I didn’t realize my expression had become cold. I raised both hands to show surrender to the emperor, trying to fix my expression, but I couldn’t erase the momentary discomfort.
It was unsettling that the emperor, of all people, was bringing up stories about my father.
“Blood is quite fascinating. Even if there’s no visible wound, it can have a significant impact on my offspring if I don’t get hurt. It’s because I think people don’t change due to that. The blood inside somehow follows the traces of my parents. Like Calix, like you.”
“Does that apply to Your Majesty as well?”
“You’ll see. Fortunately or unfortunately, I’m not the emperor’s legitimate son.”
“……”
I wondered if I had misheard and chewed on the emperor’s words over and over again. Absurdly, the emperor was still smiling.
“Surprised?”
“I simply thought that such a story wouldn’t be brought up like this.”
In continuing the family line, the most important thing is the bloodline. Even though they originated from the same ancestor, the main family and the branch family diverge, and inheritance goes to the eldest son, ultimately passing the family to the individual closest to the ancestors to preserve the bloodline of the family.
For the emperor, having an issue with the bloodline was not a matter to be taken lightly. Especially since he, at a young age, had ascended to the throne, emphasizing legitimacy born between the former emperor and empress.
The story that he wasn’t the legitimate son of the former emperor wasn’t just a rumor; on the day it was revealed as a fact, the emperor would no longer be able to maintain his imperial authority.
“Anyway, you’re in a position where it doesn’t matter who becomes the emperor, right?”
“…….”
That wasn’t a wrong statement. What mattered to me wasn’t something like the secrets of the imperial family. Rather, I should be delighted by the fact that the bloodline of the former emperor, who had been my enemy, wasn’t continuing.
But at least not now. The emperor’s fatal weakness would threaten even our alliance.
“…Who knows about this fact?”
“For now, it’s you, Calix, and my brother. Just the three of you.”
“For now?”
“My brother doesn’t trust anyone. He was always suspicious, but especially after experiencing some incidents, he became even more so. He wouldn’t easily reveal a decisive move.”
“If it’s about some incidents…”
“What you’re thinking right now is correct.”
“…….”
Lohan von Beiden. The second son of the former emperor, a prince sacrificed in the power struggle among siblings.
Long ago, the face of the deceased prince wasn’t well remembered now. However, I still remembered vaguely what kind of person he roughly belonged to.
The second prince, Lohan, was the complete opposite of his older brother.
While the elder Felt always received attention as the next emperor, with people following him, Lohan’s presence was vague. Even his hobbies were far from external activities, such as reading and chess.
Even when I used to enjoy social activities, aside from events I had to attend, I rarely saw him, and I had tried talking to him only a handful of times.
Thinking back now, I could only recall that he was silent and had a fragile impression.
“It was quite a shocking event. The big brother and the second brother got along well. They were brothers born from the same womb, unlike me.”
“People can hide their true feelings as much as they want.”
“Like you were deceived?”
“…….”
Bringing up unnecessary words is truly a bad personality.
When I slightly furrowed my brows, the emperor hurriedly continued.
“It was a shocking event. The big brother and the second brother got along well since they were brothers born from the same womb.”
“…….”
“People say that the second brother betrayed due to inferiority complex. But I think there might be another reason.”
“Is it meaningful to find that reason?”
“The big brother thought highly of the second brother not just because they were brothers sharing the same blood but because he was useful.”
“Useful?”
“I realized it as I took this place and organized my brothers’ rooms. Felt von Beiden. The true identity of the perfect prince everyone admired was actually two people.”
The reason Felt rapidly expanded his influence was solely due to his capabilities.
Rather than staying idle with an unfavorable bloodline, he chose the path of starting from the bottom, gaining recognition step by step. Excellently managing even small territories, he gradually gained recognition, returning from the provinces to the capital.
The emperor didn’t make his half-brother a dead person for no reason. Felt’s achievements, accumulated in various fields, from building reservoirs in every region to prevent droughts and floods to the point where he didn’t discriminate, were his weapons.
Although I didn’t witness it firsthand, there would still be many people who remember his achievements and honor him.
“Perhaps there was a strange rivalry between them.”
“That could be. Regardless of what’s inside, people only know one Felt.”
“But if it ended to that extent, His Majesty wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
There was no way to precisely divide achievements in half, and even if it were possible, it wouldn’t be that flawed. Since the deceased cannot speak, just getting support from Felt’s side to assist his younger brother would be enough to dispel it.
“You catch on quickly. Yeah, honestly, I believe there was no rivalry between the two.”
“Any basis for that?”
“The two of them didn’t aim to succeed the throne. No, it would be more accurate to say that the emperor’s position was a means to an end for them. They wanted something bigger than the empire.”
“Something bigger than the empire?”
“Continental unification.”
“…….”
For a moment, the air in the room chilled, and I involuntarily shrank.
If he were an ordinary person, I would have brushed it off as a joke, but the emperor was someone in a position to make that possible.
The Beiden Empire was the largest and most powerful nation on the continent.
“These people with such grand aspirations, would they fight before obtaining the means for their goal? Unless they are fools, it wouldn’t happen.”
“…….”
“How about it? Do you think you know why there was discord among my brothers?”
I pondered for a moment and nodded eventually.
Although I felt burdened by his expectant gaze, I had nothing particular to think about.
“It doesn’t seem to be an issue that requires my opinion.”
“It’s not important. But I’m curious. What conclusion will you come to, solving the problem in a different way from me, who plans and modifies while being cautious as there’s no harm in trying.”
“…….”
“It’s not crucial to the plan. But since we’re planning, it might be good to make a slight adjustment. There’s no harm in being careful.”
The emperor smiled, but I noticed that his expression was more rigid than usual.
He was tense, or rather, he seemed frightened.
I swallowed my breath slowly.
Why on earth?
I had questions, but I wasn’t foolish enough to bring them up.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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