The captain turned his head slightly.

“Good grief! I don’t even know what I’m saying right now, so don’t ask me! Follow the Empress’s orders! Steer the bow in the direction the Empress wants to go!”

Never resist the Empress.

The captain and crew members shouted together with one heart.

“We, we’ve arrived.”

“I, I can’t believe we arrived so quickly.”

The ship safely reached the port of the Lupion Kingdom. There was no damage. Rather, we arrived a week earlier than planned.
“Did you come riding on a ship? Through that sea?”

The Lupion Kingdom’s officials, who had arrived at the port after receiving our advance notice, opened their surprised eyes. The sea was violently surging, as if it would swallow the kingdom at any moment.

In the distance, lightning struck, and dark clouds were gathering as if it was about to rain. The wind blew so fiercely that it was difficult for a person to stand on two feet.

It seemed unbelievable that we had successfully navigated such a sea and arrived intact.

“Enough of this nonsense, hurry, to the kingdom, hurry. I need to lie down!!”

Jaesang, who had descended from the ship with difficulty, shouted. The officials recognized Jaesang and hurriedly supported him.

“All this fuss over a single boat ride.”

Revenpelle followed behind, muttering quietly. The officials, who saw Revenpelle descending, widened their eyes in astonishment.

“C-Could it really be Her Majesty, the Empress?”

“Am I supposed to look like a fake Empress?”

“Gasp! W-We greet the Empress of the Leonharta Grand Empire!”

The officials supported Jaesang and quickly bowed to Revenpelle.

“We d-didn’t expect the real Empress to come over such a trivial matter.”

“Trivial matter?”

Revenpelle raised an eyebrow dubiously. Hearing the officials’ conversation from behind, I also pressed them firmly.

Trivial matter.

For them, it must be a good thing that Karayan is dying.

“Greetings aside.”

Revenpelle, hearing my breathing becoming stronger with anger, ordered concisely.

“Guide us to the palace immediately. Don’t delay.”

In response to Revenpelle’s command, the officials moved quickly.

“Th-This way, please!”

Deciding to move the luggage gradually, we first moved to the palace by carriage. Fortunately, the palace wasn’t far from the port, so it didn’t take much time.

“…How is Karayan’s condition?”

I asked nonchalantly, looking out of the carriage window. The officials exchanged glances in response to my question.

They avoided my gaze while hearing their story from behind. I, who could not talk to them first, now casually asked questions, a strange sight.

“Karayan’s condition, how is it?”

“Uh, we haven’t confirmed it yet…”

“What?”

I cut off the officials’ words with an astonished look. Looking around at them, they avoided my gaze with fake coughs.

“You guys weren’t in the palace? Did you happen to go on vacation during this time?”

“Hmm.”

“The Crown Prince is sick!! Is it reasonable that no one knows his condition?!!”

“Your Majesty. To be precise, Crown Prince Karayan is no longer the heir to the throne.”

One of the officials spoke disdainfully, ignoring my shout. The subtle contempt in his tone was irritating.

“His limbs are not in good condition, and even if he wakes up, it will be difficult for him to get by without someone’s help. Unfortunately, if such a person ascends to the throne, what will happen to the Lupion Kingdom?”
The smiles spreading across the officials’ faces were sardonic. Strangely, a foul odor, perhaps a rotten stench, seemed to linger somewhere.

“Perhaps a new successor will be… ”

“No need for that.”

“…What?”

“Karayan oppa won’t have to cut off his hands and feet, and he won’t have to live without someone’s help.”

“What is that…?”

Though the officials exchanged bewildered glances, I remained silent. Beside me, Revenpelle seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment, but I gestured for him to hold back. Meeting Karayan was more important than punishing them now.

A foreign landscape passed outside the carriage window. Despite being the kingdom where I was born and raised, it felt unfamiliar to me.

Because I had never been outside the palace.

The outside was much more desolate than the grand empire. It was hard to find any signs of life, and animal carcasses were left unattended in various places.

Someone was cutting pieces of rotten animal meat with a knife, wrapping them in paper.

“Doesn’t the king take care of the people?”

They all seemed starved, and children were stuffing fallen leaves into their mouths as if eating.

“How is that possible? The king always thinks of the people day and night.”

Oil shimmered on the faces of the officials sitting across from us. I sighed and looked out the window at the scenery.

Like the royal family, they too were people who had beaten me up, called me filthy and dirty. Based on rumors I had heard, since I had never seen them, Princess Teriella Lupion was considered dirty and of uncertain origin.

I turned my gaze away from the window and closed my eyes.

After crossing a rough stone path, the carriage finally arrived at the palace.

I got out of the carriage and headed towards Karayan’s palace without anyone’s guidance. Knights guarded the entrance to Karayan’s palace to prevent anyone from entering.

I rushed toward them, but they didn’t open the gate.

“Move aside.”

“There is a contagious patient inside.”

“I told you to move.”

The knight glanced at me for a moment but didn’t respond, casually ignoring me.

This was familiar to them. This was my position in the kingdom.

“Can’t you hear properly?”

But now it was different. Behind me, Revenpelle, Jaerim, and Elifu pressed the knights, giving them no choice.

“Your ears may be attached, but is he really a patient? Dare you block the way of the Empress of the Grand Empire.”

“Hmm…”

“Your Majesty. Normally, I would stop him, but it seems this person has ears but no use for them. Just cut them off.”

“Heh… Blocking this person’s way. Surely Lady Semula will send a punishment.”

The knight shrunk his shoulders in the face of the unusual atmosphere. Revenpelle stepped forward, lightly tapping his shoulder.

“Blocking the way of the Emperor of Leonharta. Are you implying that a war with the Lupion Kingdom is acceptable because of you?”

“Gasp!”
“If you understand, move aside right away. My Empress has to pass through there.”

Revenpelle’s threat made two knights hastily step aside.

“I’ll deal with you later. How dare you block the way of my wife.”

Revenpelle, grinding his teeth, walked forward. I ran down a long corridor where there was not a single person.

Childhood.

The night when Mother longed to see me. The night when I cried after having a nightmare. Like the young me of that day when I went to find Karayan oppa on the sad night when my siblings teased and tormented me.

I ran towards Karayan’s bedroom, holding back the tears that blinded me. When I was young, this corridor seemed too long, and the path to Karayan oppa was frightening. But now, it wasn’t far away.

Bang!

“Karayan oppa!”

As I forcefully opened the door, the smell of death wafted in. Inside, only a few maids, with handkerchiefs covering their noses and mouths, remained in their places.

“Haa, haa.”

I must have run a lot; my breath became labored.

When I used to run like this as a child, Karayan always greeted me with a smile.

Did you have a scary dream? Did you miss Mother? Who teased you again? He would ask kindly and always hugged me tightly.

My childhood was complete because he was there.

With trembling steps, I headed towards the bed where Karayan was lying.

“……Oppa.”

However, the one who used to warmly welcome me now lay with closed eyes, unable to get up from the bed.