38 – King Maker
I never harbored any desire to become the emperor.
The longing for power, the sense of responsibility from wanting to care for the people from a lofty position—those emotions were incredibly distant to me.
Every time I saw a few nobles who treated me like a nuisance and bothered me, and sisters and brothers who deemed me as a potential competitor and watched me with suspicion.
I felt wronged.
Was it because I couldn’t get along with my own family, merely because I was born of a noble bloodline?
The title of heir apparent was far too heavy for me to bear when I was still young. The imperial palace was too vast, and the voices praising my name were too loud.
If even my family sees me as an enemy.
Whom am I supposed to rely on?
Amidst such isolation, nurturing nothing but resentment for this damned world, that’s when a man appeared.
– “I am Nyle von Adelheim, and from today, I am entrusted with the education of Her Royal Highness the Princess.”
I thought this person would be the same.
“Do you wish to become the Emperor?”
“If you have no intention of becoming the Emperor and simply wish to lead a peaceful, ordinary life.”
“I will help you achieve that.”
That was until I heard this preposterous declaration.
I don’t quite remember how I reacted to those words. I must have stood there, gaping like an idiot, with a stunned expression on my face.
Thinking about it rationally.
It was highly likely that this person had been bought off by another faction.
Yet, it didn’t concern me. On the contrary, it was good news. Whatever the intentions behind this strange person’s words, they were precisely what I had hoped for.
I accepted his foolhardy offer.
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And so began the world’s most foolishly conceived education.
“First and foremost, you must learn about politics. To avoid it, you need to understand what constitutes political action and be wary of it.”
He made the nobles who claimed to be part of his faction abandon him.
One by one, the nobles who acknowledged that the youngest princess had no chance of becoming the Emperor left.
“The nature of politics and power ultimately lies in the belief in their existence. Because they have no substance, they can also be something more potent. And because they lack substance, they can dissipate in an instant.”
He made sure that her brothers and sisters would no longer perceive her as a threat.
“Power and authority are entirely different. Political competence and practical competence are also distinct. Strive to be an administrator, not a ruler.”
Yet he empowered her to do anything she wished, if desired.
He was excessively competent.
But he was not merely a competent person.
He was… a kind person. Not only did he fulfill whatever she desired,
He also returned to her something she had given up on and resigned herself to losing, something she hadn’t even dared to wish for.
“Why don’t you visit the Imperial Uncle who enjoys playing chess and ask him to teach you? The Imperial Uncle would surely be pleased to oblige.”
“The Second Prince’s puppy has given birth, I hear. Would you like to go see them together?”
“For your birthday, why not ask the First Princess to gift you one of the paintings she has made herself?”
Her family, who had been wary and dismissive of her,
Suddenly greeted her with a cheerful smile and welcomed her every time they saw her. She couldn’t fathom what sort of magic had been at work.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
So she asked him directly why her family had opened their hearts to her.
“Well, no family dislikes a youngest sibling throwing a tantrum, do they?”
It was an answer that he simply couldn’t comprehend.
These royal people, they categorized even their ‘family’ as friend or foe. They treated even blood relations as mere tools, dismissing familial affection as mere hypocrisy.
Hence.
If their hearts were supposed to open to one another for such a petty reason.
Then why… had they not opened their hearts to him sooner?
Before he felt abandoned by his own family.
Before he was left to endure this horrifying degree of loneliness and isolation.
Why hadn’t they smiled at him a little earlier?
“Sometimes, kindness requires courage. They must’ve needed a catalyst too. All I did was help them find it.”
He simply couldn’t understand.
Everything just seemed like a lie.
A mix of emotions–betrayal, joy, everything–all jumbled up.
Without realizing, he found himself crying. Not knowing why he was crying, he tried to stop his tears, but they kept flowing.
His tears didn’t stop.
Eventually, his face was a mess with tears and snot, an uncomely sight for someone of noble blood.
He cried like a child.
After that day, the man stopped giving him political lessons.
“Today, I will read you a fairy tale.”
Just like the man had promised from the start.
He gifted him a peaceful daily life. He offered him leisure, warmth, and tranquility.
That peace felt like a lie.
It didn’t feel real.
Before he knew it, he found himself acting more childish. He continued to act out toward his sisters, brothers, and various family members.
If they granted one request, he’d make another one. If they didn’t, he’d throw a fit. He slowly escalated his tantrums, forcing them to fulfill inconvenient requests with a simple smile or pout.
Before he knew it, the family members were acting competitively for his sake. The kindness and affection they bestowed had them tangled up.
With each tantrum they gave into, they showed their weakness.
The more weaknesses they exposed, the less they could resist his tantrums.
Even if it was evident that he was manipulating them.
They didn’t think anything was strange. They seemed to enjoy it despite the hassle, and when he gave them a smile, they seemed joyful like children.
At this point, it was hard to call it an equal, familial relationship.
Rather… they treated him as if they were servants attending to their monarch. They considered it an honor to be tested by him.
It was a foolish thing.
The people of the ‘noble blood’, who were to rule over the entire empire, were behaving like slaves to him, who was just the last in line for the imperial succession.
-“It is not a strange thing. Leading others is a very tiring task. There was a bit of thought… maybe hoping for someone else to control us instead.”
Everything was going weirdly. He may have been able to stop this ‘foolery’ once he realized what was going on.
However, he could not stop it.
There was no reason to stop. He was satisfied with his current state. Instead, like being bewitched by something, he continuously forced his family to compete.
It was, power. He, who thought he did not want power, was unexpectedly wielding power and was happy.
Thinking he did not want power.
It was merely a delusion that could be done because he had never held true power.
Power was a joyful thing. Power can be lacking, but it can not be sufficient.
Only then did he realize his own birthright. What the ‘noble blood’ is, why those born with that blood have neither the right nor need for a peaceful life.
And to make him realize all of this.
-“Your Highness, the Princess.”
It was this man. Even when the other families were undergoing endless trials and driving themselves to ruin.
Only this man still appeared calm and composed. He was still kind, still capable, still respectful.
He appeared to be from another world.
He did not like that calmness. It seemed disrespectful to him to be so relaxed in front of him.
Even if he made an unreasonable request, that man would accomplish it easily. And as usual, with a smile, he would read a storybook in a gentle voice.
While daring to treat him like a child.
He wanted to break that calm. He wanted to ruin that expression.
He needed power.
So, he ordered the man.
The man, for once, made a bewildered expression.
He seemed to consider something for a moment.
Then, he answered with a nod.
-“I will follow the orders of Your Highness, the Princess.”
A few months from then.
He put the crown on his head and ascended as the emperor who ruled over all subjects of the empire.
And then.
The man had disappeared. Nowhere in the empire could one find a man by the name of ‘Nail von Adelhelm’.
The noble who had vouched for his identity had been executed by his own order.
His sanity returned. He could properly look at himself, one who had been swept away by the ghost called power.
The first day he met the man.
The words the man had said to him came to mind.
– “If Your Highness has absolutely no intention of becoming the Emperor, and simply wishes to lead a peaceful daily life.”
– “I will assist you in that endeavor.”
– “…What do I desire, you ask? Well, I wish for Her Imperial Highness to be happy.”
– “It may be hard to believe… but I am sincere. If a family should kill each other over the position of the Emperor, an innocent child learns to hide their emotions instead of how to laugh or cry, then…”
– “That is… a very sad thing.”
Oh my God.
What on earth…
What have I done…?
*
“Back then, the kid was so naive I was worried… Well, it seems like he’s doing well enough as an Emperor so that’s a relief.”
『Rain.』
“Hmm?”
『Are you by any chance, crazy?』
…Suddenly?