Meanwhile, in the Emperor’s private reception room, the Emperor and Filippo were sitting face to face, playing chess.

Moving a chess piece, the Emperor smiled at Filippo.

“Filippo, I didn’t know you had such a hobby.”

Of course, that was understandable. Until now, the Emperor had been a harsh father who never even glanced at Filippo.

So there was no way he could have known that he and Filippo shared the same hobby.

But instead of expressing dissatisfaction, Filippo moved a chess piece with an awkward smile.

“My skills are so poor that I dared not mention it.”

Filippo’s interest in chess began at the suggestion of his mother, Countess Tarel.

Looking back now, it seems she was trying to create something for Filippo to connect with the Emperor, but he had never dared to think of challenging the Emperor.

No, even before that, he had never thought of visiting the Imperial Palace alone to meet the Emperor.

That was understandable. Filippo was of the Emperor’s bloodline, but only half.

Because Filippo’s mother was the Emperor’s concubine.

In the past, there had been cases where a concubine’s son became the Emperor of the empire, but those were truly rare occurrences.

Generally, a concubine’s son was killed in his mother’s womb before he was even born.

The fact that Filippo was able to safely come into the world could be seen as pure luck.

Countess Tarel also said that she had several near-death experiences when she was pregnant with Filippo.

Although everyone kept quiet about it, Filippo was well aware that this was the Empress’s scheme.

After Filippo was born, the Empress’s mistreatment of Countess Tarel worsened, and Countess Tarel was indignant about it.

She constantly spoke of her hatred for the Empress.

But Filippo’s thoughts were a little different from his mother, Countess Tarel.

Although he was only half, wasn’t he able to grow up in a good environment thanks to the noble status of being the Emperor’s son by birth?

Of course, he was called the Young Lord of Count Tarel instead of Prince.

Still, Filippo never lost his pride in being a member of the imperial family.

Then someone appeared who called Filippo by the title of Prince, which everyone else was reluctant to use.

It was Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

There were rumors that she was a bit lacking in intelligence, but Filippo didn’t mind much.

It was no different from having his value of existence recognized for the first time by someone of noble status, a duke’s daughter, and it was a very significant event in Filippo’s life.

That wasn’t all.

Jieselgrante, whom he actually saw, was so beautiful that it was hard to take his eyes off her.

Although they had only exchanged a few words, her manner of speaking and behavior were full of the dignity befitting a high noble.

She seemed no less than his half-sister, Princess Trinity, whom he had only observed from afar.

Such a person called Filippo a prince. She chose him.

Countess Tarel thought this was an indirect expression that the Amaterasu duchy would support Filippo.

Furthermore, she wondered if they might even intend to make Filippo the husband of Duke Amaterasu’s daughter.

“Oh, you’re going to place it there…?”

The Emperor, who had been looking at the chessboard with a thoughtful expression, folded his arms and made an interesting face.

“Your Majesty, a moment…”

The head servant approached and whispered in the Emperor’s ear.

“The Empress?”

The Emperor raised one eyebrow and asked with a puzzled look.

“Yes… What shall we do?”

The head servant glanced at Filippo as he spoke, and the Emperor let out a faint sigh.

Just as Filippo’s curiosity about what was happening grew, the Emperor spoke.

“We were just taking a break anyway, so let her in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will convey that message.”

As the head servant left, Filippo, who had been nervously glancing at the entrance of the reception room, suppressed his rising tension and spoke.

“Is Her Majesty the Empress coming here?”

The Emperor, seemingly focused on the chess game, simply nodded.

“…”

Filippo had directly faced the Empress when he was very young, so he didn’t remember much about her.

But he had often heard from his mother, Countess Tarel, about how cold and frightening a person the Empress was.

‘I wonder if she might have wrongly accused an innocent person…’

When Countess Tarel returned from the Imperial Palace after his half-sister Princess Trinity died, she briefly expressed doubt.

‘Accusing an innocent person? What do you mean by that, Mother?’

Lost in thought, Countess Tarel muttered with her gaze lowered.

‘No, I must be overthinking it.’

Although she quickly changed the subject, saying it was nothing, Filippo couldn’t shake the feeling that his mother’s reaction was somehow unsettling.

In fact, Filippo himself had wondered if there might be someone behind Princess Trinity’s murder case.

Of course, even if that were the truth, it was a matter completely unrelated to him, so he had let it pass.

“You’ve fallen for it.”

As soon as Filippo took his hand off the chess piece, the Emperor burst into a pleased laugh.

“Ah…”

A low exclamation escaped Filippo’s lips.

Only then did he realize that he had fallen neatly into the trap the Emperor had set.

“It seems your concentration has wavered?”

“I didn’t expect you to attack from this direction.”

As Filippo made a regretful expression, the Emperor unfolded his arms and raised one eyebrow.

“How about it, shall I let you take back a move?”

“Ah, no. The world of competition is ruthless.”

As Filippo waved his hands, saying it was out of the question, the Emperor moved a chess piece and said,

“Checkmate. Well, well… You still have a long way to go.”

“Ha… I’ve lost. As expected, I’m no match for Your Majesty.”

Filippo shook his head and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

In truth, he never intended to win against the Emperor from the start.

The Emperor was a man with a very strong competitive spirit, and Duke Amaterasu’s daughter had also advised him thus.

‘First, give your all in the match. Then, try to lose in an absurd way when you’re in a favorable position. That way, they won’t suspect the young lord’s intentions for visiting the Imperial Palace.’

At first, Filippo only nodded without understanding Duke Amaterasu’s daughter’s words, but as he pondered her message, he was able to grasp her intention.

Countess Tarel said she had heard an important story once through the Emperor’s lips when he was completely drunk.

About the prophecy regarding the Emperor’s successor.

The prophecy that if the first child of the previous Empress was a prince, he would try to break his father’s neck and take his place.

Fortunately, the previous Empress gave birth to a princess, but none of the Emperor’s confidants who knew the contents of the prophecy at the time doubted it.

If the previous Empress had given birth to a prince, the Emperor would not have hesitated to deal with his own child with his own hands.

Given that he had dealt with his older brother, the Crown Prince, and taken his place, blood ties could not be an exception for the Emperor.

‘It meant don’t beat the Emperor if you want to live.’

The Emperor might judge it as more than just a simple chess match between father and son.

“Although I lost the match due to my lack of skill, I learned a great deal. May I come to play chess occasionally?”

The Emperor nodded readily to Filippo’s words, which were spoken with difficulty.

“Of course. Do you know how to drink?”

Filippo nodded slightly at the Emperor’s question.

“I can drink a little.”

“Who first taught you to drink?”

The Emperor smiled pleasantly and held out an empty cup.

Their father-son conversation continued amicably, but only for a moment.

The head servant announced the Empress’s arrival.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

Filippo, tense, watched the Empress walk into the reception room and stood up to greet her formally.

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Empress.”

The Empress looked at Filippo with a surprised expression.

“Young Lord of Count Tarel? It’s been a very long time.”

“It has been a long time. Have you been well?”

The Empress lowered her gaze slightly at Filippo’s greeting.

“I cannot say I’ve been well…”

It was well known that the Empress cherished Princess Trinity.

“You must have been deeply grieved.”

The Empress continued with a distant look in her eyes at Filippo’s words of consolation.

“…I’m constantly striving to overcome the sorrow.”

“I see. As the sky clears after rain, may Your Majesty the Empress always be filled with happiness.”

The Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly pleased with Filippo’s words.

The Empress, glancing at the Emperor, quickly changed the subject.

“But what brings you to the Imperial Palace, Young Lord of Count Tarel?”

“Just as Your Majesty the Empress, I thought His Majesty the Emperor might be deeply grieved, so I came to offer consolation.”

Filippo looked at the Emperor with an awkward smile.

The Emperor, who had been holding back a bitter smile for a moment, soon spoke.

“It seems I need to have an urgent conversation with the Empress, so we should end it here for today.”

“Yes, I’ve learned much thanks to Your Majesty. Then, I shall take my leave.”

Filippo bowed deeply to the Emperor and Empress and left the reception room.

Then, a servant waiting outside the reception room approached Filippo.

“I shall escort you.”

As Filippo was walking along the wide corridor with the servant, it happened.

There was someone walking towards them, turning around the corner in the distance.

Pale blonde hair and grayish-green eyes resembling the Empress.

Tall stature with a lithe build.

‘Joshua?’

Filippo greeted Joshua respectfully, just as he had done with the Empress moments ago.

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”

In contrast, Joshua simply stared at Filippo with narrowed eyes.

Then, the servant behind Joshua spoke.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this is the Young Lord of Count Tarel.”

“…Young Lord of Count Tarel?”

As Joshua raised one eyebrow and asked, the servant made a troubled expression, moved his lips slightly, and whispered in Joshua’s ear.

“Ah…”

As if he had just remembered, Joshua twisted one corner of his mouth upward.

“I must hurry to the enthronement ceremony. Return safely.”

With those words, Joshua strode away.

Filippo watched the back of his half-brother for a moment before turning around.

As he walked down the Imperial Palace corridor with its white ceiling, walls, and floor, Filippo’s fists clenched.