The Emperor, Cabelius III (1)
“Quite unexpected.”
Gloria Knights Commander Jerome muttered to himself as he left the imperial palace.
The reason this man—who loved his sleep more than anyone—had come to the palace at such an early hour was simple.
He had come to report on the Third Prince and his nanny to the emperor.
But contrary to his expectations, the emperor’s reaction had been lukewarm.
- Do as you wish.
When he asked whether he could allow the Third Prince to join the knights’ training, that single sentence was the only answer he received.
It was an ambiguous response—impossible to tell whether the emperor cared or not.
Jerome frowned as he recalled the emperor’s indifferent face.
“Just what is he thinking?”
The emperor and Jerome had known each other since childhood.
The adopted son of a ducal house and the imperial family’s heretic, Cabelius III, had gotten along surprisingly well.
Even so, there were times when Jerome simply couldn’t read the man’s mind.
Like today.
‘He says to do as I wish, but if it goes against his own plans, he’ll throw a fit. It’s obvious.’
Jerome tried to guess the emperor’s true intentions, then eventually gave up.
“Well, he didn’t say no. He told me to do as I please, so I’ll just do that.”
The duke came to a simple conclusion and turned his steps toward the knight order.
At that moment, he had no idea.
That his decision would become a major turning point that would change a certain boy’s life forever.
“Welcome, Your Highness. I am Philip Meyer, Vice Commander of the Gloria Knights.”
Knight Philip Meyer.
With his sharp, fastidious appearance, he was quite famous within the imperial castle.
It was only natural—he was an outstanding talent who had risen from commoner origins to the position of vice commander in his late twenties.
“N-nice to meet you, Sir Philip.”
Edwin greeted the knight who had saluted him, his words awkward and stiff.
“Please speak comfortably. I am merely a knight.”
“Huh? But still…”
“Your Highness will be participating in the 3rd Division training.”
After saying what he needed to, Philip quietly looked down at the Third Prince.
The young prince looked visibly tense.
‘They said the Third Consort was incredibly beautiful. It seems he takes after his mother.’
Philip found himself inwardly impressed as he studied the prince’s face.
Honey-gold hair, beautiful blue eyes, and refined yet distinct features.
His appearance was so radiant it almost seemed a waste for him to have been born a boy.
‘Still, that seems to be all there is to him.’
A prince born from a princess of a ruined kingdom. A troublesome child whose strings had been cut. A pretty boy.
That was Philip’s first impression of the Third Prince.
“The nanny has come as well, I see.”
Philip looked at the prince’s nanny with a displeased gaze.
“We meet again.”
But Rachel remained completely unfazed by his reaction.
“I’ve come to observe. It is my duty as his nanny.”
“The training lasts about three hours. You intend to wait?”
Philip, convinced that a delicate woman could never endure the harsh spring sun, turned away.
“I cannot leave a flower-like young lady standing under the hot sun. I will escort you to the reception room…”
“It seems Sir Philip has seen flowers wither under the spring sun before.”
At the unexpected reply, Philip stared at her blankly.
“I appreciate your kindness, but my duty is to stay by His Highness the Prince’s side. I will remain here.”
At the nanny’s firm declaration, the knight let out a helpless sigh.
In the end, he withdrew his suggestion.
“Understood. Then I will guide you straight to the training grounds.”
Edwin braced his hands on his knees and stared only at the ground beneath his feet.
His breath had climbed all the way to his throat, and his lungs had reached their limit long ago.
A strange wheezing sound came from somewhere near his solar plexus.
Subjectively, it felt even harder than when he had been chased by a monster in Luxen.
“Pick up the pace! You slugs! How dare you call yourselves the empire’s finest knight order like this!”
At the harsh roar coming from ahead, Edwin jerked his head up.
The 3rd Division knights of the Gloria Knights, running in formation, had already left him far behind.
‘Isn’t the 3rd Division supposed to be the weakest in the Gloria Knights? And yet…’
Even so, Edwin couldn’t catch up to them.
The excuse that he was too young didn’t hold water—there were many boys who looked only ten or so among the knight trainees.
Overwhelmed by a rising sense of shame and defeat, Edwin clenched his teeth.
“Haaah…”
He stared blankly at the knight unit growing ever more distant.
Then he started running again.
“Ugh!”
A groan slipped between his tightly clenched teeth.
But he didn’t give up.
Because he remembered what Rachel had told him before coming here.
- Your Highness will now be participating in the knights’ training.
- What? That’s ridiculous!
- It’s nothing more than basic physical training, so there’s no need to worry.
- But how can I possibly…
Rachel had declared firmly to the frightened Edwin.
- Your Highness said you wanted to become strong, didn’t you? I guarantee it.
Her eyes had been more serious than ever.
- If you cannot endure this training, you will never become strong in your entire life.
Edwin pounded the ground with every ounce of strength he had.
The image of his nanny, who always looked straight at him, flickered before his eyes.
Standing tall with a posture that refused to accept surrender.
“Uwaaaaaah—!”
Edwin let out a wild cry as he chased after the knight unit.
‘Running is my specialty! I can’t fall behind at this too!’
This time, he wasn’t running to escape. He was running to catch up to someone.
So he absolutely could not lose.
“Kuuuugh!”
Even as his breath burned in his throat, Edwin refused to give up.
His beautiful face was twisted so horribly that not a trace of princely dignity remained.
Because of that, the young prince failed to notice that someone was watching him.
“So, may I ask why you have come all the way to my office at this hour?”
Knights Commander Jerome spoke to the man standing by the window.
The man who had been looking down at the knights climbing the mountain behind the palace slowly turned his head.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Bronze-colored curly hair and vivid blue eyes.
A plain, unassuming appearance and small frame that didn’t suit the title of ‘emperor’ at all.
It was the emperor of the Ventrum Empire, Cabelius III.
“It’s troubling if you wander around without any escorts like this.”
Jerome spoke to the emperor without the slightest hesitation.
“I don’t want to be scolded by my little sister at this age.”
“The empress doesn’t seem the type to scold you.”
The emperor replied casually, as if accustomed to his friend’s teasing.
“Well, that child is only weak when it comes to Your Majesty.”
“That may indeed be the case.”
The emperor continued while leaning against the railing.
“So why did you bring that child here?”
His gaze remained fixed on the back of Edwin’s head as the boy desperately chased after the knights.
“Didn’t Your Majesty tell me to do as I wished?”
“This time you really did exactly as you pleased.”
When the emperor showed clear displeasure, Jerome simply shrugged.
“There are times when I don’t particularly want to guess what Your Majesty is truly thinking.”
“What a disloyal subject.”
“You flatter me.”
The emperor let out a small chuckle at Jerome’s retort.
“You are the only one who can speak to me like that.”
“Didn’t Your Majesty permit it?”
“Yes, I did. Because you are a subject more precious to me than my own blood.”
The emperor stood silently for a long time, gazing at the mountain ridge.
“Edith Lionel… Was that the name of the woman who gave birth to that child?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor’s voice was dry, as if he were speaking of someone who had nothing to do with him.
“At the time, I never doubted that Lionel would conquer the west.”
Jerome silently watched the emperor.
The Third Consort, Edith Lionel, had been the only princess of the Lionel Kingdom.
More than ten years ago, Cabelius III had taken her as his consort solely to form an alliance with the Lionel Kingdom.
But the Third Consort died after giving birth to a princess, and the Lionel Kingdom was destroyed at the hands of King Kaiden Ram of Adamanth.
In the end, the support they had hoped to gain from the Lionel Kingdom had vanished as well.
“That boy has no qualities to be a ruler.”
The emperor’s eyes as he looked at Edwin were ice-cold.
His desperate running might have seemed admirable to others, but apparently not to the emperor.
“Do you believe effort can overcome innate talent, Duke?”
“I believe it is possible to a certain extent.”
“We are complete opposites.”
The emperor twisted one corner of his mouth in amusement.
“He lacks the fundamentals. Therefore, he is a useless piece to me.”
“That remains to be seen.”
At the duke’s words, the emperor turned his head.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Duke Crown, why did you accept that child?”
“I told you last time. The Third Prince’s nanny came to me personally and asked, so I simply granted her request.”
“The nanny?”
The emperor frowned.
“The nanny… You mean that woman from before?”
“Pardon?”
“…It’s nothing.”
The emperor waved his hand and changed the subject.
“That was unlike you. To grant the request of a mere nanny.”
“As Your Majesty knows, I have a hard time refusing requests from women.”
“You refuse the empress’s requests quite easily, yet your tongue is smooth indeed.”
The emperor clicked his tongue, recalling the Second Consort who had run to him in tears, begging him to punish Jerome for his rudeness.
“So, a man who is a duke of the empire has been swayed by a single word from a mere nanny?”
“Haha, I suppose that’s how it looks.”
“Stop speaking with a mouth that doesn’t match your heart, Jerome Crown.”
In an instant, the atmosphere surrounding the emperor changed.
A chilling air settled over the room.
“Speak your true intentions. Do you not wish to place your own niece on the throne?”