The Crown Prince decided to become Emperor. If he became Emperor, everything would become easier, but remaining as Crown Prince made everything too difficult. So he decided to become Emperor. After all, the Emperor he had seen was a great being wielding absolute power.
Gregory, holding a pillow, looked down briefly at that great being. The man who was his father, though he had never properly called him that, lay motionless with a black face, dripping with cold sweat.
…He seems a bit less great. Gregory pressed the pillow hard against that black face.
‘How long do I have to do this? Until when? How long do I have to press to kill him?’
He had never killed anyone directly with his own hands before. He either had others do it, or his mother did it for him. But now his mother had lost her mind, and only the Crown Prince could kill the Emperor and remain unscathed.
Gregory thought of the hunting he hated. That too was something the Emperor forced him to do. He really hated doing things directly.
He hated it to the point of revulsion. He pressed the pillow hard, feeling as if he was crushing a filthy bug or a disgusting snake that he had no choice but to kill.
“Ungh……”
He could feel the body squirming under the pillow.
All the movements of resistance as the Emperor, already weakened from collapsing twice, tried somehow to survive, grated on Gregory’s sensitive nerves. Gregory pressed down on the pillow with a shudder.
‘Die! Die quickly!’
Why won’t he die? Beatrice Ravalley said it would be nothing. That if you pressed hard, they would squirm a little and soon go limp. But beneath the pillow he was still resisting with all his might, the black hand was still twitching.
Gregory stared with terrified eyes at that hand gradually rising. Somehow he couldn’t take his eyes off it. If he didn’t hurry and press down to kill him, that hand would grab him.
“Die…… die quickly……”
He was even pleading now. But despite his urgent pleas and curses, that skinny, wrinkled black hand kept squirming up.
“Hii, hiiiek!”
And then it grabbed Gregory with a snap. Gregory fell back, withdrawing his body.
“Huh, huuuh!”
Pale-faced, he fluttered about making strange noises. The pillow fell with a thud. Gregory saw the Emperor’s face, which had turned even blacker from lack of air.
Those bulging eyes glared at him, blinking once, twice. Air rushed in between parted lips. The Emperor wasn’t dead. Rather, those bloodshot eyes were glaring at his son more terrifyingly than usual.
Gregory fled right then. He ran out in a panic without looking back.
“Your Highness?”
Seeing Count Horhen, the chief chamberlain, who was just coming this way at the door, Gregory’s heart sank again. In an instant, he became a child who had done something terrible and didn’t know what to do.
“His, His Majesty is sleeping.”
If you don’t want to get caught doing something wrong, you should first lie and then make excuses.
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Count Horhen looked at the bedroom and quickly lowered his voice.
“Let’s not disturb him.”
“Yes.”
This worked out well. The chief chamberlain, who had to help with the Regency Council’s work and also deal with the contact with the Light Dragon that the Emperor had ordered separately, stopped in his tracks and bowed his head to the departing Crown Prince.
Gregory fled the crime scene in terror. No, he ran away. His mind was completely paralyzed, only looking for ways to escape this situation.
‘What should I do? What should I do?’
This time he would surely lose his position as Crown Prince. No, an even more terrible end would be waiting for him. Nothing that Beatrice Ravalley tells him to do ever works out properly!
‘I shouldn’t have listened to that girl!’
Though belated regret hit him, Gregory also couldn’t understand.
Killing a patient by pressing down with a pillow was something he had often read about in newspapers. Even weak women who prefer things to end cleanly without using much force do that much, so why wouldn’t the Emperor die?
‘Perhaps because he’s the great Emperor.’
What should he do? What can he do? Now what really should he do? The Crown Prince instinctively ran to his familiar palace. Then he grabbed Beatrice who had been hiding there and pressed her.
“He, he won’t die! What do we do now!”
“He didn’t die?”
What is this nonsense now. Beatrice blocked Gregory’s hands as he grabbed and shook her.
“Did you press with the pillow?”
“I pressed! But he moved!”
“Even corpses can twitch.”
Beatrice, who had killed more than a few people, said coldly, but Gregory shook his head.
“No. He blinked! He breathed too, and my hand, my hand……! Huaaah……”
He was so terrified and out of his mind that he didn’t even notice Beatrice’s contemptuous gaze.
“What do I do? What can I do? Now what do I do?”
“What else, you should have killed him properly! So, what did you do?”
“I, I said he was sleeping and made sure no one could enter.”
“And you just came here?”
Gregory didn’t answer, but his expression made it clear. I must be crazy. Beatrice rolled her eyes and checked several more times.
“You came straight here? You didn’t see anyone on the way?”
“No… I didn’t… What do I do now? I, I’ll be exiled.”
“You said His Majesty the Emperor is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Then it won’t end with just exile.”
“Wh-what?”
“You know that much at least.”
Beatrice looked at Gregory with an expression that asked if he really didn’t know even that, and he fell silent. He knew. Having lived in the palace, he knew that much. His hands trembled more and more violently.
“Wh-what should I do? Should I, should I run away? That’s what I should do, right?”
But how should he run away? The Crown Prince didn’t know anything.
“What do you mean run away. Let’s go.”
“What? Where?”
“We have to go back to kill him properly this time. We still have time. Get up. I’ll help you.”
Swallowing the words asking what exactly he was capable of doing, Beatrice pulled Gregory up. There was still time, but no time to waste. She had to help him kill properly. He needed to wear the new crown. Ah, of course, together with her.
****
The royal palace was in a very tense state. Of course, only a few people were truly urgent about it, and the rest were having an ordinary day as usual, but overall the palace atmosphere was quite unsettled.
There was continuing concern about the Emperor who had shut himself away in Soleil Palace, and the Regency Council couldn’t keep hiding the Emperor’s health issues forever.
Moreover, some ominous rumors about the recent fire in the magic tool room were still circulating in corners of the palace. Meanwhile, Soleil Palace was in even more chaos.
Count Horhen finally wiped his sweat. The Emperor, who was said to be sleeping, suddenly started having outbursts. Yes, those were outbursts. Even after decades as chief chamberlain, it was difficult to handle the Emperor being this angry.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Yes. I will do so. I will call the Grand Duke of Lusenford.”
Count Horhen retreated after failing even to give water to the Emperor who was shouting while drooling. Coming out to the corridor, there seemed to be too many watching eyes.
‘We need to reduce the number of people.’
The Emperor’s unsightly state couldn’t be shown any further. He whispered to the nearest attendant.
“Send out the five people outside first. We need to reduce the number of watching eyes.”
“Yes.”
Understanding immediately what that meant, the attendant nodded and began moving. Now even the bedroom door would have to be closed by Count Horhen himself. That’s how much they needed to reduce the number of people.
He grabbed the door handle while staring into the wide-open bedroom. Inside, the doctor was trying to calm the raging Emperor, holding a glass of water.
“Your Majesty, please drink some water first. There are many wounds around your mouth.”
Yes. No matter how you look at it, those were definitely outbursts.
“What’s happening?”
The Crown Prince appeared again in the complex situation where attendants were leaving and knights were gradually retreating.
And with Beatrice Ravalley wearing a hood behind him. Why is that woman here? Was she called by the Emperor who is now raving about calling the Grand Duke of Lusenford?
“Your Highness. His Majesty the Emperor is not in good condition right now.”
“Bring Hyperion!”
Whether the doctor forced him to drink water or something else, the terribly hoarse voice changed to sound somewhat better.
The attendants and knights retreated even faster. Fortunately, there were people working properly in this situation. Never since Count Horhen became chief chamberlain had Soleil Palace been in such disarray.
“His, His Majesty has ordered to call…”
Who does he mean? Count Horhen barely managed to avoid furrowing his brow at seeing Beatrice standing behind the Crown Prince.
“You mean His Highness?”
That couldn’t be. All secret matters concerning sorceresses like Beatrice were handled directly by the chief chamberlain; the Crown Prince didn’t even know about such things.
No, from the start, the Emperor would never let someone like Beatrice Ravalley approach the Crown Prince. The heir had to walk only the bright and proper path.
The Emperor, who set high standards for his heir, was like any other patriarchal father in this matter at least. He had this standard of “I may do all sorts of dirty things, but my son absolutely cannot do this.”
Count Horhen looked toward the still-open door. The Crown Prince also unconsciously craned his neck to check inside the door. Then his eyes met with the Emperor’s, who was sprawled halfway out of bed with his hand on the floor.
“That one! That one is not my son!”
Strangely, the Emperor who had returned from death seemed to have boundless energy from just a few sips of water, endlessly shouting.
Count Horhen recalled how people who have lost their minds tend to have great strength. Yes. At that level, he must be out of his mind. That must be why he told even the Crown Prince to call Beatrice.
“Bring Hyperion! If he’s the Empress’s son then he’s my son!”
The Crown Prince flinched in shock. Words that shouldn’t be said were pouring out of the Emperor’s mouth. Count Horhen quickly grabbed the handle to pull the large door. The shouting from inside grew louder.
“That one is not my son! Replace him! Call both Hyperion and Kaela again!”
“Your Highness, His Majesty is momentarily confused right now.”
“From now on Hyperion is my son!”
The weak Crown Prince turned pale with shock.
He must be very surprised by that personality, faithfully carrying out incomprehensible orders like bringing Beatrice Ravalley. The chief chamberlain, thinking he should now carefully soothe the Crown Prince who would inherit the throne, quickly closed the door completely.
“That one is not my son! Drive him out!”
The Emperor’s energetic shout through the door crack finally stabbed into the Crown Prince. It was remarkable energy that made it hard to believe he was sick. The chief chamberlain comforted the pale Crown Prince.
“He is having outbursts. He probably doesn’t even know what he’s saying himself. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Ah, I understand. I will come back later.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince seemed so shocked that he turned back without properly looking at the chief chamberlain. Beatrice, who had been hesitating, had no choice but to follow the Crown Prince back.
The chief chamberlain, who was trying to finish handling the situation, tilted his head for a moment. But, isn’t there currently a wanted order out for Beatrice Ravalley? How did the Crown Prince find that woman through the inspector’s strict wanted order?
The Emperor shouted again from inside. He put aside his questions and moved quickly for now. He could think about it later.
****
The Crown Prince instinctively backed away and took deep breaths. Then he walked somewhere.
“Where are you going?”
Beatrice asked, looking anxiously toward the Emperor’s bedroom.
“To Kaela.”
The fear of always being replaceable was becoming reality.
“He said to call ‘again.’ That means, that means she has entered the palace. I need to find her.”
I need to find her and get her in my grasp. The Crown Prince, desperately racking his brains, trembled. Then he asked Beatrice.
“Right? The, the Grand Duke of Lusenford’s weakness is her? So before the Grand Duke re… replaces me…”
Beatrice’s face changed completely in an instant.
“You need to catch Kaela now. Yes. That’s right. A wise decision, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince was weak to women who led him, just like his mother. Unlike him who was terrified, Beatrice who was moving forward in the right direction could be trusted.
“Le-let’s go. There’s no time. I can’t do it, but you can, right?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
‘We have to kill Kaela for the taboo to work on Peon. That b*tch made the taboo ineffective. We have to kill her, then everything will go back to its place.’
The sorceress with reddened eyes was also out of her mind. She was going to deal with Kaela after killing the Emperor anyway. Only the order had changed.
“This time.”
The Crown Prince who was walking unsteadily turned to look at Beatrice.
“This time it has to be certain.”
He glared frightfully at Beatrice.
“Of course, Your Highness. There’s no time now. This will probably be the last time.”
Of course that too was a bright red lie. If things go wrong, Beatrice will abandon the Crown Prince and run away.
But not now. Those blinded by hope – the final hope that if everything is overturned, they could grasp the tremendous power of imperial throne again – ran forward.
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