I Reincarnated as the Villainess's Brother, and my Family may Fall to Ruin

Chapter 25: Who Dares to Harm Him

This was the thirteen-year-old Virgil.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

I take a huge sigh of relief as I leave the premises of the estate.

Luckily I was able to complete the mission. I'm glad I've at least improved this much. I guess all that's left is going home and reporting to the Duke.

I started doing these missions when I was 9, which was almost a custom for the Deianira Duchy. In all honesty, I should've started it later because I had only joined the family, but because of my genius status, I had made a lot of progress. However, I don't even know if that's a good thing...

I've talked about it before, I'm pretty sure. The Deianira family is basically a dog of the Imperial family(more-so the king) and often did their dirty work in the shadows. Although other families knew that the Deianira family were directly under the foot of the Emperor, they didn't actually know about the secret missions they did.

Previous Emperors of the past would often only use us to stifle any small rebellions and whatnot, but it was the current reigning king that had used the Deianira family to its fullest potential.

He may be a complete delusional and paranoid asshole, but this man WAS the person that had brought about the glory Adalphine had today.

He realized the potential our family's shadow magic had and made full use of it from an early age. By the time he was a teenager, he was claiming victories in wars, spreading his and the kingdom's name throughout the land. While he performed great feats on the battlefield, he would send out the Deianira family to gather intel or sabotage the enemy camps, allowing his army to gain a better advantage for the next battle.

Afterward, he had gained the praise of the people, making him a war hero and savior for the land. He alone had brought glory to the small kingdom of Adalphine, while the Deianira family did many of the dirty work in the background. It only seemed like he led the army through a valiant effort, but he had always been pulling the strings during the battles.

This gave him a clean and strong image which he used to further propel his standings, so he stood out even amongst the other heir candidates. In turn, he was given the title of the crown prince, despite being the 4th prince of the kingdom.

However, some other nobles were on the side of the other princes. Some believed he was too young to rule and some wanted to back a younger prince who they could possibly manipulate once crowned.

During this great divide, he again used the Deianira family, who he had direct access to as the crown prince, once more.

There were many things done that most would not talk about. They were orders, and they could not be refused. The leash they were on was short and it became shorter every day.

From blackmail to even assassination, more and more noble families realized what was at stake if they went against the crown prince.

Finally, once he got engaged and married to the daughter of a neighboring kingdom's princess, his position as crown prince was unshakably fortified.

It seemed like a coincidence, but even that was a plan he had conducted. Things like blackmail, threatening, and negotiations were just child's play to him by now.

I never learned what exactly he got ahold of to make them give up the only princess of the Lilith Kingdom, but it was almost as if the whole succession war was a play and he was the director of it.

That princess was the current kingdom's Queen, and also Cyril's mother by the way. I can see why she didn't really develop any feelings of love. Coming from another kingdom to foreign lands as almost a hostage, her title as Empress was her only defense.