Chapter 560: The Emperor's Proud Children
Alia, the second wife of the empire.
She was the emperor's beloved, the most favored among his consorts.
Outstanding in magic, she was the ideal wife, always supporting the emperor by his side.
That's what they used to say.
However, there was a ti when Alia lost her physical and ntal balance.
It was when she was pregnant with the third imperial princess, Krista.
Suddenly, she would start screaming, or suddenly start writing sothing.
The harem was in a panic because of Alia's unusual behavior, who was normally intelligent.
Handmaidens were replaced, doctors were frantically brought in.
The diagnosis was always the sa.
She was seeing hallucinations due to anxiety from her pregnancy. Since both mother and child were stable, it was best to wait and see.
Because of the pregnancy.
When they say that, there's nothing more to say.
However, Alia's odd behavior continued, and she even started refusing to see Emperor Johannes.
Exasperated, Johannes called back his two princes, who were inspecting the front lines, as his last hope.
"Sorry for calling you back all of a sudden."
"If the health of our stepmother is not good, it's our duty as sons to return. Especially since we are the eldest and the second sons. Leave it to us, father."
"I'm counting on you, Wilhelm, Erik."
Wilhelm, the first prince, and Erik, the second prince, had started to replace Emperor Johannes on the front lines more often.
The emperor's pride and joy, his sons.
The two young princes in their late teens, known as such, were the emperor's pillar of support.
When in trouble, rely on the two of them.
But...
"Don't promise too easily, Wilhelm. Do you think Alia will et us if she won't even see our father?"
"We won't know unless we try. I hear pregnancy can be tough. Let's relieve Alia of her worries."
"I think it's best to leave her alone at tis like this. I won't take responsibility if you do sothing unnecessary and complicate things."
"If she tells us to leave her alone, we'll do that. But what if she has worries that she can't even talk to our father about? That's when it's our turn!"
Wilhelm announced cheerfully.
Following him, Erik let out a sigh.
Always looking on the bright side of things is a rare virtue, but it can be a pain for those who have to go along with it.
What's troubleso is not that he's slow-witted.
He can consider the feelings of others and predict the troubles that might follow, yet he still remains cheerful.
"If we solve this, we'll earn our father's jealousy, won't we?"
"Our father is not that narrow-minded."
"It's different when it cos to Alia. It's not uncommon for a son to fall from grace due to his father's jealousy. Be careful not to stick your neck out too far."
"If that happens, you'll step in, right, Erik?"
"Don't keep pushing troubleso things onto ."
With such a conversation, Wilhelm and Erik headed towards Alia's room.
Alia had already been inford that the two of them would be coming to greet her on their return.
And then...
"There are no guards...?"
"What's going on?"
There was no one outside the room.
Furthermore, they couldn't even feel any presence from inside the room.
Feeling suspicious, Wilhelm knocked on the door.
"...Please co in."
A frail voice returned from inside the room.
It was Alia's voice.
Feeling relieved by that, Wilhelm opened the door after saying excuse .
Then, Alia was smiling on the bed.
"I'm glad... you both ca... Wilhelm, Erik."
"We're back, Alia."
"We heard your condition wasn't good, but why is there no one in the room?"
Erik suddenly confronted Alia with questions, and Wilhelm elbowed him in the side. But Erik didn't mind.
Alia answered Erik's question with a smile.
"I asked everyone to leave... when I heard you two were coming. There's no one around now..."
"Why would you send everyone away? What if sothing happens to your health..."
"That's why... I'll get it over with quickly... I have sothing to talk about, but only with you two."
"If you have any concerns, we're here to listen. Please, tell us everything."
Encouraged by Wilhelm, Alia pulled out a book. It was a book she had written herself.
"I've written down all the nightmares I've been having... The doctors say it's hallucinations due to pregnancy... but I don't think so."
"What do you an?"
Alia stroked her swollen belly. Inside, the child of the emperor was growing. Alia's treasure. And the treasure of the empire. That's why she couldn't talk to the emperor. Because there was a possibility of it being rejected as a calamity for the country.
"...It's the magic that ca into effect due to my pregnancy... I see various futures... and in all of them... the empire is devastated and in a miserable state... "
"Foresight magic... I've only read about it in literature."
"I can't believe it either... but I can see it. I can't dismiss it as a hallucination. The empire is in ruins... and Wilhelm... you're nowhere to be found. And... your grown-up younger brothers are fighting... Recently, I've even seen futures where I harm the emperor..."
It was unbelievable. With those feelings, Wilhelm and Erik looked at each other. But they couldn't voice it out. Alia did not seem to be hallucinating or going crazy. She seed to be simply confused yet accepting of the current situation. At least, that's how they perceived her.
"I don't know how long this will last... but in many futures, the empire is divided. Leonardo leads one, and Arnold leads the other. You can dismiss it as nonsense... But I want you two to keep this book... and protect the family. If I can entrust this to you, I can withstand the nightmares from now on."
With those words, Alia beckoned Wilhelm and Erik, handing over her book. Then she fell asleep as if relieved.
The two, who couldn't keep up with the situation, were rely worried about Alia who had fallen asleep.
What remained was the book in which Alia had recorded her nightmares. The two of them brought back Alia's handmaidens who had been sent away, and for the ti being, glanced through the outrageous book.
TL's Notes:
Series is almost over... (According to the RAWS)
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