An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2541

Chapter 2541

When Nathaniel woke up again, it was already nighttime.

Outside the room, Mateo and Emmett stood guard with a team of elite soldiers, ready for any threat.

Inside, Nathaniel’s mother, Jacqueline, and several imperial doctors were anxiously keeping watch.

The moment Jacqueline heard that her son had fallen into a coma, she had rushed over with the imperial physicians.

He was her only son, and she had poured almost all her love and effort into raising him.

Fortunately, Nathaniel had worked hard and excelled among the many princes, earning the right to compete for the crown prince’s title.

Lately, Jacqueline had been carefully planning his future. With such a critical moment approaching, this sudden turn of events naturally left her deeply worried.

Thankfully, it wasn’t life-threatening. Nathaniel had simply passed out from rage.

“Nathaniel, how are you feeling? Are you alright?”

Seeing him open his eyes, Jacqueline immediately stepped forward, her voice full of concern.

“Mother? Why are you here?”

Nathaniel rubbed his throbbing head and slowly sat up.

“I heard something happened to you. Of course, I had to come.” Jacqueline took a bowl of medicine from the maid and gently held it to Nathaniel’s lips. “Here, it’s a tonic for your spirit. Drink it.”

Nathaniel nodded silently and finished the medicine in one gulp.

“Son, no matter how precious something is, it’s still just an object. If you really want it, I’ll have someone find another for you. What matters most is your health,” Jacqueline said, her voice warm but firm.

“I know. It’s just that everything happened so suddenly… I was furious…”

Nathaniel clenched his fists, and a dark look crossed his face.

He had invested so much effort, only to lose most of it overnight. The anger was overwhelming.

“I already know what happened. I’ll take care of everything from here. You don’t have to worry,” Jacqueline assured him.

“What? Was the thief caught?” Nathaniel’s expression sharpened.

“If we catch them, we do. If we don’t, we let it go,” Jacqueline said, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?” Nathaniel frowned.

“Son, you’ve been tricked,” Jacqueline said with a sigh. “You were too impatient, too greedy. You walked right into their trap. This experience should be a lesson for you.”

“A trap?” Nathaniel’s frown deepened. “Are you talking about Dustin?”

It finally clicked. Right after Dustin presented the treasure, something had gone wrong in his private vault. No matter how he thought about it, Dustin seemed suspicious.

After all, the vault was filled with hidden traps and heavily guarded. Only a master like Dustin could have escaped without being caught.

Although Nathaniel suspected him, he had no evidence, making it hard to act.

“Dustin was just the knife. Someone else was wielding it,” Jacqueline said, her tone serious.

“Who? Who’s targeting me?!” Nathaniel’s hands tightened into fists, his eyes burning with resentment.

His current rivals were Matthias and Tristan. If either of them had set him up, he would show no mercy.

But Jacqueline, seeming to have figured it out, shook her head. “It’s not Tristan or Matthias. If I’m right, the person behind this… is your father.”

“My father?” Nathaniel froze, stunned. “That’s impossible! Father has always cared about me. Why would he set me up?”

“Son, your father has to think about the bigger picture,” Jacqueline said softly. “The Dracan essence affects the fate of the kingdom. Right now, you’re the one holding it. If you had handed it over sooner, it would have left a good impression. But trying to keep it for yourself? That’s a serious mistake. You’re the crown prince—you carry the future of the kingdom. Your father had to act.”

“But still, if that’s the case, couldn’t he have just told me? Why go to such lengths?” Nathaniel frowned, still struggling to understand.

“The emperor’s heart is the hardest to guess,” Jacqueline said. “Maybe your father had other reasons. Either way, don’t investigate this any further. Pretend it never happened. Do you understand?”

“Mother, could it be that you’re overthinking it? Are you sure the emperor is really behind it?” Nathaniel asked cautiously.

He was desperate to believe otherwise.

“Son, nothing in Oakvale escapes your father’s notice,” Jacqueline said gently. “Without his approval, no one would dare break into your estate.”

While Nathaniel was unconscious, Jacqueline had secretly sent people to investigate.

Since many people knew Nathaniel had obtained the Dracan essence, she figured it would be easy to find a trail.

But her search turned up nothing.

Even with the full resources of the powerful Spanner family, all she learned was that the people behind this had an intelligence network even stronger than theirs.

In all of Dragonmarsh, only the royal family’s intelligence network could surpass the Spanners’.

And now, the royal intelligence network was controlled by Princess Grace—who answered only to the emperor.

Which meant everything Grace did had the emperor’s silent approval.

That’s why Jacqueline urged her son to let it go. Digging deeper would only bring more trouble.