Episode 2
Wintier Sergel Rislumon, the biological father of Etern and the emperor of the Sidernell Empire, was truly a mad tyrant who would go down in history.
He roamed across the continent, committing senseless massacres and conquests, and every nation he trampled was reduced to ashes.
Even surrender could not spare anyone from his brutal destruction.
‘Typically, tyrants only thrive within their own nations before collapsing on their own…’
The tyrants of history were usually incompetent and useless individuals.
Such people indulged recklessly in pleasures and luxury, eventually being dragged off the throne by their own excesses.
But Emperor Wintier was different.
“Dora.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Dora’s voice trembled with nervousness.
Etern patted Dora’s large hand reassuringly, as if to calm her, and then changed the subject.
“When my father was still the crown prince, Dora, you were in the palace back then too, weren’t you?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“I heard people called him ‘the miracle sent to the Empire by Velis,’ because of how intelligent he was.”
“Yes, they did…”
Dora continued.
“His Highness the Crown Prince—now His Majesty the Emperor—was extraordinarily intelligent and capable. He never forgot what he learned and would even catch his teachers off guard during debates.”
Indeed. Etern pouted slightly.
The fact that Emperor Wintier became a mad tyrant infamous for his cruelty was partially due to his overwhelming talents.
‘If only he had been incompetent, perhaps he would have suffered significant losses in war and come to his senses.’
During moments wandering between life and death, Etern was able to glimpse future records about her father.
Hearing historians in strange clothing endlessly listing Emperor Wintier’s atrocities in front of countless students made her feel as though her face flushed, even though only her consciousness lingered.
‘Thankfully, we’re not at that point yet.’
There was still time before her father’s name became a curse that made the entire continent tremble.
‘It was after Mother passed away that he began acting without restraint.’
The frozen atmosphere of the imperial palace, as cold as eternal snow, was unforgettable.
‘I won’t repeat the same mistakes this time.’
Etern’s determination was steadfast.
“About Father…”
Dora turned to look at Etern again.
“I think he would be better off if he were a little more generous. Don’t you agree, Dora?”
Of course, that was true, but Dora wisely chose to remain silent.
Although he hadn’t quite reached the level of madness, he was already terrifying enough.
Emperor Wintier never tolerated mistakes or failures.
No matter how high-ranking an official was, if they made a mistake, it was not uncommon for them to lose their head.
His ferocious demeanor, as sharp as a blade, his astonishingly strict evaluations, and his merciless punishments.
As a result, only incompetent people, who could do nothing but follow orders, remained by the Emperor’s side.
How to prevent that? The water flowing from the top must be clean for the water below to also be clean.*
‘I have to completely reform Father’s peculiar temperament. If I don’t, there will be no future for me or for this country.’
This was a rare opportunity that would never come again, and it had to be used to its fullest.
Etern’s expression softened as she glanced at the still-sleeping Empress.
‘If only Mother would wake up, Father would probably improve significantly.’
Empress Meikellen had lost consciousness right after giving birth to Etern and had remained in that state ever since.
Though everyone had shaken their heads and predicted her death, strangely, she did not die.
She was simply in a deep sleep.
‘At least for now.’
Although she couldn’t wake up, Empress Meikellen continued to breathe. However, when Etern turned ten, her condition suddenly deteriorated, and she eventually passed away.
It was from that moment that Emperor Wintier became obsessed with war.
‘I’m only eight right now, so there are still two years left. Mother won’t die during these two years. So…’
She had to make full use of those two years to somehow save Empress Meikellen.
If the Empress didn’t die, at the very least, the catastrophic descent into madness of Emperor Wintier could be prevented, and Etern herself could escape the terrible fate of her previous life.
Even if she failed to save Empress Meikellen, if another person as precious as the Empress appeared…
“Alright, I’m going to see Father.”
“Yes, Your Highness. That is the right… Excuse me?”
“You don’t have to come with me, Dora. Go back and bake some cookies with peanuts. I want to eat them as a snack.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty the Emperor is currently meeting with the officials. Now is not…”
Despite Dora’s desperate attempt to stop her, Etern dashed out before she could finish her sentence.
“Oh, Your Highness! Please wait!”
Trying to catch up with Etern, who was running like an acorn rolling downhill, made Dora let out a groan.
***
After running until she was out of breath, Etern finally arrived in front of the Emperor’s audience chamber.
‘Huff, huff… I’m not familiar with this area, so I got lost! Darn it, I almost became a lost child in the imperial palace despite being a princess.’
As she wiped the sweat from her forehead, one of the guards standing at a distance hurriedly ran over to her.
“Wait, wait! Stop right there!”
‘Huh?’
Etern blinked her round eyes and made a circle with her fingers, peering at the guard through it.
— Lance Tash
A rookie palace guard, 22 years old.
1. Wait a minute, this face…
2. ……
3. ……
‘Oh, I see. He’s new, so he probably doesn’t know my face yet. That’s understandable.’
Lowering her hand, Etern tilted her head and pointed to the tightly shut door of the audience chamber.
“Is Father inside?”
Lance’s jaw dropped. He had a feeling he’d seen this face before, and his bad premonition turned out to be correct!
“Y-Your Highness!”
Lance dropped to one knee with a flushed face, swallowing dryly.
“I failed to recognize Your Highness and committed a grave offense. Please, kill me!”
That’s not necessary…
“It’s alright. You might not know me. Anyway, I came to see Father…”
“His Majesty the Emperor is currently receiving reports from the officials.”
After saying that, Lance gave her a cautious look. It was clear he was worried that Etern might provoke the Emperor and cause trouble.
“So, Your Highness, I apologize, but it would be better if you came back later…”
At that moment, the sound of something loudly shattering and angry shouting erupted from behind the door.
‘That’s Father’s voice.’
Startled, Etern pushed open the audience chamber doors without a second thought.
“Your Highness!”
Lance, his face pale, reached out to stop her, but she was too small and quick for him to catch.
The sudden intrusion of Etern into the audience chamber made the eyes of the officials and nobles grow wide in shock.
“Isn’t that Her Highness…?”
“What in the world is going on?”
As uneasy murmurs rippled through the room, a cold voice pierced the air above Etern and Lance’s heads.
“What are you doing?”
***
A shiver ran down Lance’s spine as his throat bobbed nervously.
This was bad.
It had been only a few months since he had passed the knight’s examination, a dream come true, and now he was about to lose his head.
As he dropped to his knees in shock, the Emperor’s icy voice resounded again.
“I asked, what are you doing?”
Etern, tense, glanced at Lance before swallowing hard.
She couldn’t very well admit that she had come to check if someone else’s head had been chopped off and used as a decoration…
‘If I say something wrong here, this man could also be in danger.’
At that moment—
“It is my fault!”
Etern turned in surprise, startled by the voice so loud it echoed through the audience chamber.
‘What is he talking about all of a sudden?’
Eyes tightly shut and head bowed low, Lance continued.
“Your Majesty, this is entirely my fault. Her Highness was so excited that she almost tripped, but I failed to support her in time, which led to this situation.”
Etern’s clear eyes wavered slightly like ripples in water.
“Her Highness has done nothing wrong. I beg Your Majesty to be lenient and understanding!”
🍓; *Means that in order for a result to be good or pure, the source must be clean or pure. It uses water as a metaphor: just as water flowing from the top needs to be clean for the water below to be clean, a process or system needs a good, clean starting point to ensure the outcome is also good.
