Roselyn choked up with sudden irritation, but then looked at the other person and slowly suppressed it.
She wanted to slap the Emperor's grinning face, but she couldn't actually do that.
Even though this Emperor was grinning with a smiling face, he did not have a broad mind to overlook insubordination.
She should have resolved it through dialogue while he was still relatively moderate.
"... What do you mean by that?"
Roselyn asked somewhat dryly, suppressing her irritation and restraining her emotions.
The Emperor tapped the sofa armrest with his index finger, then smiled sweetly and opened his mouth.
"In Kaluta, they accurately identified Roselyn Bellion for the diplomatic role."
He furrowed his brows, saying he was in a very awkward situation, and pulled the corners of his mouth downward. Judging solely by his expression, he looked utterly pitiful.
"..."
"It means that, from my perspective, your breaking off the engagement has become a bit of a shame."
Of course, Roselyn didn't believe it.
Roselyn looked at the Emperor in silence.
The stiff lower body refused to straighten, and the Emperor, too, met Roselyn's gaze, full of dissatisfaction, with a look of utter wonder.
'So you know how to make this kind of face, too.'
The Emperor rubbed his chin.
'In the past, she lived only looking at the floor, expressionless like a doll, but now...'
It seemed that she also got angry.
The Emperor shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Roselyn.
Actually, breaking off the engagement wouldn't have been a bad idea as long as the promise was kept.
His youngest son had no interest in the throne, and the Emperor had no intention of giving the throne to a child who had no interest in it.
'The problem is that Kaluta trusts Princess Bellion quite a bit.'
The Emperor recalled the young leader of Kaluta whom he had met briefly.
The voice of the boy conveying his opinion as Kaluta's messenger was firm and resolute.
'The moment Princess Bellion breaks off the engagement, all the credit will return to the Duke of Bellion.'
That wasn't good in many ways.
From the Emperor's perspective, it was better for Roselyn to have the title of 'the Third Prince's fiancée.' For the Emperor, it was more beneficial for her to maintain her current engagement.
'...And if there is a Princess, I think the youngest one's mind might change a little.'
Emperor Sevirus was not stupid.
He knew that Arma Dianitas resented him. He also knew very well that he resented the empire he ruled just as much as he resented him.
Arma resented everything that came from the Empire. So his youngest gave up loving the Empire early on.
In the Empire, he turned a blind eye to everything, hid his claws to avoid his given duties and responsibilities, crumpled his body into a box that didn't fit, and became a fool.
The Emperor remained silent because he had a significant share in the youngest son's choice.
"I understand Your Majesty's position."
Roselyn nodded.
The Emperor raised his head, snapping out of his thoughts, and looked at Roselyn.
"I certainly have every right to be disappointed."
She spoke quite brazenly, but stiffly, as if it were an unchangeable fact.
The Emperor suppressed a laugh that was about to burst at that brazen remark, which was even arrogant.
'Why on earth was such a gem hidden in the mud?'
The Emperor thought.
'Did the Duke's family hide this on purpose?'
As he did.
Sevirus tried his best to hide the person he had come to love.
It is said that one naturally wants to give anything to the one they love, but the Emperor was not like that. He was a man of a base and insidious nature who wanted to keep her all to himself.
So, instead, she was hidden from the world, even though she should have originally held the most honorable position.
To keep the news of her survival a secret, he told young Arma that she was dead.
So the boy had to grow up in envy and loneliness for quite a long time.
That was also the reason he was given Roselyn Bellion as his fiancée, who was overlooked in high society and was practically a laughingstock.
Sevirus cherished Arma the most among his three sons, but because he cherished him so much, he had to pretend not to love the boy.
However, the Emperor also knew that Roselyn Bellion was the precious jewel of the Duke's family.
That the young Duke's love was incredibly clumsy.
On the contrary, Sevirus's love was like that.
He was the Emperor, the supreme ruler, and the only sun of the empire.
If you revealed what you liked, anyone would try to target and exploit it. If you revealed what you disliked, they would use it as a weakness.
So Sevirus did not reveal his likes and dislikes to anyone.
That was the life he had lived, and it applied to people without exception.
So, the only thing he truly came to love could not be proudly revealed to the world.
He had never even sincerely embraced the son born to his beloved.
So, Sevirus acknowledged that the entire process he went through to protect what was his was an environment that left a scar on Arma.
So the Emperor did not raise Arma as the Crown Prince.
His capacity as an Emperor was clear. Coincidentally, the one who inherited his blood most strongly was the youngest, Arma, and the Emperor also harbored ambitions for him.
However, he did not force the throne upon a child who did not love the country.
He did not provide him with an education as an Emperor and stood by idly, regardless of how he lived. He taught the art of kingship only to the First and Second Princes and supported them.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason why the Crown Prince had not been appointed yet.
It was to give Arma the opportunity and time to choose.
He intended to hand over the throne to Arma if he wanted.
However, despite waiting a long time, Arma Dianitas still had no interest in the throne.
'...No. I thought it wasn't there.'
The Emperor looked at Roselyn, who was frowning and showing signs of frustration.
It was obvious that she wanted to storm out of her seat right away, but she couldn't move because he was the Emperor.
The Emperor had experienced love. He was a very twisted person.
There was a time when he denied the love that came to him for quite a long time.
Days created by the arrogance of thinking that one could never truly love someone.
They confine a free person in a giant cage and put them inside, unable to even look in often...
The poor one who ended up accepting the person he gave.
Sevirus's love was bondage.
And Arma resembles him very much.
In his opinion, Arma already has feelings for Roselyn.
Rose Lin's presence will keep Arma in this empire.
The youngest son, who resents the empire, will become the catalyst for taking care of this empire.
As long as Roselyn belongs to this Empire, Arma will keep the huge cage called the Empire prosperous.
Just like he did.
'So, I'm sorry to say this, but I can't let you go easily.'
The Emperor slowly rubbed the ink.
"Is there anything else you want besides breaking off the engagement?"
"Yes."
Roselyn answered firmly.
"It’s a bit awkward for me to say this, but our youngest is actually quite talented. I mean, appearances aren't everything."
“I know.”
Roselyn answered calmly.
The Emperor paused at the sincerity contained in that dry voice.
"But His Highness the Third Prince is not someone I can handle. More than anything, he does not want to become Emperor."
"His thoughts might have changed."
"It would be troublesome if I were the reason his thinking changed."
Roselyn's voice was firm.
The Emperor tilted his head while looking at Roselyn with a smiling face.
“Why do you think that?”
Roselyn looked at the Emperor in silence.
"Because what I loved was His Highness the Third Prince's mask."
"Mask...?"
"His Highness the Third Prince resembles Your Majesty very much."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed.
"The ability to hold one's breath and hide one's claws for nearly ten years for the sake of a single moment, and the willingness to do anything or abandon anyone without hesitation for the sake of one's goal."
"..."
The smile on the Emperor's lips deepened.
Even though Roselyn saw it, she continued to speak.
"I understand that you covet me because you think I would be helpful, but I don't really want to be of any help."
Roselyn paused for a beat and added the rest.
"I dislike people who are two-faced more than anything else. I've been stabbed in the back before."
The Emperor burst into loud laughter at Roselyn's words.
It was at that moment, at the sound of loud laughter bordering on panting, that a faint annoyance spread across Roselyn's expressionless face.
Suddenly, the Emperor stopped laughing.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment