# 119
The Emperor placed the cup on the table and descended from the dais. Everyone stopped breathing, watching his movements expectantly. He stood in front of Sirius, who was clearly taller than him, and the Emperor's gaze was warm towards his eldest son.
The Emperor opened his arms and said:
“Son.”
Before discussing the Eighth Division's disputes or the Second Prince's scandals, the Emperor clearly declared the First Prince's legitimacy. Sirius nodded softly and accepted his father's hug.
The audience shouted enthusiastically:
“First Prince!”
“Emperor!”
The scene was enormous. The First Prince, who had disappeared for more than ten years, had returned, and with tremendous physical strength, he was able to defeat a monster-like fighter. If what he says is true, he is the war hero who personally led the army to victory.
The Emperor, who personally embraced his son, had never shown such tenderness before even when the first Empress, Olivia, was alive. Have his feelings changed over time?
The cries of spontaneous joy faded away, and careful calculations began to enter people's minds:
“If the First Prince gained the Emperor’s trust, the Second Prince might be shaken.”
“The Third Prince may fall completely.”
Everyone was divided between supporting the second or third prince, but the sudden appearance of the first prince turned the tables. Everyone realized that it was better to join him early, because late loyalty did not count.
But the first prince has no rule.
“But if he has the Emperor’s trust…”
“He will receive strong support...”
The balance of power fluctuated in the atmosphere.
—
The Emperor said that he wanted to speak with Sirius alone, and left the hall with him. It ended mysteriously, without praise from the Second Prince or Charlotte's scandals, which did not resonate strongly.
Even if the Emperor discussed the matter later, the discussion would not have a strong impact. The Second Prince lost his chance, and the Third Prince's situation did not improve either. They both lost.
Deyarin felt darkness fill before her eyes. The emperor's formal declaration of the First Prince was not only a good thing, it also made matters more dangerous. He harmed the second prince, overthrew the third prince, and put the first prince himself in danger. What is really going through the Emperor's mind?
Dearyn looked at the back of the head of the Emperor who walked in front of her.
The Emperor said in a friendly voice, feigning paternal warmth:
“Maybe I've forgotten because it's been so long, but this greenhouse is a good place to talk.”
The Emperor walked alongside Sirius down the aisle, as if they were father and son in the quiet of a home. Sirius nodded softly and agreed to walk alongside him. As for Deyarin, she was trying to catch up with them. Although their speed was not fast, they seemed to be moving away little by little.
The emperor said in the greenhouse:
“Sit here.”
Sirius sat on the seat he had prepared for him, and the Emperor sat across from him. Deyarin had no place.
Dearyn stood among the servants, feeling the obvious lack of interest from the Emperor, who only glanced at her and did not ask her name or anything else.
Even though Dearren was close to Sirius and used her sacred powers in front of everyone, the Emperor did not show any curiosity.
Dearyn felt a little puzzled. She didn't expect this extreme neglect, she thought at least he would ask if she was one of his followers.
The Emperor said with a direct question:
“Were you hiding on purpose?”
Sirius took a deep breath and began to tell the story, short but clear, focusing on only what the Emperor wanted to know.
“I was kidnapped and my memory was erased.”
Sirius objectively recounted what happened to him: his kidnapping, sale as a slave, and forced training as a member of the Eighth Division. There was nothing more to say after that.
The Emperor answered him briefly:
“This is what happened.”
Dearyn looked to the side, thinking. Her eldest son, the Crown Prince, suffered as a slave for more than a decade, went through situations that almost claimed his life, and lived in the 8th Division as if he had died.
If his son was dear to him, wasn't he supposed to get angry and revolt?
But the Emperor showed no emotion. Dayarin tried to read his hidden feelings, but he showed no sign of anger at the tragedy that had befallen his son.
Sirius was watching this closely, and Dearyn wondered what it felt like to see his father not angry at the tragedy of his life.
But Sirius was as calm as an emperor, as if it had happened to someone else. He calmly asked the Emperor about his intentions.
He said:
“Will you let me take revenge?”
“Revenge… Revenge, huh.”
Sirius wanted revenge on the Second Prince. But the second prince was the emperor's other son and a strong candidate to succeed the throne.
The Emperor could have given him a simple warning, asking him before he upset the ruling family:
“Who do you want to avenge? And who exactly do you mean?”
But the Emperor repeated the question as if unsure of what he was hearing:
"You mean everything? The murder of my mother the Empress, the attempts on my life, my kidnapping and selling into slavery, and the ill-treatment I received as a member of the Eighth Division?"
Sirius recounted everything without omitting or softening anything.
The Emperor listened to Sirius, silent and rock-steady.
Sirius looked at the Emperor, waiting for a response, and even Dearen was holding her breath, anticipating what he would say.
The servant asked the Emperor if he wanted more tea, and he nodded.
The moments around the Emperor quickened very slowly, as the servant filled his cup again, the Emperor drank slowly, and then placed the cup on the table with a clear sound.
Then the emperor said:
"My son, whom I haven't seen for a long time, I think it's appropriate to give him a gift. Especially since you've become an adult even though your parents didn't take good care of you. Isn't that one of the most beautiful things?"
Talking about gifts in the midst of the discussion of revenge was confusing, which made Deyarin frown slightly but quickly softened her expression. As for Sirius, he remained expressionless, as if he were nothing more.
The Emperor smiled as he stared at him, as if his smile meant approval.
He said:
“You already accomplished part of your revenge, when you attacked the carriage that kidnapped you.”
Sirius sat silently waiting for more.
The Emperor's smile deepened and said:
“Really, you look a lot like me.”
“Like me” might have been a compliment, but Sirius did not show thanks or gratitude. He remained quiet, as if he was hearing something self-evident, and that arrogance suited him perfectly.
Follow the Emperor:
“He was behind the Sorbin cart attack.”
Sirius shook his head.
The Emperor said:
“King Sorben is still alive.”
Continue:
"It wasn't King Sorben who was responsible. He actually tried to accept you, and you, in turn, are a descendant of Sorben, so you deserve the throne."
Sirius took a deep breath, confirming that the Emperor's words made sense.
When he understood that this had happened, all the previously unconnected events became clear to him.
He lost the battle with the Second Prince, lost his mother, and was not even welcome in his mother's homeland, so the Emperor did not see the need to save him.
He was weak and abandoned, and there was no guarantee that helping him would do him any good.
Sirius said:
“The war was started by Sorbin.”
The Emperor replied:
“King Sorben did not know, but your uncles were the ones who destroyed Sorben.”
Sirius asked:
“Is Greylind one of them?”
The Emperor's eyes lit up with curiosity and he said:
“Have you met him?”
Sirius replied:
“Yes.”
The Emperor said:
“True, he was the one who led things.”
Grelind is the sole survivor of the Sorbin royal family, and was the head of the group that attempted to kill Sirius.
It was unclear whether Sirius had his full revenge, as Greylind was still alive.
The Emperor asked:
“Do you intend to complete your revenge?”
He said it as if he was throwing a card in a game, while Sirius' life was at stake.
Dayaren felt angry towards the Emperor but hid it with her gaze lowered to the ground, where she saw luxurious colorful tiles decorated with precious stones under their feet, reflecting the richness of the palace that ordinary people could not match.
The Emperor said:
“If you eliminate Greylind, Sorben will be yours.”
This was the decisive deal, as if Sirius's father entrusted him with the task of killing his killer, despite its far-fetched cruelty, but it was the only truth that governed the game.
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