Chapter 142: The Crown

Words : 1244 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 142: The Crown That came out of left field. And Luca was caught off guard by Xavier’s first question. Now, had he been asked this a few days ago, he would’ve panicked uncontrollably, for he would’ve focused on his status as an impostor. But now... Now what? Xavier watched the little chipmunk’s face, and without a verbal confirmation, he could already tell there was more or less a story behind his identity. Could he blame him for hesitating? No. Not when he’s not even upfront with his own identity, thought Xavier, who observed Luca’s microexpressions. "It’s only fair if I answered the same question, right?" He said. Whoever this guy was, he had risked himself by showing all these to them, so what was the weight of his secret? Only a hefty amount of Star coins but nothing close to what he’s been entrusted with. "Xavier Aeric Theron Solaris." "..." "Imperial Crown Prince of the Empire of Solaris," Xavier said for the first time in so many years. And who would’ve known that what would’ve been a momentous secret for anyone else in the Empire would go right above the head of one chipmunk? An ambush? Power struggles? Revenge plotting? These were the normal concerns they had whenever someone learned about his identity, but what was all of this to someone who clearly looked lost upon hearing his secret? And for the first time in a while, Xavier felt humbled as Prince Aeric. To be fair, it wasn’t that Luca thought little of the secret, it was just that it took a while for him to register what that was all about. As a mere student trying to get by, the Imperial family was but an edict to him. And because he had been stuck in Planet Nova since he got here, Luca’s concerns remained within his small bubble. Only to be greeted with someone saying something about the Empire of Solaris. "Host, I cannot seem to verify the benefactor’s identity!" D-29 was worried about identity theft and searched Star Net for information but to no avail. And rightfully so, for the Imperial Family had been withholding the information since the Prince was born. Not that the young prince had never been seen, but he’d never done public appearances since he could talk. So, the little system tried another source of information. Sid—Xavier’s guardian mecha. While D-29 obtained a copy of Sid’s database, it could not locate the mecha’s concealed directive. Well, not just yet. But the mecha who was privy to these doubts volunteered the information instead, which belatedly startled Luca. "?!" *Gasp!* Nowonderhehadnodebt! Surprisingly, this was Luca’s first afterthought when he realized he was buddies with such a powerful person! Xavier’s wait finally got him a reaction, but rather than stop at that, he decided to ask, "What’s got you gasping like that?" Now, the small animal wasn’t sure if he should say it, but because Xavier, no, the Prince, was waiting, he figured he’d come out with it. "I—I realized it’s why you were confident about not having debts, Your Imperial Highness." Not having debts. Xavier choked on his saliva. *Cough! Cough!* Of all things one could think about, this chipmunk was hung up on the lack of debts?! Luca was actually scared he had said something wrong. He grimaced at Xavier’s reaction, only to find the Prince snickering. Xavier felt like he should’ve expected this. But at the same time, his doubts about the duchy’s financial health started mounting. "Is the duchy in need of financial help?" Xavier had to ask. And it would be better to solve this likely problem than to have the little chipmunk fretting about every single Star coin. "The duchy?" Luca wondered why Xavier would ask such a thing until the mountain giant continued with an explanation. "Sorry, I was just wondering why a noble of such a House would be as frugal and yet hard-working as you. I couldn’t help but wonder if the duchy was in trouble?" Luca was admittedly startled by this connection. If anything, he had no idea about the duchy’s financial situation, but he would then have to admit why he, the supposed heir, would have no idea. While his father knew about him, Luca wasn’t sure how others would take it. "Your Imperial Highness—" Luca started before Xavier interjected. "Just Xavier. I am Xavier to you." "Is that allowed?" Luca blinked up at the mountain giant who had to explain. "If you call me that outside, won’t the alternate identity be pointless? And with your status, you can frankly invent names, and no one would be able to say anything about it." Xavier wasn’t sure why Luca would think so, but maybe he felt the need to be formal, like several of his ancestors who practically had arranged marriages. And if anything, he expected Luca to react to being tied up for life with a Prince rather than his financial health. Was it not as groundbreaking as he thought? Xavier wondered if this chipmunk was just so used to handling pressure that he didn’t bat an eye at the realization. But he didn’t get to ponder for longer as Luca asked him what was apparently a deciding question. "Xavier, why did you tell me this?" "If you’re using another identity, then that means you’re hiding for a reason, right? So, why?" Luca fidgeted as he asked just how Xavier felt confident about sharing such a secret because he had this problem right now. "Because I need to be able to trust you with my life. And how would you expect us to live with each other with such glaring lies?" He had duties, and hiding them from the chipmunk would have been impossible. He only delayed saying it because he had to consider the Empire’s welfare. What if he doomed everyone because of his personal responsibilities? But at the same time, he also had no right to blindside the money grubber. And now he hoped that Luca could do the same. The ex-impostor knew exactly how hard it was to live a lie. Even when he couldn’t understand anything, he had to nod and pretend he did. When he showed affection, he felt a bit guilty because he felt that it was always for the original owner. And now Xavier just came clean with a secret, like he was freeing himself from such shackles. Luca wanted the same thing. So, he made up his mind. "Can you please make another pinky promise with me?" Xavier noted Luca’s seriousness and wondered just what kind of contract this pinky promise was that it held more weight than their current one. But okay. Nothing could be worse than death anyway, and he’s already signed up for that. Then, one prince and one accidental royal made another pact to keep each other’s secrets safe. And the little chipmunk even hurriedly added something about not getting angry or sending him to a lab or a prison. Okay? This again? While he understood the danger of being sent to a lab, given what he currently knew about the money grubber, Xavier could only wonder why Luca had always been so wary of getting incarcerated. But just before he could ponder more about it, the shorty decided to unpack secrets that definitely held more weight than being a Crown Prince. "!!!" Why would Luca be shocked to hear his secret when the chipmunk had far bigger secrets?!

Chapter 142: The Crown

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