Everyone is Obsessed With Me (reupload)

Chapter 20

When the clock struck half past twelve, Osric sat leisurely with his legs crossed, a teacup resting in his hands. His eyes, a burning gold like the height of summer sun, gleamed beneath the sunlight flooding through the tall windows. He watched the boy standing before him with a scrutinizing gaze.

The child is barely older than his youngest son, yet he dared to meet Osric's gaze directly, showing not the slightest hint of fear.

Czar Kamenev, the second eldest prince, was the Crown Prince of the empire. Like the Empress before him, his hair was the color of scarlet silk, and his eyes shone like rubies. He wore a simple white blouse and black trousers, a thick crimson cape draped loosely over his shoulders.

A calm smile rested on his face, as though Osric's open hostility were nothing more than a passing breeze.

"How was your journey, Your Highness?" Osric asked coldly, setting his teacup upon the table. He folded his arms and tilted his head up, his eyes scrutinizing the prince.

"It was...eventful," Czar replied with a mild smile, speaking as though he were merely conversing with a passerby.

Osric tapped his fingers on his arm and narrowed his eyes.

The Kamenev name was newly established. After the Empress seized the throne and dethroned her cowardly father, she took her mother's surname and forged the weak, power-hungry monarchy into a formidable force. She was smart and sly, knowing when to shut her mouth and when to open it. At times, she would sit calmly and watch, her eyes red like the blood she spilt on the tip of her sword.

Yet anyone who climbed so high would eventually fall. A ruler as strong-willed and cruel as she was bound to have countless blades pointed toward her back. All alone at the peak of power with no one to share the burden with, a fall was inevitable.

Osric felt as though, despite being only fourteen, Czar was far more ambitious than any of his siblings.

A pity, truly.

Such a pity that he, Osric Sather, would soon devour the royal family. One way or another.

"My apologies for arriving without notice," Czar said politely. "There is a matter I wish to discuss with you face to face."

Osric gave a cold snort.

"What matter could be so urgent that His Royal Highness must personally visit my humble abode?"

Czar calmly lifted his teacup and took a sip, his expression never wavering despite the hostility radiating from the Grand Duke.

"My... elder brother has gone missing..."

He looked directly into Osric's cold eyes, his face perfectly calm and serene.

"Do you wish for my assistance in finding him?"

"No," Czar smiled. It was small and mild, as if it were unperturbed by anything. Yet the sharp glint in his eyes sent shivers through the servants waiting nearby.

"My brother is a worldly man. Confining him within the palace would only cause him more suffering."

Osric quirked an eyebrow and uncrossed his arms. A sharp, knowing smile made its way to his lips.

He understood immediately.

Anyone else might assume the Crown Prince is speaking from his heart. But Osric knew better. After all, he was his grandmother's grandson.

"Of course," Czar continued, "such a request would not go unrewarded."

He nodded at the butler behind him. He immediately reached into his suit jacket and took out a silk scroll and presented it to Osric.