RVMPT Chapter 45

Chapter 45

To calm my restless mind, I wandered aimlessly through the garden.
The sight of the lush green leaves reminded me of Harold, making me close my eyes tightly.

“How will I ever adapt to this?”

I realized that covering my eyes was useless. At the same time, I remembered a passive ability of the saintess from the 19+ novel—the one that heightened her sensitivity under certain conditions.

I was losing confidence in my ability to adapt.
“Sigh…”

I walked on and soon found myself at the training grounds for the apprentice knights.

I spotted a familiar, youthful face among the trainees.

“Finn!”

Finn was the boy who had begged me to help find his little brother during the festival. When I suggested he work here, he said he wanted to be a knight, and now he was an apprentice knight.

When he heard my voice, his brown eyes, speckled with freckles, quickly turned towards me. He rushed over to me.

“How’s the training going? Is it manageable?”

“Yes, it’s fine,” he answered.

“That’s good to hear. Oh, how’s your sibling?”

We had managed to find Finn’s sibling three days after the festival.

“…Completely carefree. Even after nearly dying at the hands of a witch.”

Finn’s voice grew cold and harsh.
Considering his sibling had almost been sacrificed by a witch, it was no wonder he felt that way.

“Luckily, the child only had needle marks on their arm and was otherwise fine.”
But the guards had discovered other bodies, which meant some hadn’t been so fortunate.

This was the first time such a case of witches using humans as sacrifices had come to light since the execution of the seven witches, including their leader Reyna, five years ago.

‘Although, I shouldn’t say it’s “come to light.” The royal family is trying to cover it up.’

Since revealing the incident might cause public unrest, the witch had merely been taken into custody. Even then, the witch reportedly showed no fear—she acted like someone completely out of her mind.

“Finn!”
Someone called out to Finn, but when they noticed me, they gasped in shock.

“I’ll leave you to it. Train hard, alright?”

“Yes! I’ll work hard to become an official knight!”

With an enthusiastic reply, Finn ran deeper into the training grounds.

I remembered how Finn had once come to me, full of gratitude:

“I promise not to cause any trouble and will do my best to become an official knight to repay your kindness, ma’am! Even if I don’t succeed, I’ll find a way to repay you for taking me in and helping me!”

True to his word, Finn hadn’t caused any problems and was giving it his all. According to the knights, he trained diligently, obeyed his superiors, and stayed completely focused.

The boy who had once lied and thrown tantrums to get extra bread during charity events had completely changed.

“It really shows how important the right environment is.”

While I felt proud of the change, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in my mouth. This issue couldn’t truly be resolved until the emperor was replaced.

In the capital, maintaining public order and providing welfare were responsibilities of the royal family, and nobles were forbidden from interfering. The laws tying my hands filled me with frustration, and I kicked my foot on the ground in irritation.

“Not even Harold could come up with a solution for this.”
Unless, of course, he was willing to do something as insane as assassinating the emperor.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to dispel the image of Harold that kept overlapping in my mind.

“Ugh, I need to go back to the estate.”

If I stayed any longer, I might start imagining Harold in every part of the garden. I hurriedly turned back toward the mansion.

---

Andrew stood before the Sun Palace, where the Emperor resided.
It was time to stop being “Dante” and return to being “Prince Andrew.”

He gestured to a servant to announce his arrival. The servant entered the audience chamber, and a moment later, the massive arched doors swung open.

At the end of a long carpet stood Emperor Alexed, seated on the golden throne.
The emperor’s dull reddish-orange eyes looked down at Andrew, as cold and piercing as when he’d sent the young prince into exile.

“You haven’t changed at all.”

Once, Andrew had admired the emperor, who cared for the people and led the empire wisely.

He had dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps, becoming a kind ruler who would protect the smiles of his people. To achieve that, he had worked tirelessly to shed his tearful, clumsy, and weak image.

“Prince Andrew’s learning speed is remarkable!”
“Truly, the Empire’s little sun! With him, our empire will continue to thrive!”

As Andrew changed, so did people’s opinions of him. But the more people praised him, the more the emperor’s gaze toward him became sharpened, like a blade confronting an enemy.

If Andrew had one fault, it was realizing this far too late.

“Father!”

Pretending to be oblivious, Andrew called out to the emperor with childlike innocence.

“It’s been so long since I last saw you—ah!”
He deliberately tripped and fell with an exaggerated thud, groaning as he clumsily got back up.

“Haha, I guess I was nervous about seeing my dear father again after so long!”

The emperor’s eyelids slowly lowered, then opened again, and the coldness in his eyes softened slightly.

“Andrew, you haven’t changed a bit.”

The emperor smiled kindly, finally acknowledging his son’s return.

“Seeing you again after so long brings back memories. You’re just as you were when you were little.”

“Really? Everyone says I’m too clumsy to be unfit for the dignity of a great empire’s prince, but if you see it as a good thing, Father, then I’m relieved!”

As Andrew got up, he stumbled slightly.
The Emperor chuckled.
“You still seem unfit to inherit my throne. Those nobles who demanded I bring you back to the Empire to assist you as Crown Prince will surely be disappointed when they see you. Andrew, work hard.”
The Emperor tapped the crown on his head. The golden crown, which looked heavy for the aging and frail Emperor, glittered brightly.
“I’ll do my best to become a son who won’t bring shame to you, my respected father.”
Andrew bowed deeply.
As they exchanged empty pleasantries, the doors to the audience chamber opened again.
The Emperor’s expression brightened as he saw the person who entered.
“Oh, Jayna.”
Hearing the name from the Emperor, Andrew immediately guessed who the visitor was.
She was the Emperor’s mistress, who had held his favor for over four years. When she became his mistress, the Emperor dismissed all his other companions. He even arranged a marriage for her to become a noble, granting her a title and allowing her to live in the palace.
“Your Majesty, I heard that His Highness the Prince had arrived and I couldn’t resist my curiosity, so I came to see for myself. I hope I didn’t interrupt your reunion.”
“It’s fine. Our conversation was almost over. Andrew, greet Jayna with respect. She is like your second mother.”
A mere mistress could never take the place of the Empress as Andrew’s mother, but Andrew smiled politely, addressing her as the Emperor wished.
“Mother, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Your Highness, that title is too much for me. Please just call me Jayna.”
“Alright, Jayna.”
Andrew kissed the back of her hand.
“Please take care of me, Your Highness,” Jayna said softly, her gray lashes fluttering. Though she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful or attractive, but there was a peculiar charm about her.

The Emperor sent the two out together, instructing them to talk on the way to the prince’s palace since they’d be spending time together from now on.
As they walked, Andrew maintained his act, appearing clumsy and naive. But as they approached the prince’s palace, Jayna muttered as if speaking to herself.
“His Majesty has been in low spirits due to the witch lately, but he seemed much happier today. I suppose meeting you after so long cheered him up.”
“…Witch? I thought witches disappeared years ago.”
“Oh dear, I misspoke.” Jayna bit her lip, feigning regret.
“Could I ask you to pretend you didn’t hear that, Your Highness?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to trouble someone my father holds dear.”
Andrew parted ways with Jayna when they reached the prince’s palace. He maintained a cheerful expression and stumbled occasionally, knowing eyes could be watching.
But in his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Jayna had mentioned about the witch.

Although he pretended not to know, Andrew had already heard about the witch captured on the last day of the festival—someone who used humans as sacrifices.
‘…Horrifying.’
How could humans do such things to their own kind?
What made it worse was the truth the royal family was hiding—the witches’ real objective.

They believed that, like great sorcerers who lived longer than ordinary people, they could extend their own lifespans by using magic. And to do that, they sacrificed humans without a shred of guilt.

The Emperor had discreetly dealt with the captured witch but wasn’t making any efforts to find others. The last time the Emperor had acted against witches was years ago when a noble happened to be among their victims—forcing him to take action. Without such a pressing reason now, the Emperor wouldn’t lift a finger.
‘Father no longer cares about the safety of the people.’
Andrew clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

Just then, a servant approached him.
“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”
Andrew was informed of an unexpected guest.