―Even if I die, I will resent you, Reinhardt.
A memory as vivid as if it were yesterday.
Looking at those cold eyes, the horrors of that day filled my head.
She was burned to death with her limbs cut off. Because he continued his beliefs to the end, he was purged in front of the nobles.
She was a representative figure of the anti-war faction, and ‘Saint Isabella’, who had raised an uprising on the side of the people, was right in front of her.
Looking at her made my mouth water.
If I proceed with the past after I ascend the throne, she will become a major stumbling block.
Because he was one of the leading figures who led countless emperor assassination attempts, palace fires, and even a rebellion by mobilizing 200,000 people.
Of course, that’s for later.
Right now, she was just an ordinary countess’s daughter.
A pitiful woman who was sold out by the greed of adults.
‘It’s still beautiful.’
In the past, I fell in love with her at first sight.
It was only to see her that he came out of the confinement of the crown prince’s palace after half a year. It was my will regardless of my father’s orders or the dukes’ invitations.
A girl who danced with me at the ballroom when I was little.
Being so young, she couldn’t remember.
I couldn’t understand it and pushed myself, so I ended up slapped on the cheek.
What happened after that?
‘I lost my memory after being slapped on the cheek.’
Madness flared up. Sudden excitement cut the string of reason.
When I woke up, it was a sea of blood.
whose blood?
Surprisingly, it was covered with my own blood.
The lady-in-waiting next to her, Raines, was a trained swordsman.
It sensed the master’s danger and cut me down.
Afterwards, Raines was executed, and with Isabella, he and Isabella crossed an irreversible river.
Isabella’s family had no choice but to pay all three years’ worth of taxes, and her family also fell into ruin.
“Sorry… um. sorry. You showed me a bad side.”
I sincerely apologized.
However, it was not easy to apologize.
There was an instinctive resistance.
Is it because I live a life that is far from apology?
“······ Fine.”
When I apologized, she also lost her anger with a look of surprise.
The county of Versailles and the ecliptic are a distance that would take a month to travel non-stop in a carriage.
It was understandable that she would be uncomfortable if the first thing she saw after running down that street was blood and flesh, but she understood her situation.
But I don’t know what to say.
It wasn’t easy to deal with her with a sane mind.
“Were there any inconveniences on the way?”
“I was able to come comfortably thanks to the carriage sent by the imperial family. Thank you for your consideration.”
Hard words and facial expressions.
She must be very uncomfortable in this place.
When I realized that I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable, I burst into laughter.
“I’m glad you were comfortable. You must be tired and hungry from coming a long way, but let’s just taste it before it cools down any further.”
Thirty kinds of soup, cream, and side dishes were placed on the table.
Seeing that made me insanely hungry.
Saliva collects and pupils dilate.
rumbling!
The ship was also sending signals.
‘Why are you doing this?’
Isn’t it far from the reaction your body would show if you starved for only half a day?
Embarrassingly, the body was begging for food.
It’s so intense that I’ve never experienced it in my entire life.
“Well!”
The moment I sat down, wrapped myself in a napkin, and shoved a piece of bread into my mouth, I let out a moan.
delicious. Simply delicious was not enough.
The feeling of filling the emptiness.
Has the imperial chef changed?
no. It is as it is.
So, are you hungry and feel delicious?
hands are busy My mouth was also busy.
“…”
Isabella was still holding the fork and knife, watching the prince like that.
It looked as if they had starved for three days.
The word gluttonous is correct. It was far from the dining etiquette of the nobility.
The problem is that the target is the one and only crown prince of the empire.
Even though I had just seen blood, my appetite was overflowing.
It was worthy of the title of a mad prince.
‘······ It’s delicious.’
To say that, I was really enjoying the meal.
gulp!
Isabella wondered how delicious the imperial cuisine was, so even the prince, who would eat it every day, had no choice but to enjoy it.
But you have to be patient.
She also enjoyed the ceremony, but the place was the place.
Ugh! Ugh!
Didn’t I just tell you to taste it?
It was the first time in her life that Isabella had seen a scene where a person poured out food so deliciously.
It was fashionable for aristocrats to eat and eat while talking about etiquette and whatnot.
It was taboo to chew whole chunks in one’s mouth.
Because the prince was breaking that taboo in a very delicious way.
‘You have to be patient, Isabella.’
In an instant, thirty kinds of food were almost frozen.
Before long, Reinhardt’s eyes met.
It’s the eyes that ask why don’t you eat?
But that was only for a moment.
At the same time, his fork turned to the bread in front of her.
‘ah······.’
I wasn’t going to eat it anyway, so why am I so sad?
After eating the last piece of bread, Reinhardt raised his hand.
Towards the cook who was looking at him from afar with a proud expression on his face.
“Give me more. ”
“Yes!”
Isabella felt like she had landed in Wonderland.
***
The leader of the Golden Knights, Alberto, clutched at his severed little finger and gave a complicated look.
“Isn’t it obvious that you lost, Captain?”
“Kuhk, but since you hurt the crown prince’s face, even Empress Josephine will understand.”
“The captain is also great. How do you act so real?”
Members are noisy.
I didn’t ask if the severed finger was okay, and it was all about that story.
‘Real-like acting?’
It wasn’t smoke.
I hate to admit it, but it’s real.
At one point, Alberto was overwhelmed by Reinhardt.
The eyes of a real predator that even the current emperor couldn’t see.
Alberto felt a sense of intimidation from the mad prince that only a veteran or a person at the top of the food chain could show.
I think it’s an illusion, but I can’t forget it.
Above all, Reinhardt showed ‘mercy’ to him.
As if to say ‘you owe me’, he neatly cut off one little finger.
neat section. It wasn’t even contaminated, so if you attached it with divine power, there would be no problem.
Besides, the prince’s swordsmanship was real.
I thought it was informal, but it only felt that way because it was a swordsmanship specialized only in actual combat.
‘Have you been pretending to be crazy all this time?’
Maybe, isn’t the prince just ‘pretending to be crazy’?
But why?
Since he was installed as the crown prince, the position of the next emperor has been confirmed.
There was no way that the facts that had been published would disappear unless they got caught up in some gossip.
‘Damn it. I don’t know.’
My bone hurt. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find an answer.
What is clear is that he is not the ‘crazy prince’ he used to be.
I don’t know if the mania has healed or if I’ve been pretending to be insane all this time, but if it’s the latter…
gulp!
‘The sleeping dragon has woken up…’
***
The workday is over.
When I entered the room and looked out the window, it was already evening.
It was only eaten for half a day.
It was a pity for Isabella.
[Bone density increases.]
[The production of muscle fibers is accelerated.]
[Starts burning and expelling unnecessary fat.]
[Stores surplus glucose.]
Zero was doing his job without me having to do it.
I don’t know if it’s because of that, but I feel like I’ve put on quite a bit of weight in between.
Even thinking about it, it was a terrible binge.
This is the first time ever.
“What is the cause of gluttony?”
[When the brain is activated above average, it requires a significant amount of glucose. Glucose is mainly contained in carbohydrates and sugars such as bread and chocolate.]
Somehow, I became obsessed with bread.
It means that the body wants what it lacks.
“So you’re saying you have to binge eat every time you activate your brain?”
[Instead of consuming excess energy as fat, my clones store extra glucose for maximum efficiency. However, the master’s body is currently in a state of lack of muscle mass. I recommend eating as much as possible for a while.]
In the past, I was ignorant of taste.
When you get sick of the drug, your senses die. Of these, taste is the one that is weeded out and disappears the most.
I ate just enough to fill my stomach, and even that, I barely took any meals.
The bare bones of the body are proof of that.
However, it had to be different in the future.
‘Mine, I have to develop my strength.’
I definitely felt it today.
That there was almost nothing completely mine in this imperial palace.
Except for Germin, there is no one on my side.
But there was one thing that came to mind first.
‘The Yellow Dragon Knights. They were my direct order of knights.’
The emperor has five sons, including me.
And the emperor has appointed a direct order of knights to guard every time a son is born.
Me too.
The Thirty-something Yellow Dragon Knights, made up of strong men, are just that.
Its technology and power are stronger than other knights, but it is now almost disbanded.
Most of them left the knights or went to other provinces in hopes of transferring themselves.
The number of Yellow Dragon Knights left in the palace can probably be counted on one hand.
And even the remaining knights were not interested in my progress.
Even though he said he would leave the palace after half a year, he didn’t even show his nose.
‘The only knights who have not been touched by the duke’s breath.’
Of course.
The first order of knights created when the first prince was born.
Talents picked and picked for that symbolism.
I saw not only his skills but also his temperament, so his integrity was unparalleled.
The single-minded group is not to be touched casually. Moreover, the leader of the Yellow Dragon Knights was still trusted by the emperor.
He left the palace after I became emperor.
Haven’t seen it once since.
Had he remained, Malfiel would not have been able to enter the palace so easily.
‘One of the five sword masters who protect the imperial family. Among them, Sir Croft, the Sword King, is the only one allowed to be given the title of king.’
Known as the strongest of the five sword masters, he was not the emperor’s direct guard, but the leader of my knights.
Even holding the title of Sword King, he was a strong man within ten hands of the continent.
He was the only one who dared to wear the title of king in the imperial family with an emperor.
‘If he’s on my side, it’s like holding a sure card.’
It won’t be easy.
You will hate me beyond disappointment.
But, I had to do it.
To escape from the influence of the two dukes, who even controlled the emperor.
It was the two dukes who dethroned my father and made me emperor.
They used my madness to incite a war.
If I’m sure I’m fine, I’ll put another prince in my place at that moment.
‘The emperor will come down on his own in 5 years.’
And I die after putting me in the emperor’s seat.
I, who was stupid, only later found out that I was killed by the two dukes.
The current empire belongs not to the emperor, but to the nobles who are in favor of war with the two dukes.
It was theirs that had grown and accumulated strength due to the old peace.
‘I have to change.’
the future.
my worth.
The first button to do so was Sword King Croft.
It was the first feat that must be accomplished no matter what.
***
next day.
When I woke up and looked in the mirror, I couldn’t help but flinch.
‘······ What the hell is this?’
＜ Sword King Croft ＞ End