Even so, to be a prince? It felt like his status was riding a roller coaster, rising and falling too rapidly. Despite some minor issues, being born with a silver spoon, no, a diamond spoon in his mouth was something. It was an excessive situation for ‘Park Jin-hoo’ who had spent his entire life rolling in the gutter.

‘This is why you can’t trust bastards without roots! This is what happens when you don’t receive proper family education!’

An orphan from a care home. That label always held him back. No matter how hard he tried and worked, just because he was a rootless bastard who didn’t even know who his parents were, all sorts of unfairness were his lot.

“A prince…”

As it got dark outside, his face was reflected in the window glass. Aidan’s lips curled up slightly as he muttered, looking at that image, then returned to their original position. No matter how he thought about it, this was his second chance at life and a stroke of luck that had rolled in.

The fact that there were enemies threatening his life? That didn’t stir any emotion in him at all. How could there be more enemies than in Park Jin-hoo’s life? Park Jin-hoo couldn’t even turn off the lights when he slept. He was always on edge, not knowing who might try to kill him in the darkness.

Not knowing who was an enemy and who was an ally in the imperial palace wasn’t new either. Park Jin-hoo had also lived without being able to trust anyone. In the end, he met his demise stabbed by the guy who had volunteered to be his right-hand man, so what more needs to be said?

So, no matter how you looked at it, Aidan’s life was better than Park Jin-hoo’s life, if not worse. At least this side had definite roots and status.

Roots. As he pondered that word, a wry laugh escaped. It was ridiculous that the father who openly cheated was the Emperor. It seems that when you’re an Emperor, you can have a mistress openly and even have children with her. It was funny that even such roots were better than having none at all.

‘Park Jin-hoo’ had lived more fiercely than anyone else to fill his deficiencies. He gritted his teeth and studied hard because he hated the prejudiced looks that said it was because he was an orphan. He persevered even when those around him said it was impossible, that he should give up because he couldn’t afford the tuition. He repeatedly took leaves of absence and returned to school, giving up sleep time and working part-time jobs to pay for his tuition. Throughout all this, his grades never dropped. He lived with such determination that everyone said he was ruthless.

He believed that if he lived like that, something would change. That if he graduated from a top university and got a decent job despite being an orphan, people’s views of him would change…

But reality was even more of a gutter than he had thought.

‘It must be that bastard’s doing! He grew up with nothing, so he must have done it because he’s crazy about money!’

When an embezzlement case broke out at the securities company he had gotten into through sheer effort, his team members pointed to Park Jin-hoo as the culprit without a shred of doubt. This was even before a proper police investigation had taken place. Because he was an orphan. For that reason alone, Park Jin-hoo had to become the embezzler.

Life was really f*cking shitty. One’s birth was something that couldn’t be changed by effort. Yet every time, that held Park Jin-hoo back.

If it was something that couldn’t be changed no matter what, if he would end up being treated like trash no matter how hard he tried, he thought it might not be so bad to just live at the bottom.

‘I hear you’re good at handling money? Come work for me. I’ll treat you well.’

The reason he didn’t reject the hand that was extended at that moment wasn’t because the offer was tempting. It was out of resentment towards the world.

But that bottom was just as shitty. It was a wilderness full of people tearing each other apart to get even a little more.

Park Jin-hoo had survived in that world and risen to become the boss’s right-hand man. Compared to that scene, the power struggle in the imperial family was laughable.

*

Karina visited Aidan’s palace early in the morning. The servants, who hadn’t expected her to come again today following yesterday, were quite flustered but seemed to hold hope that the relationship between Aidan and Karina, which had been a mess from the start, might improve.

“What I brought is… um…”

Karina, who had entered Aidan’s bedroom, looked around and then pointed to the bed to the servant who followed her.

“Put it down here.”

“H-Here?”

The servant hesitated at her instruction. It was at the foot of the bed where Aidan was lying. It was natural to hesitate, wondering if it was okay to put something there carelessly.

“It’s fine, put it down.”

When Karina instructed again, the servant put down what they were carrying on the bed as if they had no choice.

“What is all this…?”

Aidan looked at Karina with a puzzled expression, seeing the scrolls that had been poured onto his feet.

Ignoring his gaze, Karina sent out the servant who had followed her in and closed the bedroom door first.

“This is a bit startling. No greeting as soon as you see my face?”

Aidan gestured with his eyes towards the scrolls piled on the bed.

“Because this is more urgent than greeting Your Highness.”

Karina picked up one of the scrolls tied with gold thread and unrolled it to show him.

“This is His Majesty the Emperor.”

At her words, Aidan’s eyes turned to the scroll. It was a portrait of a middle-aged man. The Emperor? When he looked at her, questioning with his eyes, Karina nodded as if she understood.

“And this is Her Majesty the Empress.”

Karina unrolled another portrait tied with gold thread and held it up to Aidan’s face.

“Don’t tell me these are all portraits of the nobles coming and going in the imperial palace?”

Aidan asked, as if now understanding the identity of the scrolls.

“The names of the portrait subjects and their titles are written on the back of the portraits, so memorize them all without missing any.”

This was the first thing to do if he had decided to live in this imperial palace pretending to be Aidan. Excuses like losing memory due to injury wouldn’t work here. If people found out that Aidan couldn’t even properly recognize the faces of the nobles, there would be those who would try to tear him down in any way possible.

Aidan looked back and forth between the Emperor and Empress in the portraits, then raised his head to look at Karina. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up gently, forming an arc.

“To gather all this in just one day, you’re more capable than you look?”

Karina frowned at his words, unsure whether he was mocking or praising her.

“There’s almost nowhere the Hewitt ducal family’s hand can’t reach.”

When Duke Hewitt came yesterday, she had asked him to gather portraits of all the nobles who frequented the imperial palace. Fortunately, Duke Hewitt thought it was something Karina needed for her future life in the imperial palace, and when she said she’d like to have them as soon as possible, he gathered portraits of most nobles in just one night and sent them at dawn.

At Karina’s words, Aidan made a long “Hmm” sound through his nose and unrolled the scrolls one by one, checking the faces drawn in the portraits and the names and titles written on the back.

“It’s a shame they’re not as clear as photographs. Are you sure the person who drew these is skilled? It would be troublesome if they don’t match the real people after I’ve memorized them all.”

“I don’t think they’re so bad that you won’t be able to recognize them. As long as Your Highness’s eye for detail isn’t the worst.”

At the slightly prickly answer, Aidan, who had been staring at her, chuckled and then lowered his gaze to unroll the next scroll.

Ugh. As he bent his waist to pick up a scroll placed at a distance he couldn’t reach, he let out a groan and frowned. Karina’s gaze naturally turned to his abdomen. Although it was hidden by his shirt, she already knew from yesterday that there was a bandage wrapped underneath.

“Here.”

She gathered all the scrolls that were far away and handed them to him so that he wouldn’t have to bend his waist deeper. Aidan’s hand, which had stretched out to receive the scrolls, slightly brushed Karina’s hand. Startled by the unexpected contact, she flinched involuntarily, and Aidan raised his head to look at Karina’s face.

“Don’t tell me you’re reacting like that just because of that slight touch?”

A mischievous smile seeped into Aidan’s lips as he asked. Instead of answering, Karina turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.