Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 233

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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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The Successor and I Need Some Healing — Chapter 233

The Second Imperial Prince sat savoring a quiet peace amid the stark confines of his chambers, eating breakfast.
Controlling the Imperial Palace, where he had not a single genuine ally, was not something that could be called easy, even in jest.
There was no way of knowing whether deadly poison might be mixed into the very food he was eating now.
And yet, the Second Imperial Prince finished his meal without leaving a trace.
It was partly a statement—that no matter what they did, he would endure—but more than that, it was something else.

‘Eat well, and at least I won’t have to listen to complaints.’

A soft laugh escaped him.

Kyle finished his meal and wiped his mouth with a napkin, allowing himself a secret smile.
The cause of his amusement was, naturally, the mysterious benefactor who would be arriving here soon—or rather, Lion Asteri.
A person who dreaded drawing close because of their station, yet could not abandon their lingering affection, and so had quietly come to prepare ‘food’ with their own hands.

—You eat well.

At the time he had heard that praise, he had felt considerably embarrassed, truth be told.
Because there was a definite sense of being spoken to like a small child.
But now, living in this barren place, he found himself missing those words.
Was that all?
Lion Asteri was also a singular and deeply appreciated presence—one who had resolved a curse that had hung over him since the beginning.
As a result, so many things had shifted that the tides themselves had turned.
Foremost among them was the disappearance of his greatest weakness.
Kyle had never considered his illegitimate blood a genuine weakness.
After all, he had been recognized as the Second Imperial Prince regardless.
But the terrible curse that shadowed him like a wraith—that pain was a shackle and a weakness unto itself.
When the First Imperial Prince had deliberately cursed him once more out of sheer spite…

‘I have to admit it. It was fatal.’

The First Imperial Prince’s curse had been nothing more than the product of malice, but from Kyle’s perspective, it threatened to bring everything crashing down.
Had he not chanced to meet Lion Asteri during that critical period,
and had that person not taken pity on him, he might well have been collapsing by now.
Or perhaps he would have long since become fertilizer in the gardens of the First Prince’s Palace or the Empress’s chambers.
In any case, the fact that Lion Asteri had lifted the curse was something the Second Imperial Prince would spend a lifetime repaying.

‘So I thought there was nothing he could want.’

Even now, as the Second Imperial Prince had invited him to the Imperial Capital, Lion Asteri had never once sent him a personal message.
Rather, it was Jack who had contacted him first, boasting about taking a solid hit.
At this point, setting aside all the flowery talk of politics and gain, he found himself wanting to see that face at least once.
But he’d been told not to visit.
So what could be done?

“I had no choice but to extend an invitation.”

Kyle savored the tea before him, mumbling languidly as he laid out his plans.
When Lion Asteri came to the Imperial Palace, he would provide every comfort he could.
It seemed like a fine idea to show him the special plants cultivated only within the Imperial Palace, and since it appeared he was fond of animals, showing him the unusual creatures that had come as gifts from various quarters might also be a decent way to earn points.
Thus, Kyle—who had been indulging in an unusually leisurely and remarkably peaceful flight of fancy—
slowly turned his gaze toward the sound of the person he had been waiting for.
At the end of that glance, a familiar face came into view.
Terus Sol Aionis.
The First Imperial Prince of the Empire and his half-brother, who was now under House Arrest for his reckless conduct.
And incidentally, the foolish scoundrel who had cursed him out of spite.

“It has been a long time, brother.”
“Yes, yes—what are you doing here?”
“There’s no rule against it, is there?”

Kyle deflected the trite objection with a smile, gesturing toward the secondary seat with his hand.

“You must be hungry. Do sit.”
……

Terus’s face flushed crimson—apparently even a light provocation found its mark.
He’d never imagined he’d be asked to sit in the secondary seat of the First Prince’s Palace.
Kyle, settled in the place of honor, tilted his head slightly.

“Is something the matter?”
“… No. Nothing at all.”

The First Prince swallowed his rage.
During his house arrest, he’d caught wind that much had shifted. The Emperor—Father—had begun entertaining the requests of that accursed illegitimate child, and the Imperial court’s servants were spinning helplessly, unable to find solid ground.
Which meant this: he couldn’t admit it, but as things stood now, that bastard was closer to the Crown Prince’s seat than he was.

Hadn’t Mother said so?
That all men face adversity, and some fall to it—but that’s no fate for a prince.

Mother spoke no idle nonsense.
And what she promised, she kept.
There must be some brilliant scheme at work.
With that thought, even this adversity seemed bearable.
Besides, the curse she’d placed on that bastard’s body—it still held, didn’t it?

The First Prince gnashed his teeth, mentally cataloguing every curse technique he knew, grinding through each possibility.

Yet this meal brought Kyle no satisfaction either.
He was not the sort to find relief in tormenting others.
Cultivation and Meditation served him far better.

“What—!”

“It would hurt far more coming from the Emperor’s lips.”
“You whelp!”

The First Imperial Prince snatched up a piece of cutlery from before him and hurled it at Kyle.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have so much as grazed him.

But today was different.

Surprisingly, it landed true.
A sharp dinner knife had grazed the Second Imperial Prince’s cheek.
A thin line of red appeared on Kyle’s face, blood trickling down moments after.
The First Imperial Prince barely managed to stifle his roaring laughter at the sight.

‘That’s right—for all that swagger, his body’s not in good shape, is it?’

Yes. The man was clearly cursed.
Simply being able to walk around unimpeded would be his best outcome.

“I have no counsel for you. Get out.”
“Hmm.”

Even as the First Imperial Prince’s voice rang out imperious and commanding, Kyle remained unmoved.
He merely brushed his fingertips across his cheek, gauging the wound.

‘This should be enough to draw attention.’

Everything thus far had been orchestrated by Kyle.
The Imperial Prince was really nothing if not simple-minded.
Had he been born a commoner instead of a prince, he would have been beaten and cast out long ago on account of his temperament alone.
Kyle bent down, picked up the knife that had passed by his face, straightened, and approached the First Imperial Prince where he sat at the head of the table.
Then, with a dull thud—
He drove the dinner knife straight down into the fine, sturdy tabletop.

“Ugh!”

The First Imperial Prince stifled a cry as he stared at the knife, embedded halfway to its hilt just half a finger’s width from his own hand.

“I’m returning this to you. You’ll need it for your meal, after all. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

I’m a busy man, unlike some. Time to go.
Having achieved his objective, Kyle promptly exited the First Prince’s Palace.
A wound inflicted, a warning delivered.
Any emergency that might arise from here on, he could manage.
A cowardly man like the First Imperial Prince would likely do nothing at all.
So, then—

‘All I need do is keep the Empress in check.’

Having disposed of the troublesome minor matter with efficiency, Kyle made his way directly to the front gate where the carriage was expected to arrive.
The weather was particularly fine today.

* * *

And just as Kyle had anticipated, Lion could do nothing but gape when he stepped down from the carriage and caught sight of Kyle’s face.

“Your Highness, I greet you.”
“It must have taken great effort for all three of you to arrive.”
“Not at all. But…”

Given the location, Ricshel took over the conversation where Lion could only gape, his gaze lingering intently on Kyle’s cheek.
Considering the depth of the wound and the Second Imperial Prince’s skill level, it was a cut that should not have been made.
Yet the trajectory didn’t match if Kyle had inflicted it himself.

‘Right now, within the Imperial Palace, there’s hardly anyone capable of pulling off something like this.’

Only the First Prince.
And since the First Prince is under house arrest, he’d be confined to the interior of his palace at most.
Which means.

‘He deliberately took a hit.’

Most likely to draw his older brother’s attention.
Having grasped the full picture, Ricshel narrowed his eyes and said nothing further.
The Marquis Bydentis, whose mastery of the blade ran deep, wore an expression little different from Ricshel’s.
Brazenly unbothered by their heated gazes, the Second Imperial Prince opened his mouth.

“There was a small accident during dinner. I didn’t have time to treat it with how quickly I had to come.”
“It shouldn’t take long to treat, Your Highness.”
“I couldn’t keep a guest waiting.”
……

Ricshel judged that the Second Prince’s rhetorical skill had improved considerably in his absence.
But if he pressed further here—

A glance.

His older brother would needlessly worry.
Besides, too many eyes were watching.
Better to step inside where fewer people could see and speak there.

“I’m sorry to ask so soon, but could you first examine the condition of the Hunting Grounds where the birthday festivities will take place?”
“Pardon?”
“It would be even better if the Marquis Bydentis went with you.”
……

This bastard—making the request in a crowded place so it couldn’t be refused.
Honestly, he wanted to refuse right then and there, but—

‘Reasonable.’

By going to inspect the Hunting Grounds, he could directly verify whether there was anything in the vicinity that might threaten Lion or himself.

“And there’s something I’d like to ask Lion for advice on—a personal matter.”
“Very well.”
“Brother.”

Lion agreed first, sooner than Ricshel.
Ordinarily he’d have grumbled about being put to work the moment he arrived, but circumstances here were different.
Outwardly quiet and peaceful, yet beneath the surface, it was a war zone.

‘And odds are high I’m the target among all these people.’

So it was better to be inside with the Second Prince instead.
He didn’t know what questions he’d be asked, but the man clearly wanted to keep him in sight for a while—so nothing excessive would come.
Having made his assessment, Lion nodded to Ricshel as if to say it was fine.

“It’s better to finish what needs doing and leave quickly anyway. Right?”
“Reasonable.”
……Yes, that’s right.”

In the end, the Marquis Bydentis and Ricshel had no choice but to move to the Hunting Grounds with the Second Prince right after arriving.
Of course, they made sure to glance back repeatedly and warn him with their eyes along the way.
A warning, in other words: step out of line and I won’t let it slide.

‘Of all the rotten luck.’

A villain through and through, no question about it.
The Second Imperial Prince, for his part, waved his hand in farewell to the two who turned and departed undefeated.
Victory belonged to the one who had struck first.

“Now then, shall we step inside.”

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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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