Normally, Frederick would have noticed the women’s presence despite the distance. However, in his complicated state of mind, he was too busy watching Yerena to make sure she wouldn’t fall and trying to manage his feelings to observe his surroundings.

“……A mere prisoner receiving Sir Frederick’s escort. How presumptuous.”

One of the women, who appeared to be higher-ranking, gritted her teeth as she watched Frederick approaching Yerena. After glaring at her for a while, she quietly turned and said,

“Let’s go now. We need to report what we’ve seen to Her Majesty the Empress.”

* * *

A large imperial banquet was held after a long time. Though the nobles were surprised by the sudden invitations, everyone attended unless they were deathly ill or far away.

“Oh my. Lady Resta. I heard you were traveling, yet you managed to attend.”

“If it weren’t for the Lubek Mountain horse I bought a month ago, I wouldn’t have made it. I rushed here without proper rest after hearing the news. Fortunately, I was near the capital.”

The reason most nobles attended the banquet was because it was announced that Roshan Vistius, who had secluded himself in the Blue Palace for the past few months, would be attending. People dressed in beautiful clothes of various colors and entered the banquet hall to see him, who was rarely seen in public, and to calculate the potentially shifting political landscape.

“How hideous. What kind of appearance is that for someone who’s neither a mercenary nor a knight.”

“I know, right. How……”

At the banquet they attended, people encountered many interesting pieces of news besides Roshan Vistius. One was that Roshan’s close associate James had lost an eye, and people who didn’t know the reason whispered about him incessantly.

“Rumors say His Highness the Crown Prince personally gouged out Count James’s eye.”

“Surely not. How could that be? He’s his closest aide. And what reason would there be for such an act?”

But regardless of people’s gazes, James himself was busy moving around as usual. And even those who had been disparaging him would put on smiling faces and flatter him when he approached. It was only natural. Despite his despised appearance in noble society, James was still Roshan Vistius’s close associate.

The banquet was in full swing, with smiles in front and mockery behind. Just as people were beginning to flush their faces with a glass of wine each, the person everyone had been waiting for entered the banquet hall with a chamberlain’s resounding voice.

“The small sun of the empire. His Highness the Crown Prince enters. Everyone, show your respect.”

* * *

Emperor Kedrick, seated in the highest position of the banquet hall, clenched his teeth as he sat on the golden throne reserved only for the emperor. His beautiful concubine caressed his long black hair and flirted, but Kedrick pushed her away irritably.

“Get away!”

Though she might have been embarrassed by being pushed away so helplessly in front of many people, the emperor’s concubine withdrew without complaint. The sensitive and capricious emperor would whisper love one moment and then rage if something slightly annoyed him. And if that were all. The emperor, treating human lives like insects, sometimes beheaded concubines he had been intimate with just the day before, claiming they displeased him.

When the concubine left like she was fleeing, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall came into full view as she no longer blocked his sight. The emperor tightly clenched his fist as he watched them bowing their heads quickly when meeting his eyes, yet still whispering among themselves.

‘These creatures without a shred of loyalty to the empire’s emperor! They should all be beheaded.’

The emperor wasn’t unaware. He knew that contempt lurked in the nobles’ eyes when they looked at him. Born as the late emperor’s illegitimate child, he had ascended to the imperial throne almost as if Roshan had yielded it to him despite his outstanding abilities. As a result, he lacked both imperial dignity and strong power.

But Kedrick wasn’t ashamed of his inadequacies. An emperor should be shameless, and in that temperament at least, he was truly suited to be emperor.

‘I’ll tear him to pieces!’

Scanning the crowd, Kedrick spotted a man drawing everyone’s attention in the center of the banquet hall. The late emperor’s legitimate son, called the pillar of the empire. A figure everyone praised as worthy of the imperial throne. His half-brother Roshan Vistius. Emperor Kedrick inwardly hurled all sorts of curses at him.

‘That b*stard needs to die for me to sleep with both legs stretched out!’

The emperor hated Roshan. He disliked his half-brother who excelled in everything compared to himself, found him offensive, and above all, feared him. That’s why he had sent numerous assassins to his brother, whom he couldn’t defeat head-on, and pushed him into deadly situations by starting wars. But his half-brother with red eyes like the empire’s founding emperor, said to be of the goddess’s bloodline, returned alive each time like a legendary hero. And with an unperturbed face at that.

‘Acting all noble and uninterested in this position, then stabbing me in the back?’

But there was another reason Kedrick glared at Roshan today. Roshan had consistently maintained that he had no interest in the imperial throne. Though his subordinates established him as crown prince, consolidated his power, and suppressed the emperor, the man himself had never shown any ambition.

‘I will follow Your Majesty’s wishes.’

‘I will obey Your Majesty’s command.’

‘I will do as Your Majesty desires.’

Of course, Roshan hadn’t shown great respect to the emperor. But he had mostly followed the emperor’s orders. So much so that judging by his achievements alone, he could be considered the emperor’s foremost loyal subject.

Moreover, Roshan’s attitude of indifference toward the imperial throne had played the biggest role in allowing Kedrick to maintain his position and build his power. Ironically, Kedrick, who wasn’t better than his half-brother in legitimacy, ability, or influence, had been able to keep his position and gradually increase his power because of Roshan. Though still significantly outweighed by Roshan’s influence, the emperor’s power, which had grown considerably compared to when he first ascended, proved this.

But a few days ago, the current situation began to shake. The emperor recalled his half-brother opening the door without permission and intimidating him.

‘Your Majesty. This younger brother has an earnest request that couldn’t wait.’

The attitude that showed neither respect nor loyalty to him, the emperor. It was clearly the appearance of a traitor threatening his position.

However, Kedrick had to grant Roshan’s request disguised as a plea, rather than beheading him on the spot. And at this banquet, the emperor’s authority had plummeted.

People were desperate to curry favor with Roshan rather than with him, the emperor. Not only that. Even those he had barely managed to draw into his faction were now watching Roshan’s reactions. He could clearly see that some were about to turn their backs on him.

‘Fine. We’ll see. It seems you’re finally showing your true nature……’

Just as Kedrick was inwardly sharpening his knife, Empress Liliana, who had been sitting next to him, stood up.

“Your Majesty. Would it be all right if I briefly left my seat?”

Liliana had maintained an indifferent expression even when the emperor had his concubine right beside him. But when a young, beautiful noblewoman with a decent family approached Roshan, she frowned and rose abruptly from her seat.

Kedrick knew that Liliana still harbored feelings for Roshan, her former fiancé. That issue accounted for the largest share of the reasons their relationship had soured.

“When has the empress ever asked for my permission? Do as you please.”

Naturally, his words weren’t kind. But Liliana merely smiled slightly at the emperor’s words. After all, her husband, who wouldn’t have become emperor without Roshan’s concession, could maintain some power thanks to her father, Duke Day’s support. So why should she fear the emperor?

“Your Majesty. Are you perhaps jealous that I’m going to find the crown prince? After all the years we’ve spent together…… It pains me that you still don’t trust me.”

“Hmph! Jealous, what nonsense…… Unnecessary thoughts.”

“You were like this before too. Back then, I found it cute that you were anxious because I wasn’t yours yet…… But now it’s honestly a bit disgusting. It would be nice if you could show a more composed appearance like the crown prince. But then again, Your Majesty and the crown prince are different in every way……”

Liliana subtly mocked him by mentioning the past and comparing him unfavorably to Roshan. Kedrick’s brow twitched. During the time when Liliana was engaged to Roshan, he, a mere illegitimate child who barely received treatment as a prince, had pursued Liliana with her pure appearance. And he had maintained secret meetings with her while feeling anxious. Afraid that Roshan and Liliana might marry any day.

People whispered that he committed disgraceful acts because he was infatuated with Liliana, but Kedrick’s true intentions were slightly different. Though it was true he was attracted to Liliana’s exterior, like a pink rose, Kedrick was more interested in the noble influence her father, Duke Day, possessed. If the duke became his ally, he felt he could stand somewhat equally with Roshan as a proper prince.

However, even now after becoming emperor and finally possessing Liliana, Kedrick’s inferiority complex remained the same as back then. No, it had only deepened day by day. Kedrick grabbed Liliana’s wrist as she stood up and pulled her. Surprised, she glared at him with a completely contorted face. Kedrick briefly kissed her gloved hand and twisted his lips upward.

“That’s right. I share half the same blood as Roshan, but many things are different. But there’s one thing I’m certain we have in common.”

“……”

“I hate loose women. Such creatures should all be beheaded and hung on stakes. And though I haven’t asked, I’m sure Roshan would detest such women too. Especially dirty women who betrayed him by getting into bed with his half-brother to become empress despite being engaged to him.”

At Kedrick’s words, Liliana bit her lower lip hard and roughly pulled her hand away. She could feel people’s gazes gradually gathering on the discord between emperor and empress. Liliana looked sideways at such people, then said to the emperor with an awkward smile,

“I hope we don’t have to face each other anymore today.”

Before properly finishing her words, Liliana turned away. Kedrick, seated on the throne, watched her heading toward his half-brother and muttered inwardly,

‘I will kill them all someday. Every last one of them!’

* * *