NMBTD 17

Chapter 17

“That’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Elian furrowed his brows, recalling Prince Franz’s demeanor from their earlier meeting.

“The Second Prince didn’t seem interested in meeting Lady Roshanak at all.”

He even said things that suggested he wanted to protect Lady Ambrose—humiliating Elian in the process.

“You know, soul bonds aren’t easily broken.”

“Well, sure. But I’m sure he’ll think differently once he meets Nyris.”

Glena gave a captivating smile, but Elian remained doubtful.

The Second Prince was tormented by mana pain.

To someone like him, a “soul bond” would be like a lifeline. The fact that he chose to take a noblewoman from a remote region as his fiancée spoke volumes.

Even inviting her to the ceremony where his mana stone was presented showed the imperial family’s desperation.

In the empire, royal marriages weren’t based solely on political strategy—they prioritized mana compatibility.

Still, candidates were usually selected from prestigious families. Not just anyone could be brought into the imperial household.

Only the high-ranking nobles staying in the capital, Caleps, had access to the royal mana stones. A mass invitation like the Second Prince’s was unheard of.

‘I thought it was just urgency…’

Elian grimaced as he sipped his tea.

He was still unsettled by Franz’s reaction when he mentioned Nyris.

They hadn’t even held the wedding ceremony yet, but the prince already seemed completely bound to Lady Ambrose.

‘I did hear she has a pretty face. Is that it?’

It was said that Lady Ambrose had nothing going for her but her looks. She wasn’t even blood-related to the current Baron Ambrose.

So she likely wouldn’t receive any support from the family.

From what Elian had gathered, the Baroness Dowager had been trying to marry her off to some wealthy old noble as a second wife.

She was a discarded piece, meant to be removed from the board. So the Second Prince shouldn’t be that invested in her.

‘Then is it because of the soul bond?’

Elian tilted his head in confusion.

That didn’t make sense either.

Even soul bonds were often maintained only formally. Many nobles kept their bonded partner nearby just to stabilize their mana while keeping a mistress.

In the imperial family, mistresses weren’t frowned upon. In fact, if favored by royalty, they could be treated better than the legal spouse.

“How strange.”

“It’s not that complicated. If the Second Prince finds another lover, Lady Ambrose will be pushed aside.”

“Do you really think that’ll work?”

“Why are you suddenly so uncertain, Father? Do you think Nyris isn’t good enough?”

“I’m not sure. Even if not Lady Roshanak, I don’t know if the Second Prince would accept anyone else. You should’ve seen it yourself. He raised his voice, asking why I was bringing up Nyris when he already had a fiancée.”

“…Hmm.”

Glena pursed her lips and tapped the armrest of the sofa.

Creighton gently swept Glena’s hair back as she pondered, his gaze fixed only on her.

Elian, watching the First Prince lavish attention on his daughter, smiled with satisfaction.

They were both soul-bonded and an excellent match as a couple.

Creighton had fallen for Glena at first sight, and never took a mistress.

Had he not been so devoted, Elian wouldn’t have worked so hard to elevate him above the Crown Prince.

Creighton’s glory was Glena’s glory—and by extension, the glory of House Corneille.

Elian was willing to do anything to make that happen.

“That country girl Ambrose must’ve ensnared the Second Prince well.”

Glena stopped tapping the sofa and her eyes sparkled. With a knowing smile, she added,

“We need something decisive.”

“With mana compatibility, it won’t be easy to surpass Lady Ambrose.”

“That’s right, Glena. And if Franz is truly infatuated with her, we may have no other option.”

“Trust me, Creighton. Trust me, Father.”

Glena spoke gently, soothing the worried men. She glanced around the now empty parlor and lowered her voice.

“I can do anything. You haven’t forgotten how I found His Majesty’s mana stone, have you?”

At her quiet words, the two men’s eyes darkened. Creighton clasped her hand as if it were a rare jewel and whispered,

“Of course not, my love.”

Creighton had many reasons to treasure Glena.

First, House Corneille’s power was immense. Second, the two were soul-bonded.

Her beauty was unmatched in the empire, and even before her debut, she had already influenced trends in Caleps.

But the most crucial reason was her cunning intelligence.

Glena would walk through fire to get what she wanted. Killing someone didn’t faze her.

The Emperor had realized her ruthlessness early on. During one of her audiences, she had a servant executed on the spot for a small mistake.

Because of this, he worried when she married Creighton. He even warned him to keep his distance from her.

At one point, he tried to push House Corneille out of politics altogether because of her.

Seeing this, Glena came to view the Emperor as an enemy.

As long as he ruled, she could never live as she wished. Her ambitions could be destroyed with a single word from him.

But no one survived long with the Emperor as an enemy.

So she tried to win him over—with tears and charm—but he remained displeased.

That’s when she decided on another route: to remove him.

A treasonous thought, but to Glena, it was simply clearing the obstacle in her path.

As soon as she decided, she shared the plan with Creighton and Elian.

Both were shocked at her daring.

But it benefited them, too. At the time, Creighton and Elian were colluding to evade taxes.

Taxes collected from Elian’s domain were three times what the imperial rates required.

And that wasn’t all—Elian manipulated society through Glena to drive up salt prices.

Now First Princess Consort, Glena could sway society at will.

All she had to do was gently fan her ornate fan and mention how hard it was to find salt.

By the time people rushed to buy, Elian had already bought most of it.

He sold it at ten times the price.

Next was coal. Then silk from Mount Batash.

People were confused by the fluctuating prices but bought anyway.

His trading company grew rapidly.

The Emperor noticed the irregular inflation and launched an investigation.

It was only a matter of time before Elian and Creighton’s schemes were exposed.

Then Glena stepped in. She offered to find the Emperor’s mana stone.

Elian and Creighton were skeptical.

A mana stone tied to a royal’s soul was hidden where only the owner knew. Breaking it could even end their life.

Yet Glena succeeded.

She turned the Emperor’s attendants and the palace chamberlain to her side.

She found the mana stone—and shattered it using her own mana.

The Emperor collapsed, his heart damaged by the rupture.

While the empire panicked, only the First Prince’s palace remained calm—they had anticipated this.

The Empress calmly took over, declaring a crown prince would be appointed within the year.

Creighton feigned sorrow, but inwardly rejoiced.

Thanks to Glena’s cunning, the Emperor who distrusted him was now powerless, and the long-distant crown prince title felt within reach.

From that moment on, Creighton swore eternal love to Glena.

He could bare even his darkest ambitions before her—she was made to fulfill them.

If she wanted the diamond necklace, she would have it. If she wanted the country girl gone, she would be gone.

‘While we’re at it, I wish Franz would disappear too.’

“Take your time. We have plenty of it.”

Creighton kissed Glena’s forehead with a meaningful smile.

He had turned his back on his ailing father. Destroying his half-brother would be even easier—and far more desirable.

Once Franz was out of the way, the crown prince title would be his.