Ascension Of The Villain

"Now," Edgar began, his voice resonating through the hall, "as we gather here today, it is time to address the matter of Althea's ascension to Crown Princess. Are there any objections?"

A wave of agreement swept through the assembly like a well-rehearsed chorus. Heads nodded, voices murmured their approval, and even the most stoic faces showed subtle signs of support. The decision was unanimous—Althea was to become the Crown Princess.

Edgar wasn't very pleased with the response. He didn't want to hand over his legacy to one of his daughters, but he had no choice. His sons were, well, disappointments—the first one failed to hold onto the crown, the second one was recently crippled, and the youngest one was too soft and good-hearted.

"Very well," Edgar continued, maintaining a graceful mask. "Now we must decide the timing of the ascension ceremony," he asked, unaware that he was deciding his own time of doom.

Vyan cleared his throat softly and suggested, "Your Imperial Majesty, perhaps one week from now would be a suitable time. It would allow ample time for preparations without causing undue delay." The sooner Althea was officially crowned, the better for Vyan.

The emperor's gaze shifted to Vyan, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "One week, you say?" Edgar leaned back slightly, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his throne. "No, Grand Duke. It must be grander. One month hence, we shall hold the ceremony, and it will be an event befitting the new Crown Princess."

Ugh, one more month of this sickening pretense… Vyan internally rolled his eyes but nevertheless displayed a courteous smile outwardly and asked, "Isn't one month too long, Your Imperial Majesty? I am sure there are many duties for the heir-apparent to fulfill."

"No, Grand Duke. Any time less than one month is not possible. We need to give ample time for all the foreign delegates to arrive," Edgar reasoned. "Besides, Princess Althea will get a head-start on her duties, even before her ascension. Won't you, my dear daughter?"

Althea subtly exchanged a glance with Vyan, and Vyan gave a nod, finding no other option. They didn't want to seem suspicious to Edgar.

"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty," Althea agreed.

"Then, one month it is," Vyan conceded.

As the decision settled over the room, Vyan's mind shifted to a different concern.

He watched Edgar closely, scrutinizing every twitch of his expression. Did the emperor know about his late-night snooping in the tunnels beneath the palace yesterday? If he did, Edgar was either a master at concealing his knowledge, or he was genuinely oblivious. Vyan leaned toward the latter. The emperor, for all his arrogance, was a poor actor.

Even during this discussion, he acted perfectly normal with Vyan. Therefore, relief washed over Vyan as he realized this—Edgar likely had no idea. At least, not yet.

So, whoever caught Vyan at the tunnel yesterday… Who did that person work for?

Turning his attention back to the ongoing conversation, Vyan caught the tail end of Edgar's next command. "Princess Althea," the emperor said, "you will be present at every council meeting from now on. There is much you need to learn." With a casual wave of his hand, a scroll appeared in mid-air, unfurling itself with a soft rustle.

"Here," he continued, "is a list of all your duties and responsibilities as Crown Princess. Study it well."

As Edgar manifested the scroll, Vyan's eyes were drawn to the emperor's hands.

The rings on Edgar's fingers glowed faintly—amethyst, moonstone, topaz, ruby, and opal. Each stone flickered with a subtle light. Those gaudy rings had always caught Vyan's attention whenever he stood in the imperial court, but he had never seen them glow like that until Edgar used magic.

A memory from an old book he had from his father's library floated to his mind. The combination of those particular gemstones—amethyst for clarity, moonstone for balance, topaz for strength, ruby for energy, and opal for amplification—was used for mana transfer.

A method to absorb mana from someone else's body, even if the user lacked it themselves.

Vyan's brows furrowed slightly as he considered this. Edgar had a very low flow of mana in his natural circuit. Vyan had assessed this himself in the palace garden on the day they first met. At that time, Edgar wasn't wearing those rings. More like, he never wears those rings outside the imperial court.

Is it possible that…

A sense of unease settled over Vyan.

He maintained his composed demeanor. His distressed thoughts were veiled behind a polite smile as the emperor continued to discuss Althea's new role.

When the court session finally came to an end, the grand hall gradually emptied.

Vyan remained in place for a moment, watching the emperor rise from his throne. He placed a hand on the side of his head and took slow steps towards the emperor.

As Edgar descended the steps of his dais, Vyan made his move. Stepping forward, he opened his mouth to talk, saying, "Your Imperial Majesty, I was hoping to…"

Seemingly light-headed, he 'accidentally' collided with Edgar's side. His foot hooked around the emperor's ankle in a way that would trip him just enough for Vyan to shoot out a hand. He caught Edgar's hand and steadied him.

"My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty. It appears I am still reeling from yesterday's unfortunate incident," Vyan said smoothly, his voice laced with a convincing embarrassment. "How clumsy of me."

"Ah, I heard all about it. Be more careful, Grand Duke," Edgar slightly chided.

"Yes, yes…" Vyan's fingers wrapped firmly around the emperor's, and in that brief contact, he concentrated.

A surge of mana flowed from Edgar's body—an overwhelming torrent that surged through Vyan's senses, far different from the near-absent trace he had sensed in the garden. It was undeniable and powerful; almost violently strong. It almost felt like measuring his own mana.

Gemstones used for mana transfer. Edgar's natural low mana. Edgar's high mana with the rings. An Ashstone's unrivaled mana. Aster being held captive by Edgar. At night, in the solitary cell.

During the day, somewhere else. The time for court sessions being the day hours…

All the pieces of the puzzles fell into place.

The emperor is using my brother's mana for himself.

Vyan's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. If Edgar's mana was being borrowed—transferred—the source had to be nearby.

Vyan's gaze flicked around the room, searching for any sign of the other party involved in the transfer.

Then his eyes landed on the deep red curtains behind the throne. The heavy fabric barely shifted despite the slight breeze coming through the high windows.

His heart skipped a beat as the realization crashed into him like a wave. All this time, right in front of his eyes—Aster.

Vyan's pulse quickened as he released Edgar's hand. His expression never betrayed the storm of thoughts in his mind.

Aster was here, close enough to be the other end of the mana transfer. His brother was just a few steps away.

Hiding in plain sight, perhaps behind those very curtains.

It all made sense now—why the emperor seemed so confident, so empowered, in these chambers. He had heard tales of Edgar punishing some criminals on the spot with his magical abilities, but Vyan had always assumed they were rumors made to make the people fear the emperor.

But little did Vyan know that the emperor was using his own brother's mana to do all that and keeping him hidden just a few meters away from Vyan.

Vyan couldn't believe he didn't figure all these out before. But now that he had, he was going to get Aster out of there as soon as possible. He wasn't going to wait around a whole month for Althea to officially become the Crown Princess.

———

As Vyan exited the grand hall, he scanned the bustling corridors. Nobles and guards moved in steady streams, either in conversation or hurrying to their next duties.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Iyana as she walked alongside Commander Pembrooke. But Vyan's focus was elsewhere.

He moved toward the far end of the hallway where he knew Clyde would be waiting to catch a conversation with Althea.

As he expected, he spotted his aide happily chatting away with his lover.

"Thea, I need to talk a little with Clyde," Vyan interrupted.

Clyde's smile dropped seeing Vyan.

Althea sensed the tension between the two of them and said, "Um, okay, Vyan." She placed a hand on Clyde's forearm and added in a low whisper, "Let's meet at the usual spot tonight."

Clyde nodded and waited till Althea left to look at Vyan. He crossed his arms over his chest with a cold, expectant look.

"I know you are still mad at me, but hey, look, I am trying. Which is why I am here to tell you that I have a good idea of where Ash is and I want to check that place to confirm before I go ahead with my idea to get him out. But of course, I would like your assistance as I have promised not to do anything alone ever again," Vyan ranted and stared at Clyde. "So?" he asked a little nervously.

Clyde stared back blankly for a moment. Until a smile cracked through his act. "Oh, screw it. Who am I kidding?" A full-blown grin appeared on his face. "I can't stay mad at you. It's too hard, and it's not worth it.

Plus, I am so happy for you!" He pulled Vyan into a bear hug.

Vyan also grinned and hugged him back. "Ah, finally! I hate not seeing you grinning stupidly."

"Please, this is an occasion to grin stupidly. You found your brother! That's a big deal!"

"Yes! Yes…" Vyan's grin dimmed a little. "But he was in captivity for sixteen years…"

"You have mourned enough about the bad sides. You will get revenge for it, I know." He pulled apart from the hug and placed his firm hands on Vyan's shoulders. "Now, focus on getting Lord Aster out and giving him a better life from here onwards, okay? You need to show him a happy face. Because that's what he would like to see on his little brother. You are his light, remember?"

Vyan pressed his lips in a thin line and took a deep breath, then he smiled confidently. "You are right. I need to continue being his light."