Chapter 138
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The former emperor recalled an incident from more than twenty years ago.
"I gave birth to twins. This is the first time in the history of the imperial family that male and female twins have been born."
Without any warm words for his wife, who had given birth to their children with great difficulty, he looked at the twins, a boy and a girl, who would be the first to be recorded in the history of the Delo Empire in his lifetime.
"Strangely ominous. I don't know if they’ll ever be able to match the Eye of the Expanse."
He'd already transformed himself into a love interest for the Empress half a year ago. When she first became pregnant, the empire rejoiced. They didn't call him Prince for nothing. The Emperor was the only one who hadn't officially recognized it, but everyone else considered the Empress's second child to be a crown prince.
But that was it. Like a branch that springs up no matter how well it is pruned, the empress gradually became neglectful, believing in the child in her womb. The speed at which her affection faded was always faster than the speed at which her love
was always faster than love.
"About the same time."
"Still, Karzen is my brother."
"Really?"
He soon kicked the crib roughly with his foot. The empress hurried over and scooped him up in her arms.
"No....... My child......!"
He could see that even though they were identical twins, she loved him more, and it amused him. The Empress's face hardened as she watched her son cry. She had just done something that, if done incorrectly, could have killed her child......!
The Empress slapped his cheek.
He wiped the blood from his cheek and smiled bloodily.
"Empress. The Empress gave birth to my child, not the Eye of the Expanse. How can you be so arrogant? You're trying to climb on top of my head."
The Empress glared at him without answering. He looked away. He rolled off the bed and picked up his crying daughter.
"You've scratched your forehead. You'll be the first and last empress to make both the emperor and empress bleed at the same time."
He took the Mark of the Expanse from his arms and placed it in her arms like a doll. Of course, it was only words, and the sign was neither soft nor fluffy. It could hardly have been of interest to a child who could barely crane his neck.
All he wanted to do was see the Empress's shocked expression, and then he felt a little better.
"Stop being mistaken, stop being arrogant, do you understand?"
The empress gave birth to a firstborn, but that was it.
The threat was that he could pass on the Eye of the Expanse to any of her children if he so chose.
It was a good thing he did, for the empress had become truly noble afterward.
Until the Eye of the Expanse was transferred to Raha Delharsa.
In hindsight, she called upon the sages and realized that the events of that day had caused the Eye of the Expanse to shift to Raha, and there was no way to reverse it.
For the Empress had grown old and Karzen had excelled, and from generation to generation the lesser of two evils had become Emperor.
Even though he, too, considered Karzen to be the undisputed crown prince.
The Emperor could not help but be furious with Raha.
"You should have died that day, not fallen to the floor and scratched your face."
No one knew the story except the dead empress and the sages.
The Emperor hadn't told anyone, he thought.
Though he had told the Second Empress, years ago.
It was common for people to see a bird or a tree and mutter something to themselves and not remember that they had told anyone.
***
"So, yes. You know this story, don't you? Surely the Emperor told me so, so......."
The second empress clung to Raha desperately. She couldn't fathom the meaning of Raha’s expression. Those beautiful, doll-like, expressionless eyes that looked neither shocked nor enraged.
"Mother."
Raha looked down at the Second Empress.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"To save my son, my son."
"Why don't you tell Karzen, so you can gain his trust, and maybe, just maybe, he'll have the mercy to spare the Second Prince."
"Why would I......, when it's so obvious you're going to kill Karzen?"
Raha's jaw dropped. The Second Empress's hands, which were clutching the hem of her robe like a lifeline, were trembling uncontrollably.
Raha asked.
"Did you know?"
"Yeah......"
"Since when?"
"Since I realized that ......your eyes are different.”
“Ha."
Raha gave a short laugh.
"I can't believe you knew that."
"..."
"My mother is a very clever woman, but I still don't understand, why did you bet against me?"
"I've spent my whole life catering to monarchs,....... so can't you see which one is going to be more heartless, which one is going to twist the necks of all of them and stand unseemly on top?"
"I'm the heartless and abnormal one."
"I have been thinking so for a very long time, for you....... have a personality that pities no one. I'm more afraid of you than I am of the emperor, more afraid of you than I am of Karzen."
A soft smile tugged at the corners of Raha's mouth.
"So that’s why you came to hang on to me, mother?"
"....."
She was flattered by how well the second Empress thought of her; in her eyes, she had always been the princess who would twist the throats of Karzen and the former Emperor. It was a strange thing.
What on earth did you see in me that made you think that? She didn't ask. Because she didn't want to know.
“I can get down on my hands and knees. No."
The second empress knelt without hesitation. She didn't seem to care how such a mournful gesture froze Raha's expression.
"Do you know how much I love the prince?"
"How do I know a mother's heart?"
"Raha, please. Please."
"What the hell....... How can you be so dedicated?"
Raha sneered.
"I don't understand, Mother."
"I won't ask for anything. I just want him to live. That's all I ask. Have mercy on me for once."
The second empress, who had been begging for mercy, let her tears shine through. Raha gritted her teeth in silence.
"Stop it."
"Raha....... Please....... Please."
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that it's really....... terrible before you get it."
Muttering with frozen eyes, Raha pried the second empress’s hand away from her leg.
Even though she had taken the antidote, shw somehow managed to shake her off, even though her body was completely immobilized from the poison she had applied all over her.
No one noticed that her long blue eyelashes were fluttering. Raha ordered coldly.
"Take the Empress."
"Yes, princess."
"Bring the Second Prince as well. Make him kneel before me."
"Raha!"
The knights bowed and retreated. Raha slowly turned her gaze away from the Second Empress who was being dragged away.
***
"I can't seem to get a grip on my sword."
Swallowing hard, Karzen tried to force his unmoving hand. Even as he dodged, he sensed the paladins' neat aura. It wasn't hard to tell.
"Was the Holy Land involved?"
"Yes. Your Majesty, the rebels are outnumbered by paladins."
"And the rest?"
"There are some of Duke Esther's knights mixed in."
"Esther?"
Karzen's eyes widened.
"Ah, Esther. You pretended to hate Raha so much, and then you stabbed me in the back."
"...."
"And the other nobles?"
"We're not sure, but we don't believe there are any more in-country nobles involved."
"Three of you will leave the palace and set fire to Duke Esther's house. The louder the better, and if anyone resists, kill them. Temporary dispersal of the rebels is the primary objective."
"Honor!"
Karzen was barely dressed in his robes, though he had thrown the outer garments the guards had brought over the top.
"I'll have to slip out to the border and take command of the army to put down the rebels."
There were more rebels than he had expected. Karzen smiled grimly.
"Some rats from another country must have infiltrated the army disguised as servants."
There were many other ways.
People could have been hidden under carriages or on the roofs of the palace. With so many tributes and gifts pouring in from all over the country, it was inevitable that vigilance would be laxer than usual.
One kingdom in particular brought the most gifts, and Karzen knew it well.
"It seems that Hildes wants to become an empire."
Hildes was the kingdom that led to the marriage of the Princess, so no one thought it strange that they brought so much treasure.
And damn it all, the royal king of Hildes had been loyal to Raha all along, so they were all for it.
Karzen most of all, for it was plain to see that he was out of his mind with Raha.
He couldn't believe that his vigilance would come back to bite him in the ass like this.
It was then.
Karzen saw the 'corpse' flying right next to him. It was a very brief moment. The body, flying at a terrifying speed, crashed into the hard stone wall behind him and exploded. Blood and flesh splashed down his cheeks.
It was one of the guards Karzen had sent out earlier to secure an escape route. Such a sturdy body, to be blown to bits like this.
The corners of Karzen's mouth turned up.
"Royal lord."
The smell of iron stung his nose.
"Does Raha know that you’re this unruly?"
A large shadow stalked toward him. The heat of the battlefield mingles with the chill of death, sending chills down his spine.
"Funny you should say that, given my battle-hardened body."
"At least I've always been honest with my twin. But you're not the royal lord, are you?"
... Karzen's brow slowly creased as he asked the question. Not only him, but Blake and the other guards who stood with him.
This was not the face they knew.
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