Chapter 30 The Princess’s Wedding Ceremony…
Chapter 30
30.1
When Alex Carragalan said, "Princess Matilda will burn a sacrificial incense stick at our marriage ceremony as evidence to expose Prince Constance and the Carragalan family's ambition to rebel against Queen Lucinda."
Osborn gasped.
"You," he said in shock, "what did you say?"
After Alex spoke the truth, his expression became calm.
"That's it," he said calmly. "If it weren't for this reason, why would I attack a royal princess? I'm not crazy."
There was no surprise on Cecilia's face.
She whispered, "This is the 'thing' you want her to hand over, right? The sacrificial incense that records the evidence?"
During the dispute between Alex and Princess Matilda, he mentioned several times:
“I won’t allow you to do this,” “Please give it to me now,” “No more playing baby games with me,” and over and over again, “Give it to me.”
Princess Matilda pretended not to understand all this, which eventually led to Alex drawing his sword and placing it across Princess Matilda's neck.
Alex did all this for one reason: "Give it to me."
"Yes." Alex curled his lips. "What I need from her is that sacrificial cigarette."
Cecillia looked at her brother calmly, "Alex, what exactly was recorded in that sacrificial smoke?"
Alex was silent. He closed his eyes slightly.
Alex can still clearly recall the private conversation between him and Prince Constance:
It was the eve of Bertha Caragaran's marriage to Prince Constance, and Prince Constance came to Ravenmont to greet his future wife.
Prince Constance naturally lived in the most distinguished guest room in Ravenmount Castle. The room was as luxurious, exquisite and private as the master's living room. The room had a large terrace with several lush green vines hanging from the edge of the terrace. The vines swayed slightly in the night breeze, making an almost inaudible "rustling" sound.
The terrace was empty. Prince Constance was leaning against the railing, his golden hair a little messy in the night wind.
He was not wearing a formal suit, but only a nightgown with the collar slightly open. He lazily held a glass of red wine in his hand and raised it to Alex with a smile: "Alex."
Young Alex remained silent. Prince Constance smiled at him and said, "Do you know why I must marry Bertha?"
Alex remained silent, and Prince Constance said this without needing Alex's answer.
He stared at the red wine glass in his hand and shook it gently: "Bertha, she is smart, beautiful, and has the upbringing of a noble lady - but that doesn't matter."
Prince Constance paused and chuckled softly, "More importantly, her last name is Karagaran."
Alex understood what Prince Constance meant.
"Your Highness," he finally said softly, "With the support of the Karagaran family, you will successfully become the crown prince of the empire."
"Oh, the Crown Prince?"
Prince Constance turned the wine glass in his hand with a half-smile, "You are a smart man, Alex Karagaran. There are some things I only tell you."
Alex was slightly startled. Prince Constance looked him in the eyes and smiled, "My goal has never been to become the crown prince."
Alex was stunned for a moment, and Prince Constance smiled: "My goal is to become the emperor directly."
Alex's fingers trembled. He was a very steady man, but he couldn't help showing his shock.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Yes." Prince Constance was not afraid. His tone was slow, as if a cold poisonous snake was hissing. "I don't care who my mother thinks is the heir to the throne. I don't need to satisfy her. I don't need to be chosen by her. I just need to replace her."
Prince Constance said this, and Alex was speechless for a moment.
Alex remained silent. Constance narrowed his eyes, a dangerous light emanating from them. His tone suddenly became cold: "Alex Karagaran."
“…Your Highness.”
"You're a smart guy, aren't you?"
Prince Constance looked at him coldly. Alex was silent for a long time before finally answering, "Yes, Your Highness. I am a smart man. I will make a smart choice."
Prince Constance smiled suddenly.
In an instant, he transformed from that cold poisonous snake into that smiling and romantic prince.
"That's good," Prince Constance said with a smile, "When I am crowned, Bertha will become the Queen of the Wanzeta Empire. And the Karagaran family will become the most powerful noble family in the empire."
Alex suddenly opened his eyes.
In the meeting room, Cecilia asked, "Alex, what was in that sacrificial smoke?"
Alex replied slowly, "It was...a conversation between me and Prince Constance."
He said, shaking his head slowly.
"Or rather, it was Prince Constance's conspiracy—Prince Constance directly stated that he wanted to seize the throne. He wanted more than just to become the crown prince. He wanted to use the power of the Caragaran family to directly seize the throne from Queen Lucinda and make Bertha the queen."
Osborn couldn't help but gasp.
"You, you mean," he said, his eyes widening, "that Prince Constance said this to you himself? That he's crazy?"
“…”
Alex remained silent. Osborn's eyes widened. "And Princess Matilda, she has the sacrificial cigarette that records this conversation? How is that possible? Who would use sacrificial cigarettes to record such a crazy conversation? The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better!"
Alex didn't answer, but Cecilia spoke up for her brother.
"I think," the youngest daughter of the Karagaran family thought calmly, "this conversation only took place between the two of them. If Alex didn't use the sacrificial smoke, then Prince Constance probably used it himself to record it."
"Constance? Is he crazy? Is he going to put himself in danger?"
Osborne's brain wasn't working, so Cecillia sighed and explained in more detail, "I think Prince Constance wants their conversation as evidence to threaten us. He probably guided Alex through that conversation. Having Bertha's marriage isn't enough. Prince Constance needs to have leverage over the Caragalan family in order to threaten them and tie them firmly to his ship."
Osborn was stunned and speechless. He could only mutter Cecilia's words over and over again: "Is he trying to get evidence to threaten us? To make us loyal to him? Goddess, this venomous snake... this venomous snake. He is really... really..."
"It's just," Cecilia said softly, "For some reason, Princess Matilda found out about this. Not only did she know about the existence of the sacrificial smoke, she even secretly got hold of it. She used it to threaten Alex."
Alex let out a wry laugh.
He whispered, "Yes, Princess Matilda, she threatened me. She wanted to burn this sacrificial incense at her wedding ceremony, publicize our conversation in front of all the guests, expose Prince Constance's conspiracy, and simultaneously reveal the ambitions of Prince Constance and the Caragaran family... This is a direct crime of rebellion against the Queen, so I must stop Princess Matilda from burning this sacrificial incense in public."
Osborne had understood it all.
The conflict between Alex and Princess Matilda is not about "illegitimate children" at all, but a deeper power struggle.
For such a power struggle, even if Alex needs to draw his sword against the royal princess, he must do it - he must snatch this piece of sacrificial smoke, stop Princess Matilda's actions, and protect the Karagaran family.
Osborn whispered, "Then you made up the whole story about the 'illegitimate child'."
Alex gave a wry smile. "Yes, Ossi. I couldn't just shout in front of everyone, 'What I want to take from the princess is the evidence of our Karagalang family's rebellion against the queen.' So, in desperation, I had to fabricate the lie about the illegitimate child and turn it into a love dispute between the princess and me."
Osborn bit his lip and whispered, "You...are trying to protect the Karagaran family."
Alex gently closed his eyes. "When it becomes a love affair between Princess Matilda and me, it is my responsibility alone and has nothing to do with the Karagaran family."
Alex's face was stern, as if he was determined to sacrifice himself for the Karagaran family. Osborn choked up, "Alex...you...you've suffered..."
However, Duke Karagaran remained expressionless and was not moved by his boy.
The Duke looked down at him, his hands behind his back, and said coldly, "If you really want to protect the Karagaran family, Alex, then when you learned of Princess Matilda's plan, why didn't you come to me and your mother for help as soon as possible?"
The Duke sneered as he spoke, "Can't your mother and I think of a better way to protect the Karagaran family? Can't we mobilize the Knights to secretly surround the princess? Do we need a fool like you to draw your sword against the princess yourself?"
When the Duke said this, Osborne was stunned, and even Cecilia was stunned.
They subconsciously looked at Alex, and Alex's expression froze slightly.
The shrewd Duke of Karagaran stared at his boy and said word by word, "You haven't told the whole truth. What else did you hide from us during that sacrificial smoke, Alex?"
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