CH 126

Before the Emperor’s roar spread across the door and into the hallway, the Lord of the Wizard Tower, who had been hiding and watching, quickly cast sound-blocking magic. 

Serdel glanced sideways at Duke Belters.

Despite the Emperor’s appearance, he was calm and not the slightest bit surprised. As if he already knew the Emperor cared about Falden. 

In fact, since he was the commander of the Imperial Knights, it was only natural that the Duke of Belters was close to the Emperor.

She couldn’t even imagine if it would be a tough master-slave relationship.

From the moment he called him as a witness, she thought there’s no way—.

However, she couldn’t believe he was really relying on him. 

What and how far did the Duke of Belters report to the Emperor?

And how far does the Emperor know about her?

Serdel stopped thinking about the complicated questions and looked straight at the Emperor, who was spewing life all over him.

“He is my and the Queen Consort’s son. If there’s a mistake and problem in his life, I—” 

“Your Majesty should do it well.”

“…What?” 

“Whether His Highness Falden is in danger or not depends on whether Your Majesty will do the contract well or not,”

The Emperor’s mouth, which had been wide open, closed.

“As long as Your Majesty doesn’t betray me, His Highness Falden will not be in danger.”

The Emperor’s eyes shook.

The always arrogant mask began to crack, revealing the bare face he had been hiding for the first time.

The Emperor, who looked like an ordinary father who wanted to keep his child close, but was heartbroken because he couldn’t, even looked helpless. 

At that moment, the pendant, which had been quiet during important times, exploded with a light that she could only see with her eyes.

[The red hawk’s eyes assimilate into the other person’s deep feelings and form.]

A shadow flowed from the Emperor’s body as the surroundings turned gray.

It was an Emperor who looked much younger than he is now. After looking around for a moment, Serdel was swallowed by a mist that had been blowing like the wind. 

Before she raised her arms to cover her eyes, she saw young Falden and the young Emperor kneeling in front of her in the middle of the changed background.

“I grant you a sword.” 

The child, who had been forced to use the sword by the young Emperor, was trembling with fear.

“I, I don’t want to die. Your Majesty. It’s only been two years since I picked up the sword. Please take the order to participate.”

The young Emperor clicked his tongue, staring at the crying child coldly.

“You’re such a weak brat! Fulfill your responsibilities and duties as a Prince!”

“Did the 1st Prince fulfill his responsibilities and duties as a prince? He’s not! You’re abandoning me because my mother died! I know it all. You’ll throw me away because I’m useless!”

“Yeah, it’s good that you know.” 

He turned his back on the crying child and gave a casual answer.

The young Emperor teared up with every step as if every word the young Falden said was a dagger.

The child who couldn’t see his sorrow and loneliness vomited endless despair in his heart.

It’s scary not having a mother.

So please, don’t abandon me.

He begged earnestly, but the young Emperor abandoned him by walking away without stopping.

The background changed once more with him.

It was a library.

The young Emperor, who pulled out a book and opened it, turned the page with a dull cold face.

Then a few men came up behind him and got down on their knees.

It looks familiar. 

Then a few men came up behind him and got down on their knees.

They were subordinates who were comfortably throwing jokes at Falden in the Elbash forest.

“There’s no need. Sometimes just let me know if he’s alive or not. Then, if you serve him as a master, live as Falden’s person thoroughly. If he tells you to keep a secret what he’s planning, keep it a secret. Then I will treat him as badly as it is…and put pressure on him, so that he will treat me like an enemy, not like a father and son…” 

“I will obey your order.” 

“Yes, that child…please take care of him.” 

After staring blankly at the ceiling light for a moment, the Emperor looked down at the book again.

He couldn’t concentrate properly because he couldn’t see the writing.

“This father who loved the daughter of a local Baron is guilty of a great deal.”

If he hadn’t met her like fate by chance. If only it hadn’t been love at first sight.

She wouldn’t have suffered such a death, and Falden would have never been kicked out by his father. 

In the end, it was all his fault that he couldn’t protect the two of them.

For a long time, the young Emperor blamed himself like a madman. 

By the time his murmur diminished, with the wind, Serdel was freed from the phenomenon. 

“….” 

When the color of reality came back to the gray area, it was the middle-aged Emperor that she saw.

‘I thought he was a selfish person who was cold-hearted and only knew about himself.’

He wondered if he really loved Queen Consort Velia when he saw what he was doing to Falden. 

But when she found out the truth, her mouth was bitter.

Just as Cartal became a cold father to protect her, the Emperor also became a heartless father to protect Falden, who has no support.

Moreover, Falden was still resenting the emperor.

‘Is this the reason I have him by my side these days?’

In the past, every time he returned from work, he was sent out again, so he couldn’t stay at the palace for long.

However, he kept him in the palace for now.

‘He’s afraid.’

He is afraid that Falden will also die the closer it gets to the day he is poisoned.

He pretends that he doesn’t trust Falden on the surface and pretends that he hates him.

He was putting pressure on him and swinging at him with a lot of force, which showed that they had a bad relationship, but he was afraid he might lose him.

Even though she knew everything, Serdel couldn’t express herself.

“Lord…It will work if you don’t betray me. Ha, hahaha. Yeah. of course.” 

The Emperor ruffled his messy hair, transcribing Serdel’s words.

“Duke of Belters. Thank you for coming out as a member. Just go out and see.” 

The Duke of Belters, who had taken turns looking after Serdel and the Emperor, quietly retreated. 

“I’ve walked everything I need to walk, so I’ll close the contract.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor took the dagger out of the drawer and signed the contract again with the blood that came out of his thumb. Serdel also signed the contract with the dagger that was given to her with blood on it.

The blood of the two and the energy contained in the contract merged, and the new power that came out locked the heart of Serdel and the Emperor.

With this, the contract was completely concluded.

Whoo, whooo. The expression on the Emperor’s face as he let out his breath looked tired.

Serdel stretched out her hand and pulled the string. The Emperor’s forehead distorted at the sound of the bell ringing.

“What are you doing now?”

When the head maid came in, the Emperor changed his expression. 

“I’m thirsty… bring me something to drink.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As soon as the head maid left, the emperor struck the desk with his hand.

“Calm down.”

Serdel interrupted what he was about to say by speaking first, but the Emperor’s anger eventually followed.

“If it’s Lord, can you be calm! I’ve been through all sorts of things, but I’ve never been fooled by a successor of a family like today!”

Serdel bowed her head. 

“Ha! Now come and bend your back.”

“I was also desperate.”

“….” 

“Your Majesty knows how much the Count family has been ruined since my mother died like that. My sister had to carry all her burdens alone, and my brother was so shocked that he couldn’t attach affection to his family for a long time.”

The Emperor’s anger subsided a little.

“I, who was young at the time, also lost my memory because of it. In the past, I continued to live in that state, and just like Your Majesty, I came back. I couldn’t be swayed by the former Count Maient anymore, so I had to change my mind and move. That’s why I came here.” 

“Did you lose your memory?”

“I must have lost my mind after my mother’s accident. Part of my memory disappeared at that time, but I recently found it again.”

“…That’s a relief.” 

“The memory that I recovered is also unstable, and some memories from the past have been slightly tangled during the regression…” 

She doesn’t know who killed the Emperor.

Perhaps he, too, vaguely noticed. That Serdel most likely doesn’t know the culprit.

If she knew, her reaction would have been different from when she heard the Emperor say that the person who killed him might have harmed Queen Consort and her mother.

“I don’t know who killed Your Majesty, but I can tell you how it turned out after you died and who was tortured for it.”