Damon's palace was turned upside down.
The Emperor investigated the servants and even ransacked Damon's bedroom, leaving it dusty. However, Damon calmly denied the Emperor's questions.
“The Second Prince is my older brother in private.”
Eden was the only brother left after Aster died. He was also the one who gave Damon the chance to become the Crown Prince. Damon made such claims and expressed his grievances.
“Why would I harm my brother?”
It was somewhat convincing. He could have tried to defeat his powerful rival, Eden, before becoming the Crown Prince, but he had already become the Crown Prince.
“Then why did your name come out of that woman’s mouth?”
But it wasn't like he had no reason to do so. Eden was likely to remain an enemy to Damon for a long time.
“I feel wronged too. It’s frustrating that my brother is lying down, but I’m going crazy because we’re all tied up like this.”
Damon responded with a frustrated look on his face.
“Why don’t you consider the opposite situation?”
Instead, he responded. Even though he was burning inside because he couldn't get in touch with the Prophet, his outward appearance was natural.
Normally, he would have gotten angry, but this time, he couldn't. Damon knew his father's personality, and he wasn't stupid.
“The opposite situation?”
“Ilya Jackinson has harbored ill will toward my brother because of her family’s connection to him. After the families that supported her have cornered her, isn’t this the perfect time to abandon her?”
It was a plausible answer. The Emperor kept his mouth shut, unable to deny the possibility.
“Rather, I think the Duke of Lane and the Grand Duchess are the most suspicious.”
“What does that mean?”
“Because he is the most powerful person to use as bait to rebuild the Count Nova.”
Meanwhile, Damon suspected Cecilia and the Duchess of Lane. The Emperor was silent with a gloomy face.
The Empress paced the room restlessly. There was only one reason for this. Damon was still under investigation for allegedly harming Eden.
The Empress knew something similar. And she knew the consequences. So even if the Emperor had not ordered Damon to die immediately like that time, she was impatient and couldn't stand it.
'Damon. Calm down, okay?'
'I've never won in my life, not once! Damn it!'
Even in his previous life, Damon couldn't overcome his inferiority complex towards Eden. So, after hearing the results of the third competition, he tried to kill Eden.
'Your Majesty! Call someone immediately!'
It was a do-or-die attitude. Damon poisoned Eden's tea. Eden, who was drinking tea with Cecilia, vomited blood and collapsed.
If only Eden had died then, everything would have been easier. Damon was the only child left, so no matter how much the Emperor hated him, he had no choice but to embrace him.
'Eden!'
But Eden somehow survived.
'Your Majesty. It's all my fault for teaching you wrongly. I will never let something like this happen again. Please, Your Majesty!'
He held on to that tenacious lifeline and stubbornly survived, killing Damon.
'How can I allow to live the life of such a wicked man who dared to kill his brother, the Crown Prince?'
Eden allowed the Emperor's wrath to consume Damon, for the Emperor could not tolerate the loss of two children from his previous relationship with the woman he loved.
“Janet. That fucking Janet!”
So the name Janet became the most terrible thing in the world to the Empress, even though she had never desired the Emperor's favor.
“No, not like this.”
This can't go on. She was in a situation where she could lose her child again. The Empress bit my well-manicured fingernails.
“Think, think.”
But perhaps because of the fear of being in the same situation, her head wouldn't turn. The Empress tossed her hair, paralyzed with extreme fear.
“...!”
It was the moment when her fingernail snapped off. Cecilia came to mind. Yes, there was Cecilia. Didn't she even help Damon to prevent Eden from becoming the Crown Prince?
“Where is the Grand Duchess?”
“I understand that she will continue to guard His Highness the Grand Duke.”
The Empress, having heard that, hurriedly walked away in an untidy manner.
“Your Majesty, put on a shawl...!”
The head maid hurriedly followed behind, carrying the Empress's shawl. However, it was not as easy as she thought to follow someone who was walking so frantically that she was practically running.
“Grand Duchess!”
When the Empress opened the door as if she didn't know any manners, Cecilia's gaze, who was sitting next to Eden, naturally turned to the Empress.
"Your Majesty?"
The way he stood up and greeted me was elegant and polite, but his eyes were reproachful of rude behavior.
“How is the Grand Duke?”
“He is still unconscious.”
Cecilia calmly told the truth.
“He should get better soon, right?”
The Empress held Cecilia's hand and uttered words that she did not mean. Cecilia looked down at the Empress's hand, which was clenched as if it were going to crush her own. Her skinny hand was trembling slightly.
“I would like to speak to the Grand Duchess alone, so would you all please leave?”
The Empress gave an order disguised as a request.
“Please cover yourself with a shawl.”
She was almost in her nightgown. Cecilia had the Empress's maid of honor bring in a shawl and put it over her shoulders.
“What are the chances that the Second Prince will regain consciousness?”
"... Yes?"
When even her person finally left the room, the Empress opened her mouth in a fluster. Her face seemed to not be able to properly recognize what she was saying.
“It wasn’t what I planned, but it turned out well.”
“...”
“If he dies like this, the only one in the direct line to become Emperor is Damon. Then, His Majesty, there’s nothing he can do about Damon.”
Cecilia already knew that Damon was trying to harm Eden, so there was no need to go out of her way to hide it.
“Even if the Grand Duke were to die now, no one would think it suspicious. So...”
The Empress held Cecilia's hand and glared at Eden, who was still breathing. It was intense anger and hostility. Blue flames burned in her eyes as if she would rush in and strangle Eden at any moment.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
It was then that an unfamiliar voice came looking for the empress.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty the Emperor...”
The Empress turned her head to the door. It creaked like a poorly oiled lump of junk.
“They said to take back the Crown Prince’s position!”
Even as the Empress hurriedly opened the bedroom door and went out, Cecilia's face remained expressionless. It was not a look of surprise.
“Damon!”
The Empress ran into the Emperor's palace with a thoughtful face. No one told her to follow, but Cecilia left Eden in the care of her servant and stood up.
Finally, Cecilia followed the Empress to the Emperor's quarters. The palace was in an uproar right from the entrance. Damon was causing trouble up front.
“You’re taking back the Crown Prince’s position? How, how could you do that!”
Damon lashed out and stomped his feet. It was the kind of tantrum a five-year-old might have when his toy was taken away, but it was understandable.
“How did I get this position?”
Damon was making a fuss, saying, 'Are you going to throw me out just because you believed the words of a murderer of the royal family?'
However, he could not reach the Emperor. The Emperor did not allow Damon to open the door. The Emperor's guards were blocking Damon's entrance with stiff faces.
"Your Majesty!"
Damon struggled to get past them and get to the Emperor. His voice was so sore from shouting that it was almost hoarse.
"Father!"
The voice that finally called the Emperor “father” was filled with resentment and injustice.
“How can you do this to me, how can you!”
A father who never looked after himself properly. A father who never showed affection to himself. To Damon, the Emperor was that kind of person.
And Damon was so afraid of his father that he never called the Emperor anything other than 'Your Majesty'. Even when he was much younger than Aster and Eden.
“Did you say you were wronged?”
At that moment, the door opened wide, and the Emperor appeared. His cold, hard face showed neither affection nor regret for Damon.
“How dare you say that you have been wronged?”
"...Your Majesty."
“You were always unwilling. That’s why I always felt guilty. That’s also why I gave you a chance this time.”
Damon looked up at his indifferent father with a hardened face.
“But you're my child. Of course, you’ll have the basics down.”
The Emperor smiled softly. But the smile was more meaningful. Damon was too overwhelmed by the Emperor's aura to even open his mouth.
“Did you say you were wronged?”
The garden, which had been noisy until just before, was quiet. Even though the sound was not loud, the Emperor's question was heard by everyone.
“Bring it.”
The Emperor gave the order with a tired face. The tightly shut door opened, and several people came out in a line.
“You are the crazy man who believed a prophet.”
“...”
“He is the servant who bought a drug from the herbalist that would make four people lose consciousness.”
The Emperor revealed their identities one by one in front of everyone.
“If you still feel wronged, tell me, Damon.”
That meant he knew everything Damon had done.
The Emperor investigated the servants and even ransacked Damon's bedroom, leaving it dusty. However, Damon calmly denied the Emperor's questions.
“The Second Prince is my older brother in private.”
Eden was the only brother left after Aster died. He was also the one who gave Damon the chance to become the Crown Prince. Damon made such claims and expressed his grievances.
“Why would I harm my brother?”
It was somewhat convincing. He could have tried to defeat his powerful rival, Eden, before becoming the Crown Prince, but he had already become the Crown Prince.
“Then why did your name come out of that woman’s mouth?”
But it wasn't like he had no reason to do so. Eden was likely to remain an enemy to Damon for a long time.
“I feel wronged too. It’s frustrating that my brother is lying down, but I’m going crazy because we’re all tied up like this.”
Damon responded with a frustrated look on his face.
“Why don’t you consider the opposite situation?”
Instead, he responded. Even though he was burning inside because he couldn't get in touch with the Prophet, his outward appearance was natural.
Normally, he would have gotten angry, but this time, he couldn't. Damon knew his father's personality, and he wasn't stupid.
“The opposite situation?”
“Ilya Jackinson has harbored ill will toward my brother because of her family’s connection to him. After the families that supported her have cornered her, isn’t this the perfect time to abandon her?”
It was a plausible answer. The Emperor kept his mouth shut, unable to deny the possibility.
“Rather, I think the Duke of Lane and the Grand Duchess are the most suspicious.”
“What does that mean?”
“Because he is the most powerful person to use as bait to rebuild the Count Nova.”
Meanwhile, Damon suspected Cecilia and the Duchess of Lane. The Emperor was silent with a gloomy face.
***
The Empress paced the room restlessly. There was only one reason for this. Damon was still under investigation for allegedly harming Eden.
The Empress knew something similar. And she knew the consequences. So even if the Emperor had not ordered Damon to die immediately like that time, she was impatient and couldn't stand it.
'Damon. Calm down, okay?'
'I've never won in my life, not once! Damn it!'
Even in his previous life, Damon couldn't overcome his inferiority complex towards Eden. So, after hearing the results of the third competition, he tried to kill Eden.
'Your Majesty! Call someone immediately!'
It was a do-or-die attitude. Damon poisoned Eden's tea. Eden, who was drinking tea with Cecilia, vomited blood and collapsed.
If only Eden had died then, everything would have been easier. Damon was the only child left, so no matter how much the Emperor hated him, he had no choice but to embrace him.
'Eden!'
But Eden somehow survived.
'Your Majesty. It's all my fault for teaching you wrongly. I will never let something like this happen again. Please, Your Majesty!'
He held on to that tenacious lifeline and stubbornly survived, killing Damon.
'How can I allow to live the life of such a wicked man who dared to kill his brother, the Crown Prince?'
Eden allowed the Emperor's wrath to consume Damon, for the Emperor could not tolerate the loss of two children from his previous relationship with the woman he loved.
“Janet. That fucking Janet!”
So the name Janet became the most terrible thing in the world to the Empress, even though she had never desired the Emperor's favor.
“No, not like this.”
This can't go on. She was in a situation where she could lose her child again. The Empress bit my well-manicured fingernails.
“Think, think.”
But perhaps because of the fear of being in the same situation, her head wouldn't turn. The Empress tossed her hair, paralyzed with extreme fear.
“...!”
It was the moment when her fingernail snapped off. Cecilia came to mind. Yes, there was Cecilia. Didn't she even help Damon to prevent Eden from becoming the Crown Prince?
“Where is the Grand Duchess?”
“I understand that she will continue to guard His Highness the Grand Duke.”
The Empress, having heard that, hurriedly walked away in an untidy manner.
“Your Majesty, put on a shawl...!”
The head maid hurriedly followed behind, carrying the Empress's shawl. However, it was not as easy as she thought to follow someone who was walking so frantically that she was practically running.
“Grand Duchess!”
When the Empress opened the door as if she didn't know any manners, Cecilia's gaze, who was sitting next to Eden, naturally turned to the Empress.
"Your Majesty?"
The way he stood up and greeted me was elegant and polite, but his eyes were reproachful of rude behavior.
“How is the Grand Duke?”
“He is still unconscious.”
Cecilia calmly told the truth.
“He should get better soon, right?”
The Empress held Cecilia's hand and uttered words that she did not mean. Cecilia looked down at the Empress's hand, which was clenched as if it were going to crush her own. Her skinny hand was trembling slightly.
“I would like to speak to the Grand Duchess alone, so would you all please leave?”
The Empress gave an order disguised as a request.
“Please cover yourself with a shawl.”
She was almost in her nightgown. Cecilia had the Empress's maid of honor bring in a shawl and put it over her shoulders.
“What are the chances that the Second Prince will regain consciousness?”
"... Yes?"
When even her person finally left the room, the Empress opened her mouth in a fluster. Her face seemed to not be able to properly recognize what she was saying.
“It wasn’t what I planned, but it turned out well.”
“...”
“If he dies like this, the only one in the direct line to become Emperor is Damon. Then, His Majesty, there’s nothing he can do about Damon.”
Cecilia already knew that Damon was trying to harm Eden, so there was no need to go out of her way to hide it.
“Even if the Grand Duke were to die now, no one would think it suspicious. So...”
The Empress held Cecilia's hand and glared at Eden, who was still breathing. It was intense anger and hostility. Blue flames burned in her eyes as if she would rush in and strangle Eden at any moment.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
It was then that an unfamiliar voice came looking for the empress.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty the Emperor...”
The Empress turned her head to the door. It creaked like a poorly oiled lump of junk.
“They said to take back the Crown Prince’s position!”
Even as the Empress hurriedly opened the bedroom door and went out, Cecilia's face remained expressionless. It was not a look of surprise.
“Damon!”
The Empress ran into the Emperor's palace with a thoughtful face. No one told her to follow, but Cecilia left Eden in the care of her servant and stood up.
Finally, Cecilia followed the Empress to the Emperor's quarters. The palace was in an uproar right from the entrance. Damon was causing trouble up front.
“You’re taking back the Crown Prince’s position? How, how could you do that!”
Damon lashed out and stomped his feet. It was the kind of tantrum a five-year-old might have when his toy was taken away, but it was understandable.
“How did I get this position?”
Damon was making a fuss, saying, 'Are you going to throw me out just because you believed the words of a murderer of the royal family?'
However, he could not reach the Emperor. The Emperor did not allow Damon to open the door. The Emperor's guards were blocking Damon's entrance with stiff faces.
"Your Majesty!"
Damon struggled to get past them and get to the Emperor. His voice was so sore from shouting that it was almost hoarse.
"Father!"
The voice that finally called the Emperor “father” was filled with resentment and injustice.
“How can you do this to me, how can you!”
A father who never looked after himself properly. A father who never showed affection to himself. To Damon, the Emperor was that kind of person.
And Damon was so afraid of his father that he never called the Emperor anything other than 'Your Majesty'. Even when he was much younger than Aster and Eden.
“Did you say you were wronged?”
At that moment, the door opened wide, and the Emperor appeared. His cold, hard face showed neither affection nor regret for Damon.
“How dare you say that you have been wronged?”
"...Your Majesty."
“You were always unwilling. That’s why I always felt guilty. That’s also why I gave you a chance this time.”
Damon looked up at his indifferent father with a hardened face.
“But you're my child. Of course, you’ll have the basics down.”
The Emperor smiled softly. But the smile was more meaningful. Damon was too overwhelmed by the Emperor's aura to even open his mouth.
“Did you say you were wronged?”
The garden, which had been noisy until just before, was quiet. Even though the sound was not loud, the Emperor's question was heard by everyone.
“Bring it.”
The Emperor gave the order with a tired face. The tightly shut door opened, and several people came out in a line.
“You are the crazy man who believed a prophet.”
“...”
“He is the servant who bought a drug from the herbalist that would make four people lose consciousness.”
The Emperor revealed their identities one by one in front of everyone.
“If you still feel wronged, tell me, Damon.”
That meant he knew everything Damon had done.
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