Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 145

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 145. Nanark Astiages Lost His Head (1)
“Damn it!”
Everything was ruined.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
My entire life had fallen to pieces. I slammed my head repeatedly against the cold stone wall of the Execution Preparation Chamber.
“Why did I have to stick my nose in!”
I hadn’t lost my mind just because that Little One had gone missing!
No, things had spiraled because I’d performed better than I’d anticipated, and that wasn’t my fault, was it? My older brothers and sisters were being absolutely unreasonable!
“Sigh….”
Yes, that was about half a year ago, wasn’t it? Back then, I was Nanark Astiages, the Fifth Prince of the Astiages Empire, positioned so far down the line of succession that I’d been forced to live outside the Palace—an unfortunate prince indeed.
I, Nanark Astiages, had been living quite comfortably at Hisperon’s Residence.
My Intelligence Corps had secured control from beyond the Northern Continent all the way to the Central Continent, Princess Vishnabel’s stronghold, and though the Imperial Family had seized my real estate with natural gas reserves, I’d successfully reclaimed the gas extraction rights through shell companies.
Honestly, it was a sweet deal. The Imperial Family and the world were simply told that natural gas was being extracted there, but do you know what most of that gas actually was? Helium.
Using hydrogen in airships these days was becoming obsolete. A recent hydrogen airship explosion in mid-air had killed all passengers and crew aboard.
People sought a replacement for hydrogen and discovered that helium was optimal in every respect, including safety. I simply knew this one step ahead, and most of the helium gas fields located on the Northern Continent fell into my hands.
When Hisperon learned of this, he discovered the hydrogen gas explosion incident in the newspaper and gave me a look of tremendous reproach.
“Was that your doing?”
…he asked. But I was innocent! I hadn’t touched anything! I merely had faith in human malice!
Hydrogen airships are vulnerable to fire. They ignite at the slightest spark, so fire had been strictly prohibited since they were first used as transport, but nowadays, with the Air Force that Princess Vishnabel designed, wasn’t the environment itself conducive to deliberately setting fires?
I simply believed with absolute certainty that people would inevitably use incendiary weapons on airships, and I purchased the helium gas fields based on that conviction. I didn’t engage in any scheming whatsoever!
“Hmm….”
Honestly, I’d thought the Princess of Kisomalos would exploit it first in warfare, so the accident on a civilian airship was somewhat unexpected.
“Well, as long as no evidence surfaces to incriminate me, it doesn’t matter.”
Ha, Hisperon worries far too much. Even if I had engaged in scheming, would I leave evidence? Of course not—I don’t leave evidence. And even if I did, I’d leave clues to pin on my older siblings instead. I don’t do things that would get me killed.
Back then, I was so confident. After securing the helium gas fields, money accumulated in my shell accounts with every breath I took, and there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish if I set my mind to it.
That’s why I believed I could naturally pull it off, and I threw all my efforts into finding the missing Vishnabel.
“Search every inch! That Little One is definitely alive! Don’t worry about the media!”
The Imperial Kingdom couldn’t publish articles predicting the death of their own princess, but in the Astiages Empire, rumors of the princess’s death circulated constantly.
After more than a month, articles mocking the Kisomalos Imperial Family for searching and believing in the princess’s survival appeared. They didn’t just appear—they proliferated. From major newspapers to gossip rags, stories ridiculing the Imperial Kingdom and exposing scandals about the princess’s lineage flooded the media.
The princess’s mother’s marriage to the Imperial Family had been opposed by Lorowi all along. Based on this fact, speculative articles ran rampant, and rumors even emerged that the death of the Emperor two generations back—the princess’s grandmother—was connected to Lorowi.
The Astiages Imperial Family, primarily centered around Abamama, encouraged these rumors. With dirty gossip about the Imperial Family already circulating due to the succession struggle, the missing princess incident from the Kisomalos Imperial Kingdom was useful in suppressing it.
So I admit, I was even more furious. Because my older siblings were fighting tooth and nail, they’d tarnished Princess Vishnabel’s reputation.
“The princess will be safe. I will help as well, so Your Highness need not worry.”
This too was likely a source of the problem. Perhaps for them, this was the biggest reason of all.
The appearance was bad. The fact that Hisperon had helped me find Princess Vishnabel made it look as though I were using him like a tool.
To my siblings back then—the Crown Prince, the Second Princess, the First Princess, and the Third Prince—those damn bastards must have thought I’d formed an alliance with Hisperon. They probably believed I was audaciously aiming for the Emperor’s throne.
“Damn bastards! Really, damn bastards!”
I kicked the prison door repeatedly, cursing my older brothers and sisters who were living comfortable lives far away in the Main Imperial Palace.
About a month after Hisperon and I joined forces to track down Princess Vishnabel, the attacks from the Imperial Palace began in earnest.
The Fifth Prince shouldn’t have had any income, yet somehow my spending level was suspiciously high. Nanac had somehow started sponsoring Hisperon’s military. I heard Hisperon had been wounded, but he recovered quickly—he must have purchased healing spirit stones with dirty money.
They summoned both Hisperon and me to the Imperial Palace under various pretexts, ransacking Hisperon’s Residence in the process. They confiscated every document and office supply in the house under the guise of a search warrant—but even if they investigated that for a lifetime, they wouldn’t uncover the first digits of my shell accounts.
I had hidden my main base using an ace up my sleeve, so no matter how hard my older siblings tried, there was nothing for them to find. My ace was so well-hidden that even when I muttered to myself in soliloquies, no secrets would slip out.
“Ugh, damn it.”
After months of being shaken down without finding any concrete charges against me, my older siblings felt the heat. They must have thought I would seek revenge if they released me without conviction.
I had indeed considered revenge. I had no desire for that cursed throne, but I was determined to bring down my older siblings and elevate Hisperon to Emperor.
I was genuinely curious what expression Abamama would wear if a child of uncertain paternity became Emperor.
In any case, my revenge plan crumbled before execution. Those madmen ultimately fabricated a charge I never committed and sentenced me to death.
What was the charge? Brace yourself. “Attempted murder of the Crown Prince’s consort.”
“….”
Since the Crown Prince hadn’t yet taken a consort, the only person they could pin such a charge on was a prospective consort.
“Why would I assault a man, you fucking lunatics!”
I was dying of indignation. Of course, I would never forcibly assault anyone, but I desperately wanted to escape the infamy of being executed for attempting to assault a man. I couldn’t even fathom what Princess Vishnabel would think if she heard this news. That Little One had such a vivid imagination—she might spin an entire novel out of me and the Imperial Family’s consort.
“What….”
While imprisoned, I heard that fortunately Princess Vishnabel had safely returned home. Normally, missing children are discovered dead after the golden hour passes, but that Little One’s luck was disgustingly good.
“Ha ha.”
If I had known she would return safely without my efforts, I shouldn’t have done anything. All that remained for me was regret.
“Ah, let me just sleep.”
Tomorrow was the day of my execution. It was natural that they scheduled it so hastily—they wanted to dispose of me quickly.
But truthfully, having lived in the Imperial Palace, I had anticipated a day like this might come eventually, so I wasn’t particularly depressed. I was only bothered by the thought of my crime reaching Princess Vishnabel’s ears, and worried about the hardship Hisperon would endure afterward.
Without me, that bastard wouldn’t have anyone to supply him with healing spirit stones. He’d be wandering around covered in blotches again. When I die, I at least hope he pledges loyalty to either the Crown Prince or the First Princess and gets his body healed.
If he’d been smart enough to engage in such politics, he wouldn’t have spent all those years getting stabbed when stabbed and beaten when beaten, lying in agony without going to the battlefield.
“Ha ha.”
Death didn’t frighten me, but tears came nonetheless.

✦ ✦ ✦
The execution was carried out early in the morning. I stood on the Guillotine Platform, but there were hardly any spectators—only a few distant branches of the Imperial Family present to pray for my soul.
“Are you prepared?”
“How could I be?”
I made one last disrespectful remark and surrendered my body to the Executioner. Restrained and unable to move, a commotion suddenly erupted from somewhere.
“Your Highness! Prince Nanac, Your Highness!”
Oh… that’s Hisperon? Why did he come here? He’ll have nightmares watching the execution. Moreover, Hisperon had brought soldiers with him—gunshots rang out from various directions and the sound of blades clashing echoed.
There’s no undoing what he’s already done, but he needs to escape well. Once I’m dead, he’ll probably be dragged away on charges of treason.
“Strike! Cut the rope quickly!”
Well, this is how it usually goes. I hadn’t held any expectations. The blade of the guillotine struck my neck faster than Hisperon could rescue me.
“Your Highness!”
With Hisperon’s scream as my final sound, my head was severed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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