The next day, Galen paced around his room with a troubled look on his face.

He was feeling very unsettled, and not just because his assassination attempt had failed, but because he couldn't understand how news of Crimson Moon's failure had spread so quickly within the inner court.

Although the rumors didn't implicate him directly, the speed at which the information was leaked meant that someone had eyes on him.

'But who?' Galen clenched his teeth and mulled over the possibilities.

Then he realized that it had to be one of his elder brothers.

Only his brothers would have the resources and motive to spy on him without being noticed,

And if that was the case, it made perfect sense.

His brothers had likely been waiting for him to make a move against the fourth prince while biding their time for the perfect opportunity to use it against him and eliminate him from the succession race.

"Yes, that's definitely what they had in mind."

It was cunning, and it was exactly the kind of underhanded tactic his brothers were capable of.

Although Fratricide was very common in royal succession wars, it was still seen as taboo.

Therefore, if it became known that Galen had orchestrated his brother's assassination, the noble families would abandon him in an instant.

Galen hailed from a powerful southern noble family, but most of the wealthy families in the South had chosen to remain neutral.

They were simply waiting so they could support whichever prince gained the favor of the Von Jurgen Household.

So, if he could earn their support, many of those neutral families would easily rally behind him.

But if word got out that he had tried to kill his own brother, Galen knew he would definitely be out of the race for the throne.

Until now, he hadn't been worried about this possibility.

After all, all three princes had a reason to get rid of Austin.

So Galen knew that as long as he worked from the shadows, the noble families' suspicion would be evenly distributed between the three princes.

Besides, the contract he signed with Crimson Moon guaranteed his anonymity.

But with what had happened last night... Galen knew that assumption was no longer safe.

The guild had its own code.

And he knew that if something went wrong during an operation, especially something as disastrous as this, Crimson Moon had every right to reveal the details of the transaction and the event to preserve their credibility.

That was why he had rushed over to visit the Guild Master last night.

But now that one of his brothers might be watching his every move, Galen had no choice but to pull back.

He couldn't afford another mistake.

And so, with a frustrated sigh, Galen slumped down onto his futon, dragging a hand across his face.

"Ugh… I have to focus on other matters for now," he muttered.

"There's still time. I won't let them push me out of this race."

His brows furrowed as he stared at the ceiling.

Galen was determined not to lose.

He wouldn't let his older brothers knock him out of the succession race, and he certainly wasn't going to let the weakling fourth prince ruin his chances of becoming the Crown Prince.

No matter what happened, Galen was prepared to fight tooth and nail for the throne.

Still… if Austin had just died from the poisoned tea he had served him a few weeks ago, Galen wouldn't even be in this situation right now.

Everything would've been so much easier, compared to how it was now.

The poison had actually been Galen's initial plan to get rid of Austin, and it was a plan that had been carefully structured to prevent him from being discovered.

Even if the fourth prince had died the following morning after drinking the tea, most people wouldn't have suspected that he was poisoned.

This was because Galen had used a subtle toxin that mimicked the symptoms that were usually found in common illnesses or overexertion.

So, if a physician had examined the fourth prince's corpse, they would've likely concluded that he'd died a natural death, and that his visit to the Third Prince had simply been coincidental.

And in the rare case where some inner court members who were supporting Galen's older brothers suspected foul play, Galen had already prepared for it.

As long as the evidence could not be traced back to him, he could easily pin the blame on a servant and claim that they had acted without his permission.

After all, Galen was confident that his servants were loyal enough to die for him if necessary.

These were just a few of the fail-safes Galen had built into his plan after spiking the fourth prince's tea.

But now that his plan had failed not just once, but twice, Galen could only let out another deep sigh as he stared up at the ceiling.

With everything that had happened recently, Galen knew that it was time to shift his focus to other, more immediate concerns.

---

Days passed, and Austin's caravan safely arrived at the Western Estate without any more trouble from the Third Prince or others who were associated with him.

No mercenaries intercepted them, and the road had been peaceful.

But as they approached the city gates, Austin noticed the troubled expressions on his wives' faces, and he immediately knew that something was wrong.

For the past few days, Lina and Mira's affection levels had remained stuck at Level 3.

At first, Austin had been worried about why their levels hadn't increased, but now that they had returned to the estate, he finally understood the reason.

And so, with a grin stretching across his lips, Austin slowly wrapped his arms around their waists, pulling them close.

A cute yelp escaped from both sisters' lips as they suddenly felt his arms around them.

"My ladies, since the two of you look so troubled right now... does that mean you want me to plant a kiss on your lips?" He teased, but neither of his wives responded.

Instead, their cheeks became flushed, but their brows remained knitted with worry.

Seeing this, Austin's grin deepened even more.

"Oh? My ladies are giving me the silent treatment, huh? Then I guess that means you wouldn't mind if I did... this."

Austin suddenly rained kisses on their cheeks and necks, causing them to squeal in surprise, before their laughter filled the carriage.

But at the same time, both sisters tried and failed to escape his playful assault.

"Darling—stop it!"

"H-Hubby, we're serious!" His Wives protested, but Austin wasn't going to stop, not until he had kissed every last worry off their faces.

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