Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 57: The Pink Rose (2)

Alex held his breath, listening as his father continued, "I swear on the royal family ’s honor, I have never mistreated Alex! The throne will definitely be passed to him. After all, he is my eldest son!"

The rough voice asked, "What about your illegitimate son? I’ve heard he often bullies the little prince. Our boss had said, if you mistreat the little prince, we’ll break the deal and stop transporting Oniyon for you, and we won’t help you plant people in the Alliance Army anymore!"

The Emperor, desperate for the current benefit, shouted, "What illegitimate son? I’ve never cared about him! Of course, I only care about Alex. Rest assured, the throne will definitely be his. Next year... just next year, I’ll announce to the whole Empire that Alex is the crown prince!"

Alex covered his mouth, disgusted by the Emperor’s hypocrisy. For the sake of gain, he could say such insincere things and even swear on the royal family’s honor! How laughable! freёnovelkiss.com

The rough voice said, "Hmph, good that you understand. Just don’t break your promise again, or next time, don’t blame us for being ruthless! Here’s the Oniyon order for this time, I’ll leave it here."

The Emperor quickly grabbed the paper, tucked it into his waist, and said to the muscular man in a red mask, "Send my regards to Mr. Deadman."

Alex, who was still eavesdropping, widened his eyes in shock. ’Deadman! The royal family’s doing business with space pirates!’

He stood up shakily, reached for the window to climb back into his original room, but stopped abruptly.

There was someone standing in front of the window.

Alex’s heart skipped a beat as he slowly raised his head, meeting the pale face of Fred.

Just moments ago, Fred, having heard from a servant that Alex was in this room, had come to harass him as usual. However, he didn’t expect to overhear the harsh words from his father, the man he had always respected the most. It turned out that in his father’s eyes, he was just an insignificant illegitimate child.

Fred’s eyes were red with anger, glaring at Alex with a murderous gaze. ’Am I really inferior to Alex? Why would Father decide to pass the throne to him?’

Alex withdrew his hand and stepped back, saying, "Fred, calm down..."

"Pffft," Fred sneered desperately, clenching his fists as he approached Alex. "You must be feeling pretty pleased, huh? The throne will be yours, and you’ll be able to lord over me. You must be overjoyed!"

"No!" Alex protested. "I don’t want the throne at all! Let’s talk this over slowly..." He wanted the royal family to disappear, not to inherit its throne.

Fred pushed away Alex’s reaching hand, shouting, "I don’t need your pity! Don’t look at me like that!"

There was a knock at the door, pausing their confrontation.

Fred relaxed his clenched fist slightly and stepped aside, allowing Alex to answer the door.

A servant respectfully announced from outside, "His Majesty requests the presence of both princes."

As Alex followed Fred to the main hall, he whispered, "I really don’t want the throne."

Fred scoffed, "Then why don’t you just leave the palace for good? Hypocrite."

"Because..." Alex grabbed Fred’s arm, earnestly saying, "My mother’s relic is still in his possession."

"If you help me get the relic," Alex continued, "I’ll leave right away and never come back."

Fred’s expression shifted, scrutinizing Alex as if to judge the sincerity of his words. Finally, he said, "You said it."

"You leave now, and I’ll get your stuff," Fred offered. "Deal?"

Alex nodded, "Deal."

"I’ll cover for you, now run," Fred said impatiently. "I don’t want to see you in the palace ever again."

Alex followed Fred, but they turned towards a direction opposite the main hall. The servants along the way, familiar with Fred’s temper, assumed he was taking Alex to a secluded room to beat him. They all lowered their heads, pretending to see nothing.

Alex looked at Fred’s back with mixed emotions. He had always known Fred to be a ’bad person’, but he also knew Fred was particularly committed to his promises, always keeping his word.

As a child, locked in a small room, Alex had often wished bitterly for Fred’s early death. Yet, now they had struck a deal.

At the palace’s side entrance, Alex heard a commotion outside. Peeking out, he saw Yuka in a long dress and Ayoi dressed in a suit, arguing with the guards.

Fred, frowning, approached them. The guard quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness, these people insist they are here for business. The one in the suit claims to be the assistant. They also said they have an appointment with the Prince Frederick, and they’ve been making a racket here since I didn’t let them in..."

Yuka had already pulled Alex behind her, both her and Ayoi eyeing Fred’s movements cautiously.

Fred dismissed the guards and glanced at the trio before turning and walking back into the opulent palace, clenching his hand in frustration.

Despite Alex being a prince who had fallen out of favor, he always seemed to have more than Fred. A throne, friends...

"Are you okay?" Yuka asked Alex.

Alex shook his head, wiping away his tears. "I’m fine... just happy to see you guys."

He quietly shared what he had overheard with Yuka and Ayoi. The two girls were totally astonished.

Yuka pondered the situation. The evidence against the Emperor and Deadman was too insufficient to report to the Alliance Army yet. She decided to wait for more concrete proof before informing Alex.

"By the way, I won’t be coming back here again," Alex announced. "Fred will help me. I’ve traded the throne with him. As long as he can stop them from bringing me back to the palace, outside of it, I am a citizen of the Alliance, and no one gets to make any decision for me."

"That’s great news!" Ayoi exclaimed. "Let’s celebrate all night!"

"Are you sure?" Yuka raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow is the mid-term exam."

Ayoi and Alex visibly deflated at the reminder.

"But having a meal shouldn’t be a problem," Yuka suggested, clapping her hands. "Let’s go, I’m treating."