Chapter 87
Sylvester Francis, the Emperor of the Pastine Empire, was just 15 years old, he became an emperor before reaching adulthood. Leonhard looked at him, amazed that such a young emperor existed.
“Good thing I gave them a heads-up yesterday,” Hestia thought.
The previous night, Hestia gathered the children and taught them royal etiquette and details about the current imperial family, in case unexpected events arose. While Annie and Elvin were fine, Erik hadn’t studied much about the royal court, and Leonhard had only been studying for two years, so they had little knowledge.
‘Didn’t you say His Majesty has been emperor for over 10 years?’
‘Yes, this is his 13th year on the throne.’
‘Then… he became emperor at 2 years old?’
Only those of noble imperial blood can ascend to the throne. If the previous emperor dies early, the heir naturally inherits the title. Thus, Sylvester became emperor at just 2 years old after his father passed away.
‘So, he became emperor at a really young age and has been ruling the country for a long time?’
‘Not exactly,’ Elvin answered Erik’s question.
‘The throne can only be inherited by royal blood, but governing the country is a separate matter.’
‘Managing a country at such a young age is a problem.’
‘So, who governs in his place?’
‘Do you know the Duke of Florence?’
‘Yes, we learned about him before!’
‘Duke Acid Florence is currently serving as regent, ruling in place of the young emperor.’
‘Regent?’ Erik tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.
‘In simple terms, Duke Florence is acting as the young emperor’s guardian, just like Prince and I.’
‘Oh, like you and Hestia!’ Eric exclaimed, recalling their teacher’s explanation that Duke Florence was the previous emperor’s younger brother, making him Sylvester’s uncle.
‘Duke Florence must be a good person! He’s been handling state affairs for 13 years!’
Leonhard smiled, thinking of how their relationship resembled his bond with Hestia or Luciard.
‘He’s a good person, yes…’
Derrick’s awkward laugh and Hestia’s odd expression made Leonhard furrow his brow.
‘What’s wrong? Is it not true?’
‘Well… it’s not that the Duke is a bad person. He has managed the regency for years without issue.’
Derrick gave a vague explanation, and Leonhard didn’t quite understand.
‘Prince, please be cautious about this conversation when in public. It could be misinterpreted.’
‘Why?’
‘It could cause misunderstandings.’
Fortunately, Leonhardt was following the advice from the night before.
The Dark History of the Throne
Regent: A person who governs in place of a young emperor. Sylvester became emperor at the age of 2, but there was a dark reason behind it.
The truth behind Sylvester ascending the throne so young was far from simple. His father, the previous emperor, was known for one thing during his short reign: his devotion to the empress. He loved her deeply, and when she passed away during childbirth, he fell into despair.
Unable to recover from shock, he ignored his newborn son, neglected state affairs, and clung only to the memory of his late wife.
Eventually, the previous emperor died early, leaving Sylvester, just 2 years old, to inherit the throne. At the emperor’s funeral, little Sylvester was carried by his uncle, Duke Acid Florence, who took on the role of regent.
‘In fact, it’s said that Duke Florence cared for Sylvester from the moment he was born, since the previous emperor couldn’t.’
Duke Acid and the previous emperor had a close relationship. There was no fight for the throne, and Duke Acid naturally became a duke while the older emperor took the throne.
Duke Acid grieved deeply for the emperor’s death and served as regent to ensure his nephew could inherit the throne safely.
Despite his tragic past, Duke Florence has managed the regency without any issues.
‘He could have staged a rebellion and claimed the throne for himself, though.’
On the surface, this seems like a touching story, but there’s more to it.
After talking to the children the previous night, Hestia pulled Luciard aside.
‘That’s unexpected.’
‘What is?’
‘You seem to know something’s wrong with the current royal situation.’
‘I don’t know the details, but I do have a sense that the royal family isn’t functioning properly.’
‘Hmm? What do you mean?’
Luciard sighed, sensing something strange in Hestia’s gaze.
‘The emperor is 15 now, yet Duke Florence is still serving as regent.’
‘He’s not of age yet.’
‘He’s not of legal age, but nobles can inherit titles at 15, just like how you wrote an agreement for Leon.’
Noble titles can be inherited at 15, regardless of whether they’ve reached adulthood.
Although Sylvester became emperor at the age of 2, he’s now 15 and capable of ruling without a regent.
‘But it’s strange—there hasn’t been a rebellion, and the Emperor hasn’t shown any signs of trying to take back power. Maybe he plans to take over once he reaches adulthood?’
Luciard mumbled, but suddenly, he turned with a confused expression.
‘But you already know all this, so why ask? Are you trying to test me?’
‘No, I’m just curious about what you know.’
‘Tch, you’re the one who’s playing games.’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Ah, come on.’
The future she knew from before her return was grim. Three years from now, when Sylvester turned 18, Duke Florence would overthrow him, seizing the throne and sentencing him to death.
As she watched Sylvester and Duke Florence, her gaze sharpened. “Quiet cats climb the stove first,” she murmured.
Her memories of Sylvester were starkly different. She had seen him only once—on the execution platform, moments before his death.
‘That was the last time I saw him, at the execution ground.’
‘And it’ll be by the hands of his uncle, who was like a father to him.’
Hestia narrowed her eyes at Sylvester and Acid.
After the speech, Sylvester sat down and let out a sigh.
“Whew… that was more nerve-wracking than I expected.”
Acid, sitting in front of him, turned and whispered,
“You did excellently, Your Majesty. You radiated great dignity.”
“Really?”
Sylvester smiled widely, and his aunt, Duchess Lacie Florence, nodded.
“You didn’t falter, and you wrapped it up flawlessly. Everyone seems moved by your speech.”
The applause continued, and Sylvester’s smile grew.
“This is the first event you’ve hosted yourself, so the attendance is unusually high. Keep doing this in the future.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Uncle.”
“Your Majesty, please be mindful of titles in public.”
“Oh, sorry, Duke. I’m still not used to it…”
“It’s alright, but when the nobles come to greet you, be careful then.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sylvester straightened up, and Acid smiled warmly, while Lacie gave a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, their eldest son, Gabriel, smiled faintly, but his eyes were cold.
“Bored, huh?”
Gabriel clicked his tongue at his younger sister Chloe, who was poking his arm.
“Don’t talk to me.”
“Someone should warn the ladies that you’re a two-faced psycho, but they might find out eventually.”
“No one will believe you. You’ll just ruin your own reputation.”
“You really have a bad personality.”
Gabriel watched Chloe sulk, her lips sticking out slightly, after their exchange. She leaned in closer, her voice a soft murmur meant only for him.
“Don’t you think Father likes His Majesty more than us?” she whispered, casting a sidelong glance at their father, who was happily chatting with Emperor Sylvester.
“…” Gabriel said nothing.
“Sometimes, it feels like the Emperor is more of a real child to Father than we are. Also, it’s not really the Emperor’s event; it’s more like Mother’s doing, so why does everyone keep talking about the Emperor…”
“Chloe.”
His low, sharp tone made her flinch. Gabriel’s cold, piercing gaze locked onto her.
“This isn’t our home. If you don’t want your head on the chopping block, keep your mouth shut.”
“Ugh… You’re always scolding me,” Chloe muttered, crossing her arms.
“I swear, that loose tongue of yours is going to get you in trouble someday,” Gabriel said with a frustrated sigh.
“Fine, fine. I won’t say anything else.”
“You’d better not. Honestly, you should grow up already. You’re an adult now.”
Badmouthing the emperor right here in the palace and in his presence, was beyond reckless. It was as if she’d forgotten entirely that they weren’t at home but standing in the very center of the imperial court.
‘That’s why you’ll never get anywhere, Chloe,’ Gabriel thought, shaking his head at her immaturity.
Gabriel clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms, watching his immature younger sister. The festival had just started, but he was already bored and wished it would end quickly. He briefly wondered if something interesting would happen, but then…
He spotted someone approaching and widened his eyes.
