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Chapter 33

The report also stated that the child she had ordered killed was alive and well in the Duke of Valen's hands.

And the root cause of it all was her husband, the Emperor.

A despicable, contemptible man who gave not a shred of affection to his own child while fathering a bastard with another woman.

I never wanted to make such a man emperor either.

In truth, the one she had long harbored feelings for was the previous Duke of Valen.

But he had coldly abandoned her and married the princess.

So Seraphina chose power over love.

Love was fleeting, but power was eternal.

Unfortunately, all the princes—including the Crown Prince—were either married or engaged.

So she used her family's influence to strike a deal with the previous emperor.

The man she obtained in that way was Prince Damian—the weakest of them all.

Of course, Damian, who had been separated from his beloved, never gave her his heart—but that was fine.

All she needed was the bloodline and the seed of a prince.

After making him emperor and bearing a son, she no longer needed such a weak-willed husband.

So she had been slowly poisoning him to death, but...

Even as he wasted away, he clung to his "love of a thousand years" and went to find his former lover, fathering a child.

Her first mistake was acting in haste—upon learning of it, she immediately set out to erase the bastard's traces.

But the Duke of Valen had taken the child first.

Even without that, the boy's face—so like his father's—irritated her every time she saw it, and now he had done something to provoke her further.

She had no intention of leaving anything that might threaten her son's position.

Just as Seraphina's eyes glinted chillingly, a maid hurriedly entered the garden.

"Y-your Majesty!"

"What is it."

"Th-that is..."

The maid flinched in fear, hesitating to answer.

"I asked what it was."

"Th-the young prince is..."

At those words, the Empress rose from her seat with an elegant motion.

---

The Crown Prince's palace was more lavish and splendid than anywhere else in the Empire.

Inside, a young boy sat with his chin propped up, slouched in a crooked posture.

"Yawn."

The boy let out a long, bored yawn.

"Hngh, ugh..."

At his feet, a servant writhed on the floor.

"What punishment should I give you, I wonder."

The boy spoke in a calm tone, as if choosing a dinner menu, flicking his foot idly.

Hearing that, the servant tried to kneel before the boy, but his body—already beaten to the point of torture—wouldn't obey.

The arms struggling to support him trembled violently.

The boy, Aron, looked down at him with indifference.

Whether such servants wept or not, it stirred no emotion in him.

"Sigh, this is all so boring."

In truth, Aron was quite fed up.

A life where everything was given to him, except for his innate frail health.

All he had to do was say a word, show the slightest sign of discomfort—and everything was solved.

Especially his mother, who placed anything he desired right into his hands.

Whether it was acquiring expensive items or obtaining interesting people, everything came easily and effortlessly to him.

But paradoxically, this life where he needn't lift a finger had brought the boy nothing but ennui.

Especially since his second sister—the only one worth watching—had disappeared.

She was at least somewhat amusing.

He'd found it entertaining how she would endure whatever torment he inflicted, yet never quite manage to hide her defiant eyes.

Completely different from his eldest sister, who was utterly submissive.

Aron clicked his tongue with regret.

Well, that's why Mother got rid of her, I suppose.

Still, now that she was gone, the loss felt greater.

Just then, the heavy doors opened.

The Empress entered, flanked by countless knights and attendants.

"Oh, Mother."

Aron greeted his mother without even changing his posture, perfectly at ease.

The Empress, too, paid no heed to the blood that clung stickily with every step she took.

Her gaze was fixed solely on her precious son.

"Who has displeased my son again?"

Approaching Aron, the Empress gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.

At that moment, a groan came from the floor.

"Hngh, ugh."

At the noisy sound disturbing her precious conversation with her son, the Empress's brow furrowed in an instant.

With a cold expression, she signaled to the knight behind her.

Understanding her meaning, the knight bowed quickly and dragged the servant out.

Empress Seraphina then softened her expression again, gazing at her son.

My son.

Looking at him always filled her with tender affection.

No matter what she gave him, it never seemed enough for her son's standards, and no matter how preciously she treated him, her devotion always felt insufficient.

And yet, despite such a precious son—

As Seraphina examined Aron's appearance closely, her expression darkened.

A face pale and bloodless.

A body so thin the bones stood out, and a frame far smaller than other boys his age.

Every time she saw her son's obvious frailty, she felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

I should have borne him flawlessly.

Whenever she thought that, anger toward those born before him—who had used her womb—inevitably surged.

They had drained away the very nutrients that should have gone to her son.

Those worthless, incompetent things who dared to mar her child.

She didn't ask for much. She had only ever wanted one perfect son.

And yet, that bastard child had to be a healthy boy.

She ground her teeth.

"I must kill it quickly."

As Seraphina murmured absently, Aron raised an eyebrow in reaction.

"You mean that bastard?"

"Oh my."

The Empress snapped back to attention at her son's voice.

"I've gone and made my son worry for nothing."

She smiled affectionately and said.

"Your mother will take care of it, so let His Highness the Crown Prince focus only on the upcoming appointment ceremony."

In the Empire, one could only be appointed Crown Prince at the age of ten.

This was to prevent someone too young from being manipulated by those around them.

Yet even now, despite being only a prince, Aron was using the Crown Prince's palace.

There were no other princes to begin with, and the only sibling he had was a sister.

Naturally, the position of Crown Prince was his—and beyond that, the throne as well.

"Hmm."

But Aron only half-listened to his mother.

Becoming Crown Prince was so inevitable that it wasn't even on his radar.

Isn't there something more interesting to do?

Just as he was thinking that, Aron's eyes suddenly glinted dangerously.

"Mother, I have a good idea—would you like to hear it?"

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