I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 40

‘To ask for a curse to be cast on Grand Duke Javez…….’

Dael pondered Van’s request. It was widely known among the nobles that the Emperor’s specialty was curses.

Some curses caused one to vomit blood and die on the spot, while others were conditional—there were limitless ways to apply them.

But Van hadn’t asked the Emperor to kill Grand Duke Javez outright. He knew full well that the Emperor wouldn’t agree to such a request.

‘Your Majesty, Your Highness the Empress, please cast a curse that will kill Grand Duke Javez if either of you is gravely injured!’

He was referring to a one-way curse, not a mutual one. It wasn’t impossible, but it was extremely disadvantageous for the Grand Duke.

It wasn’t something one could do to a man who had committed no crime. And yet, Van seemed absolutely convinced that Grand Duke Javez would harm the Emperor and Empress.

‘Please do it without his knowledge! Your Majesty, I beg you!’

Dael did not fully trust his nephew, but he was certain of one thing—Van’s nature was not malicious.

Otherwise, Dael would never have considered making him crown prince. Van wasn’t the kind to malign others without reason. Dael could understand that Carlyle Javez stood in opposition to Van, but the specific nature of this curse was peculiar.

‘Why is he so convinced Grand Duke Javez will harm me and the Empress?’

Dael wondered if Van had some unspeakable reason. The very fact that he had suddenly discovered a guide named Eleanor was suspicious from the start. And the Grand Duke’s attitude had changed overnight.

The Emperor had recently found himself displeased by the sharp temperament the Grand Duke had begun to show. Up until then, he had been used to the Grand Duke’s slippery, overly deferential manner. But now it was as if the man had become someone else. Though he pretended to bow on the surface, he couldn’t conceal the coldness in his gaze.

Dael, noble from birth, might not always notice false humility, but he could keenly sense contempt or arrogance directed at him. Grand Duke Javez, who had once known his place and bowed first, had changed. And it wasn’t just a passing defiance.

‘Was I wrong about Carlyle?’

Dael had intentionally treated his nephew with severity for the sake of fairness,
but Van’s repeated and earnest pleas left him unable to hold firm.

After all, he and the Empress, who were protected and possessed powerful abilities, were unlikely to die. Even if misfortune struck and one of them did die, and Carlyle Javez died as a result……
‘He wouldn’t be any help to Van’s ascension anyway. Not Grand Duke Javez.’

Dael even thought: if I were to die, would it really matter if the Grand Duke died too?

Though Carlyle Javez was second in line for the throne, Dael had not the slightest intention of passing the crown to him. Even if Van, the first in line, were to die, that wouldn’t change.

‘Van has never been one to ask anything of me.’

And yet that same child was now earnestly begging for a curse to be cast on Grand Duke Javez. And the curse wasn’t even for Van or his guide, but related to the Emperor and Empress.

Van hadn’t asked for the curse to last forever, either. He had simply asked for it to hold until he returned from his expedition.

A temporary curse. One that could end harmlessly, as long as the Emperor and Empress remained safe.

After much deliberation, Emperor Dael came to a decision. Grand Duke Javez’s special ability was magic, but he wouldn’t detect a condition-triggered curse.

‘Even if he realizes it later, I can simply say it was punishment for trying to steal Van’s guide.’

Having made up his mind, the Emperor now pondered what pretext he could use to summon Grand Duke Javez.

*

The Emperor didn’t give Van a clear answer. Although he had more or less expected it after discussing things with Eleanor, he still felt uneasy.

If a curse truly connected Carlyle’s life with that of Their Majesties, then Carlyle wouldn’t be able to harm them. Even if he tried, the curse might turn on him and cost him his own life.

Since they were supposed to depart as soon as permission was granted, Van headed to Eleanor’s quarters. Although mobilizing the troops stationed in the capital would take some time, two or three days would be sufficient.

Eleanor, as his guide, would be leaving with him, so she needed to be prepared as well.

When Van entered the bedroom, Eleanor looked worried the moment she saw his expression.

“What did His Majesty say?”

Van sat down beside Eleanor, who had been resting on the bed. He took her hand and calmly told her everything that had happened.

It had been Eleanor who first brought up the curse linking Carlyle and Their Majesties, so she had the right to know how it turned out.

“…He didn’t give a definite answer.”

“Did you kneel?”

Van nodded at her question. He didn’t usually go into detail about what he did outside, but he always answered when Eleanor asked.

Thinking back to the original plot, she recalled how delicate the relationship between Dael, the Emperor, and Van had been.

Both men had been acting under the assumption that a child might one day be born between the Emperor and Empress.

The Emperor wanted to limit Van’s power, and Van, in turn, tried not to extend his influence beyond the Eastern Duchy.

The same dynamic existed when they dealt with each other as fellow nobles in the capital.

Even if things were relatively cordial, the presence of the guide Luria between them made Eleanor suspect there had always been subtle tension.

Van’s feelings toward Luria clearly stemmed from affection, but from the Emperor’s perspective, Van could easily be seen as a threat.

After all, back then, Luria had been the only guide in the entire Empire.

But the situation had changed. Van now had someone else to be his guide, and he had already formed a bond with her. He would never again need Luria’s guidance.

Just planting the seed of doubt through Carlyle was enough—Eleanor thought Van had already succeeded.

Besides, Van was twenty-three now. When she asked, he admitted that he’d been quite proud at that age.

For someone like that to go so far as to kneel in a plea—the Emperor would have to believe there was a reason.

This wasn’t something that could be openly discussed—it would be dangerous if the other nobles found out—but Eleanor was sure the Emperor would cast the curse.

‘He probably won’t curse himself—he’ll curse the Empress, trusting in his own strength.’

Either way, the curse would become a weapon in the future when facing Carlyle. And if it could protect the two people Van cared about most, there was nothing more he could ask for.

Seeing the worry on Van’s face, Eleanor pulled him into a hug. Despite the size difference, when she tugged gently at his head, he let her pull him into her chest without resistance.

She couldn’t bring herself to say, ‘You’ve done your best, so stop worrying.’

They were trying to save people who were like parents to them.

In the end, only results would matter. If those people didn’t survive, no matter how hard they had tried, it wouldn’t feel like they’d truly done their best.

That was what Eleanor and Van feared most.

*

The Emperor’s special ability—his “curse”—was notoriously difficult to deal with. Carlyle had to invest a great deal of time just trying to understand how exactly it worked.

Some mages were capable of casting curses with nothing more than a name, a drop of blood, or a strand of hair. But the Emperor’s power was entirely different. It wasn’t magic—it was divine. It required no medium, no spell. It was the raw power of a god.

Carlyle had once witnessed, over a decade ago, an assassin who attempted to kill the Emperor collapse and cough up blood before even touching the Emperor’s shadow.

And it hadn’t just been one or two. At the time, a wave of assassins had come after the Emperor, only to drop dead one after another—vomiting blood, their necks twisted at unnatural angles. The sheer terror and awe those scenes inspired were more than enough to prove the Emperor’s overwhelming might.

Anyone near him who defied his will could die just like that. Carlyle believed there were no exceptions.

Even someone like Van, whose own power was said to rival the Emperor’s, would fall instantly if the curse was invoked.

Carlyle feared this ability—but didn’t believe it was unbeatable.

The Emperor, strong as he was, was also arrogant. Despite his extraordinary abilities, he refrained from using them to their full potential.

If Carlyle had possessed such a power—not magic, but a true curse—he would have cursed every single person who posed a threat to his rule. There were countless curses that could activate only if harm befell him, capable of devastating his enemies even without immediate death.

And yet Dael had never used such curses on his subordinates.

It was a foolish and prideful choice.

Still, because he could never know when the Emperor might change his mind, Carlyle disliked meeting with him. Unless the Emperor explicitly summoned him, Carlyle did his best to avoid him.