"They… what?!" Nicomaine's eyes widened as she held the table intensely and her gaze shifted on me. She even let her mouth wide open while waiting for me to answer.
Nicolo remains calm with his posture. As I expected, he won't be surprised to hear those news from me.
I smirked at my sister. "Yeah. The Rebels want Dylan as crown prince, not Nicolo. If you don't behave, they might just succeed."
She scowled. I shot her a glare.
But let me say it, my sister is a good actress. She nailed the act of as if she has no idea about the move of Rebels where she is the one who gave me that idea earlier.
Nicolo holds his chin. "I won't deny that I'm thinking about their actions. But I don't think your suggestion applies to this, Nicodeim."
I agree. Finding him a bride won't solve the issue. But I am not aiming for him to agree with that idea.
I closed my eyes as I nodded. "Hm… you're right, my idea is nonsense…"
"Brother!"
"Nicodeim!"
They both called for me so I opened my eyes again. But when I opened it, they were now looking at the opposite side.
"But if you will just act like what I told you earlier, then we can make things go in our favor…" I suggested.
I won't suggest a trash idea. I have everything in my possession to use to turn everything in my favor.
That caught Nicolo's attention, he immediately looked at me and he even tilted his head a little towards me. "What do you mean?"
A smirk appeared on my lips. "I told you, right? You should try to act on your own to let them see what you can do. In that way, they won't judge your leadership and eventually your preference by who you want to be your wife in the future," I answered.
He swallowed hard. I know that I now get his attention and he will follow my advice. But to make sure he will certainly do, I will use my skill, 'Persuasion.'
I speak once again, "Why don't you try to create a new order?"
Nicolo frowns at me. "New order?"
I nodded. "Yes, new order. An order that no one even thinks of before…"
"I don't know what you mean…" he still frowns at me. "How can I create a new order? I am still not in a position to do that."
I wave my right hand. "Come on, I am not asking you to do it literally. Of course, you can't do that as of the moment as you're not even the crown prince yet…" I said.
Then another smirk comes into my lips. "...but it is a different story if you will give the king your idea as a suggestion."
He didn't answer me, he just stared at me blankly as if he was processing what I'd said or he was now thinking about what could he give to the king as a suggestion to implement a new order he came up with.
I noticed that he clenched his fist as he pressed his lips together. "Is this truly about my leadership, or am I simply a pawn in your schemes?"
I guess there's no point in hiding it.
"Oh no, you've figured me out. Whatever shall I do?" I shrugged and chuckled. "Well, it is true that I want you to marry my sister when the time comes that you need to choose for your queen…"
A smirk appears again on my lips. "...but for now, I want you to let me investigate something."
Finally, I can now discuss my true goal here.
Nicolo still doesn't lose his composure. He is frowning but his way of staring is intense.
"Nicodeim, please refrain from saying unnecessary topics," he warned me.
Then my eyes wander in our surroundings and I notice the retainers look away from me.
I took a slow sip of my tea and shrugged. "Ah, are you afraid that one of them reported to Dreymore that we are talking about kicking him out of the palace?" I asked as if I was only sharing what was in the news today.
The moment I said that Nicolo froze mid-motion and locked his gaze on me while his eyes widened.
Nicomaine tilted her head and hissed at me. "Are you out of your damn mind, Nicodeim?! Do you want us all executed?" her voice was so low but I sensed the warning in her tone.
"What's wrong? Shouldn't a pest deserve to perish in the kingdom?" I asked then a grin flashed to my lips. "Or else, someone in here got caught in the crossfire…"
Oh sure, let's all lose our minds over this. There's nothing more important happening in the kingdom.
I simply shifted my gaze to the retainers standing at the back of Nicolo. I didn't miss the reaction of one of them to what I said. He flinched and avoided eye contact with me.
Nicolo still can't choose the right word to answer me, he is just clenching his hand that resting on the table.
I dragged a hand down my face like the sheer weight of this conversation was physically exhausting. "Ah, how I hate this kind of topic. That's why I don't want to come in here…"
I let out a long, suffering sigh as if this topic alone had aged me ten years then I looked at Nicolo. "Oi, say something."
He frowns at me. "Nicodeim… "
With an exaggerated sigh, I threw up my hands as if in surrender. "Alright, alright, you win," I drawled, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "All I wanted is just for you to consider my suggestion."
Nicolo still composes his posture while looking at me intensely. "I will. Thank you for your visit, Nicodeim." Then he looks at my sister. "To you too, Nicomaine. May you have a great day ahead."
With that, we bid goodbye to Nicolo and headed straight to the hallway. But while walking, I noticed him heading to his room and it made me think of just one thing.
"Nicomaine, please go ahead without me. I just need to do something." She was ahead of me walking, as I said that she just took a glimpse of me and went straight walking.
I found it weird that she didn't ask me where I was headed but I let her be as I needed to go before I missed this chance to be alone with Nicolo.
I walked through the hallway without being bothered by the royal guards patrolling around. I am not that too far with the prince and I know he is aware that I am following him.
Then suddenly, he took the left side of the hallway instead of going straight to his room. That makes me smirk and put my arms relax at my nape as I continue walking.
When I reached the corner where he went, he already facing my side as expected. "Are you trying to use me as bait to provoke more of the Rebels?" he immediately questioned me.
The hallway was dim, with only a few torches lighting the way. Even in the shadows, I could see Nicolo's frown—hesitant, but firm. "Why are you doing this? What is your objective?" he asked again.
The smirk on my lips fades away as I put down my hands. I slowly walk through the hallway to approach him. "You are the prince yet I am the one who you asking what is going on. Seriously, are you gonna just give up your right that easily?"
He ran his hand through his hair as he looked away from me for a second. "Yes I am the prince, but it doesn't mean I should personally—"
"Blah, blah, blah. I'm tired of hearing your tantrums, Nicolo. I am just here to ask for your consent because I want to take action personally with this matter like I used to do. That's all."
He holds his forehead before answering. "Nicodeim, this isn't like what you ask before. This is a tough one. And just one mistake, it won't just affect you or your estate but also me and my position. Aren't you considering that?!" He still frowning at me while showing his teeth.
"Exactly!" I affirmed as I pointed my right index finger at the sky. "Prevention is better than cure and I will appreciate it if you will just let me handle this matter alone."
He took a deep breath as he put down his hand. "At least tell me your plans."
A smirk comes into my lips. "I already told you my plans earlier. Didn't you catch it up?"
Nicolo frowns and looks away from me. "You're saying, proposing your sister as my potential bride is a plan for you?"
I laugh hard when he slowly turns his gaze back at me while saying it. "Nicolo, you haven't changed at all. You still easily get fooled," I commented as I shook my head. "Anyway, it's better if you don't know what exactly my plan is. For the sake of your position and Nicomaine's safety."
I wave my hand and turn back to him. When I started to walk away, he made me stop as he asked me one last question.
"What exactly do you want me to do for you to let me get involved with your plan?"