“Yes! As long as Mom is here, it’s okay.”

Now that Rodelo was feeling a bit better, he talked a lot about the dream. Most of it was about the end.

In the end, the child’s early years were not happy. Although he inherited the blood of the imperial family, he lived receiving treatment no different from Shasha.

So, were the two children drawn to each other in such a way?

While doing so, Shasha came dragging Lian’s arm.

“The Emperor is a fool!”

Shasha, who had finally brought him into the room, was bold and spirited.

“Shasha, what’s wrong?”

Even if Shasha resembles me, is it okay to confront the emperor like this? I worried that Lian might act a bit crazy and do something foolish to Shasha, just like before. I observed them with concern.

But Lian was hesitating, staring in our direction.

“Lian?”

“The Emperor is scared, but he hurriedly came here and doesn’t even come in front of us! The Emperor is a fool. If it were me, I would have rushed in.”

“But… I was worried. What if Rodelo, who just woke up, doesn’t like me…?”

It’s scarier to have such feelings as vowing not to live like one’s father, not to repeat the events of one’s childhood, and to give love to the child. If you don’t care about the child at all, you don’t have to worry about how the child will look at you.

But since Lian promised not to do that, it seemed that he was afraid of Rodelo, who hadn’t talked for a long time.

“Rodelo, say it yourself.”

“Sorry for waking up late.”

With just that word, Lian ran to Rodelo without hesitation and hugged the child tightly.

“No. No. Rodelo, I’m so glad you woke up. I was afraid of what to do if you couldn’t wake up. Every time I saw you lying down, it felt like I was committing a sin… It was so hard.”

He had always been an unlucky emperor. Like any ordinary emperor, he was no different from an ordinary human. However, he changed.

“No. It’s not anyone’s fault. Thanks to you… I feel like I can live hard.”

“Hmm…?”

“As Dad’s son. As Mom’s son. As Shasha’s brother.”

What more can be said? What words can come more profoundly than those? Lian nodded slowly, albeit hesitantly.

“Yeah. You’ll keep living like that. Because you’re the crown prince. Because you’re my son.”

“Yes.”

“Pig! I’m the older sister!”

“Huh?”

“I’m the older sister! I’m even faster with birthdays. So, I’m the older sister. You’re the younger one. Not the older brother.”

Shasha said confidently, wagging her finger. Only then did Rodelo seem to relax and smile.

“No. I’m the older brother.”

“No. You’re the youngest in our family. Being the youngest is nice!”

“You like being the youngest?”

“Yeah! Because I was the youngest, Unni loved me the most. So, it’s nice for you too. Got it? From now on, call me Unni.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! Hurry up and call me Unni.”

“Sis… Sister?”

“Good! Our youngest!”

Although it seemed like something to object to, Lian was just busy laughing as if he found it amusing. I also left the children alone.

It was quite happy to see the future changing due to my small choices. It seemed like the gods were busy making regressions and possessions, doing whatever they wanted.

‘Whether the gods want it or not… This time, everyone will have a happy future.’

Except for the bad guys.

The day of the party arrived.

The Crown Prince’s birthday party. It was a very special birthday party that only those invited could attend.

Although status didn’t matter, invitations were sent out so that only those invited could enter.

However, perhaps because it was just a child’s birthday party, there were not many who expressed their intention to attend.
Even though the Empress sent invitations, excluding the Imperial faction, the neutral faction seemed hesitant, perhaps cautious of the nobility faction.

‘If it’s like this now, how would it have been back then?’

In the novel, Rodelo appeared before everyone for the first time. Even now, although I’m behind, seeing this… I wonder how Rodelo was back then. Just thinking about it, I feel like I know.

Those who decided to come might not have come. Rodelo, who thought he would not be acknowledged, had no choice but to endure Beatrice’s gaslighting.

But this time was different.

‘What we did came back like the fluttering of a small butterfly.’

Many people turned from the noble faction to the imperial faction, but it wasn’t as much as expected. However, all the pressure that was put on the Duke, like a boomerang, came back and pressured the Duke.

In the end, to solidify his position and accommodate the departing noble faction, the Duke announced that Rodelo was the nephew born to his younger brother.

Thanks to this, although those who revealed their intention to attend the party were revealed late, it was still numerous…

‘But the fact that the announcement was made in a hurry to put out the fire created a completely different story from the novel.’

It perfectly nailed the already twisted branches of the novel.