The Great Wish - Chapter 40: I Can’t See an Inch Ahead (1)

Jeffrey stayed out of sight for several days after his disagreement with Dian. At first, he felt indignant. After all, everything he had done was for Dian’s benefit.

He felt unappreciated, upset that his hard work, running around tirelessly and sacrificing sleep, wasn’t acknowledged. But as time passed, the shock subsided.

“People are all different. How could there ever be a complete agreement?”

In hindsight, it was actually unusual that Dian had followed along without complaint until now. Relationships between people strengthen through arguments and reconciliation, gradually deepening understanding. Jeffrey concluded that he and Dian were simply going through a natural rite of passage.

“The real problem is that I’ve been treating Dian as if he were still a child. He’s much older now, and soon he’ll have a child of his own.”

As his thinking shifted, he felt a sense of satisfaction instead.

“Yes, if he’s to take the throne, he needs to have that kind of backbone.”

How could someone be expected to rule an empire if they waver at every opinion?

“It’s probably for the best.”

Better to deal with it now than have things quietly pile up and explode later, becoming impossible to manage. Now that he was aware of it, he could find a way to handle the situation.

“Dian really is just like Edith. It must be in the blood, even though they never spent time together.”

Jeffrey thought of his overly naive sister.

There was a time when Edith had gone out on a cold day and returned shivering without a hat or gloves. When asked about the gloves, she said she had given them to a beggar child who looked cold. Dian was her son, after all.

“It’s hard to change one’s nature. If Dian struggles to endure the darkness, he just needs to stay in the light.”

Dian was Jeffrey’s only blood relative under the heavens, his sister’s only son. For him, Jeffrey was willing to dirty his hands.

“The real issue is Dian’s trust in the Silver King…”

Now was the perfect time to solidify Dian’s position. The Silver King and Marquis Rimone were both away, and though he didn’t know whether Marquis Ladd would be an obstacle, the marquis was absent as well.

During this window, it was crucial to restore Dian’s place in the line of succession and ensure the nobles were reminded that Dian was destined for the throne.

Jeffrey’s urgency was due to a pressing reality: he was starting to understand the gap between his ideals and reality. Money. He had never imagined such a problem would become such a headache.

That’s why he needed to win over powerful nobles and raise funds. There were some opportunists trying to reach out to him over the past few days, but they were of no consequence. The heavyweights were still watching from the sidelines.

“First, I need to secure a strong ally.”

Jeffrey visited Duke Bless. Randell warmly welcomed him, and Jeffrey was relieved to see his friend unchanged.

As Randell set his teacup down, he opened his eyes wide in surprise, double-checking what he had just heard.

“Did you just ask me to be a witness to His Majesty the Iron King’s birth?”

“People are well aware of the long-standing relationship between our families. Your word would carry a lot of weight.”

“But I only found out your sister was pregnant when you told me recently.”

“That may be true, but still…

“Jeffrey,” Randell called out in a low voice. Sensing something unusual, Jeffrey closed his mouth and listened.

“Are you asking me to lie?”

Jeffrey hesitated, unable to respond immediately.

“A lie for a friend is only permissible when it harms no one and when my conscience allows it. The birth of His Majesty, the Iron King, is not something I can speak of lightly.”

“Randell, it’s the undeniable truth that His Majesty is the son of the Emperor and Edith. It’s a lie, yes, but it’s also not really a lie.”

“Don’t try to persuade me. Do you want me to call you Duke Acheron?”

Jeffrey’s eyes wavered at the mention of treating him not as a friend but as the head of a rival house. He hadn’t expected Randell to refuse, and the rejection caught him off guard. Flustered, he let out an awkward cough.

“You’re as stubborn as your late uncle,” Jeffrey said, gulping down his tea in an attempt to mask his growing discomfort. He glanced at Randell’s expression, but his friend’s face betrayed nothing.

It was impossible to tell if Randell’s reluctance stemmed from his conscience or if something else was at play. Jeffrey couldn’t shake the memory of Randell’s past support for the Silver King.

“Could it be?” Doubt began to sprout in Jeffrey’s heart. He decided to change the subject, shifting the conversation to more mundane topics and reminiscing about old times.

“Both you and I suffered through painful years, and the Rimone family was a decisive factor in that. Even now, I wake up in anger in the middle of the night. Don’t you feel the same?”

“What’s the use of tormenting myself over things that have passed?”

“Now that the Rimone Duchy is in disarray, I plan to strike before they regain their footing. I intend to accuse the Rimone family of deceiving the late emperor and slandering the House of Acheron. It’s the truth, after all. You’re a victim, too. Won’t you raise your voice with me?”

Randell stared silently at Jeffrey, and the longer the silence stretched between them, the more Jeffrey’s expression twisted in frustration. He could sense the rejection in Randell’s quiet demeanor.

Jeffrey slammed his palm down on the table with a loud bang.

“How could you do this? How could you betray me too?!”

“Jeffrey, you’ve changed.”

“You’re the one who’s changed!” Jeffrey shot up from his seat.

“My father treated you like a son! I considered you my only true friend!”

Randell didn’t stop him as Jeffrey stormed out. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed from behind.

“If only your late uncle could see you now, he’d be deeply disappointed. I just hope I can stop you before you do something you’ll regret.” Randell muttered bitterly, a faint smile of sorrow tugging at his lips.

Once outside the Duke of Bless’s estate, Jeffrey wandered, grumbling to himself and looking around aimlessly. He had no sense of direction or where to go next.

The streets were empty, dark, and silent. Staring at the ground before lifting his eyes to the sky, he let out a heavy sigh. He felt lost—angry and despondent, like a child abandoned.

“Time has clouded your judgment, Randell. You’ve latched onto a rotten branch. The one destined to become emperor is not the Silver King, but the Iron King!”

A surge of defiance rose within him. He would make the Iron King the emperor with his own hands, to prove his friend—and the world—wrong.

“I’ll head to Duke Grossi’s estate.”

The Duke of Grossi, the grandfather of the Iron Queen, Violet, wouldn’t refuse the honor of seeing his own bloodline ascend to the throne. He would certainly lend his full support. With a new destination in mind, Jeffrey moved swiftly.

***

Patricia tossed a small pouch to the middle-aged man who stood with his head bowed.

“Well done.”

The man carefully caught the pouch, bowed repeatedly, and left.

“So, they’re starting to plot, are they?”

Patricia let out a cold, mocking laugh. The man who had just left was her informant planted in Duke Grossi’s estate. He had brought her news of Jeffrey Acheron’s visit to the duke.

Though Patricia’s network had greatly diminished and her support from Rimone had been cut off, the seeds she had sown in the past were still bearing fruit.

Since she had bought off someone already within the household, the risk of discovery was low. They weren’t in regular contact, nor did they deal in high-level information.

But Patricia knew how to sift through trivial details to find the gems. Her experience running the gossip-laden world of high society had honed her instincts. She could grasp the broader situation from just a few minor clues.

“Is Duke Grossi the first ally Jeffrey Acheron is trying to recruit, or is he the second, after Duke Bless?”

Back when she was at the height of her influence, Patricia had made connections with almost every noble family. However, the House of Bless hadn’t been of interest. At the time, she had assumed they would remain forever secluded on their lands.

She regretted that decision now. She shouldn’t have left any gaps.

“I can’t figure out what Duke Bless is thinking…”

All she could do was speculate that Duke Bless might help Jeffrey, given the longstanding relationship between their two families.

“I’ll worry about Duke Bless later. For now, Duke Grossi comes first. Jeffrey Acheron and Duke Grossi are likely bound by the child in Iron Queen Violet’s womb.”

In that case, Patricia thought, she would have to sever that connection.

“Jeffrey Acheron, you won’t achieve anything. What can you possibly do, clinging to the glory of a once-great House Acheron?”

A cruel smile played on Patricia’s red lips.

The next day, Violet was summoned to the Red King’s palace. Feeling guilty that Silver King had gone as a special envoy in Iron King’s stead, she couldn’t refuse the Red King’s request for company.

“Eight months along, is it?”

“Not yet eight months, Your Majesty.”

“Your belly is quite large. Is the baby lively?”

“Yes, very active.”

“It reminds me of when I carried the Silver King in my womb.”

Patricia’s expression softened as she reminisced. Violet had feared that the Red King might resent her, but now she relaxed.

The two women made small talk over tea. That evening, however, Violet began to suffer from unexplained nausea and vomiting.

“What’s wrong with the queen? Is there a problem?” Iron King asked.

The court physician replied, “We cannot determine the cause at present. The baby seems healthy. We’ll need to monitor the symptoms further.”

Violet’s nausea soon subsided, and she ate her delayed dinner with good appetite. Since a pregnant woman’s body behaves unpredictably, it was dismissed as a minor incident.

Two days later, the Red King summoned Violet again for tea. That evening, Violet complained of a headache. The physician came but could not find the cause, shrugging it off as a common ailment.

Since they couldn’t administer painkillers to a pregnant woman, the maids massaged Violet’s temples, and the headache eventually faded.

Two days later, the Red King invited Violet once more. They talked about everyday topics like the weather and childbirth preparations while sharing tea. That evening, Violet experienced severe numbness in her limbs, leaving her unable to move from her bed.

At this point, it became suspicious. When coincidences repeat, they’re no longer coincidences. Dian privately summoned a maid to confirm Violet’s schedule for the day.

“She visited the Red King’s palace again today, Your Highness.”

After hearing the physician’s report, Dian went to Violet. Her earlier pallor had improved.

“Your Highness, the numbness has mostly subsided now. The baby’s okay, right?”

Violet’s only concern was for the child. The baby’s movements in her womb reassured her.

“The physician said everything is fine, so don’t worry.”

Dian comforted his wife and asked what she had done throughout the day. What he really wanted to know was about her time with the Red King, but he didn’t want to cause her distress by suggesting that someone was trying to harm her or their child.

Violet answered Dian’s questions easily, unaware that he was probing. She didn’t seem to suspect the Red King at all. Over the past months, she had received many gifts from the Red King, and even the Silver King, who had taken some of the gifts for inspection, hadn’t raised any concerns. Violet had actually felt ashamed for doubting the Red King’s kindness.

Dian couldn’t pinpoint anything particularly strange in her story.

“They shared tea from the same pot… so why is Violet the only one getting sick?”

The symptoms had been mild and brief, and by the next day, she would fully recover without any lingering effects. Even the physician didn’t think it was anything serious, attributing it to the normal range of pregnancy symptoms.

“The best option would be for Violet to avoid meeting with the Red King.”

But how long could they keep that up? The baby wasn’t due for a while yet, and they couldn’t keep refusing the Red King’s invitations. She was an elder of the imperial family, and Violet was obligated to show her respect.

“What should I do? How can I stop this?”

Dian paced the room, deep in thought. What was the Red King’s endgame? Without concrete evidence, confronting her based on suspicion alone would only complicate things, especially if something more serious happened later.

He could wait for the Red King to make a definitive move, but that would mean letting Violet suffer in the meantime. And Dian would never use his wife as bait.

“No. It’s best if she avoids the Red King altogether.”

Dian persuaded Violet to stay at Duke Grossi’s estate until the baby was born, telling her it would help ease her mind and benefit the child. Violet, thinking of the baby, agreed readily. Dian secured the emperor’s permission, and the next day, Violet left the palace.

Patricia smiled silently when she heard that the Iron Queen had left the palace.

***