The Billionaire CEO Becomes the Youngest Emperor-Chapter 8 - : Between You and the Continent

How...? How could this situation happen?

No... no... no...

Damn... damn... damn... Bloody hell...

That bastard... That damn bastard...

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

How could an insect... a nobody... an incapable brat like that kid organize all this??

Marquis Clerc was drowning in alarming thoughts, his mind swirling with anger and panic.

Zand... The 10th empire... They betrayed me!!

He struggled to keep his composure — he knew it well, giving in to panic would mean his ultimate end.

This can't be... Everything I've built... It can't collapse like a mere house of cards...

He had to buy time — and fast.

Little by little, his face regained its serious demeanor, masking as best as he could the storm raging inside him.

---

Adeline, on her end, was frozen. Her mind struggled to process what she had just witnessed. In the hall, documents had been distributed to everyone — even the youngest.

Children her age, just like her, looked bewildered by these papers filled with complex terms. But Adeline, the top student of the Walpurgis Academy — the only and most prestigious academy of the empire — managed to grasp the essentials.

And those essentials were terrifying.

She lifted her eyes toward her father, her gaze filled with incomprehension and pain. Her lips trembled.

— "T-Treason...? My father... betrayed the empire?" she whispered, as if speaking the words made them even more unreal.

No... this can't be...

For Adeline, her father was everything. Her role model, her pillar. Motherless, she had always only had him.

Yes, he was strict — even relentless — about etiquette, the empire's values, and the way of the sword. But he had also always been a gentle and protective man in her eyes.

So the idea that he could commit such a monstrous act seemed simply unthinkable.

And yet... All the evidence was there. And as if that wasn't enough, Boris Zand — the "Grey Fox" of the 10th empire — had testified and already passed judgment.

There was no room left for doubt.

With a heavy heart, Adeline turned her distressed gaze toward the one who, from his throne, watched the scene with a satisfied smile.

Lucian.

Their eyes met. But the pressure emanating from this boy, whom she thought she knew, was so overwhelming that she immediately looked away, unable to withstand his oppressive aura.

She coughed violently. Her weakened body betrayed her state — both physical and emotional.

The useless boy I thought I knew... The one I was once engaged to...

He was no longer the same.

He had become someone else. Someone powerful, dominant... so much so that she couldn't even look him in the eye anymore, despite being the same age.

And now... the only pillar of her life, her father, was accused of treason.

She knew all too well the punishment for this crime.

Death...

The death of the marquis... and his entire family.

Tears began to flow silently down her face. She cried quietly, praying that no one would notice. But at that moment, all eyes were fixed on the main actors of this tragedy.

I don't want to... I don't want to die... Dad...

---

A nervous smile appeared on Marquis Clerc's face.

— "This... this is absurd... My dear friends, look at him! This Lucian... is he really the real Lucian?"

All eyes turned toward the throne. Lucian, comfortably seated, observed the assembly with calm and amusement.

— "W-What do you mean?" cautiously asked a noble, clearly a desperate ally of the marquis.

— "What I mean is that we have all known Emperor Lucian since his youth, back when his late father was alive. But this cunning behavior, this arrogance... This is not the true Lucian! It must be the work of a dark sorcerer who has taken possession of his body!"

Clinging to this last lifeline, Marquis Clerc's faction began murmuring, trying to sow doubt in the minds of the other nobles.

— "Now that you mention it... This is indeed not the Lucian we knew."

— "His behavior has changed drastically... This haughty tone... It was never in his nature..."

— "And his arm... Maybe it's somehow connected to all this..."

The murmurs grew louder and sharper, hesitation spreading little by little.

But no one was fooled.

You'd have to be blind not to see that the marquis was simply trying to buy time.

Eyes flicked back and forth between Lucian and Clerc, filled with doubt and questions.

Lucian, however, kept smiling, clearly amused by the situation.

Chris, standing beside him, was struggling to hold back his laughter.

As for Boris Zand, the gray-haired guest, he calmly sipped his tea, watching the chaos unfold with undisguised interest.

I thought I could still use him as a full-time employee... But a dog that bites its master has no value.

---

"Enough of this farce!"

A harsh, gravelly voice suddenly echoed through the hall, silencing the room instantly.

All eyes turned toward the new figure entering.

A towering man with a scarred face and fiery red hair strode forward with firm, resolute steps.

Grand Duke Angelos Red.

The most influential businessman in the empire — sometimes even more powerful than the imperial family itself.

"You are a traitor. A disgrace who no longer has the right to speak."

His voice was cold and cutting.

He advanced toward Marquis Clerc, who was now deathly pale.

"One word from you, Your Majesty, and I will behead him on the spot."

He drew his ceremonial sword. Though symbolic, the blade was sharp enough to end a life.

This was the final blow.

With Lucian's damning evidence, Zand's testimony, and the intervention of Grand Duke Red... there was no longer any escape.

But in his desperation, the marquis made one last, desperate move.

"Wait...!"

A twisted smile crept across his face.

"I... I offer you my daughter... Adeline... The best in the empire... Take her! Do whatever you want with her, but... Spare me...!"

Yes... Why didn't I think of this sooner...? Everything started falling apart after the engagement was broken... I can still survive... I must survive...

---

Ah...

Adeline kept her head down, her shoulders trembling as the words of the man she called her father echoed in her mind.

In that precise moment, her entire world crumbled. The despair washing over her was deeper and darker than any abyss.

I should have seen this coming... But it doesn't matter anymore... I'm going to die...

Slowly, she lifted her eyes and met the gaze of another girl her age. This girl had striking crimson hair, and her face was twisted with barely restrained fury. Her lips were nearly bleeding from how hard she was biting them, clearly holding back the urge to explode.

Adeline forced a bitter smile.

You'll finally take first place in the next ranking... Livia Red.

---

At that very moment

Lucian observed the scene, his expression calm and composed. But inside, a quiet rage was building.

Human trafficking... So it's not that rare in this world after all...

Even as he tried to keep his cool, the fury inside him threatened to boil over.

How dare he treat my future slav— ahem, knight as mere merchandise? This disgusting pig...

I'm going to kill him... I have to kill him.

The atmosphere in the great hall grew heavier. Everyone was waiting for the emperor's response. And at last, Lucian's childish voice rang out, loud and clear:

"Duke Red, what is the punishment for treason against the Empire?"

The Grand Duke, still standing beside the kneeling marquis, glanced at him with pure disgust before turning back toward the emperor.

After a brief pause, the Grand Duke knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, according to Article 4 of Imperial Law, the punishment for high treason is the death of the guilty party... along with their entire family. The same applies to all their accomplices."

At those words, the hall fell into an icy silence.

In that instant, everyone realized this was no longer just political maneuvering. The days of nobles basking in comfort and luxury were coming to an end.

The seed of fear had been planted.

Among the heirs present — children the same age as Lucian — sheer terror was etched onto every face.

That look...

A shiver ran down their spines. Despite his youth, Lucian had just established himself as a force never to be underestimated.

And yet, behind his cold, imposing exterior, Lucian's mind raced.

Yikes... Isn't this a bit too harsh? What kind of barbaric law is this...?

The death of the guilty party, sure... but their entire family?!

Adeline would be killed too, wouldn't she?

He felt a sharp pang in his heart.

— "Marquis Clerc..."

The man in question, still kneeling, had a vacant look in his eyes. He knew that any resistance was now futile.

His supporters also realized that they probably wouldn't be leaving this room alive.

All eyes were fixed on Lucian — some stunned, others shocked, excited, or disdainful.

But everyone was waiting for his decision.

Lucian took a deep breath.

— "I have no desire to soil my house with the blood of insects," he declared calmly.

Eyes widened across the room.

Even Boris Zand, usually unshakable, couldn't hide his surprise.

— "But... since these insects have become a nuisance, it's only natural for the owner to drive them out."

He paused, savoring the weight of his words.

— "I won't kill you, nor your family... but you and all your supporters are stripped of your noble titles and exiled from the Empire. Forever."

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the assembly.

— "Your entire family will be demoted to commoners. All your properties will be seized. You'll be left with only the bare minimum to survive."

The shock was absolute.

Even Duke Red, so confident just moments ago, seemed frozen in place.

Adeline stared at Lucian with wide eyes, unable to comprehend why he had spared them.

— "That is my decision," Lucian concluded, his voice brooking no argument.

---

At the top of the Imperial Palace

A woman sat, watching the scene from a place that should have been sealed off.

But for a Transcendent, such details hardly mattered.

A smirk tugged at her lips.

— "Ah... That boy wasn't bluffing."

Rising slowly, she cast one last glance toward the throne room.

— "And yet... I'll have to choose... between the continent and you, little brother..."

With a rush of air, she vanished.

An instant later, she reappeared in the vast Imperial Chamber.

On the desk, she placed a golden card.

Then, as if she had never been there, she disappeared once again — leaving behind only a lingering sense of ominous anticipation.