I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 26

Carlyle’s accusation was quietly dismissed. The emperor had deemed any further debate meaningless due to the high compatibility between Eleanor and Van.

Neither the assembled ministers nor the western nobles could refute this decision. They were now forced to acknowledge that Van had found his Guide.

Some western nobles seemed dissatisfied, but under the emperor’s piercing gaze, they had no choice but to hold their tongues.

After dismissing the court, the emperor and empress summoned Eleanor and Van separately. There were many pressing matters to address, but one issue had to be settled first—Eleanor’s status.

As a Guide, she could be granted the rank of baronet immediately, but that alone was not enough for her to become the consort of a duke. To marry Van and eventually become empress, she needed to be adopted into a marquis family at the very least.

“I would like to recommend my brother’s family, House Emperton,” Empress Luria suggested.

Van felt relieved at her words. It was practically a declaration that the empress herself wished to protect Eleanor.

Furthermore, this arrangement would also benefit the empress’s family, making it an offer they would have no reason to refuse.

“Would it truly be acceptable for me?” Eleanor asked cautiously.

Luria nodded warmly. In truth, she was rather relieved that Eleanor was only a C-rank Guide. As a B-rank Guide herself, Luria had faced pressure to assist more members of the imperial family beyond Dael. But with Eleanor being C-rank, there would be no such expectations.

Even with a high compatibility rate, just guiding Van alone would already be exhausting for her.

For the sake of the imperial family, this was the best possible outcome—Luria was certain of it.

“Of course. Once you marry Van, you will be part of the imperial family, so there is no need to feel burdened,” Luria reassured her gently.

Eleanor quietly studied her face. In her past life, she had never once spoken with Luria. She had only seen her once at an imperial ball.

The Luria Eleanor had known was the empress who met a tragic and meaningless end in the original story.

It was only because Luria had struggled desperately to take revenge on Carlyle that Eleanor had been able to learn about the secret passage, its key, and its location.

In many ways, she was a benefactor.

“…I will never forget Your Majesty’s kindness,” Eleanor said sincerely.

Luria seemed pleased by her response and nodded slowly.

*

News spread quickly that Van, the duke of the East, had found his Guide—and that their compatibility rate exceeded 90%. The first to receive this information were the members of the imperial family.

Not all imperial family members required a Guide. Even if one was born royal, a Guide was unnecessary unless their abilities manifested.

However, it was not uncommon for an imperial who did not need a Guide themselves to later have children who did.

Noah was one such case.

His father knew nothing about the suffering that imperials with abilities had to endure. What he feared most was witnessing Noah die a gruesome death before his eyes. So, while he spared no resources in supporting his son, he preferred that Noah live far away from him.

At first, Noah had settled in a mansion in the capital. He had hoped that if a Guide ever appeared, he could bring them before the emperor.

But as more than ten years passed since his abilities awakened, that hope faded. He eventually abandoned the capital and moved to a manor in its outskirts.

Publicly, he was a tragic imperial, shut away in his home, lost to drugs. His residence was said to always be filled with the scent of incense mixed with hallucinogenic blissweed, and rumors swirled that he spent his days with dancers by his side.

He rarely used his abilities. Most imperials refrained from doing so without a Guide.

As long as one could suppress their emotions well enough, it was possible to survive without ever using their abilities. The longest-living imperial without a Guide on record had reached the age of sixty.

People believed Noah was merely prolonging his life the same way—by relying on drugs. Blissweed left one in a state of perpetual euphoria, lulling them into a dreamlike daze.

“Noah…”

Vivian, still basking in the afterglow of their passion, stretched lazily across the bed. A lilac-colored sheet draped over her sensual, bare body.

Noah, his expression blissful, climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.

“My love… There’s joyful news in the capital.”

“What news?”

“It’s about Van. That boy has found his Guide.”

Despite Noah’s gentle tone, a flicker of unease crossed Vivian’s face. She feared that she might lose her imperial lover.

“…Is the Guide of a High Rank?”

“Ah… I didn’t quite catch it, but B-rank? No, maybe they said C-rank. But their compatibility with Van is high—over 90%…”

“My goodness…”

Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise. Noah chuckled and kissed her cheek.

“My love, what were you so wary of just now? You know you’re my only one.”

Realizing that her unease had shown on her face, Vivian touched her cheek in embarrassment. Noah gently placed his hand over hers.

“You don’t need to worry. You will always be my only love.”

Noah whispered as he eased Vivian back onto the bed.

She was a hidden Guide. An E-rank, one so insignificant that no one would ever think to search for her—which allowed her to remain concealed.

Her compatibility with Noah was 67%.

Neither of them ever spoke the word Guide. Information could leak anywhere, no matter how careful they were. They kept only the most trustworthy servants close, yet never revealed their secret.

In a world where Guides were rare, if it were discovered that Vivian was one, even the emperor or other royals might try to take her away.

Neither Noah nor Vivian wanted that. From the moment they first met, they had loved only each other. They had no need for any other royals or Guides.

To Noah, Vivian was his very life. He had met her at a time when even the temple’s Guiding substitutes—the drugs meant to replace a Guide’s presence—had stopped working for him.

To Vivian, Noah was the man who had saved her when her own father tried to sell her to a brothel. She could never imagine belonging to another man.

Noah had entered the brothel that night to purchase a companion for the evening. At the time, he had already begun using blissweed, and he knew that an ordinary lady or servant could not endure it.

Vivian had just been sold by her father when Noah arrived.

Seeing the commotion unfold before him, Noah had simply tossed a pouch of gold and bought her on the spot.

And then, he had said—

“I’m a man who will die soon anyway. That money would have been wasted like water, so don’t think of this as a debt.”

He hadn’t intended to make her a servant, nor had he asked her to stay. She was free to leave if she wished.

But instead, Vivian had fallen to her knees and pleaded to serve him—even if just as a maid.

Noah hadn’t thought long before granting her request. He was wealthy; another maid or two made no difference to him.

Yet, when he reached out and helped her up with his own hand, he realized—Vivian was a Guide.

And Vivian, the moment she touched him, knew something was different.

She had already felt drawn to him before, but from that moment on, she willingly became his Guide. It was she who had proposed hiding her identity and pretending to be nothing more than Noah’s mistress.

“When Van becomes emperor… and the empire finally settles down, let’s get married too.”

Now that Van had a Guide, the emperor, Dael, would no longer be obsessed with tracking down every potential Guide.

And by then, most of the imperials without Guides would have perished. It had happened before, when Dael was still a prince.

Even if Noah took Vivian and disappeared into the countryside, it would only seem like a dying royal retreating into seclusion with his lover.

“Yes… I would love that… I would love that, Noah.”

Soon the bedroom was filled with gasping breaths and ecstatic moans.