12 – Fate Flows with Desire
The Emperor of the Mersen Empire,
Velcreed Supertor Caldebrion.
He was looking at his son right now.
The Crown Prince, Eos,
With a face that strongly resembled the Emperor himself,
Was whispering coldly with a faint smile in the ear of the weeping maid.
The maid, her face turning pale blue,
Trembled incessantly, as if sitting in the middle of a winter wilderness without a coat, without a moment’s rest.
From time to time, she clutched her left chest and shuddered.
Just by looking at her, one could tell the extent of the fear she felt.
The unbearable thrill cried out with a terror greater than death itself.
But in the end, only small sounds like the squeak of a mouse escaped occasionally.
Perhaps.
I was undoubtedly hearing a horrific threat that was not easy to put into words.
With a face wet with tears and sweat, the maid barely managed to leave.
The prince approached the desk.
The emperor was not a fool.
He understood the meaning of what his son had shown him accurately.
It was poison.
Without a doubt, someone had poisoned his medicine.
When did it start?
Who did it?
For what reason? I couldn’t even grasp faint outlines.
“Who is behind this?”
The question was asked calmly, without a hint of anger.
But the emperor was still the emperor.
Like someone who had overcome countless battlefields and assassination attempts that seemed impossible to win.
The initial shock had long since subsided.
Thanks to the long-standing habit of becoming calmer in difficult moments, it came to light once again.
“I don’t know.”
It was a casual response that seemed to have been waiting to pop out. Somehow, it felt like he was hiding something.
“Is the court physician also involved?”
“We cannot be sure yet. Perhaps, he did not know. He probably only saw it as Your Majesty being weakened by years of excessive drinking and loss.”
When the word “loss” was mentioned, the Emperor’s heart sank at the image of a woman that suddenly came to mind.
“Hmm. How exactly did you find out that the medicine was poisoned?”
“Just before coming here, I happened to see a maid. Her trembling and repeatedly checking the medicine bottle seemed suspicious, and luckily, I suspected it.”
“Ha!”
The Emperor burst into a wry smile.
It was so easy to tell that it was a lie.
To think that he had realized the poison was in the medicine just from the suspicious behavior.
It felt as if he was being mocked.
“Just a moment ago, you were babbling about how you knew everything, whether it was a lie or the truth. But now, you’re telling me such unbelievable nonsense?”
The Crown Prince smiled casually, as if he had never had such disrespectful thoughts.
“What can I do when the truth I know is the only thing I have? The important thing is, even though it’s too late, should we not search for the truth together, Your Majesty?”
It was an incredibly composed expression.
It was reminiscent of the Prime Minister of the Mersen Empire, Duke Schlein, who always had a handle on everything.
And the reason the Emperor’s pupils trembled at that moment was not just because of the arrogance in his words.
It was because the resolved doubts resurfaced once again.
“Could he really be my son….?”
It was a strange situation.
I kept feeling that the young man in front of me might not be my son.
That unsettling thought was constantly poking at my nerves, like the tip of a wriggling snake’s tongue.
However.
It wasn’t difficult to deny the suspicions I had already denied.
That shining silver hair that reminded me of the woman I loved.
His face, his voice, even the slight habit of raising his chin when he spoke.
He was undoubtedly my own son.
Of course, even so.
Explaining the extreme change in his personality, as if he had become a different person, was not easy.
“……”
In the end, there was no choice.
I had to rationalize.
Because of the life-threatening situation he had survived, I could only think that his personality had undergone a significant change.
The emperor, swallowing his dry saliva with a troubled expression, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Why did you collapse a few days ago?”
“It happened so suddenly, I also don’t know the reason. Would you like to hear the opinion of the royal physician?”
The prince’s gaze was firm.
It was filled with a resolute determination not to give any explanations.
The more they talked, the more frustrated I felt.
Somehow, it felt like my throat was closing up.
It felt like he was forcing himself to swallow several stale and hard breads in a row.
I know he’s hiding something.
Since there was no way to find out, there was no choice but to give up in the end.
It had been a long time since I felt such powerlessness.
The emperor wiped his face with both hands.
He felt extremely exhausted.
Now all he could do was sit still and watch over the crown prince.
Thanks to him, he had escaped the fate of being poisoned.
And it seemed that the crown prince would definitely uncover the mastermind behind the poisoning.
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A bitter smile naturally appeared.
The strange feeling of certainty that arises unexpectedly from a child who has only brought sorrow and disappointment, it was truly a peculiar emotion.
It seemed to be the result of a confusing whirlwind of a certain amount of relief, guilt, and gratitude that couldn’t be mixed together.
Anyway.
He had sent away the maid who had brought the poisoned medicine and knew exactly what was inside.
There couldn’t be no intention to uncover the mastermind.
But for some reason.
The crown prince’s attitude, which seemed to be overseeing everything but didn’t clearly say anything, felt very unsettling.
Thud!
The emperor’s fist, which slammed the desk, finally shattered the suffocating silence.
“Are you daring to mock me right now?”
“Mock, you say? I simply wish to seek help from Your Majesty.”
Seeking help while hiding the truth…
The Emperor quickly lowered his gaze. It was to conceal his slightly trembling eyes.
He was the son who had blamed himself for his mother’s death, even carrying a curse on his lips as he wallowed in despair.
Such a son.
He wanted to seek help.
And it was from the woman he loved so dearly, who resembled him so much.
A part of his heart grew subtly warm, and he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation.
Because of that, even just trying to regain a composed expression became quite a challenge.
“Help… heh. Alright, go ahead and tell me. What exactly can I do to help?”
The truth would eventually be revealed. What was truly important in this moment was giving the changed prince a chance. It was also about giving him trust.
In the end, it was this sentiment that dominated the Emperor’s heart.
“Please publicly proclaim that Glenitino, my lifelong servant, is innocent of any wrongdoing. Also, release him immediately. And I hope you will entrust the maid from earlier entirely to me.”
Even if it was inevitable to uncover the mastermind behind the maid.
To ask for the release of the royal scribe who had failed to properly oversee the prince without any consequences.
It was a demand that was difficult to easily accept.
Yet, the Emperor was considering granting it. It was the first request he had made since his mother’s death.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor swallowed his saliva.
There were still many things he was curious about, but it seemed like his son would never tell him.
In the end, he had to give up on his son’s firm attitude.
Of course, there was still lingering regret.
“Just tell me one thing.”
“……”
The prince remained silent, but the emperor did not withdraw his question.
“Was it because of Elaine that you were able to survive right before death?”
The emperor was very fond of Elaine.
He could tell at first glance that she was well-behaved, somewhat reserved, and beautiful.
She seemed like a perfect match for his son.
Of course, he had immediately realized that she was an illegitimate child when he heard her name.
But her status didn’t matter at all.
To the emperor, who had already stood at the pinnacle of power, titles that could be bought and sold were not that impressive.
When necessary, he could bestow them with his imperial authority, and that was all.
Rather, he was grateful for her generous nature.
It was something that could never be acquired unless one was born with it.
It was as rare and precious as any other talent, something that couldn’t be bought with money.
There was nothing more to see or do.
He had met his son, who had lived his life indulging in all kinds of wickedness, for a whopping four years.
It was truly remarkable how he managed to endure despite being so young and abandoned by everyone.
And what surprised me the most was that after Elaine arrived at the palace, the prince miraculously revived.
The situation was clear.
There was no doubt.
Elaine’s presence seemed deeply connected to the prince’s miraculous recovery.
Of course, there was no evidence, so I couldn’t be certain.
But just in case.
If that child truly possessed a powerful divine power surpassing even high-ranking officials.
No matter what it took.
It was a situation that must not be missed.
But the prince.
He seemed to have no intention of revealing even that one truth.
“Is that possible? It’s probably because of the palace physician’s prescription.”
It was true that the palace physician prescribed medicine, but he had certainly confirmed the prince’s death.
The officials felt the same way.
As individuals who had become skilled in countless deaths over the years, they firmly believed that it would be difficult for any anomalies to occur.
That’s why, as the emperor who couldn’t trust the prince’s words, I had no choice but to ask again.
“Does that child possess healing powers?”
“I’m not sure. I was in a state of unconsciousness, so I don’t really know. It just sounded like random words.”
The prince with a naturally gentle face didn’t speak the truth until the very end.
“Release your servant immediately. Do you have any other wishes? If not, then leave.”
Clang.
After the prince left,
In the empty office, the emperor smiled alone.
Although the prince didn’t give any response.
The moment the name Elaine was mentioned, the nonchalant expression on his face disappeared completely.
When the healing power was mentioned, even his eyebrows twitched.
It seemed like he was trying to pretend not to know, as if he had accidentally revealed a secret he didn’t want to be known.
Leaning back in his chair, the emperor thought of Elaine’s face.
“A child with healing power greater than any high-ranking official.”
If he could marry that child to his son.
He would be able to bear the tremendous power of the temples that spread across the continent solely on his shoulders.
And then.
It might be possible for his dethroned son to regain his position as the crown prince.
“A saint….”
A noble woman loved by the gods more than anyone else in this world.
Such a remarkable woman who descends from the heavens once every thousand years to save the world in crisis, that woman is undoubtedly a saint.
There was no doubt about it.
I saved my dying son.
Elen was definitely the saint that appeared in legends.
And to become her spouse.
I would erase countless infamous marks on the Crown Prince’s body like bruises.
As if they had never existed from the beginning, I would wipe them away cleanly.
On the face of the Emperor, who closed his eyes.
A truly satisfying smile appeared for the first time in a long time.
Then, the Emperor quickly adjusted his posture.
And took out a piece of paper.
Then, he dipped the sharp tip of the white feather pen into the black ink and wrote enough.
The recipient was Viscount Bart.
***
After leaving the office.
I leisurely walked towards the Imperial Training Grounds.
The maid who had brought the poison would soon reach the Empress’s palace.
I told her to go as fast as possible, so perhaps she is already facing the Empress.
By the way, in her heart.
I put in the water spirit, Aqua.
I explained it to her in the same way I did to Glentino, so she would have no choice but to follow my orders in order to survive.
Maybe as soon as she sees the Empress.
In the presence of the Emperor, the Crown Prince listed the disgraceful acts committed by the Prince of the Wastes one by one. It was my command.
The Empress, who had been suspicious of my recent actions, would undoubtedly feel great confusion.
The poison that had been consumed for many years.
Perhaps she thought I had found the antidote.
But suddenly, she acted as if she had been poisoned again.
She would want to know more about me, to understand me better.
And the release of Glentino was no different.
If Glentino, who had failed to properly fulfill his duties as the Crown Prince, was released without any punishment, the Empress would be unable to comprehend the reason. She would have to doubt what she had seen and heard.
With clouded eyes, the Empress would summon Glentino and inquire about the cause of his actions.
Glentino, using the words we had prepared in advance, would deceive the Empress.
In the end, the Empress would have no choice but to let her guard down.
And I would take advantage of the slightest opening to strike at the Empress from behind.
That was why I had come to this place.
By once again acting as if I had been poisoned, I intended to further loosen the Empress’s vigilance.
In the training ground, numerous knights were engaged in personal training.
Among them was Astia Levolun, a childhood friend of Eos.
For a nineteen-year-old woman, she was quite tall.
Her hair, tied up like a horse’s tail, was as red and vibrant as freshly spilled blood.
Despite having a delicate figure like a debutante, she wielded her sword with the force of a man.
And then, suddenly, her eyes turned towards me.
It was a moment before I could even react.
Like a beast facing its nemesis, a fierce intensity emanated from her sharp gaze.
The piercing stare that clashed with mine was undoubtedly filled with deep resentment.
It wasn’t unexpected, but when faced with it, it was beyond what I had imagined.
Even at a considerable distance.
Unconsciously, I took a step back.
A terrifying desire to immediately destroy my mother’s enemy flew at me through her eyes, like sharp claws scraping against my flesh.
It was a profound fear I had never felt before.
As if she and I were the only two frozen in this world.
It felt as if time had stopped.