Chapter 12
“I apologize, my lord! Little one, just climb onto my horse. Hurry now!”
“It’s fine. How much trouble could such a small one cause? Just bring him along quickly.”
What was even more remarkable was that he had agreed to the request, which could have been easily refused, almost instinctively.
“Wow! This is my first time riding a horse!”
The child’s voice rang with excitement the moment he mounted alongside Kai’an.
It was no surprise—children from ordinary families rarely had the opportunity to ride horses, both financially and practically.
“Master! I’ve never met anyone with the same hair color as Ae’r before!”
Perhaps that was why the child chattered incessantly all the way out of the forest.
“You know, today at kindergarten we had a word quiz competition, and I got first place!”
“Ah! Mushrooms! Master, have you ever had mushroom jeon? It’s made with eggs and meat mixed together. My mom makes it so well! What’s it called… K-food? Anyway, it’s really delicious! My mom is the best!”
Truly, there was no time to catch a breath.
From time to time, Sedric would glance at the boy, but somehow he did not find him bothersome.
Perhaps Kai’an had grown fond of the child precisely because he was past the age to inherit the throne. He found this unusual, yet after today’s banquet, he doubted it was entirely the reason.
‘We just have to make sure he doesn’t get lost again.’
Kai’an found himself unconsciously smiling, intrigued.
At that moment, a commotion began at the entrance of the banquet hall. Gazing toward it, he saw a middle-aged man in a black formal suit standing there.
Amid the colorful array of nobles, he alone was clad in complete black. Just by his presence, one might mistake the hall for a funeral.
On such a celebratory day, only one person in the Empire would dare mock the royal family by showing up in mourning attire.
Kai’an’s previously rare, serene expression instantly hardened.
The audacious man noticed Kai’an and began to approach him immediately.
Step by step, as the man advanced toward the Emperor, the nobles in the hall instinctively parted to make way.
“Eternal glory to Lecanto. I greet the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor.”
Finally, the man reached the Emperor and bowed.
“The Duke of Astoria.”
“My apologies for being a little late, Your Majesty.”
The Duke of Astoria continued, wearing a composed smile.
‘Showing up late to a banquet hosted by the royal family and apologizing with such composure… as expected from the cunning and arrogant head of the Astoria house.’
Kai’an stifled a bitter chuckle at the Duke’s ever-consistent demeanor.
Bold arrogance. It was a single statement that revealed exactly how he treated the royal family.
The surrounding nobles dared not even breathe, secretly watching while trying to hide their attention.
Even the tense silence of the hall alone allowed Kai’an to sense their covert gazes.
Before the Duke’s arrival, the gentle music blended with nobles’ conversations and the clatter of dining utensils. Now, only the precarious strains of music filled the grand hall.
The violin’s notes seemed to tremble with unintended vibrato, the player’s hands hovering nervously between bow and strings.
“You’re late. Surprisingly, you arrived sooner than I expected. I thought you wouldn’t make it today.”
Kai’an’s languid voice cut through the tension, calm amid the chaos, exuding the aura of a poised predator.
“This is the Founding Festival banquet after four years. As a subject, attendance is only natural.”
“From the expression on your face, it seems you’ve endured a great deal. Even if Gong stayed home to rest today, the benevolent Founding God Soléon would not have minded.”
“Alas, to worry Your Majesty… I have been unfaithful. In attending to the daughter I first sent off to Soléon’s care—”
Bang!
The moment the Duke mentioned Empress Estelle, the violinist leading the music struck a harsh note, breaking the string.
The conductor struggled to maintain control of the piece amidst the chaos, but the performance faltered, halting entirely. The hall, already tense, froze even more.
No one present could be ignorant that mentioning Empress Estelle in front of the Emperor was strictly forbidden.
“Parents who have lost children feel a unique pain.”
The Duke of Astoria surely knew this. Yet he deliberately referenced her death, a clear provocation toward the Emperor.
The atmosphere was so tense that a single misstep could trigger bloodshed. Nobles clutched their chests, anxiously observing.
“A pity.”
Once again, it was the Emperor who broke the silence first.
‘The Emperor seems to empathize with the Duke’s words… He’s taking a step back. That’s fortunate.’
Just then, the Emperor spoke.
“If you could even imagine the heart of a child who has lost a parent, as a parent who has lost a child, perhaps you would have acted differently.”
A blatant reference to Empress Serena’s death. The nobles’ faces grew even paler than before.
The Astoria house had never led the execution of Empress Serena, yet most nobles assumed the Duke’s involvement. None dared speak the suspicion aloud in the Empire, where the Duke wielded influence nearly equal to the royal family.
Though the Emperor’s lips bore a smile, the aura of his swordmaster flanking him seemed ready to strike the Duke’s neck at any moment.
Some nobles, unable to endure the lethal tension, barely managed to steady their trembling legs.
“Human life is curious. On some days, it clings as tenaciously as iron chains, and on others, it breaks more easily than a spider’s web.”
The Duke of Astoria alone smiled, unfazed by the Emperor’s presence.
“Thus, we must live this day fully. For any human may one day cross the Styas River.”
The Styas River, in myth, was said to be crossed by the souls of the dead.
By saying ‘any human,’ the Duke implied that even the Emperor could die at any moment. Bold, indeed.
For an ordinary noble, such words could have been deemed treason.
“Whenever that day comes, I shall see you across it with my utmost care.”
Instead of fury, the Emperor responded with a chilling smile.
Though no swords were drawn, the two men verbally tore into each other with sharp precision, like blades honed on their tongues.
The nobles felt as if they were performing a tightrope act between two sheer cliffs, their balance precarious.
“Tonight, however, is not the night for that. Enjoy the banquet. It has been quite some time.”
“Your Majesty.”
With that, the confrontation ended for the night.
Yet the nobles, uneasy, began departing one by one, using their children as an excuse, and the banquet concluded far earlier than usual.
Kai’an exited the hall with a blank expression.
“I’ll walk alone.”
He dismissed all escorts and strolled through the garden.
The chilly February night air brushed against his cheeks, cooling the heat that had gripped his body.
‘Estelle.’
Even her name alone tightened his chest.
‘Just thinking of the Empress makes my insides twist… How can the Duke speak of her so calmly?’
What father could use his daughter’s death as a provocation toward the Emperor? The jealousy and confusion boiled within him.
Perhaps…
‘Estelle, you too were like that Astoria. Is that why you could betray both me and my mother so completely?’
She had deceived him without so much as a flicker of hesitation.
Why did his chest ache so heavily today, on the anniversary of that enemy’s death? Why was he still haunted by her specter?
Even her biological father had spoken of her death without restraint. Yet why…
‘The wretched Astoria continues to torment me, even to the very end.’
He looked up at the night sky. Thick clouds covered it completely.
Even the brightest star of the night sky, “Estelle,” was hidden behind the clouds. The Emperor could not find rest that night.
