Chapter 14:
A Clean Slate
CLEO WAS THE TALK of the Capital Planet. He was a nameless third prince who’d taken down the other, more promising candidates to rise to the position of heir. The capital’s residents were passionate about discussing the sensational topic of the underdog prince.
On the Capital Planet, the succession conflict was coming to an end. Bagrada had subtly made it clear to people close to him that he would entrust things to Cleo in the future, and there was no indication that anyone else would come forward as a rival candidate.
Thus, a great problem plaguing the Empire had been resolved. Not in a way that satisfied me, of course, since Cleo had betrayed me.
I was meeting with Cleo now, since he’d summoned me. We were in a lavish mansion provided to the crown prince. From my perspective, thinking of my past life, it really felt like the kind of place you’d call a palace.
The scent of expensive tea wafted through a parlor of this palace. Calvin had occupied the residence until only a short while ago, but the Imperial knights who stood nearby were now Cleo’s guards. They kept a close eye on me as I elegantly sipped my tea, and I clearly sensed their willingness to slash first and ask questions later if I made any suspicious moves. I sensed secret operatives of the Empire lurking around somewhere too. So, while this meeting was peaceful on the surface, invisible tension sparked between Cleo and myself.
Sipping his own tea, Cleo began the conversation as casually as if he were inquiring about how I was doing today. “So, shall I hear your excuse for eliminating my Imperial Guard?”
He was pissed that I’d wiped out the fleet he put so much effort into. Actually, no, that didn’t seem to be it. Now that he’d been made crown prince, he appeared more at ease, and losing his fleet seemed not to bother him that much. Maybe this actually was small talk for Cleo.
“Theodore and Baron Glynn were working against us. I’d gathered plenty of proof, so I decided to get rid of the lot of them all at once. In the future, you should find better people to work for you.” I too answered as casually as if we were talking about the weather.
Cleo gave me a bold smile. “Theodore had some personality problems, but he was a brilliant subordinate who was completely devoted to me. Can you understand how I feel, having lost him?”
Since he was blaming me, I argued back. “I’ve been with you longer, but Theodore was more important to you, huh? That’s too bad, considering that you’ve finally won the succession conflict… It really is.”
Since we’d been victorious, Cleo would become emperor sometime within the next century. I didn’t think that was too bad a deal. In fact, I thought that he was pretty rotten to blame me for his subordinates’ deaths when he’d set a trap for me alongside them.
“True—I’m crown prince now because of you. I acknowledge that. But don’t you think there’s something you need to say to me?”
“Yeah… Sorry about that. And I’ll be sure to apologize in the future if it happens again,” I said, fully aware that it wouldn’t.
“You’re as shameless as ever.” At that point, Cleo was seemingly done with this topic. “Anyway, you’re taking custody of Calvin, right? I don’t suppose you’d tell me what you plan to do with him?”
Calvin had been disowned, and House Banfield had been given permission to do as we pleased with him. I wasn’t sure whether it was really okay to treat royalty that way, but it did seem like a fitting reward for a victor in one of the Empire’s bloody feuds.
I grinned ominously at Cleo. When I gave him a look like that, he could probably guess what would happen to Calvin without me needing to go into detail.
“Why, I’ll put him through a living hell, of course.”
“I expected something like that. Well…” As Cleo again changed the subject, the smile vanished from his face, and his eyes narrowed with hostility. “I’ve won the succession conflict. Your right-hand man, Claus, really is impressive. He has a reputation for being undefeated, but he’s so focused on victory that it’s a bit ruthless. I can’t say that pursuing victory at any cost is laudable.”
Although Cleo dismissed Claus as cold, I had a glowing opinion of my head knight. Claus might’ve been cruel, but he was talented and reliable. He was the perfect vassal for an evil lord like me. “Undefeated, eh? I’ll tell him you spoke well of him, Your Highness.”
Cleo frowned down at me as I drank my tea. Apparently deciding that it was the right time to get to the point, he told me, “You went too far. Your actions will affect my reputation too. I think House Banfield will have to leave my faction permanently.”
Cleo would be the next emperor, so he wouldn’t need to go to any effort to get new nobles to flock to his side and join his faction. House Banfield had fought desperately to bring him this far, but at this point he could discard us easily.
So, we’re breaking ties, eh? “Sure, I don’t mind that.” I had a mountain of things I wanted to say to him, but I left it at that for now.
Cleo seemed dissatisfied by my answer, however. “Do you understand what I’m saying? I don’t have any position to offer you outside my faction. You won’t get a reward, either.”
Annoyed that he was dragging this out, I rose from my seat. “Do what you want. All my contributions thus far can be swept under the rug. Don’t worry about it.”
When my attitude changed, Cleo frowned. Personally, I liked that he was acting like a small-time villain now. “You’re pretty self-assured after destroying my Imperial Guard.”
“You should consider me modest for not begging for a reward. At any rate, you’re the one who wants me gone. You’re prepared for what that will mean, right?” In truth, I wasn’t sure he did understand how making an enemy of me would play out.
Cleo grimaced in frustration. Had he expected me to panic when this happened? All I could see was a kid who was frustrated because things weren’t going his way.
“Very well,” he said finally. “The slate’s wiped clean between us.”
So, as soon as he became crown prince, he was getting rid of me. I wanted to advise him to learn from Calvin’s mistakes. He had the wrong idea about things too.
Turning around and walking off, I muttered to myself, “‘The slate’s clean’? We’re enemies now, you mean.”