Duke Day, setting foot in the Blue Palace for the first time in years, looked around the interior. The deep, elegant blue wallpaper, white marble floors, uncluttered decorations, and crystal chandeliers that gave weight to the palace interior hadn’t changed much since he last saw it. But that made it all the more nostalgic.

‘……This place remains the same.’

The duke, who had quite a deep connection with Roshan, used to visit this place frequently just ten years ago. As Empress Liliana’s father, he had engaged his only daughter to Roshan, who was then the crown prince, according to the wishes of the late empress. From the duke’s perspective, this was something to welcome with both hands.

‘Your Highness the Crown Prince. As a father, I ask you. Please look favorably upon my daughter.’

‘No need to worry. My mother cares deeply for your daughter.’

Roshan’s position as the emperor’s only legitimate son was firm. Though there was Kedrick, the emperor’s illegitimate son born a year earlier, he couldn’t even be compared to Roshan. Kedrick, who resembled his beautiful dancer mother, not only had questionable origins but also lacked ability, falling far short of his half-brother.

‘Duke. The crown prince lacks compassion. That child cannot become a good emperor. Rather, Kedrick might be more…’

‘Your Majesty. I fully understand your feelings for the First Prince. But you know. The First Prince shouldn’t even be sitting in his current position.’

The only flaws in Roshan were that the late emperor loved his mistress so much he kept his illegitimate son close, and that the empress, who had an extremely poor relationship with the emperor, hated her own son.

But from the duke’s perspective, even these weren’t real problems. After all, Roshan was already the designated next emperor, and ironically, the late empress, who strangely hated her own son Roshan, adored Liliana like a daughter.

Duke Day was satisfied with Roshan and Liliana’s engagement. Both politically and as a father, he had nothing to lose.

‘Your Highness the Crown Prince. Would you like to go hunting with me? There’s quite a good hunting ground near the capital.’

Perhaps that’s why the duke acted overly friendly toward Roshan back then. He scolded his daughter for watching Roshan get beaten by the empress, and tried to care for Roshan like a father in place of the late emperor, who couldn’t fulfill that role at all.

‘I’m not particularly interested. Go with others.’

However, Roshan didn’t want the duke’s attention. His face, which remained emotionless even when being hit by his mother, frowned slightly at the duke’s interest.

The duke noticed this but didn’t stop acting like a father. He wanted this perfect young boy, in his eyes, to remain in his hands, to follow him like a father and not break away from his influence even after becoming emperor.

‘……I can’t tolerate this anymore.’

‘What? Your Highness, what do you mean…!’

But before long, an incident occurred. At the age of thirteen, the boy who returned victorious from war pointed his sword at the duke who followed and worried about him. Then he drew a long line right in front of the terrified duke’s toes with his sword and wordlessly warned that he would cut him if he crossed it.

Roshan had been running around battlefields and covered in blood since the age of twelve. Rather than calling him a boy, it would be more appropriate to see him as a monster wearing a child’s shell. Therefore, after that day, the duke didn’t approach Roshan, respecting his wishes.

‘Arrogant brat. No matter what, my daughter will stand by your side. How long do you plan to ignore me? Do you think you can run the country alone as emperor?’

The duke’s confidence, damaged by being suppressed by the boy, was brushed off with the thought that his daughter would stand beside Roshan as empress anyway, and that if Roshan disliked him as a father, he would act as a father-in-law. However, even this didn’t last long. When his daughter was in full bloom and the late emperor fell ill, something unimaginable happened.

‘The-the crown prince has acc-accepted my request. Fr-from today, the crown prince is, huff…… the crown prince is the First Prince Ke-Kedrick.’

Roshan kicked away the throne that was practically already his. So easily, as if it was useless to him, he handed that position over to his incompetent half-brother.

‘Your Highness! What is this! This cannot be! We must go to His Majesty immediately and…!’

‘Even if we go now, he probably can’t even open his eyes. And there’s no need to say anything. I decided to do this. Following His Majesty’s command. Isn’t that the duty of you subjects of the empire?’

In this absurd situation, the duke wondered if Roshan was doing this to take revenge on his now-dead mother. The empress, who hated her son enough to beat him countless times, thoroughly despised the emperor’s mistress and her son.

‘Roshan, the reason I tolerate you is only one.’

‘……’

‘In case that filthy, disgusting creature worse than a maggot might take your father’s place. In case the glory of this empire might collapse because of that. That’s why I endure being a mother to you.’

This was the kind of thing she habitually said to Roshan when she was alive, so that says it all. So the duke seriously wondered if Roshan was trying to properly spite his dead mother by giving up the throne to his half-brother under the pretext of it being his father’s last request.

While the duke was clutching his chest, Roshan left for the battlefield, leaving behind the chaotic imperial palace. Left alone in the complicated situation, the duke found himself in trouble. His position became precarious as the titles of future emperor’s father-in-law and empress’s father flew away.

‘Father. I prefer him over Roshan. I love Kedrick. Since Kedrick will become emperor anyway, right? I want to be empress.’

Meanwhile, his daughter, who had grown tired of Roshan’s indifference, announced that she would support Kedrick and become empress at his side. Though the duke had known about the affair between Kedrick and his daughter for some time, he hadn’t expected Liliana to let go of Roshan so easily, and he tore at his hair again.

The emperor who could die at any moment… With Roshan gone to the battlefield, the next emperor would be Kedrick. However, Kedrick’s influence was virtually non-existent, and the duke wasn’t impressed with his abilities either.

But various circumstances intertwined and pressured the duke. The duke’s faction, feeling uneasy about Roshan who seemed indifferent to everything, began to raise their voices to stand with the new emperor, and Liliana started sobbing and pleading that she was pregnant with Kedrick’s child.

Duke Day wavered. Wouldn’t Kedrick, who had no power and would have to rely on him, be better than Roshan, whom he wasn’t even sure he could handle? Wouldn’t it be better to become the actual ruler of this empire from behind a puppet emperor? His heart kept whispering.

Eventually, the duke chose to stand beside Kedrick. But he regretted his choice in less than a year.

‘Silence! I am the emperor. The emperor of this empire!’

Kedrick, who became emperor, was like a horse with its reins cut loose. Though he had somewhat watched his behavior as a prince, once he became emperor, he acted as he pleased. Seeing him care about nothing but satisfying his desires, the duke didn’t even feel motivated to guide him.

‘Liliana. At least you should come to your senses and lead His Majesty on the right path! Aren’t you ashamed before the child in your womb?’

‘The child? That was a lie, Father. But don’t be angry. I can just get pregnant soon enough.’

And what about his daughter who had finally become empress? Liliana, who laughed that her pregnancy was a lie, divorced Kedrick after just two years as empress. Then, as if she had lost her mind, she suddenly started missing Roshan and began imitating the heartbroken heroine from cheap plays that commoners might watch.

In this situation, the duke truly felt like he would go crazy and jump up and down. And what about the political situation? With the emperor, who should be the head, in such a state, it was impossible for power to properly gather.

‘This isn’t right. Why….’

While capable people easily maintained and grew their power under Roshan, the duke struggled to maintain the emperor’s faction. But far from appreciating these efforts, the emperor occasionally summoned him and berated him for not being able to stand against Roshan.

‘I’m so young, yet to be called Crown Prince! Does this make any sense? Duke, what have you been doing! What have you been doing while receiving my protection and failing to stop Roshan!’

The duke bitterly regretted his foolish choice to support Kedrick. But with too many people involved, including his daughter, he couldn’t easily let go either.

Even in this situation, the limit approached steadily. The emperor acted more like a tyrant with each passing day. When Roshan achieved brilliant accomplishments, the emperor stole his credit and collected women from other countries like decorations, and easily killed his subordinates. He became excessively involved in religion and acted like a fanatic. Naturally, the emperor’s reputation fell to rock bottom.

His daughter also seemed to be becoming more like the emperor, showing increasingly cruel behavior. The only fortunate thing was that unlike the emperor, his daughter was skilled at hiding it.

Duke Day was a greedy man. But he didn’t forget his position and his family’s reputation. The House of Day was an old noble family of the empire. As a high noble of the empire, the duke looked down on those beneath him and dreamed of having more power than the emperor, but he clearly knew his limits.

‘The current emperor won’t last long in that position. Even if the Crown Prince shows no ambition, how long will people tolerate the emperor? How can someone who became emperor without having anything and who can’t even lead his own faction endure in that position?’