Even with all his duties, the Emperor’s devotion to his family was remarkable.
He let out a long sigh and muttered,
"One must always know when to act, and when not to."
In the anti, Liden was still getting beaten to a pulp.
“Urgh...! H-Heuk! Gah! Ack!”
One thing was certain: the Empress still knew how to land a proper beating.
After a while, Luka ca running up, completely out of breath.
“Minister! I-I’ve arrived!”
“Good. That Education Ministry official looks like he’s about to die—patch him up and have him thrown in a cell.”
At this rate, the Empress might actually kill Liden.
That would be a problem. If he died, only the Education Minister — the one who had backed him — would get to rest easy.
‘Knowing the Education Minister, he’s probably already laid all the groundwork to escape bla... but if we keep Liden alive, he’ll still feel the heat.’
That’s why I’d tid things so Luka would show up after a certain amount of ti.
Moving Luka was laughably easy.
[Just help one patient you stumble across — that's all.]
[I work for the dical and Public Health Departnt. I can’t follow orders from the Scroll Departnt Minister.]
[It’s not an order — it’s a favor from your equal and rival.]
[In that case, I’ll go. I may be lagging behind in promotion speed, but this is all for a fair and square rivalry to the end!]
The Public Health Departnt was the kind of place where mobilizing people was easy. They didn’t need to report before treating soone — treating first and reporting after was totally fine.
“Whatever you do, make sure he doesn’t die. We need to interrogate him.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
At last, the Emperor stepped forward and gently grabbed the Empress’s arm.
“I’ll take it from here, Fron.”
He spoke gently.
“I’ve heard everything he said to our son.”
As Liden was being dragged away by Luka, he coughed up blood and shouted,
“I-I’m innocent! I... I truly acted for the honor and glory of the Dragonblood, kuh—!”
“You would do well to shut that mouth of yours.”
The Emperor smiled softly as he looked at Liden.
“I’m barely restraining myself right now — if I unleashed even a sliver of my fury, you’d be dead.”
A truly rciful gesture.
By now, the Empress seed to have co to her senses and collapsed onto the ground, sitting limply. Her gaze locked onto Jaden, who was standing frozen.
She stamred as she looked at him.
“I... I’m sorry. Uh... D-Did I disappoint you again? M-Mother showed you sothing so uncultured again... Oh, gods, what do I do...”
This was a woman who hadn’t even blinked in the face of courtrooms or prisons.
And yet here she was, flustered before her eight-year-old son.
I simply watched quietly.
‘In the original novel... Jaden only learned the truth after the Empress’s death, once he was grown. That all of it was the Education Ministry’s manipulation.’
Now, Jaden looked utterly overwheld.
I glanced over — both the Emperor and Kiaros were visibly struggling to contain their anger.
If they exploded now, it wouldn’t just be the servants collapsing — I would too.
‘...I guess I’ll have to step in.’
And in tis like this, what mattered wasn’t family — it was a third party’s voice.
I slowly approached Jaden.
“I greet Your Highness, the Prince.”
His wide eyes lifted to et mine.
He caught his breath and asked,
“And who are you now?”
But then he glanced at the Emperor and Kiaros behind and quickly corrected himself.
“Ahem. I don’t believe we’ve t before. What is your na?”
“My na is Namia Roafi.”
Upon hearing my na, Jaden’s eyes widened.
Then, almost unconsciously, he repeated Liden’s words.
“The... the traitor who recklessly rejected the Dragonblood?”
“I’m nothing of the sort. I’m the Minister of the Scroll Departnt who fully understood her place and accepted the Dragonblood’s favor only in her heart.”
I knelt down and made eye contact with him.
The other royals all turned their gazes toward us.
I began speaking carefully.
“That Education Ministry official, Liden — everything he’s taught you outside of book knowledge has been a lie. I'm sure he taught you well academically, but as for the rest...”
I told Jaden the words he had always, secretly longed to hear.
“Her Majesty the Empress loves you very much, Your Highness.”
In the original novel, young Jaden had always yearned to hear this.
“She treasures you more than anything else in this world.”
“...Don’t lie.”
The prince took a deep breath and whispered.
“What do you know?”
“I know Her Majesty.”
I smiled softly.
“She’s always been bold and fearless. But when it cos to you, she’s never been like herself. She hesitated, she suffered, she lacked confidence... and now, she’s even lost her composure like this. That’s how much you an to her.”
“...What are you saying...”
“Everything that official told you was false. Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, love each other dearly. And you, their son, are their greatest treasure.”
Finally, the Empress — having regained so clarity — took a shaky breath and jumped in.
“Of course a mother loves her child! How could you not know that? Huh?”
“...”
“Even lowly beasts treat their young like precious jewels... How could you believe such ridiculous lies?”
Tears welled in the Empress’s eyes. I leaned in and whispered to Jaden with a smile.
“You heard her, didn’t you, Your Highness? A deep misunderstanding has grown between you and Her Majesty. And... that’s sothing only the two of you can resolve.”
“Haaah...”
The Empress exhaled with a trembling sigh.
The Emperor gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded.
“The Minister of the Scroll Departnt is right. Now that we know the truth, we must clear the air ourselves. I was caught in this misunderstanding too, so I must help nd it.”
I was relieved the Emperor was stepping up. He loved the Empress more than anyone, and he was rational enough to handle the situation with care.
“To say I forced Fron into her position as Empress — what utter nonsense.”
“W-Was that really untrue?”
“No matter how fiercely passionate a Dragonblood may be, you can’t force feelings on soone. Look at your older brother, who fell apart after a failed romance — and then look at Miss Namia, who rejected and beca a thriving Minister.”
I nodded firmly and flashed a bright smile.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Look at us. We’re the picture of ideal, healthy separation, aren’t we?”
Kiaros mumbled next to ,
“That kind of line’s only for couples who actually ended up together, you know.”
He’d originally helped plan all of this. The Empress wasn’t one for scheming, and the Emperor had only arrived at the last mont.
Yet once the chaos broke out, Kiaros had stayed unusually quiet the entire ti.
The Emperor gently patted Jaden’s head and spoke softly.
“Jaden, shall we have a talk? About how much we love you.”
“Your Majesty...”
“Your mother cherishes and treasures you more than you’ll ever know... But you and that foul adult created a ridiculous misunderstanding.”
Tears now brimd in Jaden’s eyes, too.
The Emperor gave a wink.
“Rember this: our family owes Miss Namia a great debt.”
“Snf—snrrk...”
“So don’t go around calling her a traitor who rejected a Dragonblood proposal. If that were the standard, then your mother — who rejected for years — would’ve been drawn and quartered and beheaded long ago.”
I watched quietly, smiling to myself.
The [N O V E L I G H T] Empress’s eyes were red. Even with her fists still stained with blood, her expression looked more fragile than ever.
‘Seems like my part here is finished.’
I slowly stood and bowed to the Emperor, Empress, and Jaden, who were now huddled together.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Turning slightly, I gave a polite nod to Kiaros, who was standing a bit apart from the others.
Then, quietly, I slipped out of the separate palace — alone.
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