Chapter 535: Sincerity

Under the cover of night, the Gulein River glittered with scattered starlight, reflecting the lights of the distant urban district.

At a remote, neglected stretch of the riverbank, a carriage stood parked by the water. Albert stepped down from the carriage with Lavini’s support, then frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the faint stench drifting up from the river.

He raised a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose and turned to scan the surroundings.

“Has the contact still not arrived?”

“Should be soon.”

Lavini took out her pocket watch and glanced at it.

“It’s almost the agreed time.”

The moment her words fell, the two of them—both highly alert—almost simultaneously noticed the shadow that pierced through the thin mist.

It was a small boat with an unremarkable appearance, floating soundlessly on the calm river surface. Its black hull blended perfectly into the night; unless one drew close, it would have been difficult to notice.

As if sensing the silhouettes on the shore, a pinpoint of light lit up at the bow, flashing at an extremely regular rhythm.

It was the agreed signal.

“He’s here.”

Albert gestured for Lavini to respond.

Lavini nodded, then lit the carriage lantern as well, controlling the dim light so that it flickered in reply.

Very quickly, both sides extinguished their lights. Everything sank once more into darkness and silence—yet the small boat had already reached the bank without either of them noticing.

Albert examined the boat and realized that there was not even a boatman aboard. He could not tell by what means it had traveled across the river, making it resemble the ferryman’s vessel that guided souls in old tales.

Even so, he hesitated hardly at all. Ignoring Lavini’s slightly worried expression, he bent down, lifted the curtain, and stepped straight into the cabin.

The cabin was small, roughly the size of a carriage interior. Just a thread of light was enough to illuminate it entirely. Sitting directly opposite him was a man dressed in black formalwear and wearing a tall top hat.

At a glance, Albert could tell that this man was not a native of Belrand. His deep-set features and sharply chiseled nose bridge were distinctive traits of northern Slavs.

Yet when the man spoke, it was in an extremely fluent Belrand accent.

“Hello. A pleasure to meet you, Prince Albert.”

The man smiled.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

“I thought it would be Miss Muse.”

Albert showed none of the guarded caution common to a first meeting. He simply sat down straight-backed before the man.

“Miss Muse... she has other matters to attend to, so I have been tasked with protecting Your Highness’s safety until you reach your destination for this journey.”

The man’s smile did not change.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My humble name is hardly worth mentioning, but you may call me... Bruce.”

“Bruce?”

Albert’s pupils shrank slightly. “That Dark Emperor of the lower district?”

“No, no. Before Your Highness, I would never dare accept the immensely disrespectful title of ‘Emperor.’”

Bruce—Muen, who had come personally to receive him—reached up to adjust his top hat and shook his head modestly.

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to have heard of me. I’m truly flattered.”

“Heh. I’m not deaf or blind. A figure as famous as you in the lower district—I’ve heard things.”

Albert scrutinized Muen once more, narrowing his eyes.

“But I never expected that you would be from the Campbell family... no wonder.”

The rumored Dark Emperor had, in a single night, used thunderous methods to practically unify the entire lower district. Many people had been speculating about his true identity and background.

But if he stood backed by the illustrious Campbell family, then none of it was surprising.

“If we’re going to cooperate with Your Highness, the Campbell family ought to show a bit of sincerity, shouldn’t we?”

Muen chuckled softly.

Using the identity of Bruce to receive Albert was a decision Muen had made after careful consideration.

After all, for all its grandeur, the title of Dark Emperor essentially boiled down to being the boss of a lower-district gang.

Celicia knew his true identity. The high-and-mighty Emperor—now gravely ill—knew it as well.

So if Albert truly ascended to that position in the future, he would inevitably learn it too.

Rather than letting him find out then about the connection between Bruce and the Campbell family, it was better to reveal it proactively now—as he was doing—displaying a certain measure of sincerity.

In a sense, sincerity was the foundation of cooperation between two sides.

Besides, he had no intention of fully revealing the true face hidden beneath this guise just yet. On the contrary, he wanted to use it to conceal something even deeper.

“So you’re acting as a representative of the Campbell family now. Does that mean you can mobilize the full strength of the Campbells?”

Albert asked.

“That... may be a bit difficult.”

Muen frowned, putting on an “embarrassed” expression.

“After all, I’m not that wise, valiant, handsome, and dashing young master of the Campbell family. At most, I can only use the forces within my own sphere of control.”

“The Campbell young master... the fact that no central figure of the Campbell family has returned to Belrand is indeed a serious problem. The influence of the name ‘Campbell’ itself is your sharpest weapon. My little brother really played a good move there.”

Albert let out a rather melancholy sigh.

“Rest assured. Since I’ve come in person to meet Your Highness now, it means I will certainly give you my full support.”

Muen shifted his tone, suddenly leaning in closer and lowering his voice as he spoke slowly.

“But since our sincerity has been shown... Your Highness’s sincerity—”

“I’m only someone who’s just recovered—”

“Now that’s hurtful to say, Your Highness. Someone who can get Marquis Angus to step in and help—I don’t believe you’re some frail, sickly prince who can’t even bind a chicken.”

“......”

Albert opened his mouth and froze for a moment. Then he shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

“Figures I couldn’t fool someone clever. But I should warn you—my current forces are extremely limited. Compared to my brother, I’m afraid I’m far behind.”

“If Your Highness truly possessed the power to contend with Prince Andrew, you probably wouldn’t need me at all.”

Muen extended his hand, his expression earnest.

“As I said earlier, as long as we can both demonstrate sincerity and trust, the combined strength between us will be considerable. We may not necessarily lose to your brother.”

“......”

As if he hadn’t expected Muen to say this, Albert stared at him blankly for a long while.

At length, he smiled in relief. The tension seemed to drain from his body all at once as he reached out and clasped Muen’s hand.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“So am I.”

Muen smiled as well. Their tightly clasped hands made them appear like a pair of intimate friends who shared everything without reservation.

Any possible suspicion or wariness dissolved into dust in the exchange of smiles between the two men, drifting away on the wind.

At least, it looked that way.

“However...”

Muen then looked past Albert, deliberately affecting surprise as he appraised the maid Lavini.

“I wasn’t aware that Your Highness would be bringing anyone else along. At a time like this, the fewer people who know your route, the better.”

“Don’t worry. Lavini is trustworthy. She’s my personal maid.”

Albert shifted slightly to shield Lavini behind him and, in the same motion, took hold of her small hand.

Seeing their hands tightly clasped, Muen froze for quite a while. Then a spark of gossip lit up in his eyes.

“You two are...?”

“Ahem. It’s more or less what you’re thinking, so you should understand—Lavini would never betray me.”

Albert cleared his throat twice to ease the awkwardness. Behind him, Lavini’s face—struggling to remain composed—was tinged with a faint blush.

“I understand, I understand...”

Muen revealed a sly, inscrutable smile.

Who would have thought? The seemingly so rational Crown Prince was actually playing the forbidden romance between prince and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° maid. With his level of intelligence, didn’t he know that at such a turbulent turning point, given his sensitive status, it was almost impossible for him to reach a happy ending with a mere maid?

But then again...

No matter how this love might end in the future, a Crown Prince with a weakness was indeed far more approachable than he had been just moments ago.