31 – Who Uttered the Commoner’s Voice
The humble Second Empress was Yurian’s mother.
The First Prince had the Empress as his mother, and the Second Empress was the mother of the Second Prince. Among them, the only one who departed from this world was the Second Empress.
The crimes of the Second Empress were twofold.
First, she underestimated the danger of palace intrigue.
Second, she conceived a child with extraordinary talents.
Either way, it was a grave sin that could not be forgiven by the ruler of the palace. Among the courtiers, there was no fool who couldn’t guess that the assassination of the Second Empress, a servant of the palace, was orchestrated by the Empress herself.
The First Prince, revealing the known circumstances with emphasis, harshly confronted Yurian.
“Where dare you return to? I knew Gongjeongbaek had been favoring your side. Still, do you understand why I remained silent?”
“…”
“It was to give time to grasp the situation. I could have crushed your wings at any moment.”
“…”
“Even a pitiful life, relinquish the succession like Reiners and retire. It’s not like you have anything substantial to offer.”
The insults grew more painful to endure.
I planted my foot as if ready to snatch Urien’s wrist and break free immediately. However, Elpisia quietly caught my wrist and shook her head nervously.
She stared silently at Urien, her intentions becoming clear only moments later.
“Are you afraid, brother?”
“What?”
“Even Her Majesty the Empress was concerned about you. Worrying about a person who couldn’t achieve anything with their own hands, she feared the young prince learning imperial studies since your childhood.”
I was surprised by the unfamiliar sight of Urien.
I was astonished that a mere ten-year-old could express such bitter sarcasm and just realized that he could utter sharp insults.
His demeanor, so different from his usual childish facade, shocked me.
“And you got the premise wrong, brother. Regardless of who you sent or what orders you gave, realizing those sinister desires was impossible from the start.”
“Overflowing confidence without evidence, little brother.”
“If you want evidence, I have plenty.”
“What did you say?”
The audacious youngest son’s attitude made the Crown Prince narrow his eyes. In response, Urien rolled his eyes briefly in my direction and let out a sly laughter.
“Whoever the assassin may be… It seems unlikely that they are better at wordplay than I am.”
“Are you insane…?”
“What’s insane is that you still equate me to the naive child from the past, my dear brother.”
Yurian’s expression seemed remarkably calm at first glance. Yet, he did not yield an inch to the man who was undoubtedly his sworn enemy.
Elysia’s assurance proved correct.
The facets I had witnessed of Yurian until now were just fragments of his character.
“When I was residing in the Imperial Palace, you should have killed me. I will do my best to make sure that the indolence that spared me will inevitably come back as retribution… for the best.”
“Lifting yourself with the titles of Duke and Marquis doesn’t pierce the sky with arrogance. You still have nothing. The world has erased you from its memory.”
“That’s why I plan to carve my presence gradually.”
Yurian slowly counted his fingers like children solving arithmetic problems. After a brief calculation, he confidently declared.
“5 years. Within a mere 5 years, I will surpass your position, brother.”
“5 years is a long time. Within those 5 years, I will be crowned as the Crown Prince.”
“Do you still not know the Emperor? He is nothing more than a machine managing the empire. If he finds a better seed, he can easily discard the current hero. Just as he ignored the malice of Empress for not needing a mother.”
“You?”
“Please take care, brother. Except for my limbs, everything will eventually return to being under my possession… so don’t ruin it in the meantime.”
The first and third princes face each other.
They cannot approach closely, but there is no escaping the attention of those around. Yurian has officially declared his intention to participate in the imperial dispute right here.
The day for nobles to make the biggest bet of their lives has arrived.
After conveying his intentions unilaterally, Yurian turned without any hesitation. People split into two paths like the parting of the Red Sea at the majestic strides of the audacious little prince.
At the end of his walk, we stood in our place.
As Yurián was about to say something about his luck, I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Well done.”
“Director…”
“Papa is proud of you.”
In an instant, the warmth that had been colored with emotion on Yurián’s face sharply cooled.
“…What the hell is this.”
“Already in adolescence, huh? Kids these days grow up fast.”
I added another joke while pretending not to be serious.
“I may act like I don’t care, but I did acknowledge your word chain skills. Anyway, you’re like Elphesia.”
“W-Why are you suddenly dragging me into this?!”
“It was just an attempt to provoke the elder brother!”
Looking at it this way, Elphesia and Yurián really seemed alike. The protagonist and the villain of this world were the most similar pair. There was no contradiction in this contradiction.
“Wait… is this also from some perspective the original route?”
While Tina and Glenn deviated from the original route without any room for disagreement, only Yurián had returned to this place.
Therefore, I couldn’t help but raise questions.
“In the original… why did I die exactly?”
As someone with a baptismal name, even if my throat was cut, it would quickly heal. Logically, when I looked back, the only way for me to die was from natural causes due to aging.
“Since I’m in my 30s in the original timeline… it’s definitely not senility.”
What happened behind the scenes in the original work? It was an absurd possibility, but rather, the probability of suicide seemed to be the highest.
I raised my head and observed Yurián and Elphesia.
A child like a rabbit(?) and a wife like a fox stand by my side.
Will I ever have the nerve to leave them and commit suicide?
‘If my fate is suicide, then the present me is the farthest from that.’
For now, I can only live while being cautious.
The future can change with very trivial actions.
Pay attention to your steps in the days to come.
When I made up my mind.
“You’re splendid.”
A woman of high status, evident at first glance, walked towards me, clapping her hands.
The jewels of this world, adorned in dresses, and the crown of gold and rubies that matched the emperor. Even a country bumpkin who knew nothing about the world could quickly discern her identity.
Her Majesty, the Empress.
The woman who held the reins of the empire’s administration unless the emperor intervened.
“Back then, the child was so small. Is it because you’re receiving help from the man behind you, the Third Prince?”
“Not particularly…”
That was the moment.
Elyssia quickly blocked my path and interrupted the conversation.
“Please don’t say anything, Harte.”
“Hmm.”
Snap!
The Empress unfolded a saffron fan, intertwining it like weaving the sunset. It was only after facing the regretful gaze of the Empress that I discerned the scent of a predator.
‘Principle of Separation of Church and State…!’
As long as my name is listed in the temple and I bear the baptismal name, I must never intervene in politics. That would be a grave sin against the will of the gods.
But today, Yurian declared that he would engage in the heart of political strife. From that moment on, Yurian transcended from an orphan in an orphanage to a prince.
If I were to claim that I am still taking care of such a person…
That statement could be interpreted with a very special meaning.
‘The temple guided me to be buried directly… with just a few words of greeting.’
She was a seasoned woman.
Even if I let my guard down, it was too much.
It’s natural for her to be a formidable figure. Because the Empress was the ultimate goal that Yurian and Tina had to surpass.
“You have a good wife. It’s unexpected that the lady would take care of my husband so well…”
“Somebody said that in the glasshouse. Taking care of a husband is quite enjoyable, they say.”
“So, how is it?”
“Very satisfying. Both giving and receiving.”
It was a provocation.
To mock her, who, despite having an emperor-like partner, couldn’t be both the giver and the receiver.
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The Empress’s eyebrows twitched, but it was just that much.
She did not lose her dignity.
“Although the social circles are so quiet that I didn’t notice… Your wit is quite sharp, Lady Lumina.”
“Shall I use my three-inch tongue to turn people into widows?”
“Well, it’s hard to guess who that person might be.”
The empress trembled with anger. Then, her gaze turned to Yurian, who was tense.
“The world’s turmoil won’t be easy. Storms will come from all directions, and there are only two walls to defend us. It’s precarious.”
Yurian responded to her threat without kneeling.
“The walls will gradually crumble. After all, humans have hands and feet for that purpose.”
“With your small and delicate hands, it’s no wonder you say that. When will you build the wall?”
“Well, I…”
Just as Yurian was about to defend himself.
A loud cry echoed from the other side of the banquet hall.
“M-Me…!!!”
The person stumbled through their words. Their voice lacked certainty, and their unsteady steps were incredibly precarious.
However, their determination was palpable.
“I… I will be the third wall.”
It was the second prince, Raynes.
As he met the empress’s gaze, he stood still near Yurian.
“Not as the second prince, but as the duke of the empire, I will support Awoo as the next emperor.”
“Heh.”
The empress let out a chuckle.
The second prince, who was sweating as he crossed the ballroom, seemed pitiful. Yet, his determination to support Yurian was unwavering, making him appear somewhat ridiculous.
But Yurian was different.
“Thank you, Second Brother. I gladly accept your words.”
“I, indeed, am grateful. To call the hypocrite who has observed your situation so far my brother…”
“That hypocrisy is truly urgent help for someone.”
“…Yes. I must not change. After that, be a reliable support. I will appear as a brother who is never ashamed. Oh, brother…”
Truly, it was a beautiful resolution.
The eyes of the second prince glowed like a burning torch. It was only about an hour ago when he had thrown away his dignity and knelt in the grass field, but he had already undergone a noticeable change.
However, for someone, such passion seemed burdensome.
“Reynus! What are you meddling in, fool who can’t even distinguish the ground due to your giant size?”
It was the first prince.
Approaching with determined strides, he emitted an aura as if he would grab him by the collar.
“Hold back your arrogance! How dare you, a brat who stretched out in an orphanage with no education, to…!!!”
Hold back your arrogance…
Who could have predicted that those words would come back to him exactly as they were spoken.
The first prince’s intrusion was hastily concluded with the intrusion of another intruder.
Bang!
As if an explosion had occurred, the heavy door of the banquet hall swung open. It even partially closed again due to the recoil.
It was inevitable that people’s attention would be drawn.
Decorating the solemn entrance of the intruder was… a speech from the trembling gatekeeper.
“The, the Empire’s Patriot Sword… Duke Kardie Luminael is here…!!!”
A wave of shock swept through the banquet hall.
Anyone with eyes in the hall expressed awe at Duke Luminael.
That man.
Perched on his shoulder was a dignified young girl with a confident look in her eyes,
While on the other hand, a boy of the same age stood stiffly, tightly holding his hand.
“Oh, Daddy!”
“Ugh… Headmaster…”
It was Tina and Glen. Even though their eyes were blurry, there was no mistaking it. It was Tina and Glen.
“Why… are you guys… here?”
In his despair, part of his language ability had been lost.
At that moment, when he couldn’t find the words.
Cardi Luminel let out a low growl filled with anger.
“How dare you…”
In the midst of the forcibly imposed silence, he flashed a sharp gaze.
“Who dared to speak like a commoner?”