[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail":3,"chapter-the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Seventh Prince Wants to Bail",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1222749,1619,"Chapter 23","the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>Episode 23 - The Viper and Survival\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Count Crisa was taken to the imperial family the very next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long could the elderly count, who had been dragged away even earlier than Ego Crisa’s warning, endure in the imperial prison?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time an uncomfortable feeling had slowly piled up inside Tollin, a letter arrived from the imperial family not long after, just as Tollin and his brother had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The content was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It said that the imperial family regarded the Feedus ducal family’s work of building a hospital near the temple as very commendable, and that if help was needed, he should request it at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin placed the overly ornate letter decorated with gold on the table and frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the words written there said he could request help, it was a letter that blatantly revealed their desire to intervene in the hospital project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the First Prince had proposed at the hunting festival was to sweep away the vagrants and criminals near the temple and start a new business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin thought his true objective was the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when had vagrants been running rampant in the capital? And now, all of a sudden, they were stepping forward to sweep them away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This situation looked as though they were paying attention to those they had defined as insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would accepting it be the wise choice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, the imperial family reaching out to the Feedus family again seemed like a suitable opportunity for the Feedus family to regain its former status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the other party was Rasia, there might still be lingering resentment toward the Feedus family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the contrary, it might become an even greater disaster for Feedus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin rubbed his throbbing temple and adjusted his glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he still had one chance left to avoid this. A chance called the tradition they valued most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something Duke Feedus had already obtained at the cost of his life during the hunting tournament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, the imperial family was not supposed to infringe upon the central district until the next hunting tournament was held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that they had sent a letter in advance like this, and that they had made an offer to help rather than an order to immediately hand over the business, was ultimately because of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They needed a pretext that they had not broken tradition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, this choice was entirely Tollin’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would he accept the imperial family’s proposal immediately and face the storm, or would he express his humbly grateful refusal and appeal once more that the district would be handed over to the imperial family one year later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was the former, unless luck followed them, there was a high chance that the Feedus family would stagger once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was the latter, Feedus would gain one unfavorable condition: they had rejected an imperial proposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were lousy options, but, well, if one added another condition that separated the two, it was the matter of whether Count Crisa lived or died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the former, Count Crisa would somehow prolong his life, but with the latter, the count would certainly die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin had a feeling that accepting their proposal might be the way to save the Crisa family, but that it would cause a great ripple through the Feedus ducal family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the carriage passing through the endless garden, Tollin rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The well-trimmed trees and the flowers from all over the empire, which he had only seen in illustrated guides, might have pleased Tollin’s eyes, but they could not make his heart feel pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head was filled with thoughts about the noble council that would be held today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not damaged the honor of the imperial family, nor had he revealed opposition toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was one part they could use to find fault with him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the objective still the remaining people of the streets after all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the contents of the letter were exactly as written, that the imperial family wanted to support the Feedus family’s business, there would be nothing better than this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a business that would be handed over to the imperial family after one year as a sign of obedience anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the timing was moved forward, there would be no harm to the ducal family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real problem would arise if what they wanted was hidden beneath that, and he could not know what it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he already knew they were questions without answers, Tollin pressed hard against his furrowed brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you all right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pale, who had been watching him worriedly from the opposite side, asked carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, do not mind it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have headache medicine prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, that makes me drowsy, so I cannot take it. How much farther?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We should arrive in about five more minutes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......It certainly is vast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While deliberately ignoring the faint silhouette of the forest that seemed barely visible far away, Tollin closed the carriage window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Acting head of the Feedus ducal family, Lord Tollin Crisa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin entered the ivory-colored conference hall and walked toward the head seat at the table, ignoring the gazes that gathered on him all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Agony Feedus had been holding the ducal title, these were all people who had been anxious because they could not approach him and show their faces even once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the duke’s execution, all of them had turned their backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They must have thought that the Feedus family, which had fallen into the hands of a greenhorn, would decline in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, Tollin had not lost anything belonging to the ducal family and had protected it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the eyes that looked at Tollin, discomfort, reproach, and a little contempt were revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there were people here who had coveted the wealth of the Feedus family and had been badly burned by Tollin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have heard much about you. They say the acting head of the Feedus ducal family has been spending very busy days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after he sat down, Duke Millio, who was seated nearby, spoke to him with a good-natured smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though also a ducal family, the Millio ducal family was one that was compared to the Feedus ducal family while being said to lack tradition and dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin remembered him, who had picked subtle fights with Agony Feedus despite not being his match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin slightly bowed his head to him out of courtesy, then looked forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor had not arrived yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking it would be nice if he had time to sit and rest until then, Tollin quietly closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was what he intended to do, until the irritating man’s voice put a name in his mouth that should not have been spoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Agony Feedus saw the acting head’s current state, he would be very saddened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin looked over the man’s greasy cheeks, lifted from smiling, and smiled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must be Duke Millio. Since I still lack much, I have been poking my nose here and there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the father of that greenhorn who had only watched foolishly in the square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As expected of a young man, your handling of matters lacks consistency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then, at Tollin’s words now focused on him, Duke Millio chuckled and answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps he had heard something from his son, because traces of hostility that he could not hide remained in his unpleasantly upturned eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems foolishness is passed down through generations too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at Duke Millio’s reply, which subtly seemed to belittle him, Tollin did not erase his deep smile and whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is why, as you can see, I have neither fear nor hesitation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the plump face that asked blankly, Tollin’s face slowly stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem to be hiding a special hobby at your villa......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the completely unexpected subject, the color drained from Duke Millio’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How, how did you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh...... If you panic like that, everyone gathered here will find out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that calm voice, Millio realized that his current appearance was suspicious enough and looked around before tightly closing his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light of terror settled in Duke Millio’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Millio had been trying to take revenge for his frightened son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had laughed as much as he wanted whenever people said something about the mad dog of the Feedus ducal family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could that fellow, who had stuck beside the annoying Agony Feedus while cowering, possibly do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you do not want to watch the meeting agenda change to whether Duke Millio should be executed, keep your mouth shut today. A single day will not be enough to move your secret place, will it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who had called this man a mad dog?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a viper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A viper that bit every enemy around it to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it has finally become a little quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin removed his gaze from Duke Millio, whose face had turned white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His Majesty the Emperor and the First Prince enter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With perfect timing, an attendant announced the arrival of the person everyone had been waiting for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two men with beautiful platinum-blonde hair entered the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor took the throne that overlooked the table where they sat, and the First Prince took a seat beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a scene like a god in the heavens looking down on humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their inhuman faces and shining platinum-blonde hair made those who saw them naturally feel overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone bowed their heads before that sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin also bowed his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And clenched his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they would not see the eyes that moment by moment almost revealed a mixture of disloyalty and reverence toward the imperial family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meeting flowed rather smoothly even within the stiff atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was a noble council that had been convened suddenly, everyone was sharply focused on when the emperor would bring out the real agenda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, until the tedious discussion of tax rates ended, the emperor simply sat expressionlessly and said only the bare minimum necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who threw a stone onto the calm surface was the First Prince, Rasia Abiran, who had participated in the meeting as the emperor’s assistant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before the meeting ended, Rasia Abiran requested the right to speak, bowed his head to the emperor, and opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the number of criminals in the capital has greatly decreased recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who were quick-witted glanced toward Tollin, who remained quietly seated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rasia stretched his arm toward Tollin and pointed to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one can deny that all of this is thanks to the Feedus ducal family’s hospital construction project. Both the decrease in crime rate and the improvement of public safety on the streets. The Feedus family is, as it has always been, the sword of the imperial family and a model for the nobility. I believe that watching over such people is also the work of the imperial family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of the First Prince speaking smoothly, as if reciting prepared lines, the hall stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor, who had been sitting on the throne and watching them, opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Acting Duke Feedus, as a sign that the imperial family recognizes your efforts, I shall grant one thing you desire. What do you wish for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the emperor’s extraordinary words, everyone focused on the words of the acting duke, who sat still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within that, Tollin silently lowered his head, enduring the nausea rising in him at the feeling that he had become the protagonist of a cheap play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lines had already been given to him, so even if he was stiff, he had no choice but to match his God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please permit me to dare ask for one thing in response to Your Highness’ gracious words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming that the emperor nodded, Tollin continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the hospital project is being carried out by employing nearby residents, we are lacking specialized personnel and equipment. Therefore, I humbly request the imperial family’s assistance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after finishing his words, Tollin continued not to raise his head, so no one could check his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one opened their mouth, but everyone knew that the help he had now requested from the imperial family was not merely superficial help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, no one spoke it aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor looked around the hall with the same bored expression and said to Tollin,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Granted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young acting head of the Feedus ducal family bowed once more and expressed his thanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The First Prince will take responsibility for this matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I thank you for Your Majesty’s grace, as vast as the sea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of someone tactless swallowing their breath echoed through the silent conference hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tollin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin, who had been walking with the feeling that he might bore through the floor, turned his head at the blunt voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, standing in place and quietly waiting for Ego Crisa to approach him, he opened his mouth first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Count Crisa will soon be released. That is fortunate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ego Crisa looked at Tollin with a face whose thoughts still could not be read, then slowly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was only an order that was not bad for the Feedus family either. It was not something I did for the count.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin answered quickly because he did not want the other person to mistake his choice for belated love toward his family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a conclusion he had reached after weighing various conditions over and over again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Count Crisa lived or died was the lowest priority among all of those things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The issue of handling the vagrants whom Duke Feedus had tried to save had taken a higher position than any sense of duty to save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he delayed the choice for one year, the typhoon that would strike the Feedus family might grow even larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than not knowing what excuse they would use to attack Feedus, it would be easier to respond if the attack was concentrated on the single issue of the hospital business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the time for the nobles’ academy admission was soon approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before then, he needed to somehow create the impression that the Feedus family had not been completely abandoned by the imperial family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only that could be done, the rest would be up to me......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know. That is not what I am thanking you for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ego Crisa’s emotionless voice fell over Tollin’s head as he steeled himself alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what could you possibly have to thank me for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Tollin furrowed his brow at words he could not understand, the corners of Ego Crisa’s mouth curved very slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean that I am grateful you are always yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the feeling that the displeasure already creeping up inside him was piercing through his head, Tollin decided to ignore him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will take my leave now. If possible, I would rather not see your face again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tollin, do you have no intention of seeing Father?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this man saying right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tollin glared at Ego Crisa’s face once more, wondering what exactly it was he had just heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are not close enough to see each other’s faces and ask after each other’s well-being, are we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps thinking there was nothing wrong in Tollin’s words, Ego Crisa quietly nodded, then soon opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tollin, you no longer need to worry about the Crisa family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? I had completely forgotten about them until you came to see me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Tollin spoke in disgust, Ego Crisa muttered, “True”, and laughed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding him unfamiliar today because of how easily he laughed, Tollin turned around, this time truly intending to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, there was no voice holding him back, so there was also no reason for Tollin to look back.\u003C\u002Fp>",2657,"2026-06-04T16:12:46.831Z",1,"revengernovel.com","1cc0a192460417964bf9f441fcf68977816471b07c2eab3b57937dc732b5944a","the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-chapter-24","the-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-chapter-22",33,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-seventh-prince-wants-to-bail-cover.jpg"]