性瘾者

Was he surprised?

Of course not.

[Anyway...]

Since only Calyx Dalton and Raven were here yet, Nero and his father brought the two crows into the tea room while waiting for the other guests.

He and his father were sitting side-by-side on the sofa.

Calyx Dalton was sitting on the chair across from them, while Raven was standing behind the younger crow.

.....

“Mother and my grandparents will arrive soon,” Calyx Dalton said cheerfully after he greeted Nero and Emperor Nikolai politely. “I arrived earlier since I had to visit the academy and drop my things at the dormitory.”

Ah, right.

There was a dormitory in the academy.

[If I remember it correctly, Neoma didn’t sign up for the dormitory to protect her secret. But the dormitory life seems suitable for me. I need to keep an eye on my future pawns, after all.]

“I see,” his father, Emperor Nikolai, said indifferently as a response to Calyx Dalton’s explanation as to why he arrived earlier than Empress Juliet and the other Daltons. “The representatives of the Twelve Golden Families haven’t arrived yet, so let’s have tea first.”

Calyx Dalton smiled and nodded. “Yes, Father.”

Nero wondered how Neoma would react if his twin sister were here.

“I’m your father?” the emperor asked, then he let out a shallow laugh. “I don’t have wings, though.”

The smile on Calyx Dalton’s face disappeared after the emperor said that he didn’t have “wings” because he wasn’t a crow. His Majesty had implied that he knew Calyx Dalton was the result of an experiment between a de Moonasterion and de Luca Seed.

Thus, His Majesty couldn’t be the young crow’s father.

Even Raven, who had a poker face earlier, frowned.

[Calyx Dalton, you should be thankful that Neoma isn’t here. If my twin sister was here, you’d be roasted even before you opened your mouth.]

“Sir Kinsley,” Nero said to the Paladin standing behind his father. “Tell the servants to bring in the tea.”

Geoffrey Kinsley bowed his head. “As you wish, Your Royal Highness.”

After a few minutes, the tea was finally served.

Geoffrey Kinsley then excused himself to guard outside the door. Lewis should have been there, too, since the fox boy was supposed to be his personal knight. But Lewis received a call from Neoma earlier, so he relieved the fox boy from his duty.

Nero wanted to break the silence since he knew his father would ignore Calyx Dalton, thus he said what he wanted to say.

According to the script that he wrote himself, of course.

“Calyx Dalton, I know why you’re trying hard to be a de Moonasterion royal prince,” Nero said, then he sipped his tea before he dropped the bomb. “I’m here to tell you that I have no interest in competing with you, so I’m giving up my right to inherit the throne.”

Calyx Dalton’s eyes went wide- and he clearly looked shocked. “Y-you’re giving up your position as the Crown Prince?”

“Yes,” he said casually. “Ah, I’m also quitting as Father’s son.”

The young crow looked even more shocked now. “And you’re “quitting” as His Majesty’s son?”

Nero picked up his teacup while observing Calyx Dalton.

The foolish crow arrived at the palace, beaming with confidence. But with just a few words, he had managed to destroy that confidence of his. Even Raven, the “butler” who had been doing a good job of keeping a poker face, finally let his fa?ade slip away when his eyes went wide.

[Ah, it seems like they were expecting me to fight Calyx Dalton for the throne.]

Nero sipped his tea before he spoke. “Yes, I’m here to hand my resignation to His Majesty as the Crown Prince and his son,” he said, then he placed his teacup down on the saucer. After that, he smiled at the foolish young crow. “Congratulations, Lord Calyx. You’re now the new heir apparent, and Father’s only son.”

The disbelief in Calyx Dalton’s face told him that this wasn’t what the crows had expected to happen. Then he turned to Raven as if he was asking for the so-called butler’s help. But just like the birdbrain, Raven was also in a state of shock and confusion.

Thanks to those reactions, it became clear to him.

[They really need me to sit on the throne.]

“Your Majesty,” Calyx Dalton said when he turned to the emperor, desperation clear on his face. “You’re not going to dethrone Prince Nero, are you?”

Emperor Nikolai let out a sigh. “This matter is out of my hands now. More and more nobles are demanding Nero step down as the Crown Prince, anyway.”

It looked like Calyx Dalton was shocked by the emperor’s indifferent reaction.

[Well, Father knows that this is just a part of my plan. So, of course, he wouldn’t be surprised.]

But his father’s reaction wouldn’t hinder his plan. After all, everyone knew that the emperor was cold and strict. His father only showed his soft and vulnerable sides to our family.

Suddenly, he remembered the time his father hugged him during the academy’s awarding ceremony. After his father put on the eupalettes on his shoulder cape, he suddenly pulled him for a hug in front of the whole academy.

Argh.

[I hope they didn’t notice that.]

Thankfully, Calyx Dalton was too shocked to comprehend what was happening.

“Is it that shocking that I’m quitting my position as the Crown Prince and as His Majesty’s son?” Nero asked, laughing softly. “Isn’t it your goal to become the Crown Prince, anyway?”

“My goal is to be recognized as a royal prince and be included in the Royal Household Registry- not to steal the throne from you,” Calyx Dalton said, frowning. He looked like a child throwing tantrums now. And yes, this punk had started talking casually to him. “Prince Nero, I won’t allow you to quit as the Crown Prince and as His Majesty’s son.” The birdbrain’s eyes suddenly turned glowing red. “We must become a family- you must become my little brother.”

[Crazy bastard1.]

He would have cussed out Calyx Dalton aloud, but he held back.

After all, it was also a part of his plan to manipulate this birdbrain by using his emotions.

For some reason, Calyx Dalton seemed to have been drawn to him to the point of obsession. Although it was disgusting for the birdbrain to have those kinds of feelings towards him, he decided to use it to his advantage.

“How can we become a family if the crows wanted me dead?” Nero said, smirking. Then he sipped his tea when he noticed Raven flinch, as if the butler had already realized that he was manipulating Calyx Dalton. [It’s too late, though.]

“I won’t let them lay a finger on you, Prince Nero,” Calyx Dalton declared, then he put a hand over his chest. “I swear it on my life as your big brother.”

Once again, Nero had only two words for this birdbrain.

[Crazy bastard.1]

“I apologize for interrupting your conversation,” Geoffrey Kinsley said after knocking and entering the room. “Lady Juliet and the Daltons have arrived.”

“Finally,” Emperor Nikolai said. “Bring them to the conference room.”

***

“CALYX, can’t you see that Prince Nero is trying to manipulate you?”

“Uncle Raven, not now,” Calyx said in an urgent voice while walking fast. “I need to follow my little brother.”

Prince Nero didn’t accompany Emperor Nikolai to the conference room to meet the Daltons.

He heard his little brother tell His Majesty that he wanted to inquire about the academy’s dormitory system to see if he could still sign up for a room. After that, Prince Nero excused himself to follow his little brother to the Blanco Palace.

The plan was for him to accompany his mother, Juliet, while proving their identities to the emperor with the evidence provided by his grandparents.

But right now?

[I don’t care anymore!]

“Calyx!” Uncle Raven called him, then he grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around and face him. “Why are you needlessly following Prince Nero anyway? Have you forgotten about our plan?”

“I haven’t, Uncle Raven. That’s why I know that whether or not I’m there, Mother could still prove that I’m her son with Emperor Nikolai because you’ve already prepared the evidence a long time ago,” Calyx said, then he pulled his arm from his uncle’s grasp. “But this is more important to me right now. I need to follow Prince Nero to ask him to become my roommate!”

Uncle Raven looked at him in disbelief. “You’re ditching our plan just to ask Prince Nero to become your roommate?”

He just nodded firmly as a response.

His uncle, on the other hand, looked seriously pissed.

To be honest, he felt a little scared to see that dark expression.

[Uncle Raven is usually gentle to me. He’s the reason why our family says I’m a spoiled brat. But even though he’s scary, I won’t back down.]

“I understand that our family has the tendency to get obsessed with the de Moonasterion Crown Princes,” Uncle Raven said, as if he was trying to calm himself. “But Calyx, it’s obvious that Prince Nero knows that- and he’s taking advantage of it. He’s using your adoration for him to manipulate you!”

“Uncle Raven, I don’t mind,” Calyx said, smiling. “As long as I become a part of Prince Nero’s family, I can always change his feelings towards me until we become proper brothers.”

***

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