My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"Because he gave too much."

Wayne: ...

“But you must continue to support Richard,” Elliott continued. “Whether he needs money, troops, or land… whatever resources he needs, you can provide assistance on behalf of the Wincher family, with no upper limit.”

Chapter 738 Exchanging Secrets

In the end, the king got his wish and legalized the illegitimate child. Wayne also met this legendary figure for the first time at a banquet held in the palace.

He was a boy who seemed very introverted. Sitting next to the king, his gaze always seemed to be vacant, but his manners were polite and he didn't appear dull. He didn't talk much, and even when someone spoke to him, he would only nod quietly to show that he was listening.

He seemed to possess a maturity beyond his apparent age.

It is said that the king secretly hired the best teachers to give him one-on-one lessons, instead of letting him study in the various colleges like other children his age. At present, it is still unknown how good his magical aptitude is.

Even at a banquet attended by the king, the scrutinizing gazes of the noble families from all the major clans could not be suppressed. Although the nobles reluctantly accepted that the Kingdom of Lornes had gained another prince, this did not mean that they would welcome him.

After a dull and tasteless banquet filled with insincere social niceties, Wayne was preparing to leave with his family when his illegitimate son suddenly appeared and stopped him.

Duke Elliott nodded slightly to him. "Go ahead, our carriage will be waiting for you at the palace gate."

Since that's what they've said, Wayne had no choice but to stay.

“Just call me Cassian,” the third prince said. “I’ll just call you Wayne too. I hope you can forgive my intrusion.”

It was indeed quite presumptuous of him. Wayne was on very good terms with Princes Richard and Lawrence, and he didn't believe that this third prince hadn't heard of him.

"Then, Prince Cassian, may I know your reasons for doing this despite knowing it is presumptuous?"

"Come to my study, I have something very important to tell you."

Wayne frowned deeply.

Because this illegitimate child had previously been completely invisible, in his view, the child was probably just a puppet put forward by the rebels and Mrs. Cherry.

"Is Lady Cherry aware of His Highness's actions?"

Nine-year-old Cassian sighed deeply, seemingly quite helpless. "Can't I just make new friends of my own volition?"

“Friend? Prince Cassian, you should understand your situation… and my position.” Wayne glanced at him, noting that he lowered his eyelids upon hearing this, seemingly unhappy. “If I were you, I wouldn’t provoke my two brothers at this time.”

“So you are not me.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Even if I do nothing, wouldn’t I still anger my two brothers? Perhaps you won’t believe it, but I have never craved fame or fortune. I only wish to live a peaceful life.”

Hmm? What does this mean? Is it an attempt to feign weakness, thinking that they are temporarily outmatched by the other two princes and are therefore biding their time?

Wayne was very skeptical of this.

“I don’t need to believe you, and you don’t need to explain this to me. If this is all Prince Cassian wanted to say, then I’ll take my leave.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait!” Cassian hesitated for only a brief moment before stepping forward and whispering to Wayne, “The rebels still have strongholds in the capital. I know a very important secret.”

???

When Wayne heard this, his expression did change, but only because he didn't know how to react.

Isn't your own mother the biggest insider for the rebels? Are you going to betray your own family for the greater good? Or perhaps, he really does know the rebels' secrets... maybe even secrets related to him?

He stopped and looked at him with a furrowed brow.

“You should know that I just wiped out the rebel headquarters,” Wayne asked him, with a hint of probing.

“Yes, that’s exactly why, so I believe only you can help me with this. I beg you,” he said urgently.

Wayne felt a little relieved; it seemed that Wayne was still unaware of his true nature.

However, he soon realized that he had put his mind at ease a little too soon.

As soon as he stepped into the private study that the king had specially arranged for the prince, Cassian spoke with a solemn expression—

"I suspect I've been taken over by the rebels."

"..." Wayne glanced around the study subconsciously, but found no trace of anyone else hiding.

He considered it for a moment before saying, "You can't just say things like that."

Seeing that Wayne didn't believe him, he added, "Tomorrow I'll go on a trip to the countryside under the pretense of wanting to clear my head. You can bring some people to follow me from a distance, and you'll definitely find that someone is watching me."

"Weren't they people your mother arranged? To protect you?" Wayne seemed to be thinking without a second thought.

Prince Cassian paused. "No."

“Your Highness, I think you should understand that there is a difference between the words ‘surveillance’ and ‘control’.”

"of course."

"Then tell me, how did those remaining stray dogs of the rebel army manage to control you, bypassing Lady Cherry and His Majesty the King? Or perhaps—"

“None of that matters,” Cassian suddenly interrupted him. “What matters is that because you have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, the rebels will definitely be hostile to you and may even seek revenge against you. So we both have a common predicament and need.”

"what do you mean?"

“I will take control of those who are spying on me, then follow the trail to their stronghold in the capital and eliminate them.”

The young prince had deep eyes, and his words showed no sign of reluctance or wavering.

Wayne stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

“Your Highness, do you know what I’m thinking right now? I’m wondering what it is that makes you prefer to come after me, someone you have no connection with, rather than seek help from His Majesty the King and Lady Cherry?”

Cassian opened his mouth as if to speak, but then stopped halfway through.

“If you can’t be honest about this, I won’t help you,” Wayne said firmly.

He hesitated for a very long time, so long that Wayne thought he had forgotten he was there, before speaking again. “I’m sorry, perhaps I was indeed a bit inconsiderate, but please believe me, I didn’t mean to hide anything. If… I mean if I suddenly disappear one day, please come back to this room and look at the inside corner of this desk—there’s a hidden compartment there, and I’ll leave some clues.”

Wait, what does this posture of making arrangements for his death mean?

Wayne clicked his tongue. "Would you mind if I told His Majesty the King and Duke Winchester about this?"

“I hope not, because it would not do me any good in my current situation and could put me in danger very quickly, but if you insist on doing so, I will not stop you.”

“Alright, since you’ve told me a secret, then as a fair exchange, I should tell you a secret too. Do you want to know something interesting that I stumbled upon while I was wiping out the rebel headquarters?” Wayne crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Chapter 739 A Trustworthy Good Person

Under the cover of night, the palace resembled a crouching behemoth, and no one knew how much it had already swallowed or how much more it would devour next.

Prince Cassian, sitting at his desk, looked at Wayne with suspicion and uncertainty, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

Wayne's words and body language were undoubtedly hinting at something, but he dared not gamble.

“I only heard that the rebels built a massive underground castle and set up a barrier against dark magic,” he said.

“That’s right. The castle headquarters has now been cleared out. After the Vatican finishes its final work, it may be renovated and reopened to the public as a new magic training ground,” Wayne said casually. “But the secret I want to talk about is not the castle, but… Mr. Inofan, the leader of the rebels, is not the real leader of the rebels, but a puppet put on the table.”

As he spoke, Wayne glanced at the prince, "Just like you."

Cassian's body stiffened, and after a long while, he forced a smile and said, "Really? Really?"

"Why would I need to lie to you? Didn't you say that the rebels still have strongholds in the capital? I thought you already knew. I came to you just to tell you who the real mastermind is... Although the rebels have been nominally eliminated, as long as that person is alive, if they want to reignite, they only need to bring in some former nobles of the Principality of Milistan as a cover, and they can build a new force in no time."

However, most of the old nobles who still have their hearts with the Laird family have been brought under Wayne's control. There are not many promising talents scattered outside who still have influence. The destruction of the headquarters is a heavy loss for the rebels, and rebuilding is not as easy as Wayne said.

Prince Cassian clearly didn't know much about the specifics of the rebels' internal situation, nor how much he actually knew. His expression visibly became more fearful, and he didn't even seem to notice the offensive implication in Wayne's words that he was also a puppet on the surface.

“It seems our situation is more dangerous than I imagined.” Cassian was already quite calm and composed by not crying. Even though he tried to appear mature and steady, some subtle flaws still betrayed his inner anxiety.

“Yes, so how did you manage to find me without any certainty? Since you said you were controlled by the rebels, they couldn’t possibly not know that you and I had a long private talk, right?” Wayne looked him over thoughtfully.

Cassian gave a wry smile: "That's because my mother asked me to get on good terms with you, so I had an excuse to approach you. We didn't talk about the rebels tonight, because I didn't know who they were anyway."

Wayne let out a long "oh," then suddenly asked abruptly, "Do you think Mrs. Cherry has any connection to the rebels?"

“Absolutely impossible!” Cassian’s rebuttal burst out the moment Wayne mentioned Mrs. Cherry. But his hasty reaction only revealed his desperate attempt to deny it.

Then Wayne laughed.

“Of course, Lady Cherry has no reason to get involved with the rebels, after all, she has given birth to a prince for His Majesty the King!” After thinking for a moment, he added, “How about this, I will privately entrust this matter to Lord Bulwer, the commander-in-chief of the city guard, and ask him to use the special operations team to handle it secretly. Since this is a hidden security issue in the capital, it would be inappropriate for me, who has only recently been granted the title of viscount, to presumptuously interfere in the defense of the capital.”

Cassian wanted to refuse, but couldn't think of any other way, and in the end, his concern for his life and fortune prevailed.

"—Then please tell Lord Bulwer that before the investigation is complete, please do not leak any information and alert the enemy, especially do not tell His Majesty and Mother in advance, because there are too many eyes watching them."

When Wayne went straight to the headquarters of the Gate City Guard after leaving the banquet, he relayed this exact sentence to Bulwer.

The prince was unaware that Bulwer and Lady Cherry were actually on the same boat. It seems that his knowledge of the secrets was indeed very limited, but this limited understanding was enough to make him doubt his own living environment.

In Bulwer's private office, the commander-in-chief sitting opposite Wayne paused for several seconds as he picked up his coffee, then put it down before even taking a sip.

"You haven't told anyone about this, have you?"

“No, I didn’t even mention it when my father asked me on the way. After leaving the palace, I went straight to the city guard.” Wayne leaned back in his armchair, wielding his sword with an air of nonchalance. “Lord Bulwer, I believe that you, who have devoted yourself to protecting the capital, would not collude with the rebels. This matter is of utmost importance and must be handled with utmost care. Therefore, I suggest that the city guard should dispatch the Red Rose Special Operations Team, with Lady Ekos personally in charge.”

Because the mage tower built by Wayne was in cooperation with Eikos, many people in the capital believed that he and Eikos had a good relationship.

Of course, this only applies to situations where all invitations from others are rejected.

Bulwer thought for a moment and said, "Lady Aikos excels at decisively defeating enemies head-on, but she's not so good at investigations and infiltration missions. If you want to completely eliminate any hidden dangers and prevent the criminals from escaping, you'll need to first plant someone in to find out their background. I'll send someone to handle this matter immediately, and I'll inform you as soon as there are any new developments. Also, although the Wincher family's mages are very powerful, I can arrange for the city guards to protect you if you need them, since you've easily attracted hatred because you destroyed the rebel headquarters."

When he said these words, there was no sign of pity or indignation towards the rebels, only seriousness towards a formidable enemy and concern for Wayne.

Judging from his appearance alone, anyone would believe that Bulwer is a responsible, thoughtful, and trustworthy person.

But even someone as seemingly upright as Bulwer would secretly pass on the information he possessed to the rebels, allowing them to move with impunity whether they were being searched in the capital or facing the blades of the previous anti-rebellion armies. He even maintained close ties with the Dark Mage.

During the period following the destruction of the rebel headquarters, Bulwer also chose to remain inactive, continuing his daily life as if he truly had no connection with the rebels.

But Wayne knew that as long as Bulwer remained inactive, it meant he had not yet touched the true core of the rebels.

Chapter 740 Killing Wayne

Looking at the boy in front of him with his clear and bright eyes, Bulwer sighed inwardly.

Therefore, young people often oversimplify complex issues due to their inherent naiveté, just like how the prince rashly revealed his secret to the person in front of him, who then rashly revealed the secret to him in return.

What makes things even more difficult for him is that he can't just kill the person in front of him directly, otherwise both Duke Winchester and Echos, whose secret dealings are unknown, will easily trace it back to him.

He could only try his best to appease Wayne and prevent him from leaking the information.

“No need, I trust our family’s guards.” Wayne politely declined the other party’s “kindness.” “But Lord Bulwer, you must be careful. Although I trust you, the people around you may not be trustworthy. The more people who know, the easier it is for the secret to be leaked, and then the Third Prince’s situation will be in danger.”

"Okay, I will pay close attention. Thank you for your kind reminder."

Bulwer politely saw Wayne to the door, then, as usual, settled down to work. He convened an internal meeting of the city guard to arrange a new round of defenses, and then spent the night alone in his office reviewing documents.

After finally finishing the thick stack of documents, Bulwer stood up, stretched, took the dark black coat hanging by the door, put it on, and then put on the hood to cover most of his face before leaving the city guard in his leather shoes.

Although the capital city had a curfew, Bulwer, as the highest-ranking officer of the city guard, was obviously not subject to the curfew. As was his habit, he would always check the city's defenses after get off work before going home, no matter how early or late it was.

Occasionally, when he encountered patrolling guards on the road, they did not show any surprise, but simply bowed respectfully to him and passed by.

Bulwer would simply nod slightly to them and generally wouldn't disturb their normal work.

After leaving the city guard headquarters, he first patrolled the commoners' district before heading towards the nobles' district, his demeanor leisurely and relaxed, as if he were simply taking a stroll. He encountered patrolling guards more and more frequently along the way, which was normal, as the nobles' district was supposed to receive a higher level of protection than the commoners' district.

Finally, as he passed a manor with lush vegetation on the outside, Bulwer seized the opportunity when another group of guards left. Suddenly, he turned around and nimbly flipped inside without using any magic.

The streets became quiet and empty again, as if no one had passed by just moments before.

However, in this peaceful silence, a shadow by the wall, like a fish swimming in clear water, slid into the manor following the direction of the moonlight.

The manor's basement.

Many noble homes have basements for storing supplies or wine. The owner of this estate was no exception; in fact, the basement was surprisingly large, filled with rows of wooden wine barrels.

Bulwer disappeared after entering the basement, but this did not escape Wayne's senses. Behind the leftmost barrel in the innermost row was a secret room.

He did not rush in, but went back upstairs to investigate.

In the study on the second floor, Wayne confirmed the identity of the owner of the manor.

To his surprise, this place belonged to Duke Wayne, who was His Majesty the King's cousin and also a member of the royal family. Wayne had met him at a banquet at the palace not long ago.

The Duke of Velen inherited his title from his father, the former king's brother. Because his chances of inheriting the throne were practically nonexistent, he led a dissolute private life, getting a young noblewoman pregnant and being forced to marry her.

Thus, the Duke of Wellen, being the son of the younger brother, was much older than His Majesty the King, the son of his elder brother.

Although nominally a duke with royal blood, making him of high status, in terms of real power, this royal noble was not as powerful as a typical duke. Because his father was not favored and the king's directly controlled territories were limited, he received very few resources. The fief he inherited was actually only equivalent to that of a viscount. The only advantage was that it was close to the capital and relatively wealthy.

The Duke of Velen, a passionate wine connoisseur, now owns a wine business that is most famous for. Vineyards are planted throughout his estates, and his White Crow wine is widely popular in the kingdom and even exported to overseas countries.

No wonder there were so many wine barrels stored in the manor's basement, and because of Duke Willen's status, the guards wouldn't have searched his house without reason. Even though Bulwer regularly interacted with Duke Willen in public, such as at banquets, it wouldn't have aroused suspicion.