I Held the Leash of a Blind Beast (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 27

“I found you.”

Illeon recalled the moment he had seen Elicia in the imperial palace.

His relationship with the imperial family was delicate.

Originally, the Constance Empire had never had a second-in-line to the throne. This was because only one male child bearing the ‘Oder’ trait was born per generation—and he would inevitably become emperor. Moreover, ‘Oder’ possessed innate sacred abilities, granting him physical prowess unlike ordinary people, including the potential to become a swordmaster.

Thus, for over a millennium, the sole and primary heir—the ‘Oder’—had never once faltered, and there had never been any need to establish a meaningless line of succession.

Yet Illeon had become second-in-line to the throne—not because of Sabiel, but because he himself was born with the ‘Oder’ trait. Furthermore, though never revealed due to his mother Rev’s strict silence, Illeon could fully wield the power of ‘Oder.’ He remained cautious despite knowing this, because he had long understood that his very existence

could become a catalyst for political strife.

When they were very young, Sabiel had been a cousin brother with whom Illeon could comfortably wrestle and play mischievous pranks. He had been quite affectionate, guiding the younger Illeon through every corner of the palace to spots adults disliked but were perfect for mischief.

But then Sabiel entered his teens first, and before long, he began looking at Illeon with envious eyes—eventually avoiding him as if he were something dreadful. Illeon had watched, one after another, as Sabiel grew to desire his ruin.

It wasn’t Sabiel’s fault. Nor was it his own.

The real problem lay with those who clung stubbornly to outdated customs, assigning meaning to tradition and divine will, and loudly demanding the crown prince be replaced.

Thus, even for Illeon, visiting the imperial palace was never a comfortable affair. During his years on the battlefield, one of the few comforts was precisely that he “didn’t have to attend the emperor.” Orders came via imperial decree, shifting him from one front to another. While he stayed away—not just from the palace, but even from the capital—Illeon couldn’t have felt more at ease.

Today, Illeon had deliberately set foot in the palace for one reason alone: he didn’t want Rona’s ambiguous status to become an obstacle to their marriage.

The imperial decree granting special permission for their union.

The merits of the Seven-Year War were already a thing of the past. The lands the blind man could neither govern nor manage had long since been appropriately distributed among established powers. They couldn’t take back those lands to give to Illeon—and he didn’t want them anyway. Instead, he needed something else, and such matters required swift resolution to achieve his goal. Any delay would invite nitpicking and risk him receiving something entirely unintended.

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