Favored by the Family That Will Become the Strongest! - Chapter 89

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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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Ardin’s jaw tightened at Diena’s words—words that seemed to pierce right through him.
She was right. He hadn’t been honest with Leandro either, hadn’t told him the whole truth.
In the first place, he’d only wanted to gauge his reaction. He’d never actually intended to become engaged. It was only natural, since he knew exactly how such a move would appear in Balthasar’s eyes.
What truly intrigued Ardin was Diena’s purpose.
What was she working toward, moving independently after leaving the Rotwell ducal house and wielding such influence over so many great families?
If it posed a threat to the empire, he needed to be vigilant.
He’d tested her to find out—yet Diena seemed to have seen through everything.
It hadn’t been long, and yet he often felt something strange.
As though Diena knew him far better than she should.
Once it had been mere suspicion, but now it was almost certainty.
Ardin’s expression hardened. The small talk was over. It was time for the real conversation.
“You’re right—I have no intention of becoming engaged to you. If I did, I’d lose far more than I’d gain. You understand me incredibly well. Better than my oldest friend ever has.”
“You mean Lord Leandro?”
“How did you know that?”
At her words, bewilderment flickered across Ardin’s face.
“Most would assume Cassian is my closest friend.”
Publicly, Cassian was Ardin’s closest confidant.
But Diena, who remembered her past life, knew the truth: they were nothing more than business associates. Leandro was the true intimate friend—one who had remained by Ardin’s side even in death.
“I’ll keep how I know that a secret.”
“You’re really not going to tell me?”
“I can’t give away secrets for free. Mine are very expensive. Since you run Raven, you should be able to estimate their value well enough.”
This time, even Ardin’s eyes went wide with shock.
‘How on earth did she find out about that?’
He turned to look at Barcan—who seemed nearly as stunned as he was.
“You’re telling me Ardin is the head of Raven? How did you find that out, Diena?”
His surprise seemed genuine, not performed. Barcan was the sort who would rather keep silent than lie. This too was a conclusion he’d drawn from intelligence gathered through the Guild. In short: he’d only just learned that the Crown Prince ran the information Guild known as Raven.
So he’d only found out moments ago, just like Ardin.
Raven was first and foremost a secret society in opposition to the Temple—an information organization only secondarily.
If the Temple learned that the Crown Prince ran Raven, they would move heaven and earth to bring him down.
That’s why Ardin had kept his leadership of Raven meticulously hidden. Even the Guild members and Leandro didn’t know. Only the three people in this room were aware of it—he could say that with absolute certainty.
“How did you find out that I’m running Raven?”
The playfulness that had been in Ardin’s face moments before vanished, replaced by cold calculation. Diena’s smile became awkward. This wasn’t a question she could easily answer.
‘Because Your Highness told me.’
In the past, Balthasar had used Romie’s Enchantment to reduce Ardin to a slave and extracted every confession from him.
But she couldn’t say that, so Diena smiled thinly instead.
“That’s also a secret.”
“Then will you tell me this: how did you know that Balthasar plans to make the Necromancer rampage?”
“That’s a secret as well, naturally.”
Ardin’s brow furrowed.
“It’s not really my place to say, but you keep far too many secrets.”
“Isn’t having secrets what makes me more valuable? Valuable enough for you to oppose your uncle, no less?”
“……Rotwell’s daughter.”
“Not Rotwell’s daughter. Call me Diena.”
“Very well, Diena.”
Diena smiled faintly in response.
“But I know this much alone won’t satisfy you, Your Highness.”
Ardin found himself at a loss for words.
Diena was right. He’d considered it briefly, but not enough to move him to action. What mattered most to Ardin was his own survival.
And because he ran an information Guild, he knew better than anyone just how vast and formidable the Rotwell Duke’s forces truly were.
Diena understood this too, which meant she had to make an offer compelling enough to truly sway him.
“I’ll give you information that will satisfy you, Your Highness.”
“…….”
“Your uncle is keeping you in check. He believes you’ll be the greatest obstacle to his future.”
Balthasar had been dreaming of rebellion from some unknown point in time. Both in the past and now, he had chosen Ardin as Romie’s betrothed for that reason—to cut away an impure sprout and use him for his own purposes.
The moment he had Ardin in his grasp, he began quietly building his power.
The strength of the excellent information Guild, Raven, only aided him—and through Romie, he used both Ardin and his Guild with remarkable efficiency. Had Ardin been in his right mind, he would have wept with rage at such exploitation.
“He’s probably eager to dispose of you whenever the moment comes. It means he sees no need to be cautious.”
“Even so, openly making an enemy of Balthasar Rotwell would be foolish.”
“But for me, it’s worth the risk.”
“……Do you have the strength to defeat Balthasar?”
“Yes. I suspect you already have your suspicions.”
Diena walked slowly toward Ardin.
Until now, she had avoided revealing her Purification Ability. It wasn’t simply because she needed to hide her nature from her uncle—it stemmed from a habit born of past experience.
She could never predict what people would do once they tasted the power of Purification.
‘There were truly so many strange people.’
Some had tried to lock her away to have her all to themselves; others threatened to kill her if she wouldn’t come with them.
Had she not been the Rotwell family’s daughter, her life would have been in danger more than once. And the number of people who seemed normal but revealed their true nature was beyond counting.
‘But Your Highness was a gentleman even in my past life. He remained calm even after I used my ability.’
Perhaps that’s why she felt no great resistance to using her Purification Ability now.
Diena extended her hand toward him.
“Take my hand.”
“…….”
“I’ll show you why I’m so confident.”
After a moment of hesitation, Ardin took the hand she offered. And Diena directed her Purification Ability toward him.
As white light spread outward, Ardin clapped a hand over his own mouth.
“……Wow.”
His body trembled violently as silence stretched on.

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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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