Chapter 109

10 years ago.

Lucio, who was then a prince, was a little excited about his 15th birthday. He was a young boy whose mind and body were beyond weakened, but nevertheless it was his birthday. He got up early and at the thought of celebrating his birthday.

There was nothing particularly different about his birthday. Maybe if the previous Emperor had been in the Imperial Palace, but he was now abroad for a conquest war. Since his mother would have nothing to do with holding a birthday party for him, so it was very likely to be just like any other day. He simply decided to be happy with the symbolism his birthday represented.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty, is looking for you.”

It was around the time of noon when it had started to rain little by little, that she called for him. He headed to the Empress Palace, thinking that he had to hurry before the rain gradually came down stronger. There was still some hope in his mind. Perhaps today… he might be given a gift instead of a beating today. Alas, the boy was still young, and he was not fully aware of the reality he was facing.

The small piece of hope amplified when he arrived at the Empress Palace, and the reason was because of Empress Alyssa, who welcomed him with a smile that was unlike her usual self. His mother always began ranting as soon as she saw him. However, at least today, she welcomed him with a smile. Hope was growing in his heart.

“Your Majesty.”

“Welcome, Prince. The weather is quite nice.”

He thought it was a little weird when he heard those words. It was difficult to say that the weather was good now, but his mother said it was nice. But Lucio soon stopped thinking. If his mother said it was a nice weather, then it was nice a weather. Perhaps his mother had said that because thanks to the rain, the air was clearer. He responded, after interpreting the words of Empress Alyssa at his discretion.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The weather is nice.”

“Is it the Prince’s day of birth today?”

At those words, young Lucio’s heart pounded. Ah, his mother remembered his birthday! Was she trying to give him a gift? He nodded his head quickly with an excited heart.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“That is why your mother has prepared a gift.”

She stood up from her seat with a pretentious smile. Lucio, who was quick to notice her nuances telling him to follow, and then followed after her. Despite the heavy rain, she did not hesitate and went out of the Empress Palace. The maids put an umbrella over her, and Lucio, who followed her out of the Empress Palace, also had a maid put an umbrella over him.

The rain, which had been weak even as he was reaching Empress Palace, was getting stronger. Lucio couldn’t bear his curiosity of what Empress Alyssa had prepared for the gift, but he feared she would retract the gift if he showed this, and simply followed after her.

Soon, Alyssa’s footsteps stopped, and the place they arrived at was one of the secluded carvings of the Imperial Palace. Lucio, who stopped, had a confused expression on his face. Was she perhaps giving this carving as a gift? It was a naive thought befitting a young child.

“What do you see, Lucio?”

His mother, who always called him ‘dirty child’, called him by his first name. He replied faithfully to his answer while feeling his heart pounding.

“Looks like a person, Your Majesty. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is a person.”

It was a person. Surrounded by a white cloth, he couldn’t be sure of its shape, but it seemed like a person. When the guessed answer was correct, Lucio smiled. However, his expression was forced to crumble by Alyssa’s words, which were soon to follow.

“This is the person you will kill.”

“… what?”

Lucio looked at his mother with an expression of disbelief. However, Alyssa smiled elegantly, unlike a person who had just said such a thing to a child, and once again nailed down her adopted son.

“This is the person you will kill today, Lucio.”

“Your Majesty…”

“If you kill this person, I think I will be very happy, Lucio. Can you willingly do this for your mother?”

If it was something to make his mother happy, it was something that made him happy as well. But not this. To kill someone. He shook his head without his knowledge, and then Alyssa’s face, which had been smiling until now, quickly hardened. Lucio’s facial expression also hardened, as he watched her.

Ah, Her Majesty’s expression did not look good once again. He intuitively anticipated abuse. It was an anticipation due to repeated abuse, like the idea of “Pavlov’s dog.”

“Lucio.”

However, she didn’t beat him right away. Instead, she just called his name in the same voice as before. When his expectations changed, Lucio was flustered. He responded to her call in a slightly terrified voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

“Are you trying to disobey my words?”

“Your Majesty, it is not that…”

“I have no need for excuses. You are truly a bad child.”

Bad child. The young Lucio shrank at those words. These were words he heard many times while he was beaten up. Bad child, dirty child, and vulgar child. Her assaults never stopped at just the physical. Alyssa knew this through experience. That what truly made a person sick was the wounds of the heart, not the wounds of the body.