By Zephyria 
Alexis immediately dashed out to search for Cecile. He opened the lounge doors without hesitation, and if he found anyone inside, he would grab them one by one to check their faces.
The people inside, engaged in conversation, were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince. His cold, rigid expression was so frightening that they instinctively began to apologize.
Alexis repeated this act about fifteen times. After sweeping through one floor without finding him, he expanded his search to another floor. When he ascended the central staircase, he spotted some familiar faces.
The attendants of Peridot Palace were standing at the door, looking flustered. Upon seeing them, Alexis sensed that something was wrong. He moved forward without delay.
“Is Cecile inside?”
The attendants hurriedly responded, trying to maintain their composure.
“Well… Cecile’s clothes got wet, and we were trying to help him change. However, a guest from Kazazhan went in and locked the door. We can hear shouting from inside… but we cannot enter, Your Highness.”
“Step aside.”
The attendants immediately complied with the order. As they moved away from the door, Alexis tried the doorknob himself. Click, the latch was firmly locked and wouldn’t budge.
Without hesitation, Alexis took a step back. Bang! Wham! With a reckless kick, the doorknob made of ivory shattered completely.
Alexis kicked the door a few more times. Cracks began to form in the white wooden door, and with a loud splintering sound, a gap appeared. Finally, the door opened.
As he stepped inside, he saw a tangle of bodies on the floor.
Cecile was doing his utmost to subdue Kilian. He was so focused on pinning down someone larger and stronger than himself that he had no attention to spare for anything else.
“Cecile!”
Only upon hearing Alexis’s call did he turn his head.
Without a moment to acknowledge him, he was pulled to his feet and swayed slightly. Alexis tightly grasped Cecile, inspecting him from head to toe.
His sweat-drenched hair was disheveled, and his shirt was in tatters. Several buttons were missing, hinting at how intense the struggle had been.
Cecile took a moment to catch his breath and slowly raised his head. He noticed Alexis’s gaze lingering on his lips. In a hurry, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. The corner of his mouth, possibly torn from the scuffle, stung slightly.
“…Your Highness.”
Cecile cautiously called out to Alexis. His face was on the verge of exploding with anger, evident to anyone who looked. The grip on his shoulder was tight and painful, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it hurt.
“Ugh, damn it! Get a doctor here right now.”
Kilian lay on the floor, shouting dramatically. He was acting as if he were dying from just a dislocated shoulder.
Alexis’s blue eyes fixed on Kilian’s antics. He slowly turned to approach the prince of Kazazhan, who was lying on the ground.
“Do you need help?”
“Can’t you see? I’m in excruciating pain!”
“Let me take a look.”
Alexis stepped on Kilian’s chest with his boot. It was a rude act, but it was also a preparatory move to reset the dislocated shoulder. He gently shook Kilian’s arm and then came to an absurd conclusion.
“It seems your arm is broken.”
“What are you doing…!”
Without a moment’s thought, Alexis twisted Kilian’s arm.
As he pressed down on his chest and exerted force for a brief moment, a sickening crack echoed as the shoulder joint popped back into place. Simultaneously, a horrific scream erupted.
Seeing this, Cecile gasped and shouted.
“Your Highness!”
But Alexis appeared unfazed, as if he had completed his task. He merely looked down at Kilian, who was groaning in agony, without a hint of guilt in his cold gaze.
“We need to see the Court Physician quickly.”
“Ahh!! You crazy bastard!!”
“You’d do well to watch your words.”
“Do you even know who I am?! How dare you!”
“Shut up and stay down. You should be grateful this is all I’m doing to you.”
Alexis threw a brief warning and turned away. While the attendants hurried to manage the sudden chaos, he focused on Cecile first.
In that short time, Cecile’s face had drained of color, turning pale. He seemed greatly shocked by Alexis’s actions.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m… fine.”
“Fine, you say?”
Alexis clicked his tongue and gently brushed his thumb against the corner of Cecile’s mouth. Of all places, it had to be his face that was hurt.
“You fought quite fiercely. You really put your self-defense skills to use.”
“Well… my body just moved on its own.”
“Good job.”
Alexis pulled Cecile into his embrace. The pounding of his heart resonated against Cecile’s chest. Though he wasn’t expressing it, Cecile was still trembling from the shock.
Feeling a surge of sympathy, Alexis held him even tighter.
“There’s no need to worry. The fault is greater with me than with you. I will take the blame.”
“Did you intentionally break his arm? After promising me, why…?”
“Well, it seems it was destined to turn out this way. If a problem arises, we just need to resolve it.”
“…….”
Despite the gentle tone, Cecile couldn’t shake off his worries. The fate that ultimately flowed as predetermined felt cruel.
The siblings from Kazazhan left the empire that very night. Shortly after, an official letter bearing the seal of the Kazazhan royal family arrived.
As expected, the letter mentioned Crown Prince Alexis’s rude and violent behavior and stated that they would sever ties with the empire until he came to Kazazhan to sincerely apologize.
The Emperor was greatly enraged by Alexis’s actions and shifted all the blame onto him.
Of course, Alexis had no intention of complying with Kazazhan’s wishes. It was unthinkable for him to bow his head in front of Kilian, even if it meant cutting off relations.
Thanks to this, he was spending his days busy trying to stabilize the current shaky situation. His daily routine consisted of being holed up in his office, repeatedly holding strategy meetings.
“The salt is the biggest problem. In just three months, the amount circulating within the empire will run out.”
Alexis sighed deeply as he set down the documents he had been reading. The amount of salt imported from Kazazhan had exceeded his expectations.
The treasurer, who was seated at the conference table, offered his opinion.
“Even if we secure as much as we can from other countries, there will be a gap of several months.”
“How much is stored in the royal warehouse?”
The treasurer diligently flipped through the records. Before long, a surprised sound escaped his lips.
“What’s the matter?”
“The salt… is abundant. At this rate, we can last for half a year.”
Alexis stood up to check the records himself. He was quite surprised to see the numbers written down. The amount of salt was not just sufficient; it was overflowing.
“How could it have increased so suddenly? Does anyone know? I think an explanation is needed.”
Then, the chief aide, Tristan, cautiously shared what he knew.
“I believe Cecile has significantly increased the amount of salt and spices imported from Kazazhan.”
“…Cecile? Since when?”
“As far as I know, it’s been about a year. Most opinions were against it, but he stubbornly pushed through. Since salt doesn’t spoil, he eventually got his way, but at the time, there were many criticisms about wastefulness.”
Alexis rubbed his chin and thought quietly. A year ago was when Cecile had just been appointed as an advisor.
The first thing he did upon gaining the authority to be involved in internal affairs was to stockpile salt. It was an action that would be incomprehensible to an ordinary person.
But what if Cecile had known that there would be a shortage of salt in the future? The pieces fit together.
Alexis became increasingly convinced. His heart raced to the point that his palms tingled. He opened and closed his hands several times before finally standing up abruptly.
“Continue the meeting. I’ll step out for a moment.”
He headed straight for Peridot Palace. It was common knowledge that Cecile had been holed up in Peridot Palace recently. Sure enough, he was still tucked away in his study.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
As Alexis burst through the door, Cecile hurriedly scrambled to tidy up his desk. His startled eyes shot daggers at the attendants, as if to scold them for not stopping Alexis.
“What difference does it make to glare at them?”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Cecile’s response was curt. If Alexis had been busy lately, Cecile was always on edge.
Knowing what might happen next brought an even greater mental burden than he had anticipated. Especially if that future were to unfold unfavorably.
Alexis walked over to the desk and began to sift through the disheveled papers.
The bottommost sheet was a book written in an indecipherable language, and the papers next to it were filled with doodles. The ink was still wet, proving that he had just been scribbling moments ago.
Alexis carefully examined the letters written on the paper. The jumbled characters were from a language he couldn’t recognize.
“What is this?”
“It’s nothing significant. Just some doodles out of boredom.”
Cecile hastily closed the book and crumpled the loose papers, tossing them under the desk. He couldn’t let Alexis take any more interest in his code.
He deliberately stepped out from behind the desk, using his body as a shield to divert Alexis’s gaze.
“What do you want to say?”
“…….”
Alexis quietly looked down at Cecile, who was reacting defensively. He scrutinized even the slightest change in Cecile’s expression, as if trying to uncover his lies.
“I’ll ask directly. Did you know that Kazazhan would sever ties with us?”
“I had my suspicions.”
“You started stockpiling salt a year ago. You’ve been anticipating this since then?”
“I tend to worry a lot. It’s better to be prepared, isn’t it?”
Cecile answered smoothly. He had anticipated that Alexis would press him for answers and had prepared his response in advance.
In response, Alexis narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that Cecile wouldn’t easily admit to anything.
“Alright, then let me change the question. Did you inform Johannes of the day he would die in advance?”
“…….”
“Was that also part of your predictions?”