Some people felt pity for the child and occasionally brought food, and they also maintained the child’s life just enough to avoid potential blame from their lord, the duke, if the child were to die.

Since they didn’t know what their master thought of the child, they acted cautiously to avoid being blamed.

However, the duke had no thoughts on the matter at all.

“Aah– there was such a child.”

That was the duke’s reaction when he heard about the child.

Duke Kramer was not cold-blooded enough to kill an innocent child, but he also lacked the compassion to take the child in or provide the minimum care.

Rather, it was more accurate to say he had no interest at all. He had no concern for the child, good or bad.

The moment he heard the child was Elizabeth’s, any sympathy he might have had vanished instantly. However, witnessing the duke’s inhumane response left Yuri feeling unpleasant.

Indifferent to the point of being heartless, the duke showed no emotion. It felt as if he was on the same level as Yuri.

‘If the husband is like this……’

Suddenly, Elizabeth’s infidelity made sense, which made him even more irritated.

‘No, no. Marriage vows are sacred.’

The fact that Yuri almost understood Elizabeth was a testament to Duke Kramer’s greatness, which only made him feel worse.

Saena should never meet such a person.

Yuri glared at the duke and resolved inwardly.

After that, the child frequently crossed Yuri’s path.

Once he became aware of the child’s existence, which he had ignored for over ten years, the child started appearing in his field of vision at every turn.

He often saw the child picking wild berries or insects from the grass near the tower, and each time, Yuri’s face would crumple.

‘How hungry must you be to do that……’

Eventually, Yuri started leaving bread and pastries where the child might find them.

It was a mix of feeling uncomfortable about the child being Elizabeth’s and feeling guilty about the child being an innocent young one.

One day, he was shocked to find the child lying unconscious.

Could it be malnutrition!

The child, who should have been twelve this year, was so small that he could easily pass for eight or nine. It was a reasonable suspicion.

Yuri quickly requested the duke’s physician.

“It seems the child ate some deadly snakeberry.”

The physician explained that deadly snakeberry, unlike wild strawberries, is toxic but looks similar, and the child had picked and eaten a lot of it.

“Given the child’s current frail state, it could be dangerous….”

“Haa.”

The child looked like a skeleton, with hollow cheeks, and it was unsettling.

In the end, he decided to yield to his conscience. If the child survived, he resolved to take the child in.

And the child survived. The child had a strong life force.

“I’ll take this child as my page.”

The duke stared at Yuri for a long time before speaking.

“Don’t you hate this child?”

“What does a child know? It would be creepy if the child died.”

The duke continued to stare at Yuri.

What? Was he against it? Or was he questioning Yuri’s interference?

“Do as you wish.”

But he soon said this, lit a cigar, and disappeared. Seeing his indifferent back, Yuri felt a surge of anger again.

‘Why do I keep getting angry?’

Why should I be the one to worry about his child?

Technically, it wasn’t his child, but it was born to his wife……

Even if she was his wife, he showed no affection.

Yet, he had cruelly tortured her……

Come to think of it, was he even human?

Yuri cursed the duke, forgetting that he had been the one to demand more intense t*rture from the duke.

‘When I meet Saena, I’ll make sure she never encounters a person like him. I won’t even let her see his face. He’s a person who can freeze someone to death just by being near them.’

Yuri cursed the duke again and reaffirmed his resolve.

* * *

The child had no name until he was over twelve.

In the end, it was Yuri who named the child.

“What should we name you?”

The child tilted his head.

Does he even know what a name is?

“Yuri!”

As he started to take care of the child seriously, Yuri began to coax the child to speak, who had only expressed his will through grunts. The first word that came out of the child’s mouth was ‘Yuri.’

“No, that’s my name. I’m talking about your name.”

“Yuri!”

Perhaps the word ‘Yuri’ was easy to say or for some other reason, the child kept saying ‘Yuri’ whether it was for food, sleep, or a bath.

Yuri asked the duke for a place where he and the child could live. The child couldn’t stay in the tower.

Since he had already gone through almost all the materials in the tower, he only needed to go there when necessary.

On the duke’s instructions, the butler prepared a suitable annex and guided them to it. A few maids and servants were also assigned to them.

Yuri corrected the child’s habit of eating like an animal, made him bathe daily, and accustomed him to sleeping in a soft bed instead of on the floor or in a pile of hay.

After two or three months, the child’s appearance changed remarkably, becoming fair and plump, looking more like a child.

As his basic needs were met and his health stabilized, other issues began to surface.

The child had no social skills for his age and had poor language skills.

“Let’s start with a name, then we’ll begin studying.”

“…Yuri?”

Yuri was concerned that the child’s neglect might have caused cognitive issues, but he decided to try anyway.

“We need to give you a name… hmm, what should it be……”

“Yuri!”

“No, that’s not possible…. I’m already using it.”

“Yuri…?”

The child was over ten and could only say this much, which was a serious problem……

But being perpetually gloomy was worse than being cheerful……

He decided not to think too negatively.

Since he had no experience raising a child, he had no basis for comparison and just did what he could.

“Let’s pick one from here……”

He wanted to give the child a good name since he was naming him.

Thinking it was time to put his Arlesian language skills to use, Yuri listed ancient words with good meanings.

“‘Saliel’ for health? Or ‘Numel’ for kindness, that sounds good.”

As Yuri traced the letters on the paper with his finger, the child approached and pointed to a letter, shouting.

“Yuri– Yuri? Yuri!”

As if he liked it.

“What, I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Yurii–?!”

Perhaps the shape of the letter appealed to him. The child kept pointing to a specific letter and shouting “Yuri, Yuri.”

“…Hamilunos?”

The letter the child pointed to was ‘Hamilunos,’ which means ‘to open’ or ‘liberation.’

“Hmm… Hamil, for short? Not bad.”

“Yuri!”

“What? You like it?”

“Yuri!”

“Okay. Your name is Hamil.”

“…Yuri?”

“Try it. Hamil!”

“Yuri!”

“No, Hamil, Hamil. Ha! Mil!”

“Yu-ri!”

“Oh dear……”

It was a long road ahead.

* * *

The situation in the empire worsened day by day.

Unable to succeed in the succession, the prince finally ascended the throne, proclaiming himself emperor.

People, in the face of this absurd situation, hoped that the dukes would step in and reason with the prince. However, none of the four dukes took action.

When Gillian, seated on the throne, heard this news, he was instead irritated. He was angry that someone wanted to prevent him from sitting in his rightful place. He also suspected that such an event might actually happen and that he could be pulled off the throne. At that time, the power of the four dukes was immense.

Despite this, Gillian, unable to regain his senses, tried his best to make the dukes kneel before him. In the end, he even brought in foreign forces. He sought to destroy the ducal houses with the help of a foreign nation.

This plan seemed to work for a while according to Gillian’s thoughts. However, it ultimately failed.

The power of a Guardian Spirit is truly otherworldly. The moment one Guardian Spirit entered the battlefield, hundreds, even thousands, died in an instant.

Until then, this power had been used only to exterminate demonic beasts, so no one knew its true extent. It was a force that could turn the tide of battle with just one person.

The enemy nation fled in panic, and Gillian’s attempt was in vain.

Thus, the duchies, despite the chaos, showed a steadfast resilience.

But this did not mean that the empire was doing well. The empire was steadily descending into chaos, with problems arising not only from external sources but also internally.

If one could become an emperor without the proof of a Guardian Spirit, then some believed they had the qualifications as well.

A man claiming to be the illegitimate child of the late emperor stepped forward. He had sky-blue hair and silver eyes, and his explanation of how he was born during the late emperor’s lifetime was flawless.

The imperial family had a lineage of sky-blue hair and silver eyes. However, Gillian’s eyes, which were more of a murky gray, had always been a source of controversy.

The man claiming to be the illegitimate child pointed out this very issue, arguing that he was more legitimate.

However, unless it was an obviously false claim, the truth of whether he was the late emperor’s illegitimate child was not a significant issue.

There were so many people who opposed Gillian’s rule that anyone with a somewhat plausible claim would be supported.

As soon as the illegitimate child appeared, a considerable number of nobles began to support him.

In the end, the conflict between the two sides escalated into a civil war, and the empire was engulfed in flames, entering a chaotic era.

The result was, ironically, the mutual destruction of both sides.

Gillian barely managed to suppress the coup and successfully killed the man claiming to be the illegitimate child.

However, less than a month later, he was found dead in the harem, having died from an overdose of an aphrodisiac.

It was a thoroughly undignified and meaningless end for an emperor.

With the self-proclaimed emperor and the next heir gone, the empire was left without a leader.

The people gathered to curse Gillian and lament the situation, but when he was finally gone, they mourned. They trembled in fear, believing that the ancient protective power had completely left the empire.

In the end, the empire collapsed.

The princess tried to step forward to help the poor, stabilize public sentiment, and gather the power of the nobles to come up with a plan, but it was too late.

Demonic beasts were rampant, and everyone was struggling to survive. Bandits and vagrants were increasing.

There was no trace of the imperial family’s authority.

At that time, the duchies were the only places where people could live.