The Secret Power

With Eugene constantly infusing mana into Timber's body, Timber had no difficulty regaining his vitality.

An hour of practice, with the assistance of Euric, allowed Timber to walk steadily.

He felt immense gratitude for having a friend like Eugene who helped him amidst his brother's madness.

Thankfully, he realized it early on.

Although concerned about his mother, whom he had left behind, Timber was convinced that his father wouldn't mistreat her and firmly believed that love still existed between his parents, despite his mother's words.

Eugene had already done so much for him, and he didn't want to burden his friends any further.

He was determined to handle things on his own.

If possible, he wanted to be the one to rescue his mother.

Euric sighed, advising, "Though you're doing well, you still need rest and shouldn't exert yourself too much. Focus on your recovery and try not to worry too much." He added, "Later, I'd like to talk to you about something important."

"Well..." Timber nodded, "Alright."

In the lounge, Eugene and Kaizer waited, and Eunice, who had just met Kaizer, couldn't help but marvel at how handsome her brother-in-law was. So instead of clinging to Eugene, she stayed close to Kaizer, who was unsure how to handle a young lady's attention. He remained stiff and endured Eugene's sharp gaze.

Eugene, of course, was dissatisfied.

His beautiful sister was acting this way towards his good-for-nothing lover.

What to do if she caught Kaizer's stupidity? It's an incurable disease that is so worrisome. What if his little sister who is a face control falls for someone similar to Kaizer? Just thinking about dealing with another Kaizer made him irritate.

"Brother why you didn't introduce brother-in-law earlier?!"

Eugene leaned on the couch with crossed arms and responded bluntly, "Not important."

Observing her brother's expressionless face, Eunice turned to Kaizer and said, "Dealing with my brother might be tough, but don't worry. If he spends time with you, it probably means he likes you too, because he's the type who kicks people he doesn't like."

Kaizer who was beaten many times: "..."

Why when it comes to him, does the physical touch love language seem different?

As Kaizer looked at Eugene, Eugene averted his gaze.

Kaizer: "..."

He knew it, Eugene didn't let go of his plan on killing him and since they made a deal instead of attacking him aggressively, he just keeps hitting him when chances are given. Well, is that something to be happy or not? Why does he feel like he had become a masochist?

Eugene coughed awkwardly, glancing at his little sister.

"Don't talk nonsense, when did I kick people?"

Kaizer, who had been kicked the previous night: "..."

Eunice pouted, "But you always resort to violence whenever someone upsets you. Father has punished you many times for it. Even at banquets, you push people and put your foot on their stomachs when they fall. I've seen you do it every time."

"Right, there was that one time when the son of a baron came to apologize, and you made him kneel and lick your shoes because you—"

His brother clearly enjoyed being worshipped like a god.

Eugene cut off his sister and covered her mouth. "Eunice, my dear little sister, I know you have a good memory, but could you please not mention those moments? I feel like a brat."

Eunice tilted her head. "Isn't that worse than a brat?"

Kaizer: "..."

He felt like he was experiencing the same thing.

Eugene clenched his teeth and couldn't help but glare at Kaizer, saying, "What are you looking at?! Do you want to get beaten—"

But both Kaizer and Eunice gave Eugene knowing looks as if they had anticipated this reaction.

Eugene: "Y-You..."

Unable to control his instincts, Eugene raised his hand and slapped Kaizer while pulling his hair, "What are you looking at?! Didn't you enjoy being beaten by me?!"

Eunice covered her mouth and slowly walked out of the room.

Kaizer, trying to restrain Eugene, only made him more agitated, leading to a physical scuffle between the two. When Euric and Timber entered the lounge room, they were dumbfounded to see the two of them rolling on the floor, looking disheveled.

Kaizer didn't dare to hurt Eugene, so he only tried to restrain him. However, Eugene grew more annoyed by Kaizer's actions and didn't let go. Kaizer apologized countless times, but Eugene felt that Kaizer was looking down on him, so he goaded Kaizer into fighting. Kaizer refused to raise a hand against him, only blocking Eugene's every move.

"Enough, enough!" Euric intervened, pulling his little brother away. "What happened? Why are you two fighting?"

Timber fidgeted and approached Eugene as well.

"What happened?"

Kaizer appeared embarrassed, sporting scratches on his face and neck. Euric couldn't help but panic, imagining what the grand duke might do if he saw Kaizer in such a condition.

Both Kaizer and Eugene still had cold, expressionless faces, but their embarrassment at being witnessed by others was evident. Euric wasn't sure whom to blame and calmly asked about the reason behind their altercation.

"Don't worry, brother. If he wants to marry me, he should know what kind of treatment he'll get from me. He can change his mind now if he wants."

Euric massaged his forehead, "But you two are already engaged."

Kaizer stood up and stated, "It doesn't matter. I love your little brother, and a little beating won't deter me."

Both Euric and Timber looked at Kaizer awkwardly.

"That's how my dear shows his love for me."

Hey, why are you blushing? You're the one who got beaten, aren't you? Why do you look so happy?

Eugene looked at Kaizer with a snort. "See that silly face? Brother, don't worry too much."

Euric and Timber shivered.

What's with these two? How can they act like that and live together? And saying such things with expressionless faces doesn't make it any better!

Timber felt perplexed, wondering how one should truly show love. Observing how Eugene and Kaizer interacted, along with the rumors about their deep affection for each other, Timber was utterly confused about the concept of love.

On the other hand, Euric worried about what might happen to them after they got married.

He feared that his little brother might end up beating Kaizer too much, leading to dire consequences for their family once the grand duke found out.

The two stood there, each with their own concerns, while Kaizer tried his best to make amends with Eugene, apologizing profusely to avoid causing him further stress.

"Well, since it doesn't seem serious, let's go and eat," Euric suggested.

He had been informed earlier that lunch was ready, and the four of them took their steps and left the lounge room. Today's lunch was quite abundant, celebrating Timber's recovery.

Timber felt immensely grateful and nearly cried during the meal, vowing to do everything in his power to help Eugene whenever he needed assistance in the future.

Eugene was moved by Timber's, while Kaizer displayed clear disgust.

Euric assumed that Kaizer's reluctance to accept Timber stemmed from the incident of bringing a concubine into his territory. He believed Kaizer had trust issues, thinking Timber was always trying to seduce his fiancé, which left Euric dissatisfied.

However, he knew better than to offend Kaizer, as he was aware of how much his little brother cherished Timber. He was certain that Kaizer wouldn't jeopardize his relationship and hurt Timber for his own satisfaction.

And that was indeed true.

No matter how much Kaizer disliked Timber, he couldn't bring himself to harm the other person, fearing Eugene's wrath. Since they were only engaged, it would be relatively easy to annul the engagement compared to a marriage. Kaizer was willing to endure anything to gain Eugene's agreement to marry him. He didn't mind tolerating others around his beloved, as long as they didn't cross the line.

"We should have invited Casimin."

Timber's eyes lit up, "I heard the rumors. Are you truly related to Del Viltaria?"

Eugene hummed, "Well, it's a long story."

Timber smiled, "It doesn't matter. Whether you are Shradinza or Del Viltaria, you are still my friend! You don't need to keep things from me. I will always try to understand you because that's what friends do."

Eugene tightened his grip on his knife and smiled, "That's enough for me."

Euric gazed at Timber softly and said, "It's good for my little brother to have you."

Kaizer didn't pay much attention and simply grabbed Eugene's hand.

Timber scratched his head and said shyly, "Since Eugene has done so much for me, accepting him no matter what he becomes is what I should do to acknowledge his goodness. Just as he is by my side, I will always support him!"

Eugene chuckled, "You never change. Your words are still as sweet as ever."

Kaizer's eyes darkened as he clenched his fists.

After lunch, Eugene bid them farewell, promising to visit again when time allowed. Eunice hadn't joined them for lunch, as she had gone to a tea party with her friends, so Eugene asked Euric to convey his regards to his little sister. Of course, he didn't forget to remind Timber to send him letters.

The final decision rested with his brother.

He could only wait for his brother to confirm whether the marriage would take place.

"Has the grand duke found their whereabouts?"

Upon arriving at the grand dukedom, they heard from Lancelotte that the grand duke was assigned to track a rebellious group. Both Eugene and Kaizer frowned at the news, and Eugene asked a question to verify something. Kaizer knew that Eugene seemed to be aware of certain things, so he nodded at Lancelotte, signaling him to share the details without excluding Eugene from the conversation.

"Unfortunately, the grand duke fell into a trap."

Lancelotte placed the report on Kaizer's desk and continued, "The rebels appear to be against the emperor, not the empire itself. From our investigation, it seems that the distribution of territories triggered the rebels to plot against the emperor's life. We suspect that some members of the empress's circle might be involved, which is why we are handling this matter discreetly, in case the empress is connected to these people."

Eugene stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"The distribution of territories weakened the power of the royal family. It's natural for the empress to be restless, and her suspicion is not unwarranted since the rebellion originated from within the empire. Hence, the rebel force must be hiding within the empire."

Lancelotte smiled, "We share the same thoughts, which is why we are keeping a close eye on the empress."

"Where is the grand duke now?"

"The grand duke is inspecting the northern territory and searching for the rebel hideouts. We have confirmed that some rebels are indeed hiding in the northern region, so the grand duke is working on suppressing them."

Kaizer put down the report and commented, "They are capitalizing on the current situation."

"Since the Marquis and the Duke are imprisoned and will soon be exiled, the Del Viltaria and Shradinza families will become targets of the rebels, weakening the empire's pillars. Considering this, there might be external forces waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate the empire quietly."

Lancelotte frowned, "The Nacos War just ended, why would they act now?"

"The rebels are well-informed about the empire's current situation. Such information couldn't have come from mere rumors; there must be an insider within the palace or among the noble families. If my intuition is correct, this rebel group has been planted long ago, biding their time for the right moment to strike. It was the emperor's decision to distribute the territories that caught them off guard."

Eugene's gaze lowered as he tried to recall past events.

The empress, the rebels, the second prince, and the pillar families.

But the question lingered: was the emperor aware and merely playing dumb? An empire wouldn't survive for long with a foolish ruler. Eugene didn't see the emperor as a simple person, not in his previous life, nor in his current one.

However, he wanted to understand why.

Why was the emperor granting so much power to his subordinates? What exactly was he planning with these decisions, despite knowing the discontent it would stir among other nobles?

Did the emperor have a plan, or...

Wait a minute.

Eugene squinted his eyes. Did he just exclude the Catharis family from his considerations?

Glancing at Kaizer's composed expression, Eugene started to question everything. Now, he was curious about the relationship between the royal family and the Catharis family.

There must be something happening behind the palace walls.