After instructing the captain of the guard to erase Seyra’s traces left on the tower, Hercesis headed straight to the main palace.

He needed to check whether Liz was lying well on my bed or if she had run away somewhere during this time. Only then could his mind be at ease.

Hercesis quickened his pace.

The sky was densely filled with stars, and the gibbous moon, which had been high in the sky until a while ago, had descended more than a hand’s breadth to the west.

The garden looked particularly desolate today. Only the yellow primroses seemed to possess color in this monochromatic garden.

“But when my child is born, it will be different.”

Hercesis thought.

This barren garden would be filled with flowers of various colors as if it had always been that way. The grass would grow lush like cotton, and the trees would sway their small leaves in the spring breeze.

With that thought, the uneasy feeling in his heart momentarily eased.

As Hercesis, stepping firmly on the cobblestone path, approached the main palace, he suddenly stopped in his tracks when the palace came into view.

His gaze lingered for a long time slightly to the left of the center of the building.

Five consecutive windows were entirely covered by crimson curtains. He called out to the person who would be sound asleep behind those curtains.

“Liz.”

It was a voice that was so soft that even if she hadn’t been asleep, she might not have heard. So, this time, he called out with a little more strength.

“Liz!”

Even if she hadn’t been asleep and had excellent hearing, it was a voice that she might not have heard. Therefore, the curtains did not open.

Hercesis, seeming relieved, faintly smiled and said,

“Liz, who are you exactly?”

“You have a child. Your child is in my womb.”

Among the words Liz had said while Hercesis was lying down after falling from the horse, the only one he remembered properly was that. Until three months before that incident.

It was on a late autumn afternoon that day.

When he finished the council and came out, Clown was sitting on the main seat without moving.

It was somewhat unfamiliar to see him sitting quietly, who used to follow like a dog who would quickly follow his master.

“What are you looking at?”

When he approached and asked, the boy was startled and quickly stood up from his seat.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I got distracted by the book, and…”

“Just asked out of curiosity. Don’t worry.”

With those words, Clown relaxed. Hercesis gestured with his eyes towards the book in his hand, prompting him to recall the question.

“Ah… Your Majesty, this is just a novel. It’s a book that’s currently a hot topic among people. It seems to be gaining popularity as a play as well, and it has become famous in reverse. ”

“Oh, really? I should take a look too.”

Father always told him to keep an eye and ear on the interests of the imperial people. Hercesis intended to follow that teaching.
The book was placed on the office desk in a soft leather-bound volume in less than a day after it was acquired from him. This was possible because Clown, as a sign of apology for his negligence in work, polished the printer.

The story was not particularly interesting. It was a book that planted the fantasy of knighthood in young men and the romance with heroes in women, but it didn’t sow anything in Hercesis. It was too unrealistic.

But that was precisely the charm of this book, as he knew.

The more someone wants to escape reality, the more they immerse themselves in fiction.

“To be immersed in such a book means that reality is dissatisfying to that extent.”

With that thought, Hercesis felt somehow bitter.

As he flipped through the pages, suddenly a strange sensation captivated him.

It seemed like he had seen this book. No… he felt like he had heard the contents somewhere.

In a vague consciousness, with Liz’s soft voice.

The sounds that were previously heard as murmurs became distinctly recognizable under the influence of the characters. And then…

“You have to wake up. You must. This… this was not planned.”

The content not written in the characters also became vivid.

He thought it was a strange statement. What does it mean that it wasn’t planned? What plan?

After that, memories began to return little by little at intervals of a few hours or days.

As if an object buried in the sand of the desert gradually revealed its appearance by the wind, slowly… painfully slowly…

“I had everything prepared. I had prepared a way for you to escape your fate. But if you don’t wake up, what’s the point? I’ll surprise you if you know what I’ve prepared. I mean, I…”

The next words fit even more perfectly.

That his uncle had joined forces with the enemy to become the emperor, putting the golden land of the empire at stake. He was still a human being even after doing that. No, he would be prepared to give away not just part of the land, but half of the empire. If he could become the emperor.