Rutherford Diabolus, the crown prince of the Diabolus Empire.
The eldest of three brothers, he got the position of crown prince not out of seniority or talent but simply because his brothers had given up.
Rexford, his youngest brother had the makings of a great emperor yet he didn't want to take on the throne. Long before he came of age, Rexford had already given up his stake to the throne.
His second brother was no different, unwilling to cause a problem, he also gave up on the throne choosing instead to become a general.
What happened next was simple and many would see it as an easy life for Rutherford but… the reality was not so simple.
The Diabolus Empire selected the heir through the strength of their blood. Every important individual in the empire knew that Rexford would become the next Emperor the moment he was born.
Although the lower nobles didn't know about it, the high nobles and the Emperor himself had already started to make plans on how to instate the youngest of the three brothers as the Emperor.
Yet, the actions of Rexford changed all that, none cared what Regulus, the second prince did but Rexford's antics had become a problem.
Despite gaining the title of crown prince, Rutherford had lived his life being a target for assassinations.
The emperor was aware of it but his brothers were kept in the dark.
It was a decision made by the Emperor, Empress and Rutherford himself, he did not wish to see his brothers suffer. Especially since he knew that Rexford acted not based solely on his own selfish desire to be rid of responsibility.
Although that did play a major part in it, Rutherford still knew that Rexford was simply ensuring that his family did not need to fight.
Aware of his own value, Rexford knew that even if he didn't take the throne, he would still be kept alive and protected. Regulus was basically a substitute and his stupidity became a shield that protected him yet Rutherford was different.
Unlike his Regulus, Rutherford was smart and calculating, Rexford knew that if Rutherford did not take the throne, he would be disposed off either by the high nobles or by the emperor himself.
After all, even if Rutherford was not currently an enemy to Rexford, he was still a dangerous element that could be swayed or even used by those who wished to destabilize the empire.
Despite this, as time went on, Rutherford himself had found his own dreams.
He spent his life doing his best to protect his family, his home and yet, when the war came, things took a turn for the worst.
They were all still young then, yet both Rutherford and Rexford were sent to the front lines.
Not to gain glory but to die.
Rutherford knew it, the plan was too obvious, though Regulus didn't realize, the fact was that most of the nobles had sent their forces to the south. Meanwhile, the royal army and the two princes were left alone to block the elves.
That campaign made Rutherford learn and find many things but the most important thing he found was… love.
In the cold expanse of the north west, Rutherford found a woman whom he could share his true feelings with.
Alas, despite all his actions, once the war came to an end, peace led to a necessity.
"The Human's will send their crown princess to become your wife"
Those were the words of the emperor, the human kingdom had a system unlike the Empire. Their nobility fought for the seat of power in each household and the human kingdom's "crown princess" was a title obtained by the eldest daughter of the current monarch.
She was a brilliant strategist and was the individual who unified the dwarves, elves and humans against the Diabolus Empire.
Her abilities were outstanding and if the coalition had secured victory, she would have taken on the throne.
Alas, the battle ended in a stalemate that favored the empire.
Unwilling to pay reparations, the humans proposed to send the "criminal who initiated the war" as both a hostage and a prize to the Empire.
On paper, it appeared as if the human kingdom was parting with their greatest talent yet the truth was far from that.
Rutherford immediately saw through the con, "the princess who initiated the war, being sent as the prize to the victor?" such a lie was too obvious. The one who started the war was not a hero but the "sinner".
It was highly likely that the princess was now being scorned, SHE is the reason why many people lost their family.
SHE is the reason why they had to suffer defeat.
No one would want such an individual as the next monarch, in fact, the Human Kingdom may have very well executed her publicly to appease the populace.
Yet, the humans sent her off to the empire as a "prize".
They wanted to escape paying reparations while letting go of deadweight, a burden that would cause chaos within the kingdom.
"The Empire had been appeased by the sacrifice of the sinner"
Is what the royal family would likely say, in fact, no one would care if the princess was treated as a slave but human customs would likely cause them to rage if that were to happen.
It had been a custom to turn one's partner into a wallflower in the human and dwarven kingdoms. By marrying the human princess who led the war, Rutherford would have shown his dominance over the three kingdoms, a perfect way to show off the empire's dominance.
None would care what happened to the princess, how she was treated as an empress or if she was respected at all.
For the Empire, all they had to do was wait for the human princess to perish naturally, a time that was not too long for them who could live for multiple centuries.
Yet, Rutherford didn't think the same.
Maybe it was because of the war or because of the experience he had during it.
When he was told that he would "need" to marry the human princess, his first thoughts were-
"No"
But as the crown prince, the only way he could avoid any trouble for his family was to accept it.
Still, the emotions he had could not be kept down, as the day of peace passed by, the time for his eventual marriage was slowly approaching.
Months which he had used to see pass by quickly had become slow.
It was during his long wait that he met with Sofia Morozova, one of the many women chasing after his youngest brother.
Although many were unable to make a move or plan, Sofia had a title, position and following that could allow her to contend with the heavy hitters from the Ducal houses.
She didn't come to turn Rexford into the Emperor, instead, she wished to help Rutherford achieve his dreams while not harming anyone from his family.
It was a brilliant plan, one that Rutherford did not even need to fix.
But it was a plan that would cause chaos…
"When it all ends, the Prince who sowed peace would lead, there would be no problems"
Sofia declared and although Rutherford was still hesitant, he decided to accept her proposal.
From then on, the two secretly moved, the peace that was made and the struggling populace that resulted from the abrupt end to the war had become their fuel and ammunition.
Slowly, the movement was growing yet Rutherford was never at ease.
He always felt that something was amiss.
Then it happened.
Almost overnight, Rutherford was suddenly called by the Emperor and Empress, questioned, Rutherford was unable to deny anything and was at the brink of losing his power.
Yet, even then, he had a way out.
Even his probably fall was something that had been estimated and should that happen-
"Your majesty, this plot was a joint plan by the Crown Prince and the Morozova Marquisate, we only wished to remove all the disruptive forces in the empire"
His ally had suddenly spoken up, shocked, Rutherford could only sneak a peak at the platinum blonde woman with an icy glare yet his gaze was captured not by her but by the woman who stood beside her.
There, smiling as if watching a delightful show was a red haired woman wearing a witch hat.
'Delilah Hall..'
It all clicked and from then on, all the crown prince could do was accept defeat and play to their tune.
…
"You want me to act in this… "movie" that Rexford is planning to make?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
"To put a slimy lizard in her place"
With those words, Rutherford had ended up being dragged around by the one woman in the empire he could never maneuver against.
She had the backing of a family that was able to threaten the Imperial Family by their lonesome.
Although the heads were eliminated, Delilah did not show any weakness or inability. Instead, she not only made the once rebellious family obedient to the Imperial Family once more, she even went and controlled many of the pro-imperial factions.
Now, she had completely eliminated her opposition and was steadily accumulating power by inserting her own people into the vacant positions.
Rutherford couldn't understand why such a woman would be so obsessed with his little brother.
It's not that he wanted her for himself, quite the opposite, he was thankful to Rexford for gaining the attention of such a monster. He couldn't even begin to fathom what kind of disaster would happen to the Diabolus Imperial Family if she had not fallen for his little brother.
"I don't mind watching you ladies fight over Rexford, but could you do so in a way that does not make him suffer?"
Rutherford tried to protect his third brother but the response he got was only a strong hit of sarcasm-
"Says the man who was willing to dump everything on that very same brother"
"... all the problems would have been resolved, I planned to ensure that the Empire could function even without the need for Rexford's close management besides…"
"Besides?"
Rutherford cut his words but Delilah did egged him to finish them-
'He has monstrosities like you and Ortrun, even Ratna and Elise could only hide away when the two of you clash'
But he kept his words within his own mind, he did not want to cause any misunderstandings or give Delilah a reason to attack him.
"Well, it doesn't matter, so long as you move forward with the plan, you can achieve your dreams even without the need for marrying the human princess"
"You say that as if it were easy…"
"It IS easy, easier than you think"
"..."
Rutherford could not help but sigh, the moment he was led to Rexford's office and met his little brother, the joy he felt was immediately repressed as another figure caught his attention.
'Lizard huh?'
The Matriarch of the eastern clan of dragonewts, the race whose inherent ability came second only to the titans.
Ortrun Martel was sitting before a table showing an annoyed expression as she eyed Delilah.
'Sorry Rex, but your older brother is too incompetent, you're all on your own'
He thought as his gaze went from Ortrun to Delilah and eventually landing on Rexford who approached him with a smirk.
"Brother, if you want any of them just tell me, we'll find a way together! Hell, take them both if you want!"
Rexford whispered, he even used magic to ensure that his words would not reach anyone else's ears but he greatly underestimates the women chasing after him.
"Sorry Rex, but there will only be one woman in my heart"
He answered his little brother in a similar way but internally he was screaming-
'No, don't drag me into this, I'm not chasing after them… brother, there's a difference between a look of longing and the gaze of prey watching predators closely!'