“We will prepare the crown prince’s investiture ceremony.”

The ministers’ eyes widened at the Emperor’s words. Though they had guessed the Emperor might have made up his mind, it still felt sudden. The judgment for Belmont and the Empress, no, Lilith McCoy, had just been passed yesterday.

Belmont was stripped of his title and imprisoned in the underground dungeon. With charges of evidence tampering in Aidan’s attempted murder, the murder of the maid Emily, attempted murder of Liam Smith, and added crimes of deceiving the Emperor for a long time and seeking power by joining hands with the Empress, he was scheduled for execution in a month.

Lilith McCoy was deposed and permanently confined to the Northern Palace. There were loud voices saying she should be executed just for attempting to murder Prince Aidan and killing Marquis Belmont’s subordinate. Additionally, though she was a widow when she had private meetings with Belmont, she was charged with contempt for deceiving the Emperor.

The identity of Lloyd’s real father was never revealed. The evidence found in Belmont’s mansion could prove his relationship with Lilith McCoy, but since she had been intimate with both the Emperor and Belmont at the same time, Lloyd’s parentage remained ambiguous. Lilith pleaded until the end that Lloyd was the Emperor’s child. Meanwhile, Belmont, probably thinking it was all over anyway, tried to take Lilith with him to the grave.

‘If you have eyes, look carefully! See who Prince Lloyd resembles! He is my child. I’m saying he is Belmont’s son! Hahahaha!’

Having lost all hope, he truly seemed like a madman. Until the moment he was dragged out of the courtroom, he kept claiming Lloyd was his child while laughing like a lunatic. Even if Lloyd was truly the Emperor’s child, the name Belmont had already been branded on him like a stigma.

Lilith wanted to protect only Lloyd. That’s why she confessed that even the attempted murder of Aidan was all her doing. She desperately pleaded that Lloyd knew nothing, that everything was done by her with Belmont’s help.

Though she was a cunning and shrewd woman, a parent was still a parent. Because she tried to protect Lloyd until the end, the Emperor closed his eyes and turned away. The court ruled there was not enough evidence that Lloyd was not the Emperor’s child and declared him innocent on that matter.

Lloyd remained a prince, and with gathering opinions that executing Lilith McCoy, the mother of a prince, would be excessive, it was finally decided that she would be confined to the Northern Palace.

Lloyd wailed that even that was unfair. He argued that even if her past relationship with Belmont was true, what crime could there be for her as a widow, and if he was truly the Emperor’s child, then the charge of deceiving the Emperor was based on false accusations.

However, the crime of attempting to murder Prince Aidan, a member of the imperial family, could not be erased. She had tried to tamper with evidence using Belmont and had to pay for killing Belmont’s imprisoned subordinate.

The Emperor firmly rejected her. Lilith shed pitiful tears and said she would accept any punishment the Emperor gave as long as he protected Lloyd. Some whose hearts softened at those tears even wondered if she might really have been falsely accused.

However, when Viscountess Highmond was brought out, even their last shred of sympathy disappeared. It was revealed that Lilith had instigated her to bring fertility-destroying herbs into the palace, and Karina had been poisoned by those herbs. Even Lloyd could no longer take her side. To survive, he had to let go of his mother’s hand.

In the end, Lilith lost everything. Barely avoiding execution thanks to Lloyd’s existence, she was imprisoned in the isolated Northern Palace, cut off from the world.

Just one day after all that storm had passed, the Emperor mentioned the crown prince’s investiture ceremony. There was no need to ask who would become crown prince.

“I think we may have delayed the crown prince’s investiture for too long. Now that the prince is married and everything has stabilized, it would be appropriate to entrust him with the proper role of crown prince.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Aidan.

“Aidan is the only legitimate child of Empress Grace and carries the imperial family’s legitimacy. Though he seemed to wander for a time, he recently proved his capability as a prince with his performance in the knights’ tournament, and he has repeatedly demonstrated his abundant knowledge by offering helpful opinions for the empire in policy meetings. The long-standing conflict with Italus was also resolved through Aidan’s wisdom. As he shows no lack in knowledge, physical ability, or public trust, I intend to invest him as crown prince.”

No one objected to the Emperor’s declaration. Even the ministers who had supported Lloyd until now acknowledged this and bowed their heads.

“Furthermore.”

The Emperor paused briefly before continuing.

“One month after the crown prince’s investiture ceremony, once the handover to Aidan is complete, I intend to step down from the imperial throne.”

Murmurs arose at these words. Had the Emperor just declared his abdication? Why so suddenly? Questions and bewilderment appeared on everyone’s faces.

The Emperor looked at Aidan. Numerous emotions floated in his eyes.

“The crimes of the Empress… Lilith are not solely her fault. As you all know, I am the one who tolerated and embraced her. Therefore, I cannot say I am without sin.”

The ministers silently bowed their heads at the Emperor’s words. Neither those who supported the Empress nor those who supported the former Empress and Aidan could deny his words. Though they couldn’t openly criticize him as Emperor, everyone knew he had turned a blind eye to the truth when the former Empress died.

The Emperor rose and approached Aidan. Everyone’s attention focused on him, wondering what he would do.

“I’m sorry for everything.”

The ministers stirred in confusion as the Emperor bowed his head with this brief apology. No one had imagined the Emperor would personally apologize and bow.

“I am ashamed to have caused trouble not only to the deceased Grace but also to you and your consort. It was all due to my lack of virtue. In my desire to protect someone I considered precious, I turned a blind eye to too many things.”

Aidan inwardly clicked his tongue at the Emperor’s apology. Those words essentially meant that Lilith had been his true love and Grace had meant nothing beyond being Empress and Aidan’s birth mother. Was this something to confess to Grace’s ‘son’?

What a real piece of trash.

Though he unleashed a torrent of curses internally, there were many watching eyes.

“Please raise your head, Your Majesty.”

Aidan replied in a gentle voice while taking the Emperor’s hand.

“In the end, Your Majesty protected me and Karina. That is enough.”

Like hell it was enough. If not for the Emperor, even being abandoned by his child would have been too good for his miserable final years. But he was still Emperor. Very fortunately, he had ultimately let go of Lilith and sided with Aidan. Though Aidan had driven the situation to make that the only choice, he had also prepared plans to secretly raise troops and win over key ministers to take the throne by force if by any chance the Emperor couldn’t let go of Lilith until the end. Though that was only Plan B.

Fortunately, it wouldn’t come to that since the Emperor himself was investing Aidan as crown prince and saying he would step down soon.

The Emperor felt even more apologetic at Aidan’s understanding and held his hand tightly while patting the back of it. He didn’t forget to add words entrusting the empire’s future to him. At this warm conclusion between father and son, the ministers all united in applause for the first time in a long while.

Thus ended the long, long fight over who would become crown prince. Only one person was forgotten from everyone’s attention and memory — Prince Lloyd, who lay with his head in his hands, shocked by his mother’s deposition.

*

The day before the crown prince’s investiture ceremony, Karina suffered under Bernice’s persistence.

“You’re still not ready? His Highness will arrive soon!”

This was because Aidan had suddenly said he would take Karina out of the palace.

“No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem right…”

Karina shook her head at the dress Bernice had chosen. Before her lay an elaborate white dress adorned with lace everywhere. It seemed excessive to wear such a dress for going out of the palace rather than attending a palace banquet.

“It’s a date with His Highness after so long — you should look pretty!”

Bernice paid no attention to her concerns and thrust the dress at Karina.

“Hurry and put it on. I’ll help you.”

“What if this turns out to be inappropriate when we don’t even know where we’re going?”

Last time she went out with Aidan, they walked around the marketplace and ate at a humble restaurant. This dress would never suit such a date course.

“Trust me. It’ll be fine.”

Had she received some hint from Aidan? Bernice confidently kept recommending only that dress. She wouldn’t even consider looking at alternatives. Though Karina finally gave in to her persistence and put on the white dress, it seemed too pristine white to feel comfortable even walking around the palace in it.

“You look so beautiful!”

Bernice exclaimed in satisfaction after adjusting the dress. She praised endlessly that it wasn’t an exaggeration when people called Karina the most beautiful and perfect Empress candidate in the history of the Griffith Empire.

“Only in your eyes.”

She replied, trying to moderate her excessive praise.

“Not at all. In my eyes too.”

Aidan stood in the doorway, though she didn’t know when he had arrived. His face was half dazed as he looked at Karina.

“I definitely must have saved a country in my past life.”

At his muttering, Karina chuckled and went to stand beside him.

“I hope the date course won’t make me regret wearing this troublesome dress.”

Aidan smiled brightly at her light comment.

“Of course not.”

He extended his hand to Karina. Even as she took his hand, she didn’t fully believe those words. There was quite a gap between Prince Aidan and the Aidan she knew, so she couldn’t even guess what might happen once they left the palace.

However, this time his words about the dress not being troublesome seemed true. In front of Karina’s palace stood not a horse but a carriage – an elaborately decorated one with plush cushions waiting.

*