Did he really not expect to be locked up?
As the knights seized him, Fritz visibly panicked.
“F-Father, what do you mean by locking me in the tower? Didn’t you see the Duke of Blant not only drawing his sword in the palace but also pointing it at me, the Crown Prince?”
“The Duke of Blant was only trying to protect me from your reckless behavior. And as of today, you are no longer the Crown Prince.”
When my father corrected him, Fritz let out a hollow laugh, then glared at our father with a face full of venom.
“Father, do you really think it’s okay to lock up your only direct descendant and place that child on the throne? That kid is just the Duke of Blant’s blood…”
“You’re wrong.”
“What do you mean I’m wrong…?”
“I have another direct descendant besides you, don’t I?”
For a moment, Fritz stared blankly at our father, but then he looked at me with a horrified expression.
“Father, have you really lost your mind? You want to make that mutant girl the emperor?”
The term “mutant,” which many used to refer to me, had long made me feel small and oppressed.
And whenever I heard that word, I would get angry but also feel smaller and dejected.
<Everyone looks down on me because a defective product like you exists!>
I used to think that it was my fault for being born like this.
‘Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous. Everyone will laugh at me…’
Just as I was indulging in self-pity, a cold voice struck my ear.
“Prince, does belittling your sister make you feel less pathetic?”
I was taken aback by Erich’s unexpected words, and my eyes widened in surprise.
Fritz shrugged and sneered, his expression twisted in a mocking smile.
“That crow’s hair is pitch black; that’s why I call her crow. What nonsense are you talking about…”
Fritz couldn’t continue his sentence.
At that moment, a chilling sneer appeared on Erich’s face.
“Prince, the reason you call your sister by that derogatory name is simple. You know better than anyone that you are incompetent compared to your brilliant sister.”
Fritz flinched as if struck by those words and shouted angrily.
“Shut up! You bastard! Who’s incompetent? I just thought that crow with the black hair was a disgrace to the royal family!”
Despite Fritz’s furious voice, Erich continued undeterred.
“You were afraid that your capable sister would outshine you, so you wanted to suppress her in any way possible. But the fact that you only mentioned her hair suggests you couldn’t find anything else to criticize her about.”
Until now, I had been unable to refute being belittled as a crow.
And it was true; my hair was black like that of barbarians.
However…
“Shut up, shut up! You human butcher!”
Seeing Fritz spew insults without offering any rebuttal to Erich’s words, I realized something.
Erich was right.
And I was living according to the intentions of those who wanted to oppress me, including Fritz.
‘I no longer want to live foolishly according to their intentions.’
And the path to not living that way was right in front of me.
I clenched my fists and finally spat out the words I had been holding back.
“Father, I will become the Emperor!”
At my words, my father, who had been silently watching me, revealed a smile.
“Good, that’s a wise decision.”
Watching us, Fritz screamed.
“Damn it! Who do you think you’re making an emperor? Do you think the nobles will just stand by if they find out… ugh!”
It was Marquis Philippe who covered Fritz’s mouth.
“Your Majesty, I apologize. I didn’t expect that while I was briefly away, His Highness the Prince would leave his room… This disturbance is essentially my responsibility.”
At that solemn voice, my father shook his head and spoke firmly.
“No, the moment someone lays a hand on Fritz, it constitutes a crime of royal insult, and the knights couldn’t act recklessly. How could I blame the knights?”
“I am ashamed.”
My father sighed and then glared at Fritz with piercing eyes.
“I only wanted you to reflect on your past mistakes by locking you in your room, but seeing your condition, it seems you are beyond help. You will spend some time in the tower!”
At that, Fritz thrashed around and forcefully swatted away Marquis Philippe’s hand that was covering his mouth.
“What charges are you planning to imprison me in the tower for? For defying my father? If that’s the only reason, it’s tyranny! My mother and uncle will never let this go!”
It was not my father who responded to that but me.
“Embezzlement.”
“What? What embezzlement have I committed…?”
I reminded the fool, who was playing dumb, of a past mistake he had made long ago.
“Have you forgotten? You meddled with the Emperor’s private funds.”
At that moment, Fritz’s eyes widened in shock.
“Hey, hey, that was definitely you who…”
“Right, you received the mine from our mother and kept quiet about it. But you were the one who broke the promise first, Fritz.”
“W-What…?”
“The contract stated that as long as I kept quiet about it, my safety and that of my family would be guaranteed. Yet you targeted my child. Ah, does this also include an attempted murder of royalty?”
Even if he was the Prince, he would be punished if he tried to kill a fellow member of the royal family, the emperor’s direct bloodline.
Perhaps that’s why Fritz was furious and continued to play dumb.
“Damn it, do you have evidence? I said, do you have evidence!”
“Evidence? Yes, we do. It’s the request letter with the Crown Prince’s seal found at the scene of the workshop fire.”
At Marquis Philippe’s words, Fritz’s face turned pale.
“Th-that’s, that’s, the mercenaries tricked me! And I didn’t order the hotel fire!”
Despite Fritz’s claims of innocence, no one believed him, perhaps due to his past misdeeds.
Frustrated, Fritz shouted.
“Just interrogate them!”
“Unfortunately, the only witness, the mercenary, was killed while attempting to assassinate His Highness. So, there’s no one to interrogate.”
“Damn it, how can this happen! Father! This is slander!”
Fritz spoke desperately, but the Emperor waved his hand dismissively.
“Quickly lock him in the tower, and make sure he can’t cause any trouble.”
Watching Fritz being dragged away with a gag in his mouth, I felt both exhilaration and pity.
‘Well, you shouldn’t have crossed the line.’
I could have completely discredited and eliminated Fritz, yet I had let him off the hook several times until now.
The reason was that he was still my blood relative.
At that moment, father spoke to me.
“Cornelia.”
“Yes?”
“In front of the throne, there’s no such thing as family. That’s the nature of being an Emperor.”
As I listened to his voice filled with bitterness, I couldn’t find a response.
“I know I haven’t been a proper father, but may I make one request without shame?”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“I know Fritz is beyond help. If you ascend to the throne after my death, he will likely be a headache for you. But still, I hope… you don’t kill that child.”
At those words, my expression hardened and I glared at the Emperor.
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“Cornelia.”
“How can I possibly forgive him when Fritz tried to kill my child?”
My voice rose without me realizing it, and my father looked at me with calm eyes as he spoke.
“I’m not saying you should forgive him. If he truly deserves to die, then it would be right to deal with him. But at least… I hope it’s not by your hand.”
I stared at my father.
“If he doesn’t listen, you can lock him away for life or strip him of his royal title. But I hope you won’t take his life.”
He looked frail and worn since he had fallen ill.
The sight of him making that request with his sickly face made him appear much older.
And in that moment, I recalled how he was before my regression.
‘Well, after becoming Emperor, Fritz hasn’t touched me or my child.’
It was an incomprehensible change from Fritz, who had always viewed me as a thorn in his side.
But now, I felt like the pieces were finally falling into place.
‘Perhaps my father made a similar request to Fritz back then.’
He must have wished for his children, who shared his blood, not to kill each other in a brutal fratricide.
He asked his child, destined to be Emperor, not to kill another child.
And as a parent myself, I understood that feeling to some extent.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll do my best.”
At my words, the dullness in my father’s eyes sparkled with light.
He then grasped my hands, trembling with emotion.
“Thank you.”
Though he now recognized me and wished to grant me the throne, the father I remembered before my regression had been harsh and unyielding.
However, now I could catch a glimpse of his true feelings back then through that expression.
‘You wished for me not to die after your passing as well.’
My throat tightened. But it was neither out of frustration nor sorrow.
I simply realized that my father had thought of me as his child even before my regression.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The Emperor, observing Cornelia’s slightly subdued expression, let out a sigh.
‘I can only say things I shouldn’t say to that child out of my own greed.’
It was at that moment when the Emperor wore a bitter expression that Demian, sitting on his lap, whispered softly.
“Grandpa, don’t worry! If Uncle does something wrong, I’ll scold him!”
The absurdity of the statement made the Emperor chuckle, but still, his only grandson was adorable, so he nodded.
“Right, if that guy does something wrong, Demian will scold him.”
“Yeah! I’ll hit him!”
How much pain could an adult feel from being hit by a tiny baby’s hand?
So the Emperor readily replied.
“Yes, hit him without mercy!”
At those words, a broad smile spread across the little one’s face, but the Emperor didn’t notice it.
