Let's Not Fight

After having breakfast, Kaizer returned to his office to continue his paperwork, while Eugene remained in his room, taking time to relax both his mind and body.

Subsequently, he summoned Raphael to provide a report.

Eugene had instructed Raphael to investigate the events unfolding in the Marquis Household. Upon discovering that Eullian had left the Marquis House just two days after his own departure, everything became clear.

It appeared that his father and mother were unable to refuse the church, which was hardly surprising. The church was under the control of the Cathalia and Catharis families, whose true nature remained unknown to Eugene despite having access to the Akashic records. Therefore, it was prudent not to offend them excessively and avoid making enemies.

"What about the details I mentioned about the southern territory?"

The emperor would soon announce the distribution of the territory.

It was only a matter of time before he needed to uproot all the spies lurking in the south to disrupt the rebels and avoid repeating the same mistakes of the past.

"I visited the salon as per your instructions and paid for the information. However, they currently have limited knowledge about the southern territory. With your permission, they are willing to conduct a two-day investigation to gather the desired information."

A two-day investigation.

As expected of that individual. Truly capable.

"I only paid for the initial information. If the young master agrees, I can visit them again later and inform them that we still require their services."

"Very well."

Eugene received the papers and read them attentively.

The south was filled with red-light districts and auction houses, all operating within the confines of the law. However, some establishments were involved in illicit activities, leading to rampant underground dealings. Superficially, everything seemed fine, but underneath the surface, corruption ran deep. It frustrated him to the point where he desired to burn everything down and engage in nightly hunts.

Kaizer: "..."

Eugene clicked his tongue and set aside the information.

"Continue, Raphael."

"Well, next is the Rozans' residence. There hasn't been much activity from their side, but their estate's security is undergoing reform, featuring a level fifteen magic barrier."

Eugene hummed in response.

"Did you spot Timber?"

"No sign of him."

Eugene's eyes glowed, indicating his anger.

He knew Klius wouldn't heed warnings, but he also knew that Klius wouldn't dare to go too far as long as he was alive and posed a threat to the Rozans family. It seemed that not only the crown prince's faction, but also that lunatic would attempt to assassinate him.

In this world, who wouldn't want him dead?

Unfortunately, he had already experienced so much death that he no longer feared it."Was my letter delivered to the palace?"

Raphael nodded with a straight posture. "I have completed all the tasks assigned by the young master. Please rest assured."

"How wonderful, Raphael."

Eugene dismissed Raphael and granted him a ten-hour break to compensate for the immediate orders from the previous day.

Raphael gratefully thanked his young master and decided to return to his room for some sleep. A ten-hour break meant ten hours of sleep.

Eugene, still wearing his sleepwear, stormed into Kaizer's office with crossed arms and said, "Haven't you assigned any servants to me? Why hasn't anyone come to assist me with my morning routine? Is this how you treat your potential spouse?"

Kaizer was taken aback and instinctively massaged his forehead.

"Why are you causing a scene again?"

Eugene glanced at the people inside Kaizer's office and snorted. "I'm asking a simple question. Can't you just answer? Or is this how your staff treats a guest?"

Lancelotte frowned, wondering if this was the same Eugene that the grand duke had mentioned. Where was the sweet child?

All he could see now was an arrogant and pompous young master who seemed dissatisfied with every aspect of life. This was the type of person who nitpicked every little detail and was unreasonable enough to punish those who displeased him.

Was this acceptable?

Observing his highness, Lancelotte remained silent.

"I haven't assigned anyone because I don't want anyone entering your room besides me."Eugene, on the verge of reacting once again, nearly choked.

"Are you out of your mind?! Unless you intend to serve me every morning, why would you make such a decision?"

Kaizer nodded casually. "Yes."

"Y-You..."

Eugene took a step back, gritting his teeth.

"I want you to assign servants to me. If you won't, don't expect me to behave!"

With that, Eugene stormed out of the room and slammed the door in anger. Meanwhile, Kaizer held his chin in thought.

He was certain that Eugene was intentionally provoking him. Whatever his reasons might be, he would never give in.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't have done that."

Kaizer looked at Lancelotte expressionlessly and asked, "What? I agreed to let him bring his own butler, but that's as far as it goes."

Lancelotte sighed.

Father and son were truly alike.

"But, Your Highness, I heard that you slept with the young master last night. In that case, why not fulfill his request as a gesture of gratitude?" You know, two individuals who are not yet engaged are not supposed to sleep in the same room, as it is considered disrespectful before marriage. Thus, it was surprising when the head butler mentioned that His Highness and the young master slept in the same bedroom, contradicting the custom.

The rules regarding same-sex marriages were the same as those for heterosexual marriages. This was simply due to the emperor's laziness in revising them.

So, yeah, the emperor was just...

"Lancelotte, he's too unpredictable to let loose. I'm afraid that if I turn my back for a minute, he'll deliberately do things to provoke me into calling off the marriage."

Lancelotte widened his eyes.

Was this another forced marriage?

Like father, like son!

Eugene walked through the hallway, his face exuding coldness, causing the servants passing by to lower their heads in terror. Just as Eugene had desired, the servants in the grand duke's estate now feared him, and hardly anyone wanted to serve him upon hearing that he was difficult to please. Fortunately for them, His Highness had never assigned servants to attend to this potential marriage partner.

This left them perplexed as to whether the person was truly favored or not.

Of course, Eugene had no knowledge of this. He simply returned to his room, changed his clothes, and emerged once again upon hearing the announcement of the grand duke's arrival. This was the first time Eugene laid eyes on Kaizer's younger brother.

Khalil, unlike Kaizer, possessed a delicate and captivating beauty. He was the type of person who would awaken one's maternal instincts instantly. Eugene was taken aback, standing still as he watched the grand duke carrying the little boy who struggled to walk on his own."Old man," Eugene blinked and glanced at Kaizer in surprise.

The grand duke disregarded his son and walked toward Eugene, saying, "Oh, my daughter-in-law. How is life in the castle?"

Eugene's cold eyes almost wavered at the grand duke's choice of address."Your Excellency, welcome back."

Eugene forced a stiff smile, "The journey must have been long, and you still seem lost in a dream. Please call me by my name; I have yet to agree to this marriage."

The grand duke appeared surprised and glanced at his eldest son with a complicated expression.

"I thought the two of you agreed to the marriage?"

Eugene's lip twitched, "Please, your son also has a penchant for daydreaming."

Kaizer's expression darkened, and the grand duke simply coughed. They couldn't understand these two people. In the warzone, they were inseparable, but now that they were back in the empire, they couldn't stand the sight of each other. What had happened?

"Sister-in-law!"

Eugene almost choked and couldn't help but grit his teeth, glaring at the little brat. Now, he retracted what he had said.

As long as they were a Kasrten, they were evil seeds.

Khalil shyly looked at Eugene while waving his hand, still unable to believe that he could face his sister-in-law in his original body. Khalil still admired his scary sister-in-law, so meeting each other was a moment of happiness. That is, if his brother wasn't standing behind his beautiful sister-in-law, glaring at him with warning eyes, causing him to retract his hands and slump against his father's chest, pursing his lips in grievance.

Grand Duke Karsten sighed, "Kaizer, be nice to your little brother."

Eugene turned his head.

Kaizer replied, "I didn't do anything."

Eugene remained silent and followed them inside the palace.

"Right, Kaizer, the territory will soon be distributed. North Sidus will fall under our authority. Make sure to conduct a thorough investigation and not let any fish slip through the net."

Kaizer didn't think much and simply said, "Whatever."

Khalil hummed as he listened to his father and brother talk. From time to time, his gaze fell on his sister-in-law, who seemed to be attentively listening to the conversation.

After greeting the grand duke, Eugene returned to his room.

This time, his expression was full of displeasure, which made Kaizer pursed his lips as he watched Eugene walk away.

"Did you two have a fight?"

Kaizer's eyes darkened, "He doesn't want to get married."

The grand duke frowned, "What happened?"

"It's our problem. You don't need to concern yourself. Regardless, of whether he likes it or not, we will be engaged and married soon. He won't be able to back out, so I'll let him have his temper."

"If things are like this, you better keep an eye on him."

"I am."

"Son, please, no matter what happens, never force him to get pregnant. I can tolerate you forcing him to get married, but forcing someone to have a child... Don't learn from me, or you'll lose the most important person in your life. I don't want you to experience what I experienced, and I don't want you to be hated by someone you love. So, just this once, listen to me."

Kaizer's eyelashes trembled as he glanced at Khalil, who was lowering his head.

Eugene stayed in his room and summoned some servants to bring him some snacks.

He read the report given by Raphael earlier about the southern territory and started making plans, particularly with regard to the grand duke's mention of the north.

With his father being persecuted, the responsibility would fall on his brother's shoulders. He wanted to help his brother ease the burden by providing useful information, so he wrote letters, including one for his little sister. And, of course, he didn't forget to mention Eullian, so he could still receive news that might help in monitoring the situation in the Marquis Household and Vena Church.

Eugene swiftly sorted out the mess he had been dealing with.

In the afternoon, Kaizer knocked on his door and invited him for afternoon tea.

Kaizer discussed the letter that had arrived from the palace, stating that the trial would begin tomorrow and that it didn't matter if Eugene attended or not.

Kaizer didn't want Eugene to attend because he was sure it would be a huge mess.

Eugene knew.

Everything was a mess.

Starting from his departure from the Marquis Household.

To Eullian coming to Vena Church.

And now, the persecution of his parents.

This would be a prime opportunity for those plotting against their family. It was also a good time to flush out the rats that were hiding.

"If you go, I'll go with you."

Eugene sharpened his eyes, "Kaizer, you shouldn't revolve your life around me."

"I'm worried about you."

"I'm not a weak person. You shouldn't pry too much into my life."

Kaizer lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea. "Are we going to argue about this again?"

"It's because of you."

"Eugene, I'm trying here! I wanted to change myself for you, but why are you making it so hard for me to change?!"

"Because changing isn't an easy process! Do you think a person can easily change just because they decided to?! No, Kaizer. Your evil deeds are ingrained in your bones and flow in your blood. It's natural that change is difficult for you because being a good person isn't in your nature! Don't think that you can easily change yourself when I'm here! I still can't change myself! I still can't get over you!"

Kaizer clenched his jaw.

"Must we argue every time I seek peace?"

Eugene paused.

Had he gone too far?