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After dying in an accident with his little sister, Kenji wakes up in the body of the young duke, a powerful but widely despised official in the Camelot Empire. Everyone sees him as a cunning traitor who manipulated the young Empress's rise to power. But he just want to survive.

The story follows Kenji as he navigates dangerous court politics while trying to shed his predecessor's villainous reputation. Though the emoress suspect and resent him, she can't eliminate him without risking her own position against rival factions.

The Empror's Trap

Kenji observed the man across the table.

Money? He had plenty. His annual stipend from the court alone was more than most commoners could imagine. Not to mention that Pluvia would occasionally give him some pocket money - and even that was no small sum.

Did he lack beautiful women? While his mansion may not have been overflowing with beauties, he certainly had many wives and concubines.

That left only power. As a prince, while his authority wasn't equal to the emperor's, there were very few in court who dared to openly oppose him - he could count them on two hands.

"Your Highness, I've seen your governance plans. If this vision was conceived by you alone, you must truly yearn for such a world," Kenji said, sipping the red tea before him.

"The ancient sages spoke of a world of great unity, yet it has never been achieved," the Fifth Prince mused, seemingly speaking both to Kenji and to himself.

Ch 67 - A Conversation