Who is your dad?

The skin touching the back of the hand was rough. The feeling was so rugged that it was hard to believe it was human skin, sending shivers down the spine. Despite experiencing it several times, the sensation never became familiar. Franz let out a faint sigh.

The unparalleled beauty, the empress-possessed villain, the snake-like woman. Marina, Franz’s mother, who always carried various malicious nicknames with pride, had left the capital and been in hiding here for about two years now.

Marina had a beauty that could captivate even the emperor who had seen countless beauties, but now even that had become a thing of the past.

Franz blinked. His eyes were gradually adjusting to the darkness, and the blurry black silhouette in front of him began to come into view.

“My treasure, my baby, Franz.”

His mother, who always walked confidently with a straight posture, was no more. The woman before him had a contorted figure, unable to straighten her bent back, in a strange state that barely resembled a human, let alone her confident self.

Marina had to sit in bed all the time due to the excruciating pain that would cripple her if she tried to stand. Part of the reason she had fled here, like seeking refuge, was because of her deteriorating condition.

Marina, whose beautiful appearance had been her pride and only weapon, lost the power of the only weapon she could wield when Alexander the Emperor, who had always supported her, passed away.

And two years ago, from the moment her face twisted, she lost even that weapon.

Her face was so grotesquely distorted that it was almost impossible to open her eyes straight, with her fingers and toes bending one by one, now her arms, legs, and waist also losing their original shape and contorting in various directions.

“Mother doesn’t need to worry too much about it.”

“Well, so what? Even if someone rambles on about something, who would believe the nonsense of an old man in the palace who suffers from paranoia?”

“…”

“How can you make claims without any evidence? Losing your nephew and speaking nonsense out of anger, who would listen to the ramblings of a frustrated old lady?”

“Yes.”

Franz was accustomed to having such conversations with Marina, but it was uncomfortable. It didn’t seem appropriate to call this conversation with his mother, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Now we should hurry with the next preparations.”

She’s trying to bring up that topic again. Another sigh escaped Franz’s lips.

“Mother, I am content as it is now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do I really need to be more ambitious, as you seem to think?”

“Ambitious? Did you just say ambitious?”

Marina’s grip on her son’s sleeve grew tighter. Applying this much force could strain the joints. Franz carefully pulled his clothes from his mother’s hand.

“Calm down, Mother.”

“Why are you calling it ambition? It’s rightfully yours to take, your share, how can that be considered ambitious?”

“How is it rightfully my share?”

“It’s your share! Being the son of the Emperor, it’s your share. Who else dares to take it if not you?”

Another frustrated sigh escaped him, feeling the familiar solid barrier in conversations with Marina stronger today.

“Don’t forget how I brought you to this position, Franz.”

“You seem too agitated.”

As she finished speaking, Marina began to cough. Franz bit his lip as the cough sounded like scraping from her lungs.

“Did you say that you don’t feel the need to be more ambitious?”

“…….”

“Do you think you can continue to stay in that position without any trouble? No, Franz.”

Ssss, ssss. Marina paused for a moment to catch her breath, her face showing terrible pain.

“For now, yes. You can enjoy what you have as a Grand Duke. But if someone else takes the empty throne? Especially if Karl takes it, he will immediately try to eliminate you. It’s not about wanting more; it’s about acting before you’re acted upon. How can you not understand that?”

If you don’t eliminate, you will be eliminated. It was true. For now, they maintained this affluent life by keeping each other in check because they had equal status. But if that balance tilted even slightly, Franz would no longer be able to live as he did now.

All threats to the emperor’s position must be removed. If Karl somehow ascended to the throne, he would first eliminate Franz, his greatest threat. And when that time came, Franz wouldn’t be able to challenge the new Emperor Karl.

“Never forget, Franz. How we set foot in the palace. What humiliations we endured to rise to this point. Remember Pulcheria’s eyes, looking at us like insects. Don’t forget Monica’s tongue, always reminding us of our lowly origins. Think of all those who refused to acknowledge you as a fellow royal despite your imperial blood. You need to show them what you have. You need to show them what you deserve.”

Marina’s terrifying obsession with the throne left Franz breathless. Yes, it was undeniable that thanks to his mother, he became the emperor’s son, obtained the position of Grand Duke, and lived a luxurious life. But Franz wanted nothing more than that.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t want to be emperor if he could. At first, he followed his mother’s ambition for the throne, thinking it might be his destiny.

However, after witnessing how Marina’s greed towards the throne backfired, all her thoughts changed. Too much blood had been shed already in pursuit of the throne. She couldn’t even fathom how much more blood would have to be spilled to ascend to the throne.

“How much more… are you willing to do?”

Everything just felt bloody. She wanted to give up. But Franz didn’t know how to stop his mother.

Even upon seeing how twisted she had become, she couldn’t let go of her greed. No, she couldn’t. Marina now seemed completely consumed by greed.

“If necessary, I will help you by being your rear guard.”

It meant marriage. If there were connections and resources that could empower him significantly now, it would undoubtedly be a great help.

“Count Louisette, marry that child, Franz. There is nothing as weak as a human heart before money. If you have enough funds, drawing nobles to your side won’t be too difficult.”

“We have sufficient funds now, Mother. The possessions of Count Louisette, aren’t they technically mine?”

“It means you need an official display of funds’ origins. If you marry into a family known publicly to be second only to the royal family in wealth, no one will doubt you even if you spend lavishly.”

“No, Mother.”

“Why not, Franz?”

“Because Count Louisette’s marriage partner is already decided.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Even though they had sent people to thoroughly investigate the situation in the capital, it seemed they hadn’t heard the recent news.

“You haven’t heard. The news of Count Louisette and Karl’s marriage is spreading throughout the capital.”

“What…?”

Marina’s breathing became even more labored. Eventually, she struggled to catch her breath, clutching her chest in pain.

“Calm your breathing. You must not get agitated.”

“How, how could that child end up with that guy like that? How much effort did I put into getting a hold of the Louisette family…! When are they getting married?”

“Well, there hasn’t been an official announcement, but judging by the atmosphere, it seems likely to take place once the mourning period is over.”

“So there is still time. If the marriage hasn’t taken place yet, it means there is still a chance to intervene as much as we want. We must stop them from being connected. It would be like giving wings to Karl.”

There was no way to refute that. Surely, if Count Louisette joined forces with Duke Albrecht, it would not bode well for him.

Above all, everything was perfect except for one thing – Karl, who had always lacked a secure heir due to not having a family, could resolve that issue at once through this marriage. If he did, it was only natural that either Franz or he would ascend to the throne, most likely Duke Albrecht.

Marina could not afford to miss this opportunity for her son to potentially ascend to the throne. After all, wasn’t this opportunity something she had risked her life to create in the first place?

Coughing, Marina’s heart raced faster, and in the end, she coughed up blood.