# 45
To calm my troubled mind, I wandered aimlessly in the garden.
The sight of lush green leaves reminded me of Harold, making me close my eyes tightly.
“How will I cope with this?”
I realized that covering my eyes was no use. At the same time, I was reminded of a negative capacity of the saint from the adult novel—one whose sensitivity is heightened under certain circumstances.
I was losing confidence in my ability to adapt.
Exhale...
I continued walking and soon found myself in the training ground of the apprentice knights.
I saw a familiar young face among the trainees.
"where!"
Finn was the boy who begged me to help him find his little brother during the festival. When I suggested he work here, he said he wanted to be a jockey, and now he was an apprentice jockey.
When he heard my voice, his freckled brown eyes quickly turned to me. He ran to me.
"How are training going? Is it possible?"
“Yes, it's good,” he replied.
"That's great. Oh, how's your brother?"
We were able to find Brother Finn three days after the festival.
“…Completely at ease. Even after almost dying at the hands of a witch.”
Finn's voice became cold and harsh.
Considering that his brother had almost been sacrificed by a witch, it wasn't surprising that he felt this way.
“Fortunately, the child only had needle marks on his arm and was otherwise fine.” But the guards discovered other bodies, meaning some weren't so lucky.
This was the first time the issue of witches using humans as sacrifices had been exposed since the execution of the seven witches, including their leader Reyna, five years earlier.
‘Though, I shouldn’t say it was “revealed.” The royal family is trying to cover it up.'
Since revealing the incident might cause public unrest, the witch was only taken into custody.
Even so, it was reported that the witch showed no fear—she was acting like someone who had completely lost her mind.
"where!"
Someone called out to Finn, but when he noticed me, he gasped in shock.
"I'll leave you now. Practice hard, okay?"
"Yes! I will work hard to become an official knight!"
With an excited answer, Finn ran into the depths of the training field.
I remembered how Finn had come to me once, full of gratitude:
“I promise not to cause any trouble and I will do my best to become an official knight to return your favor, my lady! Even if I don’t succeed, I will find a way to return your favor for receiving me and helping me!”
True to his word, Finn didn't cause any trouble and was doing everything he could. According to the Knights, he trained hard, obeyed his superiors, and stayed completely focused.
The boy who used to lie and throw fits to get extra bread during charity events has changed completely.
“This really shows the importance of the right environment.”
While I felt proud of the change, I couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in my mouth. This problem will not be truly solved until the Emperor is replaced.
In the capital, maintaining public order and providing social welfare were the responsibilities of the royal family, and nobles were forbidden from intervening.
The laws that tied my hands filled me with frustration, and I kicked the ground angrily.
“Even Harold couldn't find a solution to this.” Unless, of course, he was willing to do something crazy like assassinate the Emperor.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to expel the image of Harold that was cluttering my mind.
“Ugh, I have to go back to the palace.”
If I stayed longer, I might start imagining Harold in every corner of the garden. I quickly turned towards the palace.
* * *
Andrew stood in front of the Palace of the Sun, where the Emperor resides.
It was time to stop being “Dante” and go back to being “Prince Andrew.”
He signaled to a servant to announce his arrival. The servant entered the reception room, and after a moment, the huge arched doors opened.
At the end of a long carpet, Emperor Alexid sat on a golden throne.
The Emperor's pale orange eyes looked at Andrew, as cold and piercing as they had been when he had sent the young prince into exile.
“It hasn't changed at all.”
Once upon a time, Andrew admired the emperor, who cared for the people and led the empire wisely.
He dreamed of following in his father's footsteps, becoming a kind ruler who would protect the smiles of his people. To achieve this, he worked tirelessly to shed his crying, clumsy, and weak image.
“Prince Andrew's learning speed is amazing!”
“Truly, the Sun of the Little Empire! With him, our empire will continue to flourish!”
As Andrew changed, people's opinions of him changed. But the more they praised him, the sharper the Emperor's gaze towards him became, like a blade facing an enemy.
If Andrew has one flaw, it's that he realizes this too late.
"my dad!"
Pretending not to know, Andrew called out to the Emperor in an innocent, childish tone.
“It's been a long time since I last saw you—ah!”
He deliberately stumbled and fell with an exaggerated sound, groaning as he got up with difficulty.
“Haha, I guess I was just nervous about seeing my dear father again after so long!”
The Emperor slowly closed his eyelids, then opened them again, and the coldness in his eyes eased slightly.
“Andrew, you haven't changed a bit.”
The Emperor smiled sweetly, finally acknowledging his son's return.
“Seeing you again after so long brings back memories. You're just like you were when you were little.”
“Really? Everyone says I’m too clumsy to be unfit for the dignity of a prince of a great empire, but if you see it as a good thing, Father, then I’m at peace!”
As Andrew got up, he stumbled a little.
The Emperor laughed.
“You still seem unsuitable to inherit my throne. The nobles who demanded that you be returned to the empire to help you as the crown prince will definitely be disappointed when they see you. Andrew, work hard.”
The Emperor tapped the crown on his head. The golden crown, which seemed heavy on the old and emaciated emperor, shone brightly.
“I will do my best to be a son who will not bring disgrace to you, Reverend Father.”
Andrew bowed deeply.
While they were exchanging empty pleasantries, the drawing-room doors opened again.
The Emperor's expression brightened when he saw the person who entered.
“Oh, Jenna.”
Upon hearing the name from the Emperor, Andrew immediately guessed who the visitor was.
She was the emperor's mistress, who enjoyed his favor for more than four years. When she became his mistress, the Emperor dismissed all his other consorts.
He even arranged a marriage for her to become a noble, giving her a title and allowing her to live in the palace.
“Your Majesty, I heard that His Highness the Prince has arrived and I couldn’t resist my curiosity, so I came to see for myself. I hope I did not interrupt your meeting.”
“It's okay. Our conversation is almost over. Andrew, greet Jenna with respect. She's like a second mother to you.”
A mere mistress could not replace the Empress as Andrew's mother, but he smiled politely, addressing her as the Emperor wished.
“Mom, nice to meet you!”
“Your Highness, this nickname is too much for me. Please, just call me Jenna.”
“Okay, Jenna.”
Andrew kissed the back of her hand.
“Please take care of me, Your Highness,” said Jenna softly, fluttering her gray eyelashes.
She was not exceptionally beautiful or attractive, but there was a strange charm about her.
The Emperor sent the two together, directing them to talk on the way to the Prince's Palace since they would be spending time together from now on.
As they walked, Andrew kept up his act, feigning clumsiness and naivety.
But as they approached the prince's palace, Jenna murmured as if she were talking to herself.
“His Majesty has been in a bad mood because of the witch lately, but he seemed happier today. I think meeting you after a long time made him happy.”
“…A witch? I thought witches disappeared years ago.”
“Oh, I made a mistake.” Jenna bit her lip, feigning remorse.
“Can I ask you to pretend you didn't hear that, Your Highness?”
“Of course. I don’t want to upset someone my father holds dear.”
Andrew and Gina broke up when they arrived at the prince's palace. He maintained a cheerful expression and stumbled every now and then, aware that eyes might be watching.
But in his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about what Jenna had mentioned about the witch.
Although he pretended not to know, Andrew had actually heard about the witch who had been arrested on the last day of the festival—someone who used humans as sacrifices.
'...horrible.'
How could humans do such things to their own kind?
What made it worse was the truth the royal family was hiding—the witches' true target.
They believed that, like great wizards who lived longer than ordinary humans, they could extend their lives using magic. To do this, they sacrificed humans without an ounce of guilt.
The Emperor dealt with the arrested witch calmly, but did not make any efforts to find someone else.
The last time the Emperor acted against the witches was years ago when a noble was among their victims—forcing him to take action. Without a pressing reason now, the Emperor would not lift a finger.
'My father no longer cares about the safety of the people.'
Andrew clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms.
At that moment, a servant approached him.
“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”
Andrew is informed of an unexpected guest.
* * *