While Her Majesty the Empress and her chief ministers were discussing how to resolve the issue of Prince Edward, the prince had already received the news.
"Justinian is indeed unreliable as expected. If the Empire were handed over to someone like him, it would be a disaster." The elderly prince no longer had the youthful vigor of his younger years, but with just a few words, one could still glimpse the elegant and talented prince of his past.
Although he had aged and often portrayed himself as someone more in love with beauty than with power, the memories of the past still made Prince Edward resemble an old lion, exuding glimpses of the former majesty.
"Your Highness, is this really worth it? Abandoning all your years of planning for one person... it’s too much of a waste." In the room, next to the old prince stood a young officer.
If someone from the Imperial Intelligence Department were present, they would recognize this officer as a member of the Rose Legion who escaped capture.
What they probably did not expect was that behind the Rose Legion was Prince Edward.
If it weren’t for the prince deliberately exposing himself through Justinian, with the incompetence of the Imperial Intelligence Department, they could spend a lifetime and still not trace anything back to the old prince.
In the face of the young officer’s doubts, the old prince smiled nonchalantly, waved his hand, and took up a cigar cutter to trim his cigar: "Young man, don’t take these gains and losses too seriously. Back in the day, because I took these things too seriously, I lost to my uncle and forfeited my chance at inheriting the throne."
Seeing the old prince trimming his cigar, the young officer hurriedly struck a match for him and lit a nearby whale oil lamp, allowing a rich scent to permeate the room.
The old prince lit his cigar with the lamp, took a deep draw, and let the smoke pass through his lungs before exhaling. He then smiled at the young officer and said, "The Empire is now in turmoil, and all elements of instability should be eliminated.
The Rose Legion may be the result of my years of effort, but in the current situation, if I insisted on maintaining them, it would undoubtedly lay a huge hidden danger for the Empire.
So rather than groveling for petty interests, it’s better to take advantage of the fact that I have not yet become senile, and I can still keep you young people in line. I might as well remove all these unstable factors for the Empire."
The young officer showed a puzzled expression, evidently not privy to understanding the old prince’s motivations.
And the old prince apparently did not want to explain much. After clarifying that he was not senile, he waved his hand, signaling the young officer to leave.
After the young officer left, the old prince’s expression gradually turned lonely. He nostalgically took out a necklace from his bosom, unlocked the clasp, revealing a small photograph inside.
The photograph showed a bearded middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to the old prince. Next to him was a woman, appearing of a similar age, her face expressing gentle demeanor and grace.
Looking at the people in the photo, the old prince’s expression became gradually sentimental, as if recalling past events.
In that reminiscence, he seemed to harbor additional feelings for the people in the photograph, expressing certain admiration.
"Mary, I will absolutely fulfill the promise I made to you. No matter what becomes of this country, I will do everything I can to protect it, as I once assured you, because it’s the country you loved." The old prince’s murmurs to the photograph were enough to let anyone knowing who Mary was decipher a truly significant royal scandal.
Regrettably, though there were still people who knew who Mary was, those who could link her to the old prince were now almost extinct.
After all, that was the story from the old prince’s youth, a time when he was still addressed as Prince Edward and was a strong candidate for the throne.
But for the one he loved passionately, he transformed from a prince to a duke and vowed to protect the country she adored, at all costs.
The old prince pledged this and lived by it.
But in the past, when everything in the Empire was prosperous, he didn’t need to do anything extra.
So on the surface, the old prince maintained his image of someone more dazzled by beauty than power, while secretly nurturing the Rose Legion as a stepping stone or leverage to influence the Empire, eliminating its rotten aspects for better development.
The youth officer group developing into what it eventually became was thoroughly disappointing for the old prince.
Nevertheless, the old prince understood he couldn’t always put the Empire in the optimal position, and still needed these young officers.
But now, knowing well that the Empire was on the brink of an apocalyptic catastrophe, how could the old prince possibly sit idly by?
Indeed, the old prince was aware of the end-of-the-world situation.
Given his status and position, it was virtually impossible for the Empire’s decisions and secrets to be hidden from him.
The old prince originally intended to use his influence to assist Perfikot, so he influenced decisions at the Imperial Center, getting them to dispatch an expedition to verify the truths of Perfikot’s claims.