loudly. You’ll scare our child.”

“You’re right,” Page said, taking Pablo’s hand in hers. It had been said that starting something new is always difficult. In that sense, Pablo and Page were now perfectly matched.

“It’s been about three weeks now,” Page said softly. “It’s crucial for her to maintain stability…”

”…”

Pablo nodded from beside him, his eyes reflecting concern.

The usually stoic king finally grabbed Pablo by the collar, his voice strained. “You… you!”

Though it seemed he had much to say, no words came out. He merely pointed a shaky finger at Page and Pablo.

“M-my lord!” Even Levans, who was normally at odds with the king, rushed forward to support him, sensing the gravity of the situation.

Waving off Levans’ help, the king slumped back into his chair, his gaze fixed on his daughter with a mixture of anger and disbelief. “Is that why you’ve returned after twenty years?” His voice cracked as he struggled to control his emotions.

”…Yes.”

Seeing his daughter return with a fiancé and now a child only intensified the ache in the king’s neck.

Haaah…

The monarch gazed at Page, his eyes reflecting turmoil.

I’ve failed her so badly. It’s all my fault.

He had promised to make sure she lived happily after her mother died, convinced as the ruler of the kingdom that he could keep this vow easily enough.

But things hadn’t worked out that way.

Page is already twenty-nine, isn’t she?

If she were an ordinary princess, she would have found a suitable husband by now and likely be raising two children. Instead, due to his incompetence, she’d been forced to leave home and wander far from her native land during what should have been the most carefree years of her life.

After twenty long years, his beloved daughter was finally coming back.

With her beloved man by her side and carrying his child…

What… what should I do?

The king had once refused marriage proposals for his daughter in hopes of keeping her safe from the dangers of war, but now even that seemed impossible. After all, she was pregnant.

If I were to expel Page now…

He wasn’t sure if it would be right for Page, but he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. Not only could he not celebrate his daughter’s wedding or the new life growing within her, but he’d have to exile her instead. Despite being an inept father, the guilt and shame rising in his chest made it difficult for him to make this decision.

“Sigh…”

In just a moment, the king looked ten years older than before.

Page gazed at her father with slightly apologetic eyes.

I’m sorry. But… it was the only way.

It seemed Louis’s stubbornness had finally cracked, so one could say Je’s blow had been effective after all.

The king heaved a deep sigh and waved his hand. “Very well… You may go now.”

“…”

“I will give your future some more thought.”

“Yes…”

Page bowed toward her weary-looking father before turning around. Pablo hurriedly followed behind her like bodyguard as she left.

“Take care of yourself. Our child is…” Pablo stayed in character until the very end; anyone unaware of the truth would simply see him as an affectionate fiancé.

Once they were completely out of the hall, the king rubbed his stiff neck and got up from his seat weakly. “I’m exhausted… Let us adjourn this meeting.” He slowly made his way out of the chamber.

The prime minister watched his retreating figure with icy-cold eyes.

In the heart of the Frenche Kingdom, on the most prestigious street, stood an even grander edifice than Bernium Palace—a colossal building that outshone all others in splendor. This was the mansion where the kingdom’s true ruler resided.

The study within this mansion, often referred to as the “Fake Royal Palace,” had erupted in chaos.

Crash!

The sound of shattering furniture reverberated loudly through the air. The servants, realizing their master’s foul mood upon his return from the palace, had wisely kept themselves scarce.

Bam!

The relentless cacophony of destruction continued for a full hour before finally subsiding. The study now resembled a battlefield, utterly devastated.

At its center sat Chancellor Levans, gnashing his teeth and gasping for breath. He slumped heavily into a chair, his eyes still crackling with murderous intent.

“How dare they… How dare they!” he snarled.

His mind flashed back to that morning’s ministerial meeting.

Page and Pablo entered the hall together. Levans had been shocked when they announced their engagement, then utterly speechless upon learning of her pregnancy. His mind was in turmoil; as he rode back in the carriage, confusion gave way to a growing sense of jealousy burning within his chest.

“You’ve been avoiding me for twenty years just to meet that…that lowborn fool?” he snarled.

Twenty years ago, Levans had arranged a marriage with Page. The king and others believed this was Levans’ attempt to secure legitimacy through union—a notion half-right and half-wrong.

“Page…” He could never forget that day.

Are you really Levans?

It was twenty-five years ago, on the first day he’d set foot inside the palace grounds. In the garden, Levans encountered a beautiful young girl.

Counting on you for everything in the future!

The girl Page had given such a radiant smile to him, despite his common birth. It was then when Levans was seventeen years old and she fourteen. He became captivated by her eyes, which were like black pearls as they gazed up at him. She was his first love.

Soon enough, Levans learned that her name was Princess Page Kwon Frenche, daughter of the King of Frenche. After their initial meeting, Page became one of the major goals in Levans’ life.

I may be just a commoner unworthy of even looking at a princess, but if I gain recognition… wouldn’t she turn towards me too?

From that day forward, Levans set out with the goal of gaining acknowledgment and faithfully served the king. However, this path was far from smooth sailing.

As time flowed like a river, carrying him ever forward…

Despite his achievements and the prestige he earned through his abilities…

The label “commoner” remained stubbornly affixed to his name, while envy and contempt continued to smolder like unquenchable flames.

His ascension to the position of Prime Minister only fanned these fires higher.

A commoner as Prime Minister?!

Has the king lost his mind?

Are we truly expected to obey such low-born scum?

Those who wore masks of amity before his face turned cold as ice when his back was turned. They hungered for his talents, but refused to acknowledge his worth.

This situation persisted until the light in the young man’s eyes began to dim, like pure gold tarnishing in the heat of jealousy.

A black bomb had begun to grow within Levans’ heart. And soon enough, an event would set its fuse ablaze:

I hear the crown princess has found herself a suitor.

It wasn’t arranged; he made a unilateral proposal.

The second prince of the Jaruton Kingdom, huh?

He fell for our crown princess at first sight.

That kingdom isn’t bad. They’re doing pretty well over there, right?

I heard His Highness is already thinking positively about it.

I stumbled upon news of the page’s engagement by chance.

And just like that, the fragile wall I had been clinging to in order to preserve my purity crumbled away.

All this time… What have I even been doing?

No matter how hard I tried, no matter what achievements I amassed, I could never escape my birthright status.

What was the reward for all my efforts? Did I ever gain… anything?

There was nothing to show for the years gone by.

The position of prime minister, though it sounded impressive, was merely a role that fattened up the pockets of the kingdom and those noble pigs.

The more one strove, the greater the rewards reaped by those already entrenched in power—a realization that struck Levans like a thunderbolt.

Bang!

The bomb within him exploded.

If I’m going to waste my youth fattening up those old pigs… then I might as well seize everything for myself!

And included in this “everything” was Page.

I’ll have her too!

Levens’ desires blazed fiercely, becoming his new driving force. He transformed before their very eyes. As an incarnation of greed, he pursued power relentlessly, swallowing up the kingdom piece by piece.

The process proved easier than expected. Over the past few years, King had grown increasingly reliant on Levans, while the dim-witted nobles continued to underestimate him. With the king’s attention diverted elsewhere, Levans swallowed any opportunity beneficial to himself whole while systematically eliminating obstacles from sight.

Two years passed since Levans had begun his relentless march forward, by which time he was twenty-two years old. Having finally succeeded in greedily swallowing up the kingdom whole, he proposed marriage to Page when she turned nineteen.

With my current standing… I should be on equal footing with Crown Princess Page.

Levans believed his proposal would be accepted. However, the king belatedly caught onto Levans’ ambition and whisked Page away overseas instead, making it clear that no union between them would ever be possible.

Why?! Why not?!

Levans raged internally. He seethed at the king’s decision and suffered deeply at the prospect of never seeing Page again.

Is it because… because I’m just a commoner?

His thoughts spiraled downward, growing increasingly dark. Eventually, he arrived at one conclusion:

The king had employed him, a commoner, solely for his abilities.

It’s exactly the same! The king was just like those orc-like bastards!

In other words, he treated Levans similarly to how nobles ignored his background.

Enraged, Levans pursued power even more voraciously than before and made up his mind:

I will create it no matter what! A world where people are valued not by their status but by their ability!

With this new goal in mind, he dedicated himself fully to achieving it.

As time passed gradually, his feelings towards his first love grew duller.

That’s when Levans realized something profound:

Human emotions truly do fade away in an instant.

But…

The power I’ve built… still remains with me.

After that epiphany, Levans formed alliances through strategic marriages.

It was merely another means to an end—power.

I must protect it… everything I’ve built! Levans transformed once again.

Little did he know that after all his years of change, as a middle-aged man in power, he had become much like those nobles he so despised. He now exuded the same stench they had, but by then, Levans had grown too accustomed to their odor to notice.

After a storm of chaos had swept through and passed, only emptiness remained in the hall.

Louis sat on the windowsill, having cast his invisibility spell.

Heh-heh-heh.

He chuckled as he replayed the events that had unfolded earlier in the room.

If this were a drama, it would’ve easily scored a 40% viewership rating!

The scene where the king collapsed with his neck exposed nearly made Louis applaud.

This is more thrilling than any trashy melodrama I’ve ever seen!

It was truly regrettable that there wasn’t any popcorn to enjoy while watching such an entertaining spectacle.

I can hardly wait for the next episode.

Louis’s face brimmed with lingering excitement and anticipation.

Soon, Louis sprang to his feet. He gazed intently at one side of the hall—where a figure had remained until the very end, venting their fury.

“That rascal from earlier, isn’t it?” The individual who currently dominated the Frenche Kingdom and would later establish the Ainfort Republic: Levans Ainfort. A faint smile tugged at Louis’s lips as he thought about him.

Now that I’ve cast my bait, let’s see if anything takes the bite.

If this creature did take the bait…

I’ll haul it in with one swift motion.

Prepared like an angler ready to land a giant fish, Louis leaped through the window.