"My younger brother had never been willing to show me his feelings since we were children, and he certainly would not tell me the truth now. Even if I went to confront him in person, he would not say anything.
"But I have loved him dearly since childhood. I believe that if I keep trying, one day the two of us will surely turn conflict into peace. Yet now, it seems we can no longer see that possibility."
The First Prince felt deeply troubled. He desperately wanted to see that his younger brother would not suffer any harm—no harm at all. As for bringing him down, that was out of the question.
One could not relax when dealing with someone like the Second Prince. One had to fight him ruthlessly, because only ruthless resistance would make him take things seriously.
Previously, the Second Prince had relied on the highly intelligent Mu by his side and believed himself to be extremely formidable. He also believed he had many craftsmen under his command.
But now, most of those people had broken away from the Second Prince's camp. They believed the First Prince ascending the throne was the inevitable trend, so they had long since switched sides.
The Second Prince clearly did not blame those people. Instead, he placed all the blame on the First Prince, believing that everything had happened because of the First Prince's instigation.
"If you had not been involved in this matter, I do not believe so many people—thousands upon thousands—would have defected to your camp. So I hope you can give me an explanation."
"Ever since we were children, you have always lived so leisurely, and Father Emperor has always given you the best things. That is why I must compete with you now."
Uchiha Hikaru had never