Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 106

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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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A café run by the heir to the Dark Guild.
106
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then straightened her shoulders and spoke with quiet resolve.
“Your Highness, I’m pregnant.”
Biedler, who had been expecting nothing more than a request to corroborate some lie, flinched at Melissa’s words, his brows twitching.
“…Whose child?”
“The Crown Prince’s, Your Highness.”
“Can you stand by that claim?”
Though Biedler couldn’t accept Melissa’s words at face value, he had already noticed the secret meetings between her and Arthur, which left his mind churning.
“Of course. Yes, I remained here under a false pretense, but that was only because of His Highness.”
Aware of just how momentous this revelation was, Melissa’s hands trembled as she reached for her teacup.
“Who else knows of this?”
“No one. Only myself, my attendant, and now Your Highness. No one else suspects. Not yet.”
Arthur had not yet married, nor taken even a concubine.
The child Melissa now carried was nothing more than a bastard—illegitimate in the eyes of the empire.
“I don’t want to lose this child. I want to protect him. But if the Empress discovers it… I’m afraid of what she might do.”
If Clione, who already disliked Melissa, learned the truth, she would almost certainly move to eliminate the child.
‘No—not just eliminate the child. She might even kill the princess herself.’
Biedler knew Clione well enough to believe her capable of exactly that.
“She would not tolerate the Crown Prince’s illegitimate heir. You would be in danger too, not just the child.”
“That’s why I’ve come to you. Please, help us. Help me and my child survive.”
Melissa’s eyes gleamed with desperation as she knelt before Biedler.
But Biedler’s resolve was not so fragile as to crumble at the sight of tears.
“How exactly would I help? You should confess to your brother and ask him for his protection.”
“He’s given me medicine every time we meet. If he learns I’m pregnant, he’ll do everything in his power to make it go away. Now he doesn’t even come to see me anymore.”
“Are you absolutely certain the child you’re carrying is his?”
It was an unpleasant question for Melissa to hear, but he needed the truth.
“Of course. Once the child is born, we can prove the royal blood runs through his veins.”
Watching Melissa’s certainty, Biedler’s mind raced with calculation.
He wondered if this might become an advantageous card for him in the future, and he held her gaze.
“What exactly do you want from me?”
“Just until the child is born. Be my shield. Act as my lover. That’s all I need.”
“And what will you do once the child arrives?”
“Once everyone knows, they won’t dare erase the child. I don’t even aspire to be Crown Princess. A concubine’s place will be enough for now.”
Melissa’s mind seemed filled with nothing but the desire to protect her child and secure a position in the empire.
She either didn’t grasp that Biedler could use this information against her, or she understood but chose to leverage him regardless.
It seemed closer to the former, but if she intended to use him, he could just as easily use her in return.
“So you use me to become a concubine. What do I gain from this arrangement?”
“Princes who fail to become emperor are either exiled or executed. Especially half-brothers like yourself. The moment His Highness takes the throne, you’ll be purged.”
“So?”
“I will prevent that, no matter what it takes.”
Melissa continued, her eyes blazing with conviction.
“My ambitions don’t end with becoming a concubine. I’ll bear a child, secure my position, and raise my son to become emperor.”
Biedler was startled to discover just how much deeper Melissa’s ambitions ran than he’d anticipated, and he exhaled slowly.
“When you’re in danger, I will repay this debt with my life. I stake my child on it.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“I will do anything to protect this child. I hope my desperate plea doesn’t become a betrayal.”
Having delivered even that subtle threat with composure, Melissa rose to her feet.
She swayed slightly as she stood, but quickly steadied herself and left the study with grace.
“She’s better than her brother.”
Biedler revised his assessment of Melissa.
He had taken her for an innocent princess ignorant of the world, but she possessed genuine ambition and the ruthlessness to see it through.
“This is complicated.”
If he helped Melissa, he would have to play the role of her lover—but given that she carried Arthur’s child, any misstep could prove dangerous.
If Arthur denied paternity, the illegitimate child Melissa bore could easily be attributed to Biedler instead.
Yet if he managed this child carefully, it could become a weapon to undermine Arthur’s standing as Crown Prince and drive him from power.
For now, with the advantage that the Empress remained ignorant, he resolved to discuss his options with his allies.
As night deepened, Orbis and Seniel slipped in to find him.
“Your Highness! This is too much.”
“You’ve left us confined here while you venture out of the Imperial Palace alone.”
Before he could even greet them properly, the two poured out their grievances about how neglected they’d felt, and Biedler raised his hand to comfort them.
“Report first.”
“Listen to this.”
Seniel produced an Artifact that had recorded the voices of Princess Melissa and Crown Prince Arthur during one of their secret meetings.
“They are definitely lovers. We’ve also seen Princess Melissa leaving the Crown Prince’s Palace at dawn.”
“Orbis?”
“As you instructed, I’ve verified every recipient of gifts sent from the Strophane Clan to the Imperial Palace.”
“Who received them?”
“Without exception, every single gift from the Strophane Clan went to the Empress.”
So the Empress was the one using the poison.
Biedler’s expression darkened, and he interlaced his fingers.
“A colorless and odorless poison is difficult to detect even after use. You only discover it after poisoning has occurred. What does she intend to use it for?”
“There could be many targets. You yourself might be in her sights, Your Highness. Be careful.”
Even Biedler, whom the Empress despised most, was not safe from the poison.
“But still… I suspect it’s aimed at His Majesty.”
“You mean the Emperor, sir?”
“Yes. I’ve noticed his sharp mind growing increasingly clouded. It’s suspicious.”
“I’ll make inquiries through the Imperial physicians about His Majesty’s recent symptoms.”
“The palace confines are suffocating, I know. Bear it a while longer. In a few months, we’ll all leave this place together.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Your Highness, how is our sister doing?”
Seniel’s eyes brightened as she asked about Rosia.
“Well enough. Tell me—besides your sister, do you have any other family?”
“Are you asking about my adoptive family?”
“No.”
“Just my sister, then.”
Seniel still knew nothing of what had befallen Meyson or Rosia.
“You used to mention a silver cat sometimes. Have you seen any cats in the palace recently?”
“I haven’t seen the one I knew for a while now. Come to think of it, I haven’t spotted any these past few days.”
Biedler considered whether to tell her everything, but decided it wasn’t his place to do so, and swallowed his words.
‘Not about Meyson. Not about Rosia being Prince. Not about the fire.’
If they hadn’t been told, there must have been a reason.
“Oh! Our free time is up. We should go.”
“You’ll be here tomorrow too, won’t you?”
“I will.”
“Loyalty!”
As Biedler watched Orbis and Seniel hurry away, his expression grew deeply conflicted.
***
The next day.
Biedler attended a regular conference.
After hours of deliberation, as everyone prepared to leave the Conference Hall, he bowed before the Emperor and Empress.
Biedler rose from his bow and looked up at the Emperor, his voice low and careful.
“Your Majesty, might I have a private word with you?”
“Go ahead.”
Biedler fixed the Empress with a cold gaze before stepping close to the Emperor and whispering so softly that only he could hear.
‘Be wary of poisoned food.’
The Emperor, who had been staring blankly into empty air, started at Biedler’s whisper and turned to look at him sharply.
“What do you mean by that?”
“What were you two discussing in private? Tell me as well.”
Clione made a small noise of displeasure and leaned toward the Emperor.
But the Emperor’s face had gone deathly pale. He set down the drink he’d been holding and stared at Biedler.
“I shall see you at the next conference.”
Even if Clione truly was using poison on the Emperor, such a warning wouldn’t stop her.
But watching the Emperor’s vacant expression throughout the meeting, Biedler had felt compelled to at least plant a seed of suspicion.
As he turned to leave, Clione called him back.
“Wait. Stop right there.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“I heard you have a separate betrothed, yet you had a long conversation with Princess Melissa yesterday the moment you arrived at the palace. What’s that about?”
“…….”
“It’s natural for a young man to see multiple women, but keeping a princess in the palace without proper courtesy is unseemly.”
Clione spoke loudly enough for all the ministers in the hall to hear, deliberately spreading the rumor.
She meant to broadcast that Biedler and the princess were courting.
“I will provide you with an answer within a few days, Your Majesty.”
“Ah-ha, so your heart has changed? Well thought. The princess is too fine for you anyway. I’ll be waiting to hear.”
Biedler bowed respectfully and turned to leave the Conference Hall, but at the last moment he glanced back and fixed the Empress with a glacial stare.
Remembering how Clione had burned down Rosia’s shop and left him unconscious for days, he felt the fire of rage still smoldering in his chest.

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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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