I Was Framed, Now I'll Take The Throne

"Don’t get caught, okay?"

The bird proudly puffed out its chest.

"Tweet! Tweet!"

’Master, don’t worry. I’m a royal bird! I can fly higher than the others, and I can fly fast now thanks to you.’

"Right..." Lionel chuckled at it.

The little creature immediately memorized the faces on the papers. It stared at them for several seconds before nodding seriously.

"Tweet."

’I understand now, master.’ Then it suddenly spread its wings and hopped off.

"Tweet! Tweet!"

’Leave it to me!’

Before Lionel could say anything else, the bird launched itself into the air. A blur of feathers shot through the greenhouse as it flew toward one of the open windows near the top of the greenhouse.

"Tweet!"

’I won’t disappoint you, master!’

A moment later, it disappeared into the sky.

Lionel watched the bird leave before letting out a small laugh.

"That bird is really enthusiastic."

Still, he trusted the little creature. After all, the bird had already proven itself surprisingly capable multiple times.

With that thought, Lionel folded the remaining papers and returned them to his pocket before leaving the greenhouse.

When Lionel returned to his chambers, he immediately saw the group of maids going in and out of his room. In his bed, he saw clothes that were already neatly folded.

My lord!" Diana was the one who spotted him first.

"What is all this commotion?" Lionel’s forehead creased as he looked around. It was a mess everywhere.

"We are already making preparations for tomorrow, of course," Diana answered as he pointed toward two large suitcases placed beside his bed.

"The Imperial Army only allows two suitcases per trainee."

Lionel immediately remembered that rule.

Unlike noble academies, the Imperial Army cared very little about status so everyone followed the same regulations. Whether one was the son of a duke, the son of a baron, or a commoner, the limit remained the same.

It was two suitcases, and nothing more. Because of that, deciding what to bring became surprisingly difficult, especially for him who has much resources.

Lionel walked to one of his luggage items that was open. There, he saw that half of it was getting filled with training clothes already

"You’ve already filled this much?"

"Yes, my lord." Diana sighed problematically. "We need you to be comfortable there, which is why we’re prioritizing essentials."

Diana immediately handed him a list. Lionel took it and looked at what was in it. And what he saw was a comprehensive list of the things he needed to bring.

"These are fine already, but can you remind this?" Lionel pointed at the bottom part of the list.

The list was already complete with things he needed, such as training clothes, outerwear, garments, and even extra plain shirts. However, there were also things he knew were a waste of space, such as books and decorative accessories.

"My lord, what if you need those?" Diana visibly looked confused.

"I won’t."

"But what if—"

"I won’t."

"But—"

"Diana."

"..."

"Yes, my lord." Diana reluctantly surrendered to him.

"Thank you." Lionel handed back the list and went to the corner of his room to sit. He waited there patiently for them to pack.

An hour later, the room looked much better, and his two suitcases were almost finished. Fortunately, Diana followed his instructions and removed most of the unnecessary things.

"Looks like everything is almost done." Lionel stood from his chair and stretched slightly.

"Almost, my lord," Diana nodded. "We just need to make a few final checks."

"Okay," Lionel absentmindedly looked around his room before his eyes could land something near his desk.

"..." His eyes became fixated on one thing.

It was the hourglass.

How could I almost forget that? Lionel’s expression softened.

Without saying anything, he walked toward the desk.

"My lord?"

Lionel picked up the hourglass carefully. The golden sand inside mowed slightly as he lifted it. For a few seconds, he simply stared at it.

A small smile appeared on his face before he turned toward Diana.

"Diana can you include this in my luggage, too?"

"The hourglass, my lord?" Diana looked at him in uncertainty.

"Yes." Lionel nodded.

Diana looked at the object curiously. Compared to everything else being packed, it seemed rather ordinary and out of place.

"My lord..." Diana hesitated for a little bit. "Are you certain about it?"

"I am."

"There is limited space remaining... you can bring some more stuff if you don’t include that."

"I know."

Diana looked at the hourglass once more. Then at Lionel. When she saw the seriousness in his eyes, it surprised her slightly.

"This is important to me."

"As you wish, my lord." Diana understood enough from his expression not to question it further. She stepped forward and carefully accepted the hourglass from him.

Unlike before, she handled it with far more care. If it was important to Lionel, then it should be valuable.

"I’ll make sure it’s packed safely."

"Thank you." Diana nodded before calling over one of the maids.

"Prepare protective wrapping for this immediately."

"Yes, Diana."

The hourglass was soon wrapped carefully in soft cloth before being placed inside one of the suitcases.

Lionel watched the process quietly. A strange sense of relief settled inside him afterward. At least he got everything he needed.

"Good."

"Then that should be everything, my lord." Diana looked relieved as well.

"Diana."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Are Rylan and Eiden currently at the training grounds?"

Diana immediately nodded. "Yes, my lord. They should both be there right now."

"Good."

"Would you like me to escort you there?"

"No need." Lionel shook his head.

"But—" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I’ll go alone. I’ll only be speaking with Rylan and Eiden."

"I understand, my lord."

"In the meantime, continue preparing everything."

"Understood." Diana placed a hand over her chest confidently.

"We won’t disappoint you."

"I know." Lionel smiled faintly.

With that, he turned toward the door, and the servants immediately stepped aside to make way for him.

Lionel had to talk to Rylan and Eiden first about his plans. He knew that only then could he leave at peace.