I Transmigrated into the Nameverse, and My Name Came with a Time Limit - Chapter 23

“Your Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”

“Let him in.”

Leopold passed through the door opened by the attendant and stepped into the Empress’s palace. Surprisingly, Karl was sitting beside her. The two of them never appeared together except during official schedules or unavoidable matters, so Leopold’s eyes widened.

“You called for me?”

Karl absentmindedly nodded at his son’s greeting while blowing gently on his tea.

“Yes. Sit here, Leopold.”

Tilda gave a soft smile with her eyes and gestured to the seat beside the sofa.

Leopold silently sat down next to her. Soon a teacup with the same fragrant tea Karl was drinking appeared before him. Leopold tilted his head slightly and picked up the cup.

“What did you call me here for?”

“This morning Angela requested an audience with me. You know who Angela is, don’t you?”

Tilda’s sweet voice flowed calmly.

Of course he knew. She was that unpleasant cousin who always walked around with her nose wrinkled. She already had an ugly face, and constantly scrunching it made her even more unpleasant to look at, yet she was too foolish to realize it herself.

After briefly recalling his cousin’s face, Leopold frowned slightly and simply nodded in response.

“Yes, well. She came early in the morning and told me something very interesting. And it just so happens it was about your former fiancée, Wilhelmina.”

At the name Wilhelmina, Leopold sharply lifted his head. Seeing Tilda’s face, which held a faintly unpleasant smile, unease crept into his chest.

“Angela said so? What happened?”

“Well, it seems that a Name may have manifested on her.”

His heart dropped.

How did Mother find out? And how did Angela know? Mina had clearly said she had told only me.

“A Name? On Mina? Whose Name is it?”

While rapidly turning things over in his mind, Leopold asked as if he knew nothing.

“That is the problem. Angela said Mina’s condition at a tea gathering a few days ago looked exactly like the symptoms of a Name manifestation, but she couldn’t properly confirm whose name it was. There are certain suspicions… but do you happen to know anything?”

Leopold shook his head while pretending to listen casually.

What exactly did she see at that tea gathering that made her realize Mina had a Name? She must have seen something suspicious enough to come to the imperial palace early in the morning.

Then Mina’s absurd claim that night had actually been true?

He had briefly felt pleased that Mina had confided in him first, but now worry suddenly rose when he realized others had begun to learn about it as well.

Especially because his mother, Empress Tilda, was someone who showed absolutely no mercy when it came to matters like this.

“For now, the most important thing is confirming whose Name it is. Since the name most likely to appear is someone with whom she has had a long-standing connection, it’s something we must verify.”

“Then… do you think my name might appear on Mina?”

Leopold asked carefully after quietly listening to Tilda’s words. Tilda’s eyes flashed.

“Wouldn’t it be most efficient to eliminate such possibilities beforehand? If we drag things out and a problem appears later, it will become troublesome. It’s better to deal with it decisively before that happens. Especially since your current fiancée is Mina’s younger sister.”

Just as Leopold expected. Tilda’s words meant she intended to resolve the problem at any cost.

Even if it meant killing Mina.

For now Mina’s condition still seemed relatively stable, but once the paralysis symptoms began things would change. The symptoms would worsen little by little, and eventually she would have no choice but to end up beneath him, crying out helplessly.

Last time she had still thrown childish resistance without even knowing her place… but he had been willing to wait calmly because she would eventually come to him on her own. Yet because of that damn Angela, his plan had now been disrupted.

Annoyed, Leopold turned toward Karl and raised his eyebrows. He needed to hear the Emperor’s opinion as well. As if understanding the silent question, Karl cleared his throat softly and spoke.

“The Empress is correct. For your safety, we must confirm whether that girl truly has a Name manifestation, and if so whose name is engraved.”

In the end Leopold had no choice but to agree. The Emperor’s opinion was absolute. No one knew more about Names than Karl and Tilda, who were Name bearers themselves. And above all, it was true that the health and safety of the Crown Prince of this nation had to be the highest priority.

Karl immediately sent a messenger to the Wittgen Duchy.

Thus, under the Emperor’s secret order, all four members of House Wittgen were summoned to the imperial palace.