Chapter 9

“You must never forget the weight of your words and actions. A leader must have gravity. Don’t act lightly, and if it’s not necessary, remain silent. And…”  

It had already been an hour and a half.  

Chase’s face, seated across from the Emperor, was gradually turning pale.  

“Yes, that’s correct.”  

He nodded half-mechanically, tracing the engraved pattern on the Emperor’s second button with his eyes—a desperate attempt to pass the time.  

Some might criticize Chase for lacking filial piety or loyalty.  

But if they had to endure two hours of repetitive nagging for five years straight, it would be hard for anyone to maintain a more respectful demeanor than Chase.  

“…And why are you so busy that you keep delaying our meetings? You’re my only child, yet you’re so insolent!”  

Even the Emperor’s outburst barely fazed Chase anymore; he had grown too accustomed to it.  

With a sly smile, Chase responded cheekily,  

“Your Majesty, haven’t you given me too much work? Naturally, I have no time.”  

“What?”  

“If you want to see me more often, reduce my workload. My aides all look half-dead these days.”  

At Chase’s playful banter, a vein bulged on the Emperor’s forehead.  

The scolding, reignited with another outburst, continued for quite some time in a pattern Chase knew all too well.  

‘Will he keep standing there? He should just sit and wait.’  

While the Emperor was engrossed in his lecture, Chase’s thoughts wandered to the aide pacing behind the door.  

Sabrina Wintlet.  

Lately, Chase found himself unusually preoccupied with her.  

Her struggles to establish herself in a male-dominated environment lingered in his mind. He had indeed favored her for her diligence and charm.  

But recently, there was another reason she occupied his thoughts.  

“Your Highness, may I have a moment?”  

“Of course. What’s the matter?”  

After the Emperor’s birthday celebration, Clayton Hatchet approached him.  

Clayton, officially an Imperial Knight, was in reality Chase’s shadow, carrying out his orders discreetly.  

Loyal and capable, Clayton was the person Chase trusted most in the palace.  

If not for his stoic personality, which even Chase’s wit couldn’t penetrate, they might have been close friends.  

But since Clayton never laughed at Chase’s jokes, they had maintained a relationship of trust without intimacy for years.  

For someone like Clayton to approach Chase voluntarily was rare.  

“There’s something I need to report.”  

“A report? Did I give you an order recently?”  

“No.”  

“Then?”  

After hesitating for an unusually long time, Clayton cautiously began.  

“I overheard Sabrina Wintlet speaking with the Viscount of Wintlet.”  

“Sabrina?”  

“It wasn’t a conversation, really. The Viscount seemed to be hurling verbal abuse at her. Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like a one-time occurrence. The Viscount’s remarks were too severe to dismiss as a family matter.”  

“….”  

“Although you didn’t ask me to, I thought it was something you should know.”  

Chase had never imagined that the ever-smiling Sabrina, who handled her duties so adeptly, carried such a shadow.

With lips tightly pressed together, Sabrina attempted to walk with her injured feet, her face betraying the pain.  

‘It seems like she’s used to enduring things alone.’  

That must be why.  

Why he found himself looking at her once, then twice, and even a third time. Why he was curious about her daily life after work, something he had never wondered about before.  

At that moment, the Emperor’s booming voice broke through Chase’s thoughts.  

“Are you listening? Why aren’t you answering?”  

Chase met the Emperor’s gaze and nodded.  

“I’m listening, of course.”  

“Listening? Chase, you’ve never once truly paid attention to what I’ve said.”  

The Emperor’s golden eyes, so similar to Chase’s, burned quietly. Leaning back against his chair, he waved Chase off dismissively, as if tired of the conversation.  

“If you’re so eager to leave, go. Keeping you here will only make my head ache.”  

“Yes, Father.”  

Chase didn’t refuse and rose from his seat. Time spent with the Emperor felt like a tedious ordeal to him.  

…And Sabrina was waiting outside the door.  

“Well then, I’ll take my leave, Father.”  

The Emperor clicked his tongue as he watched his son’s retreating figure, who left with a bright smile.  

“…I wonder when he’ll finally grow up.”

***

Meanwhile, Sabrina was waiting outside the Emperor’s audience chamber for Chase to emerge.  

‘It’s only been 30 minutes…’  

Once inside, Chase would usually be stuck for at least an hour or two, so she knew it would still be a while before he came out.  

Chase detested his weekly private meetings with the Emperor. He would slip out of them like an eel whenever he could find an excuse, which meant their father-son tea times only occurred about twice a month.  

‘Are they on bad terms?’  

It didn’t seem particularly so…  

As Sabrina tapped the floor with the rounded toe of her shoe to pass the time, a middle-aged man with streaks of white in his hair stopped in front of her.  

“Count Clemens.”  

“Miss Wintlet.”  

Aaron Clemens.  

He was the Emperor’s chief aide, a man who knew the workings of the palace like the back of his hand. He was also quite close to Chase, so Sabrina was familiar with him as well.  

‘But this is the first time we’re speaking one-on-one.’  

Since he was essentially a senior in her field, Sabrina felt somewhat nervous.  

“It’ll be a while before His Highness comes out. Would you like to step outside and chat for a bit?”  

“Yes, it would be an honor.”  

“No need to be so formal.”  

Aaron led Sabrina to a nearby waiting room, where he sat down with a small groan.  

“This job isn’t great for your health. Make sure to rest and stretch your muscles when you can. In the end, you have to take care of your own body.”  

Sabrina smiled faintly at the seasoned advice.  

“Did His Highness come willingly today?”  

“He has some free time in his schedule for now.”  

“So, he had no escape route this time.”  

Having watched Chase grow up, Aaron knew a lot about him.  

“Even as a child, His Highness loved to hide and run away. There were several times when his sudden disappearance caused a panic. Hundreds of people would break into a sweat looking for him.”  

“He was quite mischievous, then.”  

“Indeed. But whenever His Highness laughed, everyone else couldn’t help but laugh along. Even His Majesty couldn’t scold him too harshly and would let it slide.”  

Imagining a young Chase laughing mischievously brought a warm smile to Sabrina’s face.  

“Was His Majesty not as strict back then?”  

Aaron nodded.  

“When His Highness was young, he would often burst into His Majesty’s chambers, climb onto his lap, and His Majesty never pushed him away. Everyone knew how much he adored His Highness.”  

A gentle smile appeared on Aaron’s lips as he reminisced.  

“It’s only natural when you think about it. His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress were deeply in love. Their marriage was a love match, rare even in those days.”  

The Empress, who had already passed away in the original story, was not given much attention in the narrative. Curious, Sabrina cautiously asked,  

“What kind of person was the Empress?”  

“She was wise and kind.”  

Aaron’s expression turned somber as he spoke of her.  

The Empress had passed away while giving birth to their second son. Although the child survived the difficult labor, he was so frail that he passed away before reaching 100 days old.  

The double tragedy of losing both the Empress and the child plunged the palace into mourning. This had happened when Chase was seven years old.  

Aaron added in a low, almost whispering tone,  

“Looking back, I think that’s when the distance between the two began to grow.”  

The Emperor had been consumed by grief. While he wasn’t immature enough to direct his anger at his young son, he also lacked the emotional capacity to comfort Chase’s insecurities.  

The perceptive young Chase stopped seeking comfort from his father. He no longer burst into rooms unannounced or demanded attention.  

By the time the Emperor and those around him noticed the change, Chase had already grown up.  

As the Emperor’s only heir, Chase was expected to succeed the throne.  

The Emperor grew stricter with Chase, and Chase found it stifling. Though Chase’s inherently kind nature kept him from rebelling, the estrangement between father and son remained unresolved.  

“His Majesty seems eager to mend their relationship somehow. Though it doesn’t seem to be going well…”  

Sabrina nodded thoughtfully before meeting Aaron’s gaze and asking,  

“May I ask why you’re telling me this?”  

Aaron shrugged.  

“Because you’re His Highness’s aide. It’s basic to know everything about the person you serve, isn’t it?”  

“That’s true. For a moment, I wondered if you were hoping I could act as a bridge between His Majesty and His Highness.”  

At Sabrina’s words, Aaron burst into hearty laughter.  

“Haha, as if that’s something we could accomplish. Although, if it were possible, I’d have no greater wish. To see them share a meal and laugh together again… that’s all I’d want. Before it’s too late…”  

Before it’s too late.  

At that moment, a detail from the original story that Sabrina had overlooked suddenly came to mind.  

‘…How much longer does the Emperor have to live?’