Causa’s eyes widened slightly, and he returned to the previous topic.
“I’ve known for a long time Second Prince Ross Ruber has been trying to eliminate you, of course. There’s no doubt he manipulated your knight into betraying you in order to wear you down mentally, forcing you to walk the path of defection. I had no idea he’d use Storm Hill as a tool to accomplish this, but he’s a wicked man.”
“Canus told me Storm Hill is under Ross’s control.”
“Yes, they are. Storm Hill was originally established on the initiative of His Majesty the Emperor to flush out dissidents within the country. While Storm Hill passes itself off as an anti-government rebel group, this is merely its facade. His Majesty was the original administrator, but it seems he’s handed management of it over to Ross.”
As he stated this matter-of-factly, Causa swept his eyes from Lupus’s feet to her neck, as though assessing her strength.
Then he let out a small sigh.
“There’s no point in minor questions and answers. This may be a little harsh for you to hear, but it would save both our time for me to just reveal everything.” With those words, Causa extended his hand toward Finé behind him without even glancing at her. She handed him some documents, and he placed them on the coffee table.
Lupus swallowed hard and reached for the papers. She gently broke the seal and opened them to find countless photographs and written records.
“This is what I’ve independently unearthed on what Ross Ruber has been using Storm Hill for domestically. The highly confidential documents you hold detail something called the Banner of Hope Operation, which is what you’ve been involved in up until now.”
Canus rested his arms on his crossed legs as he waited for Lupus to find the relevant section. Once he had confirmed that she had, he began speaking again.
“It seems Ross Ruber has been advancing this plan since your early childhood. After verifying the rumor circulating among members of the imperial family of you having Informationist blood, he devised a way to make killing you as advantageous for him as possible.”
Lupus’s hands trembled as she flipped through the documents. Confronted with facts she didn’t want to see, her heart practically creaked under the strain.
This is bad, Tsushima thought. Lupus had already been subjected to so much that any further strain might completely break her spirit.
Tsushima tried to step in and reassure her, but he stopped short when Canus emitted a murderous aura. His bloodthirst was much too sharp and precisely aimed for someone with a sheltered royal upbringing, and it made Tsushima’s hand freeze in place.
Causa shot him a look saying, This is where it gets interesting, so don’t interfere. If Tsushima made any unnecessary moves, Finé would likely spring into action. Only barely sensing her presence, Tsushima had no choice but to remain silent.
“All this was planned…from so long ago. They…they used me.” Lupus’s voice trembled.
The documents contained an intricately crafted plot to assassinate Lupus.
Installing a man loyal to Ross as Lupus’s knight in her early childhood as a means of gaining her trust; isolating her from the rest of the imperial family through assassinating her character; grooming her to push her to defect; even analyzing and executing activities to garner public support. It was all written here.
The plot encompassed the majority of the life Lupus had led so far, and the truth was enough to utterly shatter her sense of self-worth.
She instantly hid her face behind the documents, tears she had been trying to hold back streaming down her cheeks. It was ironic—she was hiding her weakness with the very documents outlining the plan that had pushed her to this moment.
“As written there, the final stage of the Banner of Hope Operation was to use the princess, who would have remained in the country after failing to defect, as a tool to rally all domestic dissidents. Apparently, the plan was then for the Second Prince to lead the Fourth Division to annihilate both Lupus and the dissidents, branding you all as traitors.”
Causa spoke with such detachment and lack of emotion that it made one wonder if he was really describing a plot to ruin someone’s life. Finished with his explanation, the prince uncrossed his legs.
Lupus tried to speak, but she could no longer voice her words. Only hoarse sobs escaped her lips. When she finally managed to speak, her voice was tinged with the wails of a weak, helpless girl.
“This is h-horrible… How could this happen?”
Still covering her face with the tightly gripped bundle of documents, Lupus hunched over and trembled.
She no longer had the strength to even stand. She was thoroughly crushed. Tsushima gently placed his hand on her back.
“But Ross’s scheme didn’t go how he planned,” Tsushima said. “Lupus is neither dead nor failed to defect.”
Causa nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. You weren’t part of Ross’s stage play, Tsushima Rindou, and your appearance completely flipped his script,” Causa said with amusement, pointing straight at him. “You overturned Ross’s entire scheme and even managed to hold off one of the Six Imperial Swords. You nearly succeeded in helping Lupus defect. That seems to have made Ross truly serious. He no longer cares about saving face and will likely use any means necessary to kill you both.”
Causa’s explanation was terribly effective.
By disclosing the cruelest of truths, he had completely shattered Lupus’s spirit. And by painting a picture of their current, inescapable situation, he had laid the groundwork for her despair. All of that was merely a prelude to the negotiations he was about to propose in order to gain the upper hand.
In other words, they had finally hit on the main thrust of the conversation.
Tsushima confronted the monstrous prince on Lupus’s behalf.
“So this is why you decided to stick your nose into all of this?”
“It might look that way from your point of view, but the truth is different,” Causa proudly declared, flashing a unique smile. It wasn’t the kind of expression meant for a young girl like Lupus, but one suited for the adult world, where malice and hatred intertwined. “I’ve always considered Second Prince Ross Ruber to be an obstacle. He certainly has a gift for violence, but simple bloodshed will harm this country’s interests someday. My point is: I’ve been thinking about having him removed from center stage as soon as possible.”
Perhaps feeling exhilarated as he dived into his main point, Causa grew more talkative. He continued without waiting for Tsushima’s response.
“And then this opportunity presented itself. I thought I’d use it to make Ross leave the spotlight.”
Causa gave Tsushima a look, conveying the Informationist should already understand what would come next. The prince was correct. Tsushima was beginning to see where Causa intended to conclude his story.
Feeling repulsed, Tsushima clicked his tongue.
“I see. So you came up with the idea of using me?”
“That’s partially true, but your interpretation is slightly off. There’s no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason,” Causa said pompously. As if appending his statement, he swapped to a quiet whisper. “When Storm Hill summoned an Informationist from Elbar, I took the liberty of doing some tampering on my end. In other words, I was the one who summoned you to Balga,” he brazenly declared.
Knew it, Tsushima thought bitterly. Something had felt off to him ever since he’d gotten the job from Tachibana. The whole thing smacked of conspiracies and schemes.
Now all his feelings of doubt were rapidly connecting.