Chapter 56
Caleb didn’t show it outwardly, but he was in a foul mood for messing things up.
It was Creighton who had asked him to push Nyris toward the Second Prince.
But the plan had failed right from the start. He felt ashamed to even face him.
“It’s all because that woman messed things up. Damn it.”
Caleb ground his teeth.
He wanted to grab Creighton by the collar and demand an explanation.
In his letter, Creighton had described Nyris as a graceful, beautiful, flawless noblewoman.
On top of that, she possessed powerful fire mana, so as long as she met the Second Prince, everything would fall into place.
Caleb didn’t know how great that fire mana was supposed to be, but her temper was certainly as fiery as they came.
Clutching his throbbing head, Caleb spoke.
“We can greet His Highness Prince Franz formally at the ball later.”
“There’ll be dozens of young ladies greeting His Highness then! We have to make an impression beforehand!”
Nyris stomped her foot again. At that, the firewood in the fireplace flared up violently.
“I can’t take this anymore.”
Caleb clicked his tongue as he glanced at the leaping flames. He lowered his hand from his forehead and pointed at the fire.
While Nyris was looking at him in confusion, a fierce wind suddenly swept through the drawing room.
The wind was biting cold. The windows rattled, and the large chandelier above swayed ominously.
“Kyah! Stop it, stop it!”
Only when Nyris screamed did the wind finally die down.
As the storm-like wind faded into a gentle breeze, Nyris opened her eyes wide in shock. Her dress was flipped, and her hair was in complete disarray.
“How dare you use mana indoors! Are you crazy?”
“You used it first, my lady.”
“This is my house! I can use mana here if I want!”
“If you keep shouting, I might actually go crazy. So please be quiet.”
At Caleb’s warning, Nyris’s face flushed red. Huffing with fury, she suddenly sprang to her feet and shouted:
“If you mess up the escort later, I’ll tell everything to the First Prince!”
It was an empty threat, and she yanked the bell rope furiously. The drawing room doors opened, and a line of maids entered.
“What took you so long?”
“We apologize, my lady.”
Smack!
Nyris slapped one of the innocent maids across the cheek and glared at her.
Her gaze then turned to Caleb. Despite the unspoken threat in her eyes, he remained unfazed.
“Your hair is quite a mess, my lady.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?!”
“Instead of taking your anger out on others, perhaps you should fix your hair. Unless you want to be late for the ball, that is.”
“You just wait and see!”
Grinding her teeth, Nyris stormed out of the drawing room with her maids.
As the door opened and closed, the fireplace flared and then settled again.
Caleb watched her disappear with a cold gaze.
“Looks like I picked the wrong card.”
He slumped back on the sofa and sighed. His deep gray eyes sparkled as they stared into the fireplace.
Whenever Caleb looked at flames, one person always came to mind—
A girl who once couldn’t contain her joy just from conjuring a campfire. Innocent and cheerful, his half-sister.
People said Caleb and Aleicia were closer than real siblings. They praised him for being such a devoted brother.
And Caleb truly did care for her—back then. After all, who could resist a sweet girl with round eyes who looked up at him with pure admiration?
She used to hide behind him, timidly, whenever she faced their mother. He found it rather adorable.
But everything changed when the former Baron Ambrose died and his will was announced.
That day, Caleb felt murderous intent toward the little sister who had followed him around like a puppy.
The will stated that while the barony title would go to Caleb, the Ambrose estate and all its assets would go to Aleicia.
Caleb killed the notary who read the will on the spot.
Aleicia must never learn of its contents.
He felt empty. Furious.
People said he was lucky—just a commoner who had inherited a noble title.
But they didn’t know what they were talking about.
A title in name only. And a baron, the lowest of the five noble ranks.
A meaningless barony with no land or wealth wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy Caleb’s ambition.
He couldn’t be content.
So he began plotting to seize all of Ambrose’s wealth and acquire a higher title.
First, he had to get rid of Aleicia.
But he never neglected her. He needed to remain in her will.
He planned to catch her off guard and make it look like suicide.
But Patricia proposed a different method. Since Aleicia was pretty, they could sell her off with a large dowry.
Patricia suggested marrying Aleicia to an old marquis in his sixties. Then they could dispose of her after collecting the dowry.
It wasn’t a bad plan.
Until Aleicia was named the Second Prince’s fiancée, that marquis’s offer had been the highest.
But when she became a royal bride, everything changed.
The imperial family offered a dowry far greater than any marquis could.
Caleb felt proud of himself for not killing her earlier.
But there was a problem.
Even the royal dowry wasn’t enough to satisfy Caleb’s ambition.
He wanted to live the rest of his life without worrying about money. He wanted a high title and to see people bow before him.
He wanted enough power to silence anyone who dared whisper about his commoner origins.
That’s why he approached the First Prince at the academy.
It didn’t take long to become one of his close companions.
Just as he had deceived Aleicia, he faked loyalty to Creighton, pretending he would give him everything.
And through that, he gained the friendship he wanted.
“Hey, Caleb. Want to hear a secret? I want to kill my own sister.”
That day, when Creighton confided in him, Caleb’s heart raced.
To think that he had something in common with the almighty First Prince.
He had only approached Creighton for a title.
But over time, he began to see himself in him.
“Actually, Your Highness… I have a secret too. I understand you completely.”
Creighton drew Caleb even closer, trusting someone who shared his secret.
Unfortunately, their friendship didn’t last beyond the academy.
Creighton was royalty—nearly divine—while Caleb was a pathetic baron who needed to plan months in advance just to visit the capital.
So when Aleicia became the Second Prince’s bride, it felt like fate.
Aleicia and the Second Prince, a pair.
If they were both removed, Caleb and Creighton’s dreams could come true in one stroke.
Caleb couldn’t hide his excitement as he wrote to Creighton.
And Creighton had not forgotten him. He even entrusted Caleb with a critical mission.
“If you grant my wish, I’ll summon you to the imperial palace. You’ll be the next emperor’s most trusted confidant.”
If Aleicia was killed and the Second Prince eliminated, Caleb wouldn’t need to cling to a mere barony.
He could have everything he had ever desired.
And the first step was Nyris.
If Nyris was paired with the Second Prince, love-starved Aleicia would wither away.
Because that’s the kind of girl she was—a fragile flower that needed constant care and affection.
When the soul bond of the Second Prince broke, his heart would be sealed.
It was supposed to be easy.
It was as if the goddess of fortune herself had reached out her hand.
But from the very first step, things went awry.
A variable had appeared.
“If something like this happens again, I may have to reconsider your position, Baron.”
Aleicia had changed.
After only a few months in the palace, she acted like a completely different person. Instead of being shaken by Nyris, she had turned the tables on her.
“This won’t do.”
Caleb rubbed his temple. While staying in Narot, he’d been keeping close tabs on Aleicia.
Thanks to Lady Glenna’s maid, he knew where she slept and what she ate.
But nothing in the reports indicated she had changed.
“Something’s not right.”
Caleb lowered his hand from his head.
Had Aleicia really changed?
Or was she just intoxicated by the royal atmosphere, swept up in the feeling of being one of them?
The once-neglected girl, suddenly treated like royalty—it was only natural to be giddy.
If that was all, he just had to make her realize her place again.
If not, he would have to drastically revise the plan.
“I need to find out.”
With a determined look, Caleb stood up. His eyes fell on the grandfather clock hanging on the drawing room wall.
Fortunately, there was still time before the ball.
He called for his servant and ordered a carriage. While waiting, he took a box from inside his jacket.
Inside the box were the gloves Aleicia had gifted him.
With a displeased expression, he put them on.
He didn’t like the idea of visiting again after being practically kicked out last time.
But he had no choice.
Until the plan was complete, he had to be the good older brother—
The one Aleicia trusted and followed.
