The Emperor burst into loud laughter, then suddenly raised his index finger and opened his mouth.
"My youngest, it seems you are misunderstanding something. Your mother gave you your name."
Arma's eyes suddenly widened at the Emperor's words.
"...Did you say my mother gave me my name?"
At the child's sincerity, which he hadn't seen in quite a while, the Emperor suppressed a sense of inexplicable delight and nodded.
He rubbed his chin, looked at his child with a subtle smile, and laughed.
"Why, can't you believe it?"
"...I thought she was dead."
"That can't be. She needs to hear stories about her own child to feel alive again."
The corners of the Emperor's mouth relaxed quite softly.
Arma remained silent at the words of the man who, despite possessing everything in the world, decided to use it all to imprison only one person.
"Anyway, your mother will be quite happy to hear this."
He rubbed his chin and said.
He never thought the child, who seemed like he would feign death and leave the country behind, would say with his own mouth that he wanted to become Emperor.
'I was planning to appoint the eldest as Crown Prince barring any unforeseen circumstances...'
The Emperor rubbed his chin.
'The eldest must be quite disappointed.'
He had no intention of immediately giving the position of Crown Prince to Arma just because he thought he was right.
He intended to receive a substantial reward for the hardships he had caused, and naturally, he did not plan to give him the position of Crown Prince if he did not meet expectations.
However, in his view, there was a clear difference in the capabilities of the eldest and the youngest.
The second son had no great ambition for the throne from the beginning and naturally believed that the position belonged to his older brother.
The first awakened the Abyss at a young age and grew up learning subjects including imperial studies, being revered by those around him as the provisional Crown Prince.
However, the problem is... that Arma's capabilities were greater than the Emperor had anticipated.
As it happened, the one who resembled him the most was the youngest, a child treated as an illegitimate.
And he himself was well aware of his own excellence.
So, this child gave up the throne and tried to abandon them instead of sitting on the supreme throne where he could have the world at his feet.
'But he decided to give that up.'
For a woman named Roselyn Bellion.
Arma lived for quite a long time completely disconnected from all affairs of the Imperial Palace.
With himself humbled, hidden, and his claws concealed, it was like looking at his own childhood.
Actually, this isn't such a bad situation.
“I want to become Emperor.”
At least for the Emperor, it was quite favorable.
His final duty as Emperor included safely handing over the imperial power to the next generation.
To be honest, he was someone who wanted to retire quickly and needed someone to take charge of his position.
Arma was the best option among the choices he had.
"It is unexpected that you would say with your own mouth that you want to become Emperor."
The Emperor smiled and tilted his glass.
"Have you gone senile?"
“I didn’t hear you.”
"Then?"
"I need strength, power."
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Arma's words.
"The Third Prince's power isn't insignificant, either. It means that, aside from me, there is nothing above you."
Despite the voice that sounded soothing or mocking, Arma's gaze did not waver in the slightest.
“It’s not enough.”
"Not enough?"
"Yes. What I need is ...absolute power that ignores no one, can obtain anything that exists in the world, and will not be ashamed to stand by her side."
Arma slowly closed and opened his eyes and said firmly.
The Emperor gazed blankly at his son, who had grown up before he knew it. It was a relationship where he had absolutely no good memories.
Unlike the first and second, Arma grew up lonely in the Imperial Palace without any protection, and as he grew older, the size of his resentment toward him also grew.
"You have to prove that you're better than your brother."
"Have my older brothers ever been better than me?"
From a certain day on, Arma refused all the lessons that the royal family received, but he taught himself everything.
His genius was well recognized at a young age.
Arma's excellence had already been well known before he was attacked by assassins.
And after realizing that it had nearly cost him his life, Arma never picked up a sword again and never appeared at the school again.
But the Emperor knew.
It is also true that every night, in a place where no one was around, the little child put down the manual and swung the sword until his palms were raw.
Also, on the way back, he stopped by a closed library to borrow books and spent the day doing nothing but reading.
"I thought you would be trapped in a shell for the rest of your life... but that wasn't the case."
As he grew older, the children also grew up.
"Is it just me, or do you look nervous, youngest?"
"What must I do to be appointed Crown Prince?"
"Well..."
The Emperor rubbed his chin.
He knew the youngest was excellent, but that didn't mean the eldest was stupid.
If he were to be the Emperor, he would surely make the best choice he could think of in the most appropriate direction.
However, the problem is that the eldest's best... cannot beat the youngest's second best.
"First of all..."
The Emperor leisurely opened his mouth while resting his chin on his hand.
"Try persuading your brother first."
At those words, Arma's expression crumpled and immediately darkened.
***
'I'm dying.'
Roselyn thought blankly while buried deep in the soft blankets.
The two-week journey to the Duchy.
Even though it was a relaxed schedule arranged for Roselyn's sake, Roselyn fell ill with a fever as soon as he arrived in the Duke's territory.
She had been physically weak since birth. It was to the point where she would feel disappointed if she didn't have a private first class.
Fortunately, thanks to having an attending physician from a young age and her father’s strict management, she improved significantly as she grew older, but she would still collapse from a fever if she overexerted herself.
"My wretched body..."
Roselyn muttered as she rested her arm deep on her burning forehead.
Although she was often sick, perhaps because she hadn't had many days off recently, she had also been collapsing frequently.
"Baby."
"Father."
"..."
“Yes, Dad.”
Roselyn answered again, looking at Cherty Bellion, who was showing his discomfort with silence.
"The fever isn't going down."
He placed his hand on Roselyn's forehead, smoothed her disheveled hair once, and then handed her the medicine.
"Take some medicine."
"Within..."
"And for some reason, I heard the High Priest was nearby. Since he's here, I called him over to heal you."
"Right..."
Come to think of it, isn't it about time?
Since the massive imperial festival has ended.
'Fortunately, that future didn't change.'
Since there are countless variables in parallel worlds, not all futures unfolded exactly the same way.
So, in fact, this horse race was a gamble for Roselyn as well.
Fortunately, however, the word she mentioned, 'Bisan,' took first place.
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