The Crown Prince entered the room, changed his clothes, and left.

On the way to the Imperial Palace, his expression was never bright.

When he arrived in the audience chamber, the gatekeeper with his solemn face opened the door.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

At the words of the servant, the Crown Prince clenched his fists.

Cold sweat was glistening on the palms of his hands.

He went inside nervously.

In a luxurious room adorned in gold and red, the Emperor sat on the throne with an expressionless face. The Crown Prince walked towards the front of the stairs where he was.

“Father, I heard you called.”

“Yes.”

The Emperor replied in a hard voice.

He was usually a strict father, but his voice was unusually cold today.

The Crown Prince swallowed dry saliva.

The Emperor must have noticed something. But the Crown Prince had no idea what it was.

“Do you know why I called you?”

The emperor threw a document on the floor. The Crown Prince looked at it with a puzzled face. The document contained information about Viscountess Willis. He bowed his head to hide his bewilderment.

Soon after, the Emperor ordered.

“Bring them in.”

At the Emperor’s order, the knights brought two men from somewhere. Their faces were covered with sacks, and their hands and feet were tied with ropes. Seeing that their bodies would covered in blood, it looked like they had been tortured.

“Take off their head covers.”

Soon their faces were revealed. They belonged to the Knight Order under the Crown Prince’s control. Not long ago, he gave them the order to get rid of the imprisoned witnesses.

Only then did the Crown Prince know what the emperor had called him for.

“Prince, did you instruct them to kill two prisoners in prison using your own authority?”

Asked the emperor.

A question, but not a question.

He already knew everything.

The Crown Prince immediately knelt on the floor.

“…Father, I was wrong.”

The Crown Prince knew his father’s personality better than anyone.

He hated lying and deception the most.

Now that all the circumstances were revealed, it would have caused even more anger if he (CP) denied the truth.

The charge of deceiving the monarch was unforgivable even for the Crown Prince himself to bear.

So he’d better admit his mistake and ask for forgiveness now.

“Did you think that you have already ascended to the throne? This seat is not yours yet.”

The Emperor looked down at the Crown Prince with a cold face.

His gaze was too cold and unkind to be looking at his own son.

“You ordered the killing of the criminals under investigation and even fabricated evidence disguised as suicide, even if you were an emperor, you shouldn’t have done it.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

the Emperor scoffed.

“You don’t even know what you did wrong.”

The Crown Prince bit his lip at the subsequent rebuke.

“You were possessed by a Young Lady, a mere Baron’s daughter, and ruined the honor of the imperial family, and you got the Duke’s resentment. And when that wasn’t enough, you even stepped on my tail. You were addicted to a mere love game, hated by the people, and handled the job poorly.”

A voice as cold as ice was lodged in the Crown Prince’s ears.

The Emperor, who had a kind smile in front of the people, was actually more cold than anyone else.

A person who could throw away even his own blood and flesh at any time.

When the Crown Prince stood in front of him, his whole body stiffened as if he had become a mouse in front of a cat.

He was like that when he was young, and he was still the same now.

“If a foolish and inexperienced person like you inherits the throne, the future of the empire will be bleak.”

The Crown Prince raised his head with surprised eyes.

Then, when his eyes met the emperor, who had a cold gaze, he immediately bowed his head again.

“Please forgive me this once.”

“You are not my only son. It’s nice to see my own blood inherit the throne, but if you can’t see the right answer, it’s probably right for someone who is better at it to inherit it.”

“The seat is… mine.”

A repressed voice leaked out from between the Crown Prince’s tightly closed teeth.

“Ha! Pathetic guy. The only thing you have is you’re lucky enough to be born as my son. How long are you going to hold on to only the skirt of the empress?”

The Emperor clicked his tongue in a pathetic voice.

The Crown Prince’s face turned red.

He chewed the soft flesh in his mouth.

The taste of fishy blood quickly filled his mouth.

“I don’t want to look at you anymore, so just leave.”

“Yes. Please rest well.”

When the Crown Prince came out of the audience chamber, the servant who was guarding the door opened his eyes in surprise.

“Crown Prince, there is blood on your lips…”

The Crown Prince realized his condition only then and saw his own reflection in the window.

There was light blood on his lips.

“I will bring the royal doctor.”

“No. There is nothing to make a fuss about.”

Irrespective of the fussy servant’s reaction, the Crown Prince took out a handkerchief with a nonchalant face, wiped his lips, and walked away.

When he left the Imperial Palace, his expression was completely distorted.

There were wrinkles between his messy, wrinkled brows.

The Crown Prince immediately returned to his office.

In his view, a decorative cabinet similar to his height caught his eye.

He stretched out his hand.

Then, with force, he pushed the cabinet and knocked it over.

Expensive ceramics and sculptures inside were shattered with a loud noise.

“Your Highness, what’s going on?”

Baron Cheston heard the sound outside the door and came in, startled.

He looked at the messy room and widened his eyes.

There were fragments all over the place, and the Crown Prince was standing in the middle.

His gaze was ferocious, and he was full of killing intent he had never felt before.

“Your Highness, what the hell is all this…”

Baron Cheston was instinctively frightened and took a few steps back.

In the next moment, a piece of glass the size of a palm flew towards him.

Fortunately, the glass fragment missed Baron Cheston by an inch. Instead, the glass piece hit a servant who had ran inside after hearing the commotion.

“Arhhh!”

The maid fell to the floor with a short scream.

Red blood flowed from her forehead.

Baron Cheston swallowed his scream and looked down at her.

Fortunately she wasn’t dead, as she was groaning in pain.

Everyone around seemed surprised, but no one showed any signs of it.

“It’s disgusting. Get that out of my sight right now.”

The Crown Prince gave orders in a calm voice.

At his command, several of the courtiers carried the fallen maid out of the room. Then they brought the mop and cleaned the floor quickly.

The Crown Prince sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa.

Baron Cheston looked at his back with a complicated gaze.

“What are you doing? If you’re all done, get out. I want to be alone, so no one comes in until I call.”

“Yes. Your Highness, I will not disturb you, so rest comfortably.”

Baron Cheston hesitated a moment before leaving the room.

His boss was originally a just and benevolent character.

But now he was like a different person.

It was surprising and terrifying, but at the same time understandable.

It was unknown what he heard from the Imperial Palace, but seeing the Crown Prince so angry, it must have been something to do with the 2nd Prince.

There must have been some talk about the throne.

Baron Cheston sighed heavily, staring at the closed door, and then left.

***

The sunset light fell into the room.

“I’m tired…”

The Crown Prince, left alone, closed his eyes.

He remembered the image of the maid he had seen earlier.

The red blood that flowed from her forehead and wet the floor…

He knew he had taken out his anger on an innocent person. But he couldn’t control his boiling anger.

It was intolerable to hear abusive remarks or scolds.

But there were two things he couldn’t stand.

It was related to the throne and the second Prince.

The emperor was an indifferent father who never even gave him a warm glance, let alone a hug, even when he was young.

However, even like that, there was often warmth in his eyes when he looked at the humble Empress and her children.

Sometimes, he even gave praise to people.

As a child he himself had worked relentlessly to get his father’s attention.

But no matter how hard he tried, the emperor never looked at him.

The Crown Prince couldn’t understand it. What did he lack compared to Payne? (Payne= the second Prince)

Then, one day, there were people who dared to stick with Payne over him as the enemy of the imperial family.

Then the Empress (the Crown Prince’s mother) sent him (the second Prince) to the battlefield.

To die on the battlefield was the most honorable death, so it could be seen as a generous treatment.

However, Payne did not die on the battlefield and returned alive.

With a majestic appearance that was welcomed by everyone with a big banquet.

The Crown Prince clenched his teeth.

If only he could turn back time, he would have killed the tiger cub before it had grown up and exposed his claws.

The Crown Prince looked out of the window and looked at the second Prince’s palace in the distance. His sea-blue eyes gleamed insidiously.

***

I looked up at the building of the Hermes that I had grown accustomed to.

“I’ll take you inside.”

The gatekeepers guarding the front of the building recognized my face and naturally guided me inside.

As I sat quietly in the room, Noah entered.

“Princess, long time no see.”

Noah had a friendly smile as usual.

“The Princess seems to get more beautiful every time I see you. Do you have any special secrets?”

His sly tone and flattery remained the same.

“I would like to make a request.”

“Oh, wait a minute. I forgot to serve guests.”

Noah called a servant and ordered tea and refreshments.

Then he looked at me and said with a sorry face.

“I’m sorry. If you wait a little bit, our Lord is coming soon. It won’t take long, so would you like a cup of tea while waiting?”

“I didn’t come to see your Lord today.”

“Oh, it came.”

Noah had a happy face when he saw the servant who had just returned.

It looked like he wasn’t listening to me at all.

Shortly thereafter, the servant set down a tasty snack and tea on the table.

Then Noah poured tea into my teacup.

Reluctantly, I picked up the cup and took a sip of tea.

Not long after, I could feel another person entering the room.

Of course I thought it was a servant, but there stood Elvin with his face covered with a mask.

“Are you here now?”

Noah got up when Elvin appeared.

Then Noah looked at me and greeted me.

“Then I will leave. Please talk comfortably.”

After Noah left the room, it was just me and Elvin.

He casually walked over to the seat opposite me where Noah had just been sitting and sat down.

“I didn’t even expect it, but it’s nice to see you like this.”

“Are you blaming me for coming without contact?”

“It can’t be. It literally meant nice to meet you. It’s the Princess, you are always welcome.”

“Then that’s good.”

I lifted her head and looked at Elvin.

Today, he was wearing a splendid outfit, different from what I sometimes saw.

He seemed to have just returned from going out.

I don’t know where he went, but he looked noble no matter what he wore. At that point, I thought that the mask was really useless.

Perhaps because he was staring at him too closely, he asked with a puzzled face.

“Is there something on my face?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

At my answer, Elvin tilted his head.

Then he raised the corners of his lips as soon as he realized something.

“Is it because of this?”

He touched the mask he was wearing with his long fingers.

“Well, it seems like you already know everything, so there’s no need for such a cumbersome thing.I don’t want to deceive you any more.”