Chapter 38

‘He had been born with every disadvantage imaginable.’

The second prince, Cayden, had inherited Emperor Albert’s fiery red hair, along with his combative, high-spirited nature and keen political astuteness.

But when he was only four years old, Melia, weakened beyond recovery, succumbed to illness and passed from this world.

His father, Emperor Albert, gave his attention solely to the empress and the first prince, Fabian.

As for his mother’s family, the one that should have stood as his support, they were in no position to offer him any real backing. Burdened with every possible disadvantage, he didn’t yield to circumstance. Instead, he built his own faction and proved his worth to the emperor through his own efforts. Now, he had risen to the point of being formally recognized as a contender for the throne alongside the first prince, Fabian. In other words, he had succeeded in building a power base nearly equal to Fabian’s own. And the one who had been of greatest help to Cayden in forging that strength was none other than Duke Diego Zeller.

When Diego began to support and aid him, other nobles started to take notice of the second prince as well. This was due, of course, to the great respect Diego had long commanded and to the illustrious name of House Zeller. Thus, Cayden came to hold Diego in higher regard than his own father, Emperor Albert, and naturally, he was also acquainted with Adeline.

‘Thanks to that, I received some help from him in the past.’

The reason House Zeller had managed to maintain its standing, despite drowning in debt, was the liquor business Adeline had begun.

Though importing spirits promised high returns, the venture required imperial approval, and at the time, the authority to grant it rested with none other than the second prince, Cayden. When he was granted the right to compete with the first prince, Fabian, the emperor entrusted him with much of the empire’s trade authority.

Making full use of this, Cayden had approached Adeline with a proposal to enter the liquor business.

“If it’s authorization you need, I can grant it. That way, Adeline, you’ll oversee every drop of liquor imported into the Crawford Empire.”

The company that had long managed liquor imports had recently withdrawn from the trade, leaving matters in a state of considerable difficulty.

When Adeline accepted his proposal, Cayden not only entrusted her with the role but also supported her in every possible way, introducing her to distributors, providing capital for the venture, and more. For three years, it was largely thanks to him that she had managed to keep House Zeller afloat.

Whenever she spoke of her gratitude, he would only offer her a genial smile and say.

“I’ve received much from your father, so think of it as nothing owed. If anything, it’s I who should be grateful to your late father.”
“So you should thank your father, not me. It’s only because of him that I’m able to help you at all.”

After Diego’s passing, when Adeline had been left with no one to rely on, Cayden had been her only steadfast support. So when the red-haired prince, seeking a moment’s conversation, asked.

“Adeline Zeller, are you considering marriage to Milleinberg?”

Had it been anyone else, she might have sharpened her senses to pry out the intent behind such a question. But this time, she answered without overthinking.

“I’ve yet to decide. Why do you ask?”

“I’m unmarried myself, am I not? I thought I might put myself forward as a candidate for the Duke of Zeller’s husband.”

At his easy, playful reply, Adeline let out a short laugh.

“You’re being especially facetious today. As if you have any such intention.”

“Haha. It’s not I who lacks the intention, it’s you. Am I wrong?”

“No. You’re quite right.”

Adeline nodded, still smiling.

Easing another’s mood with lighthearted banter was one of Cayden’s particular talents. He studied her face for a moment, watching her smile, before letting the mischief fade from his expression and speaking in a more earnest tone.

“In any case, I’m relieved to hear you have no plans for marriage.”

Truth be told, I was a little worried you might be intending to marry Milleinberg.