Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 363 (Part 2):

“Renosa has close ties to the Temple. I already knew that the Grand Duchess of Renosa was a devout follower of Lumen, but ever since the Grand Duke’s health declined, the bond between Renosa and the Temple has grown even stronger.

Even after the Grand Duke recovered and returned to his duties, the relationship persisted. Essentially, Renosa is siding with the Temple’s interests.”

“That goes against the will of His Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness, doesn’t it? Then why is the Grand Duke of Renosa letting it happen?” Asuka tilted his head.

If the imperial family disapproved of the Temple, Renosa should feel the same. After all, Renosa likely wouldn’t want the Temple influencing them too heavily.

“The Grand Duke cares deeply for his wife, and he can’t cast her aside. Besides, she fulfilled her duty by bearing his children.”

She would one day be the mother of Renosa’s next Grand Duke. Also, when demonic beasts appeared in Renosa and the Grand Duke was injured, the Temple had come to his aid.

Renosa was in no position to simply ignore the Temple if it asked for something.

Up to now, Renosa giving the Temple a helping hand had only meant minor involvement in the Temple’s financial or political interests. But this time, it was a much bigger issue.

‘So the Temple must have chosen Michael in the struggle for Renosa’s succession,’ Asuka speculated inwardly.

If that was the case, Michael’s eager defense of the Temple made sense.

He was probably thinking he’d deal with them later—*after* he inherited the Grand Duchy.

In that scenario, to earn the Temple’s support, he would have to openly back their interests.

Although the Grand Duke of Renosa hadn’t shown any sign of favoring Charlotte, he also hadn’t officially named an heir yet.

After regaining his health, the Grand Duke seemed quite vigorous; perhaps he planned to watch his children a bit longer before deciding.

That uncertainty must have made Michael anxious.

‘But whether Michael wants it or not, the problem is that the Temple is expanding its influence in Renosa.’

The Crown Prince trusted Michael’s intelligence, having seen it firsthand since childhood.

But he doubted Michael could fully rein in the Temple.

Life was full of unpredictable variables, and Michael’s health was fragile.

That day, the Crown Prince learned something new, which got him thinking:

‘If this fellow here has any sort of connection to Charlotte of Renosa…’

Grand Duke Farnese rarely spoke about his children, so until recently, the Crown Prince hadn’t paid much attention to Asuka.

He had too many duties to concern himself with an unintroduced, troublemaking cousin from the imperial line.

But when the Crown Prince actually laid eyes on Asuka, he realized the man wasn’t so dull as to misunderstand everything being said, and he had impressive swordsmanship skills.

The Crown Prince was also surprised to learn Asuka had graduated top of the swordsmanship department at Greta Academy.

‘If he’s also sharp-minded, he could become quite an asset.’

Grand Duke Farnese was a staunch ally of the Emperor.

Thus, Farnese’s heir, Asuka, should by rights become the Crown Prince’s strong right arm.

He had excellent abilities, though his personality could be problematic.

Even that personality, however, wouldn’t be an issue if he were to form a connection with Charlotte, the ducal princess of Renosa.

From the Crown Prince’s perspective, Asuka’s personality was unlikely to threaten imperial power, so giving him authority wouldn’t be risky. Moreover, if he married Charlotte, she could rival Michael as a more Temple-neutral successor to Renosa.

The Crown Prince’s mind whirred with calculations.

Of course, it all disregarded Asuka’s own wishes.

He felt he had enough discernment to form a fair judgment of Asuka after seeing him for a while.

‘Still…maybe it’s a bit early.’

One can’t fully know a person in such a short time.

Even if Asuka *did* seem as transparent as a sheet of glass.

“You’re facing quite a headache, I see,” Asuka said, receiving the Crown Prince’s gaze with a disgruntled look. “I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear any of this.”

Why not just ask Grand Duke Farnese about it? he thought. Asuka was a royal in name only, and this was none of his concern.

After all, he was closer to Helmut than to the imperial family.

‘I’ll have to tell Helmut about this today.’

Michael was siding with the Temple, and as a result, tensions were rising with the imperial family.

Asuka had changed his mind about sending Sian off in secret. He needed Sian around for a while longer so he could communicate with Helmut or Alea.

Besides, Sian was perfectly happy coming and going from the imperial palace library these days.

Asuka blurted out, “It’d be nice if someone else became Renosa’s heir instead of Michael, right?”

He said it absentmindedly, but not entirely without intent. It was a slight hint.

At that moment, the Crown Prince’s expression shifted subtly.

‘Is he thinking the same thing as I am? Could it be?’

Even if the Crown Prince considered Michael acceptable, he was still the Crown Prince.

Whoever became Grand Duke of Renosa mattered little as long as it benefitted him. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“It would be ideal if there were a better candidate, but alas…”

“I know. A suitable person—that’s the real problem, isn’t it?”

They were both thinking of different individuals: Helmut and Charlotte.

Before long, the Crown Prince found a chance to take another measure of Asuka.

Feigning deliberation for about a day, the Crown Prince ignored Michael’s petition and declared that the Temple in question would be closed.

Publicly, he was acting on behalf of the Emperor in matters regarding the Temple, so he could make that decision unilaterally.

Only two days after that announcement, there was an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince.

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