“…It’s Lady Leah’s voice.”
The Emperor’s voice trembled as he spoke, enough for anyone to recognize.
Furthermore, he already knew about this necklace that Walter extended to him.
On a certain night when the moonlight was particularly bright, as Leah kissed him, that necklace occasionally touched his collarbone and chest.
He held the bluish gem and listened to Leah’s voice again from beginning to end.
「 “I think my son likes Edith a lot too. Ah, I should tell you about my son first.”」
It was the same voice that had approached him as he secretly sharpened his sword in the darkened training hall, trying not to be noticed.
Even though the overall content was a letter introducing Edith to Franz and conveying her best wishes and apologies, his heart still pounded hard.
When he received Leah’s letter announcing her departure with the man she loved, he thought their secret love affair had come to an end.
He tried to retrace her steps many times, even when he made the throne his own.
But it was Leah Lexion. There was no way a mere mage could find the tracks she deliberately hid.
⋙“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. If we deploy more people, we might be able to discover something, but if we did…”⋘
⋙“The others will know I’m looking for someone too, so stop everything.”⋘
If she wasn’t terminally ill, he would have taken her by force and kept her with him.
However, he did not have the courage to drag someone who wanted to live her remaining life the way she wanted into an unstable political situation.
Now he wondered how much she loved him, how much she wanted to protect him, that she was willing to leave even the capital she was used to.
When faced with questions for which he couldn’t find answers, he made an effort to ignore them, focusing instead on sorting out those exposed to him. The Empress’s palace, where he had walked side by side with Leah, had remained empty the entire time.
However, now, Walter was calling him father.
Upon hearing the word, he felt an immense emotion well up that was incomparable to when he heard that Leah’s son had grown up and returned to the capital.
“This is my first time hearing someone call me father, so I don’t know how to respond.”
The Emperor spoke honestly and looked at Walter’s face. He saw resemblances of himself in him that he hadn’t noticed when he was trying to figure out what kind of child Leah had conceived.
The dark green eyes, refreshingly defined eye features. But other than that, he looked like Leah.
“Walter Isaac Lexion.”
Walter looked at the Emperor without much expectation. Since he’s famous for being cold-blooded, he thought that the Emperor could either deny his existence or decide to do a paternity test to confirm it.
However, the words that came out of the Emperor’s mouth were completely unexpected.
“If Leah wanted it and if you want it, there is no reason why I can’t give you the last name Agnas.”
“…”
“But Leah already said she wanted to pass on her father’s last name. So, if you wish, I will order the renovation of the Crown Prince’s Palace right away.”
“…”
“If there’s anything else you want, I will grant it.”
The Emperor said so without the slightest hesitation. A paternity test didn’t even cross his mind.
He was letting his animal intuition speak for him. The man before him was his and Leah’s son.
As he looked at Walter, he thought that Leah must have thought of him several times, so he didn’t hesitate. The only thought that dominated his mind was that he should at least do something for the son that Leah raised alone.
He didn’t know that Walter would smile meaningfully as if he could see through his inner thoughts.
“I don’t know how to thank you for saying so. I just happened to have a favor I wanted to ask, Your Majesty.”
“I won’t go back on my words, so speak at ease.”
Walter lowered his voice and suggested something to the Emperor.
Edith, who had been watching the father-son reunion from afar, pricked up her ears as much as she could, but could not hear what he was saying.
『 It seems like Walter is proposing something.』
He usually made that confident expression when he was making a bold proposal or entering into a deal in which he had an overwhelming advantage.
It was typical of Walter to change his attitude as soon as he heard that he would be given the position of Crown Prince if he wanted it, but he also felt nervous facing the Emperor.
『 Surely, he’s not going to demand something in exchange for joining the Imperial Family, as he did with the Duke of Lexion.』
Even then, she had wondered how bold he had been to offer such a deal to Lexion, but now he was dealing with the Emperor.
Unlike Edith, who was snooping around, trying to resolve her curiosity, Franz, standing next to her, burst out laughing.
“If you’re of Lexion’s blood, you shouldn’t act weak in front of the Emperor.”
“Abuuu.”
Adrian, nestled in Edith’s arms, seemed to be babbling in agreement.
『 You won’t let yourself be mistreated anywhere you go, will you?』
Edith quietly patted Adrian.
She seemed to be the only one with tears in her eyes as she watched Walter reunite with his father, a figure absent from his memory, and observed the recognition he received.
Franz was only slightly surprised that he would willingly give him the Crown Prince’s Palace, but he kept a close eye on the Emperor throughout.
『 There’s no way I’ll look at him favorably since he’s my daughter’s secret lover.』
There was no doubt about the Duke of Lexion’s loyalty towards the Emperor, but now the Duke seemed to be boiling inside.
“While my daughter gave birth alone and raised her child while wandering around, His Majesty did not even know about the existence of his son, so I suppose he had nothing to worry about.”
Edith quietly listened to Franz venting his anger and then added with a smile.
“Still, His Majesty accepted Walter peacefully without the need for using any force.”
“…”
Franz shuddered for a moment. Edith was smiling and speaking calmly, but it was clear that she was reminiscing about what happened during their first meeting.
In front of Edith, whether it be an emperor who couldn’t recognize his son or a grandfather who couldn’t recognize his grandson, it was the same.
『 No. I was harsh with Edith when she was pregnant with Adrian, so I’m probably worse off.』
When his thoughts reached that point, Franz got anxious. He regretted it terribly. It was impossible to pretend that never happened.
“Ah, Adrian must be heavy, come here. I won’t complain to you any longer.”
“Thank you, Lord Franz.”
Edith, watching the struggling Franz, suppressed a laugh.
──────────✿◦•
Even while Walter was making a secret proposal to the Emperor, the banquet for the knights continued.
“I feel reassured that you guys are loyal to His Majesty.”
Claude greeted the knights. The knights who filled the banquet hall bowed their heads to the young but lively man.
“Thank you, Lord Claude.”
After the knights moved to another area, Patricia quietly called Claude to her side.
“Claude, show a little more authority. That way, they’ll think you’re the Crown Prince.”
“But…”
Claude’s words trailed off. Although he was still young, being born in the Imperial Palace, he naturally learned about power.
『 I’m not the crown prince, and I don’t want to be.』
The current Emperor, Agnas XIV, is cold-blooded without a trace of blood or tears. The reason he spares the lineage of the previous emperor is that, despite inheriting the Imperial Bloodline, he lacks any significant rebellious spirit.
His mother said that it was because House Gerturk and herself had become so strong that they could not be ignored, but Claude didn’t see it that way.
If his mother and her family had that much power, they would have pushed him to become the Crown Prince much earlier.
It was clear that if her mother heard his thoughts, the veins on her forehead would bulge, and she would get angry, but Claude just liked the way things were right now.
There was no way he could handle being the most powerful in the country, making decisions that would make everyone happy. He felt scared and frustrated just thinking about it.
『 Wouldn’t someone like the Duke of Lexion or the Little Duke be able to do that?』
When Claude first met the Duke of Lexion, he thought he was as majestic as the portraits of past emperors hanging in the imperial hallways.
However, when he saw the Little Duke, who had appeared out of nowhere one day, his mouth dropped open, and he gasped in admiration.
His victorious appearance in the swordsmanship tournament resembled a hero from mythology. He seemed strong enough to take responsibility for the decisions he made and was not intimidated by people’s shouts.
He couldn’t help but think that a position of such great power and responsibility was only for someone like him.
『 Well, I enjoy working more in a blacksmith shop or a stable.』
Patricia sighed as she looked at Claude mumbling.
“Claude, my son. You are the only one with Imperial Blood, so who cares whether you are the Crown Prince or just a prince.”
“…”
“Well, you’d better get going. Greeting people and getting to know their faces is also the job of the future Emperor.”
Patricia patted Claude’s delicate shoulder a couple of times and then sat down on a couch. After drinking a glass of champagne, something bothered her.
『 As soon as the Emperor left, those bastards from Lexion followed him.』
Just as she was wondering if they were plotting something, someone came to her side. It was Count Gerturk, whose complexion was much worse than usual.
“Your Highness, we have a problem.”
Is there something wrong with the magicites I told him to prepare earlier? The Count whispered to Patricia, who looked puzzled.
“It seems that Rosaline, the lady-in-waiting you’ve been looking for, has been captured by the Lexions.”
“What?”
Why is that girl who knows everything about me in Lexion?
Clang—
The champagne glass that Patricia had been holding slipped from her hand, making a loud noise as it shattered.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
