Note: In this chapter, the word 'emperor' refers to the ruler. I didn't use 'empress' because it's used to refer to the emperor's wife.
When I returned to the palace, a commotion ensued.
The news that I had been attacked by assassins spread quickly. Raul, the captain of the imperial guards, put on an expression of panic when he learned about it, though he did not dare to look at me.
I told them that the assassins were dead, but when they asked how they died, I remained silent. The imperial guards were puzzled about the reason I remained silent, but I ignored it and went away. Unfortunately, darcy was forced to remain behind to explain everything, after all, an attempt to kill a prince was something very serious.
I went straight towards Dina's room. She was supposed to be at the Imperial Academy today, but I heard she feigned she was ill to not attend.
"Sister Dina." I knocked on the door when I reached the room. Quickly, Dina's servant opened the door and guided me inside.
"C-Claus, what are you doing here?" Dina sat on the bed and used a blanket to hide her negligee. I looked at her with a grave expression. "Dina, we need to speak, alone."
Dina put on a startled expression before nodding and getting her servant to leave. She then looked at me seriously. "What happened?"
"Someone tried to kill me." I replied.
Dina's face paled completely. She instantly jumped from the bed and rushed towards me.
Are you hurt?! What happened?! C-Claus, tell me that everything is alright..."
"Calm down, calm down." I grabbed Dina's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Look at me, I'm alright, okay? Now calm down."
Dina stared at me and then hugged me tightly. I could feel her heart beating quickly in fear, so I hugged her back.
I then told her about what happened.
When she learned that one of the assailants was an eight- layer man, all the blood drained from her face. If not that I was beside her and I told her that all the assassins were dead, she probably would have fainted right away.
"... How did they die?" Dina asked after that.
I grinned. "Of course, I killed them."
"You jest. Do you think I don't know how strong you are?" Dina rolled her eyes and smiled. I thought about explaining things to her, but in the end, I decided not to.
I wanted to see her astonished face when she learns about my true strength, so I decided to change the topic and put on a serious expression. "Dina, I already know who ordered the assassination."
"... Who is it?!" Dina growled softly and tightened her fist. Her eyes flashed with a blood-red glint and her sixth-layer mana spread through the room.
"It was Al Riea." I heaved a sigh.
*Bang!* A table on a corner of the room was crushed into pieces due to Dina's pressure.
"Riea, Riea! Do they want to kill us siblings so much?! I sweat I'm going to kill them all! Let's go to see father! Even if he is like that, he can't ignore it this time!" Dina clenched her teeth furiously. The temperature in the room increased drastically due to her raging mana.
"Calm down!" I exclaimed at that moment. "It's best if we don't tell about it to father. Those men were of the secret force of the Riea family, so we don't have enough evidence against them. It would have been different if I die or I'm seriously injured, but now that I survived, I'm sure that the Riea family's head and the empress will simply say that the assassins acted without their knowledge. The empress is of the Riea family, so the emperor will not punish them heavily. We are only putting the Riea family in guard if we speak with father now."
Dina snorted with a look of fury, but she began to calm down. A few seconds later, she heaved a sad sigh and sneered with a self-deprecating smile. "How amusing, someone tried to kill you and we don't dare to expose the culprit for fear of alerting them. Are we still princes? Does father truly not care about us?!"
"You already know he doesn't. Why are you so surprised?"
Dina's expression turned sad. She grabbed my shirt and put her head on my chest. I sighed silently and hugged her back. I then sat on the bed and put Dina on my lap.
"Dina, it's obvious that the Riea family will not rest until killing us. We can't continue like this, we must fight back."
"... Do you have an idea?" She asked with a mosquito-like voice. I could see a small blush on her face due to the position we were, but I ignored it for now.
"I do... Dina, I want to make you the emperor!"
Dina's eyes opened wide. She raised her face and looked at me with a disbelieving expression, but my face was completely serious.
"E-Emperor?"
"Yes, emperor." I nodded firmly "If you become the emperor, then we can take revenge against the Riea family and we can take revenge against father. If you become the emperor, nobody will dare to hurt us again."
"B-But, there is not a woman emperor in the story of the empire, I-"
"You can be the first." I interrupted her firmly. "Dina, you are smart and much more talented than Alan. Although it will be hard at the beginning, I'm sure you can do it."
Dina looked at me with an incredulous expression. But soon, a strong light appeared on her eyes. Her face turned red, and her breathing became heavy. I looked at her calmly while waiting for her answer.
However, her face dimmed at the next second. "Impossible. Alan is the crown prince, and he had the support of most nobles... Claus, I think it's better if you do it."
"It will be very hard." I smiled wryly and stroked her face. "The empress and the Riea family are already wary toward me. I'm sure they will make a move if I try to do something. But as you said, the emperor never has been a woman, so the empress will not be so wary towards you. As for the nobles, I'm sure you are more than capable of convincing them." Of course, the biggest reason was that I didn't want to be the emperor, but Dina didn't need to know it.
Dina lowered her head and closed her eyes. I could see a trace of hesitation in her face, so I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her forehead. "What are you worried about? I'll support no matter what happens. I'm sure you can do it."
Hearing that, Dina looked straight to my eyes. All the doubts faded at that moment, replaced by a steel-like determination.
"You are right, I'll do it." Dina nodded.
I curved my lips up and smirked. Then, I kissed her lips.
The next second, Dina kicked me out of the room.