LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 83
“Y-Yes. Understood.”
Even in the midst of a busy schedule, if this was an act of consideration, it was still something I was grateful for.
I tried to suppress the slight flutter of emotions that were about to stir with a touch of gratitude and quickly moved to the main point.
“First, the information I got from the tea party hosted by Count Ambrose’s wife.”
It was highly likely that it was Count Stefan’s wife who introduced the elegant young lady to the Empress.
If that’s the case, our suspicion that the Stefan family was involved in all of this would be correct.
That was the main point I wanted to convey.
“Perhaps Count Stefan’s wife became close to the Empress because she introduced a trustworthy mouthpiece,” I suggested.
“That’s not it.”
His voice, which had been quietly listening to me, spoke with a firm denial.
“Pardon?”
“Count Stefan’s wife was originally a close friend of my late mother.”
“Your… mother?”
If it was the Grand Duke’s mother, she must have been one of the Emperor’s concubines, the Empress Dowager?
And the Empress Dowager was briefly mentioned in the books as one of the obstacles removed by the Empress.
‘In that case, it wouldn’t have been a pleasant memory for the Grand Duke.’
Whether my guess was correct or not, I looked up to see the Grand Duke’s face, which looked different than usual.
As always, his expression was stiff and emotionless, but today it seemed particularly darker.
“Count Stefan’s wife became the Empress’s confidant because she betrayed my mother. That’s the correct order of events.”
Ah, so that was it.
In that case, the Grand Duke and Count Stefan’s family… had already been deeply entangled in a grudge even before this incident.
* * *
About 30 years ago.
The late Duke Blaire, unable to resist his daughter Messenna’s earnest plea to forget her first love, eventually sent her to the Emperor’s harem as his concubine.
However, Messenna had a naturally delicate and sensitive temperament.
Although she entered the palace for love, she was never someone capable of enduring the cruel power struggles of the court.
What allowed her to hold on was the desire to protect her son, Kayan, whom she had conceived shortly after entering the palace.
Kayan, the son of the concubine, was born just a few months after the legitimate heir, Prince Raiden. The mere fact that their ages were so close made Kayan a threat to the Prince Raiden faction.
Then, at the celebration of Kayan’s birth, a mage from the Tower of Magic discovered that Kayan was a natural “mana user,” someone capable of wielding mana.
This was probably due to the bloodline of his maternal grandfather, the Duke Blaire.
Perhaps that was the reason?
The Queen, Oriana, who believed that Prince Raiden would naturally become the next emperor, saw Messenna and her son as an unexpected obstacle.
The Queen had a ruthless nature and would eliminate any potential threats to the succession before they had a chance to grow.
This meant that no matter how much the Emperor loved his concubine, she could not escape the Queen’s cruel grasp.
The Queen, who ruled the social circles, chose a very easy tool to destroy the concubine — Messenna’s trusted friend, Lady Audrey Stephan, the wife of Marquis Stephan.
With the Queen’s guidance, Lady Audrey, who had also been subtly ostracized in aristocratic society, seized the perfect opportunity to betray her friend.
Even if it meant betraying her.
“Concubine, I heard the second prince still can’t speak. Is that true?”
“Wh-what do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“Concubine, for the sake of the royal family’s honor, I must ask you to tell the truth. Is it true that the second prince cannot speak properly and even doesn’t know how to call his mother ‘mom’?”
Lady Audrey, who had been privately confided in by Messenna about her son’s struggles, eagerly revealed Messenna’s secret to the Queen.
And at the Emperor’s birthday banquet, she publicly tore into Messenna with the Queen’s support.
“Messenna, hurry up and admit it! Denying it is an insult to the royal family!”
“…What? Audrey, what is this?”
“I’m telling you that Prince Kayan doesn’t have a few words — he can’t speak at all. We should get him the proper treatment!”
Messenna’s concerns about Kayan, who was slower to speak than other children, were exposed in public and spread throughout the social circles.
As a natural mana user, it was even speculated that the second prince, who was a candidate for the throne, might have intelligence problems.
Though Kayan was still a toddler under three years old, this became a significant flaw and a laughingstock in the cold, calculating social circles.
After that day, the Emperor no longer visited Messenna, who had become the subject of ridicule. Instead, he locked her and Kayan away in a distant palace, hiding them out of sight.
Left alone, rejected by the person she loved, and cut off from everyone, Messenna began to take her frustrations out on Kayan.
“This is all your fault, Kayan! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to suffer this humiliation. Because of you!”
As the concubine slowly lost her sanity in the isolated palace, the power of the Queen and Prince Raiden’s faction grew stronger.
Lady Audrey became the Queen’s most trusted ally, dominating the social scene while laughing at Messenna, revealing all her secrets as if she had never been her friend.
Already abandoned by her love, Messenna grew more reclusive and never stepped out of the palace again, relentlessly pressuring Kayan.
“You must become the emperor, Kayan. So work hard day and night. You must punish those who brought shame to your mother!”
“Yes, Mother…”
Ten years passed since Messenna retreated to the palace.
She lived each day consumed by longing for her lover, hatred for those who publicly humiliated her, and bitterness towards the people who mocked her. She died from a severe flu during a winter that reminded her of the harsh northern seasons.
After her death, the Emperor brought Kayan to the main palace, and from that moment on, his rivalry with Prince Raiden began to intensify.
However.
“The Duke Blaire died during a monster wave, leaving the current Duke Blaire without an heir, Your Majesty.”
Kayan never even got the chance to properly face Prince Raiden.
“The closest blood relative to the Duke Blaire is Prince Kayan. Considering his relationship with him, how about sending him to the Duke Blaire’s territory?”
The Queen had already spent ten years building a solid support base for Raiden, and no one in the capital dared oppose her.
The Emperor also didn’t want to see either of his sons come to harm, so an agreement was quickly reached.
On the surface, it was for the sake of the Duke Blaire’s request, and Kayan gave up his claim to the throne and was sent to the Duke Blaire’s territory.
Upon arrival, the people of the north welcomed Kayan. His seemingly strict grandfather embraced him with love, and the seemingly rough people of Blaire were kind-hearted and full of warmth.
For someone starved of love and affection, the Duke Blaire’s estate provided a much-needed refuge.
He had left all his painful past behind in the capital of Kletan.
Having cast off everything that had been tormenting him,
Kayan seemed to have thrown away the chains that had been holding him back, finding the stability and freedom that suited him.
However,
“Kayan, you can take a break. There’s no need to lock yourself in the study and exhaust your body like this.”
“Young Master! Your hands are covered in wounds. You’ve been swinging that sword until it’s in this condition… You’re abusing yourself!”
“At least have a meal. Taking care of your basic needs is essential.”
“Young Master, did you not sleep again today? Aren’t you tired? You should rest, even if just for a short while…”
Even with his eyes closed and his ears shut, Kayan could not escape the voice of his mother, still echoing in his mind: “All of this happened because you are lacking. Work harder.”
Even now.