The door closed with a thud. The wind that had been blowing disappeared as soon as the door closed, and silence quickly fell.

Eden, who flinched his shoulders, turned around to see that only about two knights had followed Eden and the emperor.

Eden quickly gathered his wits at the sound of his father’s splashing footsteps.

“Do you know why only one duke remains in the history of the empire?”

Extremely tense, Eden quickly tried to recall his history lessons.

He had learned that besides the Duke of Genova, there were four more ducal families in the empire.

However, except for Genova, the names of the other ducal families were not even recorded in the history books. Because they had tried to rebel in succession.

…Or was it not? Was it rebellion? Am I confusing it with the history of another country?

But Eden wasn’t sure.

Perhaps because he was so tense, his mind went blank, and it was difficult to grasp what his father’s intentions were.

To begin with, it was hard to accept why there was such an underground in the church, and why he and his father were walking through it.

“I… don’t know well.”

“Right. You might not know about that because the records are sparse. Although the empire became strong enough to call itself an imperial family, it was difficult for the emperor’s power to reach the entire empire. So even after absorbing small kingdoms, they gave the title of duke to the descendants of the remaining kings. That’s why there were five families. Only the Duke of Genova was originally from the nobility of this empire’s mainland.”

Eden gave a short answer and stuck close behind his father.

“The previous emperors tried to ensure that power did not accumulate in the other four families except Genova.”

“It seems they tried to remove the seeds of rebellion in advance.”

“That’s right.”

The emperor nodded with satisfaction.

“The seeds of rebellion were not completely removed no matter how much they were persuaded or instilled with fear. The fact that the descendants of the already absorbed kings survived was a big problem from the start. But as I said, since the imperial power couldn’t reach the entire region, it was also true that some of their power was needed to prevent those who had now become imperial citizens from defecting.”

Eden nodded.

It must have been a troublesome issue for the imperial family.

It wasn’t just one force, and except for Genova, they had to try to unite as many as four forces, so it must have been overwhelming.

“Even the bloodline of the Duke of Genova eventually goes back to the imperial family. At that time, the power of that force was as strong as the imperial family. So it also became a target of checks and balances. If the crown prince died, the next in line would go to Genova.”

They reached the end of the long corridor. There was another door, and the knights came forward to open it.

Once again, a strong fishy smell rose, but Eden’s sense of smell seemed to have become numb, and fortunately, he no longer felt nauseous.

“There’s a room here too…”

As the door opened, a large room came into view.

The first thing visible was a round table, and behind it, Eden could see his father’s face carved in relief.

He thought there was nothing left to be surprised about, but it seemed that the place his father called a shrine was not the church on the first floor.

“This is where the believers lived. They have existed for a long time and destroyed the four ducal families.”

Eden raised his head, surprised by his father’s words.

“We became gods through them.”

“…Pardon?”

“Our words are a revelation to them, and the direction that guides them. Eden, God exists. Right before your eyes! Isn’t it more natural to believe in a visible god than an invisible one? Under powerful strength, we are those who can become gods.”

Eden hesitated. Fortunately, the emperor’s gaze was not directed at Eden.

“But we shouldn’t entrust the shrine to incompetent believers.”

The emperor’s golden eyes reflected in the red torch absorbed the red light completely.

Eden unconsciously took a step back at his father’s eyes that had turned completely red.

“Eden, we are gods. You are the son of a god, and this father will someday pass this position to you.”

The emperor’s gaze turned to Eden.

“There aren’t two suns in the sky. Only this emperor can dare to receive the infinite love of the imperial citizens and nobles. The powerful believers are in this underground, but in the end, all the imperial citizens, including the nobles, are those who believe in us. Since gods are born from the belief of their followers, the Duke of Genova, who dares to try to divide that trust, must be eliminated.”

Behind the speaking father, the relief of the father was also visible.

The father who called himself a god was no longer an emperor. Only a person who had lost his reason and believed himself to be a god remained here.

Since when…

“…Yes, father.”

Eden quickly bowed his waist and acted as if he were serving his father.

He felt he shouldn’t let his father see his wavering pupils. But beneath his bowed head, he could see the blood pooled at his feet.

Could it be… that it wasn’t the duke who eliminated everyone in this church?

Father, could it be.

“Eden…”

At his father’s call, Eden tightly closed his eyes and then opened them as he raised his head. He thought it was fortunate that the surroundings were dark.

“The duke will have to act even knowing it’s a trap. The moment he realizes that it was the believers swarming in this underground who drew the bowstring towards his wife. With the blood of numerous nobles spilled on this floor, even the duke cannot escape punishment.”

Ah… Father.

“When he is imprisoned, only the true sun will remain.”

“Yes, father.”

Eden closed his eyes.

It was because he realized that the duke’s sword would soon reach his father’s neck.

“Now, let’s go up and bring down the fake sun in this lingering battle of two suns.”

*

“The, the Duke of Genova… last night at the church… massacred the no, nobles staying there…”

The voice of the servant who came from the imperial palace trembled.

The pressure that he hadn’t felt until passing through the duke’s residence now constricted the servant’s entire body.

The moment he faced the armed duke, the servant realized. That his head would fall off here.

Just as the sword was about to be drawn from the duke’s scabbard with a swish, a young voice rang out from the hall above.

“Papa!”

The sword that was halfway out of its scabbard closed back again. The duke’s gaze slowly rose to meet the ducal daughter coming down the hall stairs.

The servant unconsciously let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the closed sword again. Since the duke cherished his daughter, he wouldn’t behead him in front of her.

“Although the imperial family has sent so many guests, my mother is unwell, so our hospitality is lacking. I’m sorry, but we won’t be able to entertain today.”

The girl’s polite bow was directed at the servant.

It was clear that she was saying this despite knowing what the emperor’s edict the servant was reading said, and what the servant had come for.

The servant broke out in a cold sweat.

Should he die here by the duke’s sword now, or return to the imperial palace to die?

While the servant was hesitating, the ducal daughter raised her bowed head.

“Shouldn’t death be postponed for now? Whether it’s an excuse or an explanation, think about it in the carriage on your way back.”

It was by no means goodwill.

The ducal daughter’s gaze towards the servant was sharp, as if she just wanted to keep one less bloodstain off her father’s sword.

The servant gulped. Although he was a servant of the imperial family, unfortunately, he was a person who valued his own life more.

If he had known that the contents of the edict were like this, he wouldn’t have come at all.

“The lady is not in a condition to attend to guests. I will take my leave now.”

The servant handed the edict to the butler and hurriedly left the duke’s residence.

A bloody wind would blow. He realized it as soon as he saw the armed duke, and understood it while reading the contents of the edict.

In the fight between the imperial family and the duke, people like him would have their heads cut off by the swords of each army while trying to escape.

There was no need to go all the way to the imperial palace. The servant ran, leaving behind the carriage he had ridden in.

*

“Papa.”

After the servant left, Lucy called out to her father.

As she turned her head back, she saw that her father’s eyes were empty.

In fact, when she first woke up, she felt resentment first.

Why couldn’t he protect her mother like this in her previous life, and in this life too? She felt resentful, thinking that if she had tried so hard, if she had done this much, shouldn’t her father have been able to protect her mother from the shadow of death cast upon her?

But when she woke up in the morning and saw the cake on her tray, Lucy cried.

Although she had said not to tell anyone that she had woken up, it seemed that the servants had eventually passed on the news, and the result was this cake.

“If you knew I was awake… you should have come.”

“…”

Lucy took a step forward, looking at her father who gave no answer.

Tears were already welling up, blurring her vision.

Seeing her father’s empty face, Lucy knew that she needed to be a little more honest with her own feelings that she had been deceiving herself about.

“Mother is precious to me. And…”

“…Lucy.”

Damian, who finally opened his mouth, bent his knees.

“You and your mother will live well in this empire. I guarantee it.”

In that armed attire?

Lucy furrowed her brows.

“Then what about you?”

Lucy asked once more, meeting the wavering blue eyes.

“Then what about you!”

Lucy shed tears drop by drop.

It’s still true that she likes her mother more, but now, her father was also family to Lucy.

“You’re precious to me too, Papa.”

Lucy, who burst into loud sobs, hugged Damian.