Chapter 146

"Nero Claudius?" Upon hearing this name, the special envoy visibly froze, a hint of terror flickering across his expression. It seemed that the name Cole had just uttered belonged to his superior, or someone belonging to a much higher echelon.

"What is the matter? Is it not allowed? I happen to be a member of the Durandal family as well." Seeing the envoy's distrustful gaze, Roger—presumably Roger Durandal—added from the side. "I came here because my family cast me out. As for Cole, you will have to ask him yourself." Indeed, Roger wore a family ring engraved with the holy sword Durandal on his finger, yet he clearly wore it with extreme reluctance.

"Me? Never mind, you had better not ask me." However, Cole "seemed" to harbor some unspeakable secret that was inconvenient to share, though the envoy appeared to understand this to a certain extent.

"I understand that as well. After all, anyone who defects from Europa is reluctant to state their reasons." Yet, no matter what the European envoy said, his words carried a sharp hostility toward the people of the United Kingdom. Even those who voluntarily joined the kingdom were branded by him as traitors abandoning their motherland.

"Hey, stop dodging the subject! This bomb issue hasn't been resolved yet, Europa!" At that moment, Treisi showed no courtesy whatsoever, pressing the muzzle of his handgun directly against the envoy's forehead. "Trying to bluff your way through? According to international law, you are now our prisoner. Have your European masters find a way to pay your ransom!"

"Wait, let me make a call first. I need to report this to our people in Europa." Faced with this situation, the envoy panicked slightly. He quickly pulled out his mobile phone and dialed a number. "Hello, is this Lord Nero? It's me, Anton..." Before he could finish, Treisi simply smashed the butt of his pistol into the European envoy's head, knocking him unconscious, and snatched the phone from his grip.

"Oh, so you must be Nero Claudius?" For convenience, Treisi tapped the screen to initiate a video call. "I am Treisi, the Crown Prince of the United Kingdom. Your operative is suspected of planting dangerous explosives on our chartered flight. The aircraft failed our security inspection and has been detained. You owe us a proper explanation."

For this United Nations conference, to ensure Europe's own security, all participating nations were required to use aircraft arranged by Europa. Other countries retained the right to inspect them, and should any issues arise from these inspections, Europa was obligated to provide a certain level of compensation. However, if routine inspection errors occurred, the compensation would merely cover faulty aircraft parts or facilities, easily settled with monetary funds or special clauses. Yet, planting explosives on an airliner escalated the matter into a serious international incident, potentially even evolving into a grave charge of attempted murder.

Normally, such an event was virtually impossible in any nation. Yet, given the strained relations between Europa and the United Kingdom, the occurrence of this situation was entirely plausible. "Tell me, why should I believe your words?" If this accusation were true, the price Europa would have to pay would be astronomical, and Nero Claudius naturally hoped the claim was false.

"Because the one who inspected the plane was me." At that moment, a voice deeply familiar to Nero Claudius chimed into the audio channel. In truth, Treisi and Cole sounded almost identical; the primary distinction between them lay merely in their tone of speech. Because Treisi had preemptively introduced himself as Treisi, Nero Claudius had failed to process the difference, her attention entirely consumed by the alleged assassination plot.

"You... you are Cole?" Relying on her familiarity with that vocal timbre, Nero Claudius quickly recalled his name. As she uttered it, even she could hardly believe she was hearing that voice again after all this years. Three years—ever since he had visited her three years ago, there had been no contact whatsoever.

"That's right, it's me! I'm sorry, Sister, I haven't been back in all these years." Although Cole looked the exact same as Treisi, the unique style of his glasses allowed Nero to easily distinguish between the two.

"So, will you be coming this time?" Yet, overshadowing the current crisis, Nero seemed far more concerned with whether Cole would actually come. "I intend to, and it is necessary." Faced with this, Cole replied with a rather earnest tone. "Very well, I will give you a satisfactory resolution regarding this incident. Anyone who dares to harm my younger brother will pay the price, even if they are nominal allies." "Alright then, let me inspect this plane a bit more. This bomb was planted much too obviously; I'm worried there might be a secondary charge." Following this sarcastic remark, Cole stepped out of the camera's field of view.

"Pardon me, Miss Nero, I am aware of the relationship between you and your brother, and it was I who deliberately dragged him out here. He only agreed to come because I mentioned you were managing the logistics for this UN summit." Seeing Cole hurriedly walk away, Treisi felt compelled to offer a quick explanation. "So that was it." At that moment, a sudden realization struck Nero Claudius as she glanced at the Crown Prince of the United Kingdom standing before her. An instinctive comparison flashed through her mind, aligning him with Cole. The same shade of golden hair, features that became nearly identical once the glasses were removed, and though their tones differed, the timbre of their voices was an exact match. The only discernible external differences seemed to be their golden and emerald eyes; the two men looked precisely like twin brothers.

"Your Royal Highness, the esteemed Crown Prince of the United Kingdom, might I ask you a question?" Dropping her pride, Nero Claudius inquired.

"Oh, by all means, ask away." Though taken aback by the sudden inquiry, Treisi found it harmless. Since she had not yet revealed what she wanted to ask, there was no harm in listening first.

"Although I have heard that you look quite similar to your two younger brothers, there are still rather noticeable distinctions between you."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hearing an outsider discuss his family affairs within the United Kingdom, Treisi's gaze turned somewhat peculiar. And at that moment, Nero Claudius's real question spilled forth.

"I simply wish to ask, what is your exact relationship with Cole? Why on earth do the two of you look so much alike?"