silence and stillness.

Baan’s face stiffened as if he had been hit in the head.

‘Maybe I heard it wrong?’

‘What is that person talking about?’

I could clearly see that he was thinking things like ‘Are you crazy?’

Then, slowly, the color returned to his eyes.

Seeing me staring at him without saying anything after asking if I would become emperor, Baan finally realized that I was serious and not joking.

No, he already knew I was serious.

Even before I said this, I talked about secrets and approached it with a serious attitude.

Even so, the reason he doubted my words was because of fear of the emperor and prejudice against saying such things.

To him, who had been brainwashed since childhood, saying that the emperor’s words were the law and the world, the question of whether he would become emperor might have felt frightening.

It may have felt disrespectful to say and think such things.

Above all, the crown prince had already been decided, and even if it wasn’t, he didn’t have the confidence to become the crown prince with his prominent brothers.

With no side to him except for the knights supported by the emperor, he had given up on the old evening that he could become his own emperor.

“Why do you say that?”

Baan said he couldn’t understand, and asked what he was thinking when he said that.

If you are caught saying such words in the Empire, you will be immediately executed.

Fortunately, this was a kingdom, not an empire, and it was a millennium where safety was guaranteed.

Still, it was natural to be careful with what you said.

“that’s… .”

As he said that, he quickly looked around.

It’s like they’re trying to make sure no one is watching them.

“it’s okay. I made sure no one was there, so feel free to talk.”

As much as this is the case, I checked several times to make sure that no one was around.

In addition to that, he even used the Silence Scroll brought from the Magic Tower just in case.

Unless you have the same power as the archmage, you don’t have to worry about eavesdropping.

Even if such people are together, I know that the Count, who knows their danger, will not stand by.

“Didn’t you see me tearing up the scroll? It’s a silence magic from the Mage Tower, so if the two of us don’t say anything, there’s nothing left to leak out here.”

“… .”

Even after saying that, Baan was still afraid to speak.

It may be like that at first, but if you keep doing it, it will be difficult.

You might be scared at least once, but even now that you’ve been confirmed safe, it’s kind of scary.

The contents from here do not circulate on the market unless the culprits disclose them.

‘I felt sorry for thinking about this, but he said that he was a loner in the imperial family and had no conversation partners except for knights and attendants.’

Even if he wanted to talk, he couldn’t, and he didn’t think that the knights who had already sworn allegiance to him would do anything to threaten their master.

Although there were some who were stupid or attached to the Emperor’s orders.

That was a problem that could be solved if Baan didn’t tell them.

Or make it completely your own person.

Contrary to his pretending to be strong on the outside, he was infinitely weak on the inside, and it seemed difficult for him to make them his own.

There are three cases in which the knights swear allegiance to the target.

First, ambition. When that person has great ambition and potential that they fall for.

The second time is when you are blessed. Knights sometimes swear allegiance to repay a debt of the heart.

Thirdly, if it is the child of a person who has been loyal to a knight.

Baan’s case was the third, and most of the articles that came in that way.

There was no merit to him who obtained a knight just because he was the emperor’s son.

Unlike other members of the imperial family, he had no ambition.

Because of his lack of ambition, he pushed himself into a corner if he couldn’t do anything.

Who would want to feel a good deduction and swear allegiance to such a person?

Even so, the reason for helping him was feelings such as pity and sympathy.

And those emotions are often discarded when a crisis hits.

So, with the exception of a very few people, there are even those who don’t even bother talking to him.

Although that is his weakness.

‘At times like this, it’s an advantage.’

There is no one to talk to, so where are you going to brag about it?

That was a big part of why I was able to say this to him.

It’s hard to trust people, but you can trust the situation.

“I will ask you again. Do you have any intention of becoming emperor?”

“… .”

He still had no answer, so I decided to go out strong.

“If you don’t have it, I’ll pretend that what happened today didn’t happen. In addition, I will try to turn my attention away from the prince.”

“… !”

“Why are you so surprised? I think you can expect this much… It’s strange that I can continue to be friendly with the prince even after saying this. Rather, when we are close, if we show any awkwardness, we will become suspicious of the people around us, and we will know that these words have been exchanged.”

“… .”

“Yes. The prince must be embarrassed. I just listened without saying anything. That’s why I’m going to drop you off.”

You may think I am selfish. You might look like a madman.

However, as long as the emperor is mentioned in his mouth, he must go out strong.

That way he won’t go around talking about what happened here.

He stared blankly at me, then hurriedly opened his mouth.

“why… ?”

“Why are you asking? It’s simple. The prince has no merit. It’s hard for me to get anything through the prince. I wanted to give it to you, but it’s hard to get something in the current state. No, it’s impossible. I hate a life where only one side gives. We like a symbiotic relationship where we help each other.”

“… .”

“Is there anything the prince can give me right now? no. There is not. Rather, you will be stubborn like before, and ‘that’ situation will be created.”

Baan bit his lip.

I felt anxious and anxious as if my lips would be torn and blood would flow at any moment.

“You can shout at me for being rude. It doesn’t matter if you punish them. But I hope you know this much. That even if it wasn’t me, everyone else would be the same.”

“But… .”

“But there is no such thing as sleeping or not. Let’s look at an example. Does the prince like Daria-nim?”

He flinched at the word ‘Daria’ and nodded slowly.

“While the prince likes Daria-nim, you should know that Daria-nim doesn’t. It’s strange that he didn’t know when he showed such a negative reaction. Then the prince, do you know why Daria hates the prince?”

“… .”

“To Daria-nim, the prince is a little boy who runs wild with his father on his back.”

“… !”

He opened his eyes as if he was offended by my words.

I ignored it and continued talking.

“Let’s imagine that the prince is not from the royal family. But the behavior is the same as now. So what do you think? I can already see the results.”

“ah… .”

Baan opened his mouth blankly.

Contrary to his blank face, his two fists were trembling.

“What you predicted would be correct. Let’s assume that the current crown prince became emperor. Then what would the crown prince do to the other members of the royal family? As far as I know, the current crown prince’s disposition is not very good… It’s simple when you think about it. He won’t leave behind any scars that pose a threat to him. Either send them into exile, or kill those they don’t need.”

“… .”

Despite cursing at his brother, he said nothing.

Because you know I’m not wrong.

He was still being treated the worst, but there was no reason for him to remain in the imperial family after the emperor changed.

The reality was that if you couldn’t prove your worth, you would be dealt with.

“If the outcome is already set, who would want to be friends with someone who is unlikely to see the outcome? If there are, they must be because of the prince’s current status. Even if you can’t become an emperor, being a prince in itself is a great benefit right now. If you suck on the sweet water and stop coming out, the prince will be thrown away.”

“… .”

spoke a little harshly.

I told him openly that if nothing changed, he would eventually die.

Hearing that, Baan was surprisingly calm.

Rather, he seemed calm, as if he knew.

I was a little embarrassed to see it again.

I kept talking to him without showing my feelings.

“I will ask you one last time. Would you like to become emperor?”

“… I.”

The man who had been listening silently opened his mouth.

“Can I do it just because I want to be?”

His voice was watery.

“Is it possible just because I want to do it? I! I wonder if you can become emperor just because you want to be emperor?”

As if to vent the accumulated resentment, Bahn continued to speak.

“I was always alone. If people wanted to come to me, they were stolen and lost because of my brothers. Even if I tried to do something, I was monitored, and I was banned from entering the gymnasium and set up a designated area so I couldn’t come out of it. In a situation where my hands and feet are cut off, can I achieve something by wishing for it? no. can’t I couldn’t do anything because I tried to do something but failed, and even if I tried to do something, I was blocked before I could. All I can do is a little rebellion to do crazy things. Could I wish for something like this? There was no choice but to be patient and patient.”

Finally, I let out a small saliva as he shed tears.

What would I do if I were in a situation where I was not allowed to do anything, and even confined to one place?

It would have been hard. You may have thought of giving up everything because it was difficult, but you would not have given up.

because I didn’t want to die

Still, listening to his thoughts made me feel somewhat at ease.

At least I could see that he wasn’t without any will.

Because I knew he wasn’t in an irreversible condition.

“You said you couldn’t hope for it.”

“… .”

“Then you can ask for it from now on. I will help you.”

“… !”

he looks up at me He leaned heavily on his shoulder and spoke.

“Whatever the prince wants, I will help. Please make an appointment instead. Somehow, even if there comes a situation where I want to give up everything, I will become the emperor.”

Baan, who had been looking at me quietly, opened his mouth.

He looked hesitant as if he was thinking about something, but then spoke as if he had made up his mind.

I will become emperor