The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 983: Tied Hands

Greed.

Pride.

Fear.

The Imperial Crown Prince couldn’t help but berate himself for entertaining such thoughts at such a critical moment.

Normally, deciding what to do would’ve been easy. He was never one to hesitate, not even when he believed corruption could very well take his life, so the fact that he was being this cautious now felt almost ridiculous.

And yet, seated in the middle of a darkened hall, as desperate bidders clung to their last hope and tried to outpace Cassian—who had already raised the stakes from fifty-seven billion to seventy-two billion—Xavier found himself glancing at Kyle.

The adjutant had already caught on.

Xavier mouthed something without a sound, and Kyle responded just as quickly, nodding before moving as a member of House Nox.

"Eighty billion."

Ollie practically wriggled at the number, not because his brother didn’t deserve it, but because he hadn’t expected Kyle to suddenly join the bidding, and certainly not from right behind him.

"!!!"

If he had eight billion to spare, he should have said so earlier! Then again, Ollie was also certain that his brother wouldn’t have liked it if he personally bid that much money when they could simply dance together at home. At least before Cassian actually participated, and it became a battle between the Empire and the Federation.

But the thing was, Xavier never really meant for Kyle to win.

Aside from needing to verify something on the security front, the Prince simply needed to clear his head, because his thoughts were starting to feel suffocating, as though invisible restraints had suddenly wrapped around him and refused to let go.

Moreover, there would be no point if Kyle won the auction, because it wouldn’t really calm the turmoil pelting the unfortunate Sid from within his sea of consciousness.

Because really, what Xavier wanted was a moment with his wife, and he wanted certainty that Luca wouldn’t have to go anywhere near Cassian Veyra.

"Master."

The nudge came quietly and carefully, as Sid attempted to avoid stepping on any landmines while asking his owner about his plans.

"Are you going to shed your current identity?"

"..."

"..."

Now, it could’ve been an easy yes if not for the fact that doing so would drag Luca out of the life he was currently enjoying, all for a dance his little wife might even consider trivial.

At night, when it was just the two of them under the covers, they would talk about what they wanted to do.

Luca would excitedly go through the list he had made, and what a long list it was. There were scribbles about improving the dungeon, about creating more products, and about making things he thought others would also like.

And then, off to the side, Xavier would find smaller notes.

The kind that revealed what he was curious about.

Xavier had seen them.

Luca wanted to explore. He wanted to see what mining planets looked like, of all places, and he was curious about the kind of farming the people used to grow all those artificial plants and produce.

In short, he was excited for the future.

Excited to enjoy the kind of freedom he had never truly had before.

And so, who was Xavier to take that away from him?

When the very reason he himself hadn’t returned to the Imperial family, despite meeting the qualifications long, long ago, was because he felt he hadn’t done what he needed to do freely as someone who wouldn’t right away be constrained by formalities and procedure.

And yet here he was, thinking about stepping in and bidding without even asking Luca what he wanted.

How selfish and hypocritical would that be?

Now it would have been different had there been no choice. But actually, even now, he was relatively sure that Luca wouldn’t forsake him regardless of his decision. Because Luca just wasn’t that kind of person.

He was the type who would willingly hold together a rocking boat. So it was probably not surprising that, despite it probably being a downgrade from the life he could have had, his wife had already told him that they would face everything together.

But that didn’t mean it had to happen now.

Not like this.

Not when this was so clearly a trap.

__

Sure, the probability of Cassian knowing his identity was probably lower than the likelihood of him using this event to force out all the hidden figures while announcing his discovery.

So, considering the perfect opportunity, it would just be icing on the cake of that scheming bastard if the Imperial Prince or any other powerful entity ended up revealing themselves in the process.

It may not be obvious to many, but they were currently in a fuck it if you do, fuck it if you don’t scenario.

With nearly all the main houses having their own guilds to support, the eligible members of the elite families who could’ve logically competed with Cassian wouldn’t step in. Not with Duke Leander already on the verge of fuming, and not when they were effectively competing with Luca as well. That would only invite unsightly rumors of partiality or collusion, especially at prices that had never before been recorded for a single person’s dance.

And while it made perfect sense for Kyle or Princess Kira to participate because of their backgrounds, anyone else, aside from those backed by known organizations, would immediately raise suspicions.

From those within the acceptable age range, who else would have the buying power that wouldn’t cause the people of their lands to rightfully complain about their lord using that much money on a dance?

And if there were any other individuals that couldn’t be considered as clinically obsessed with Luca, was the Empire—particularly the finance ministry—aware of their existence?

Especially when the next bid came.

Three hundred five billion.

"Three hundred five billion."

Xavier’s fist tightened, his frustration sharp enough to cut, and the people around him gasped in unison at the number.

But just as his back straightened, just as he was about to act—

"Master, the little master is calling for you."

Huh?

The wolfish Prince snapped his head up so quickly that it startled the others beside him, but Xavier barely noticed, because his gaze had already locked onto the stage.

Onto Luca.

Standing under the harsh spotlight.

What caught him off guard wasn’t the attention or the pressure of the moment, but the fact that Luca was smiling gently.

The golden-eyed beauty was looking straight at him, as though that smile had been meant for him all along.

And well, it was.

Because a moment later, Sid spoke again, more hesitant this time.

"Little Master said not to bid, Master."

"What?!"

Technically, Xavier was still trying to go through a plethora of solutions and honestly thought it would be best to borrow strength from the Orcs, as the Princess had always been known to be whimsical, paying two hundred million for half a bowl of egg fried rice.

But then suddenly, this?

"Yes... he said to please trust him and not to bid anymore."

Xavier didn’t just hear that.

He felt it.

The words sank into him, cold and heavy, until it seemed like his entire body had gone still. Who could’ve thought that disappointment in himself could possibly feel even colder?

But even with that chill settling into his bones, he raised a hand and gave a signal in case his adjutant tried to bid again.

Kyle stopped.

And so did Xavier, whose mind had been racing since earlier. But just as he did, he sure felt as though his world had cracked a little.

For in that short moment, the Imperial Crown Prince just couldn’t bear to face himself or his wife.

__

The bidding came to an end.

Not with resounding cheers, not with celebration, but with a formal clapping that pressed down on the hall after the Master of Ceremonies confirmed the winning bid.

"Three hundred five billion. Final call."

No one challenged it.

"Sold."

Cassian Veyra.

Duke Leander rose to his feet, indignation written plainly across his face, but whatever words he might have spoken never came after exercising the amount of restraint his son would have wanted him to have.

Moreover, he had to give it to his wolfish son-in-law, who seemed to have made the choice to lengthen Luca’s position as the official Kyros heir instead of giving in to the provocation.

But that didn’t mean the father was anywhere close to happy about that bastard winning something so momentous.

Cassian, on the other hand, simply tilted his head, calm and faintly amused, before raising his glass in acknowledgment, even though no one else seemed inclined to celebrate the fact that he, of all people, had won Luca’s first dance.

And yet, if anyone had thought to look at the one person who mattered most in all of this, they would’ve noticed something else entirely.

Under the unforgiving lights of the stage, the golden-eyed cadet was actually smiling even wider.