Chapter 136: Threats from the Family

"I... I just wanted to come over and take a look..." Although it could be considered unintentional, Princess Miller herself felt that the excuse sounded rather unconvincing.

"Clearly, your hair is not even dry yet," Trexi glanced at Miller while swiftly terminating his outside communication. "So, what do you think of the room? Although I don't use that side very often myself, I trust it won't be too disappointing for you."

"Your Imperial Highness?" Seeing that Trexi was completely unconcerned about what she had just done, Miller could not help feeling curious.

"What? Is something the matter? You are my sister, and my gun will never be pointed at my own family." With these words, Trexi reached out to touch Miller's still-damp hair and stepped behind her. "If there is anything you wish to know, there is no need to eavesdrop. Why not simply ask me directly?"

"Ask you directly?" Hearing this, Miller was taken aback. This was hardly normal; under ordinary circumstances, shouldn't he...

"Everything is for the United Kingdom," Trexi patted Miller on the shoulder. "Therefore, there is nothing shameful to hide. Everything I conceal is done so that the United Kingdom may command its own international prestige, rather than having other nations fear us merely because we have the Gale Empire standing behind us."

Trexi walked over to the wine cabinet in the room and pulled out a bottle of twenty-four-year-old "Pirate" red wine. On the label, a striking skull emblem was clearly visible, accompanied by the engraving of a blood-dripping pirate cutlass around the neck of the bottle.

"Let's sit down and have a chat! I'd also love to hear about how my little sister has been all these years." As he spoke, Trexi began searching for a corkscrew.

"Um, I don't drink alcohol..." Although she could roughly tell that Trexi had no intention of preparing a glass for her, Miller spoke up instinctively.

"Ah, no, it's merely used as a seasoning. Never mind, if you don't like it, we'll switch to something else." Seeming to realize something, Trexi set the wine bottle aside and retrieved a small canister of tea from beneath the tea table. "Then let's try some tea from the Eastern Alliance! This stuff is an absolute delicacy, brought back from my travels abroad in my youth. They say that the longer tea is aged, the more mellow it becomes, and the older the tea, the more precious it is. This must be at least five years old now, and that's not even counting its production date. Something acquired at an auction is bound to be exceptional, wouldn't you say?"

As he spoke, Trexi had already set the water to boil. "Would you like to try some milk tea as well? I happen to have some premium milk from the Great Ocean Republic's pastures here."

"No, there's no need." Seeing that Trexi had already slipped into an imperial lifestyle of luxury, Miller quickly stopped him.

However, Trexi made no unnecessary gestures and simply proceeded directly to brew the tea. Every single movement of his bore a striking resemblance to the traditional tea ceremony of the Yamato civilization within the Eastern Alliance. Were it not for the orthodox royal style of the room, Trexi might even have been sitting properly on the tatami mats.

"Miller, for all these years, I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as an elder brother. To be honest, I feel deeply guilty. After all, to escape the confinement of the family, I abandoned you all and chose freedom. But now, I also hope to fulfill my duty as the Crown Prince." Cleaning the tea utensils, Trexi kept his gaze fixed upon them; his movements were thoroughly practiced, as if this had long become a habit.

"Your Imperial Highness? What is the situation with the family? Have you spent all these years just trying to escape..."

"The family—that's right, the Mistra family. Aside from the core members of the imperial lineage, no one can easily approach them. They are like the royal ghosts of the United Kingdom, pulling all the strings from behind the scenes. If I hadn't suddenly appeared and challenged their authority, I wouldn't have brought this up with you."

Placing a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Miller, Trexi continued, "The family members currently communicate solely through the most primitive methods, leaving me no opportunity to gather their intelligence. However, I have a subordinate skilled in traditional espionage who managed to track down the family's most recent records. It appears that the family will soon summon all members of the Mistra bloodline, and I imagine you will be no exception."

"What are they trying to do?" Hearing such unusual intelligence, Miller could not help but perk up.

"They intend to emulate the system of the Gale Empire and plunge our United Kingdom into a dynasty entirely controlled by the Mistra family. To achieve this, they need to exploit us family descendants, along with those hot-blooded fools."

With these words, Trexi produced a name list and placed it on the tea table. It was densely packed with the names of the younger generation of the Mistra family, yet among them, the name Trexi Mistra was conspicuously absent.

"Your Imperial Highness, this..."

"I understand," the absence of Crown Prince Trexi from the roster of Mistra family descendants gave the distinct impression that he had been cast aside by the family. "Those old fogies must have forgotten about me. Well then, I'll just have to give them a taste of my methods! After all, it has been quite a while since I last stood in the spotlight..."

With a knowing look, Trexi pulled out a tablet and brought up the profiles of those featured on the list. "They all have quite a bit of clout, Miller. It looks like your position might be at risk as well!"

Pointing to a specific name on the list, Trexi continued, "This is the daughter of a political marriage between the Chaldean family and our own Mistra family, and she is also a duchess's daughter within the Empire—Taresia Mistra."

As he spoke, an image materialized before Miller. A real-time projection device rendered the duchess's daughter right in front of her.

"If we are going strictly by bloodline, she indeed holds an advantage over you. However, I will protect you, because you are my sister."

"Besides, if the family wishes to replace the monarch, it would likely be an easy task for them. To prevent any disasters, I must ensure they learn what cannot be provoked."