Mathias frowned as he watched Lysian and Lestia disappear and enter the room.
“I’m doomed! I got furious at you as usual without realizing it! What should I do? What if Liti thinks of me as a scary brother from now on?!”
After pondering for a moment, he headed to the cabin room where Lysian and Lestia had disappeared into.
“Uhmm. This.”
Joel asked a question after watching the entire situation beside Gerard.
“Brother, what did you find annoying with Lestia?”
“…She’s calling me duke. It’s inappropriate. She should call us brothers in private.”
“Ah. So, you wanted to be called brother too.”
“……”
Gerard did not answer but Joel knew that he hit the nail on the mark.”
Lestia called Gerard ‘duke’. From her perspective, she was being as polite as she could be but Gerard had judged that she did not know what to call her own eldest brother.
“Is it because she had lived in the slums for too long? I think there’s a lot of things that she doesn’t know.”
That was the reason why he told the butler Halo to look for a tutor on etiquette early in the morning. But he did not want to be called duke until the etiquette teacher came in so he spoke earlier. Of course, he told her in his own way.
“This… brother… you can’t do it like that.”
Joel couldn’t help but click his tongue after grasping the situation.
“Your method is wrong, for a long time now.”
“Method?”
“Yes. I only heard her calling me brother after trying several times. You should get closer to her first. That way, Lestia will be able to open her heart to you.”
However, Gerard only spoke indifferently in answer to his suggestion.
“Even if we’re not close, it’s only natural that she calls me brother. After all, she’s a Verchester.”
Joel shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. It was hard for him to persuade his older brother since he was a stubborn mule in so many ways.
“Well. whatever you say. But brother, you don’t have to point it out yourself. You’re also not that admonishing even when Lysian speaks impolitely to you.”
“…Lysian can do that but she can’t.”
“Strangely enough, you’re only strict with Lestia.”
Gerard remained silent even after Joel expressed his doubts.
✢✢✢✢✢
“Keuaaaaaack!”
A shriek rang loudly in the palace shortly after Gerard had left.
Eric was mercilessly whipping his servants and maids. The luxurious and extravagant whip made with silver thread and adorned with jewelry in his hands turned dark red over the course of time.
“So… sob. Sp, spare me, please. Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
One of the young servants couldn’t endure the pain as he clung to the crown prince’s leg and cried. But Eric did not stop.
“Spare you? What position do you think you’re in for you to beg me to spare your life?”
“Ah… N, no. It’s not like that…”
Frustration colored the face of the servant looking up at Eric. He knew full well that the crown prince was releasing his pent up stress and ugly mood in this sadistic method. Back then, they were told that they should always let him vent his anger and make him feel relieved. However, the whipping that he experienced for the first time was so excruciatingly painful that he made a blunder.
“How dare you! A lowly baggage like you trying to speak to this Empire’s crown prince!”
“Aaaaack!”
Eric’s whip landed solely on the young servant.
All of the servants and maids working at the crown prince’s palace were terrified. They had no choice but to watch the brutal scene in front of them in horror. Seeing this, the crown prince’s chamberlain bowed and knelt down in front of him.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this lowly servant of yours did not know. Please show him mercy.”
However, his words made Eric even more upset.
“Mercy? This bastard, that bastard, all of you are arrogant! Are you going to block this body too?!”
Eric gritted his teeth as the veins on his hands popped from how hard he was gripping his whip. He wanted to relieve his mood that Gerard had ruined but these lowly things below him kept on stopping him. But in the end, he had no choice but to stop.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, we’re terribly sorry but His Majesty, the Emperor is looking for you.”
“My father?”
This was because the person standing at the top of the food chain in the Empire was looking for him.
✢✢✢✢✢
“Eric.”
The old emperor laid in his bed as he called out to Eric. His age could not be hidden anymore but the majesty, dignity and awe-inspiring aura surrounding his body couldn’t be hidden. After all, he was someone who had been standing at the peak of power for a long time.
“…Greetings, Your Majesty. Father.”
The servants helped the emperor sit up on his bed as Eric bowed his head in greeting. Then, he beckoned to Eric and asked him to come closer. Eric quickly and calmly approached the emperor.
“Right. I heard that you had breakfast with Duke Verchester today.”
Eric was shocked to hear his words but he did not show it on his face and just smiled at him.
“Ah. Yes. We had a meal together. Didn’t you order to watch the Verchesters closely, Your Majesty?”
However, displeasure rampaged inside him.
The emperor seemed to be indifferent to Eric but he knew his every move. And never hesitated on reprimanding him especially if he did something that he did not like at all. Just like now.
“That’s right. Jim* ordered you to watch the Verchesters closely but what I meant was monitoring them and taming those wizards. So, why did the imperial garden become a mess?”
“Your Majesty, that…”
Although he tried his best to not let anything leak from the garden, it was clear that the emperor knew that Gerard had threatened him at the crown prince’s palace.
“Prince, you’re not telling me that you let Duke Verchester run wild in your palace, right?”
Eric quickly made an excuse.
“That’s not it at all. I was just curious about Sir Verchester’s magic so I asked him to demonstrate it.”
However, the emperor’s gaze remained firm as he reached out towards Eric.
Eric bit his lips as he bowed his body and placed his face near the hand that reached out to him. It was as if he was already familiar with this.
Slap!
The emperor slapped Eric’s cheek loudly.
“You! You’re trying to fool this jim again, huh?”
“…I apologize.”
“Idiot. You don’t know how to tame a dog so you can only get bitten.”
“……”
The emperor clicked his tongue.
“Tch… If only Roxanne was alive.”
“……”
Roxanne was the emperor’s most precious and most cherished child, the late princess. The emperor cared for her deeply and bragged about her, his very own imperial child, intelligence and brilliance.
Perhaps, Eric would never become the crown prince if Roxanne was still alive. However, she was already dead for more than a decade and he had become the crown prince based on the natural order of succession.
And ever since then, the emperor had always complained about Eric and compared him to her.
“If I just had one more child.”
Eric was still showing a bright smile to his father, who was showing his anger and frustration at him openly.
“I’ll try my best, father.”
“Whatever. What should I even expect from you? Go back. I’m tired.”
The emperor dismissed him without even sparing him a single glance.
Eric stepped out of the door and rubbed his cheek as his expression turned cold.
“Stubborn old man. You don’t have a choice in the end.”
After all, he was the one and only surviving child of the Emperor that would succeed and inherit the Morcathium Empire. Even if the emperor was dissatisfied with him, the throne would eventually fall in the hands of Eric.
“Keke. That’s why, Gerard Verchester, in the end you too…”
You will kneel under my feet and beg for my help.
And he intended to return the insult and humiliation that he had suffered multiple times over.
“Alright. By that time, I will have a lot of fun with you before throwing you away.”
Eric thought for a moment before issuing an order.
“Decorate the garden again and bring a bigger cage.”
Gerard Verchester.
It seemed like his younger siblings were far more precious to him for him to express his feelings in that way.
“It seemed like he was particularly concerned about that sister of his. This is quite fun.”
Even if Gerard hid Lestia in Verchester Duchy right now, as long as she remained a Verchester, she would not be able to live the rest of her life in there.
“What a pity. Instead of a young chick, I will have to break the wings of a bird that’s just getting ready to fly.”
Eric felt better the moment he thought about that.
Time was on his side so it did not matter if he waited. After all, the pleasure and satisfaction would be better if he waited.
✢✢✢✢✢
Notes
*[Jim] – 짐 a first person singular pronoun for an emperor. The “I” that kings uses. Like the zhen that chinese emperors refer to themselves.
TL’s notes
Let me just wrangle this prince’s neck.
Mathias frowned as he watched Lysian and Lestia disappear and enter the room.
“I’m doomed! I got furious at you as usual without realizing it! What should I do? What if Liti thinks of me as a scary brother from now on?!”
After pondering for a moment, he headed to the cabin room where Lysian and Lestia had disappeared into.
“Uhmm. This.”
Joel asked a question after watching the entire situation beside Gerard.
“Brother, what did you find annoying with Lestia?”
“…She’s calling me duke. It’s inappropriate. She should call us brothers in private.”
“Ah. So, you wanted to be called brother too.”
“……”
Gerard did not answer but Joel knew that he hit the nail on the mark.”
Lestia called Gerard ‘duke’. From her perspective, she was being as polite as she could be but Gerard had judged that she did not know what to call her own eldest brother.
“Is it because she had lived in the slums for too long? I think there’s a lot of things that she doesn’t know.”
That was the reason why he told the butler Halo to look for a tutor on etiquette early in the morning. But he did not want to be called duke until the etiquette teacher came in so he spoke earlier. Of course, he told her in his own way.
“This… brother… you can’t do it like that.”
Joel couldn’t help but click his tongue after grasping the situation.
“Your method is wrong, for a long time now.”
“Method?”
“Yes. I only heard her calling me brother after trying several times. You should get closer to her first. That way, Lestia will be able to open her heart to you.”
However, Gerard only spoke indifferently in answer to his suggestion.
“Even if we’re not close, it’s only natural that she calls me brother. After all, she’s a Verchester.”
Joel shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. It was hard for him to persuade his older brother since he was a stubborn mule in so many ways.
“Well. whatever you say. But brother, you don’t have to point it out yourself. You’re also not that admonishing even when Lysian speaks impolitely to you.”
“…Lysian can do that but she can’t.”
“Strangely enough, you’re only strict with Lestia.”
Gerard remained silent even after Joel expressed his doubts.
✢✢✢✢✢
“Keuaaaaaack!”
A shriek rang loudly in the palace shortly after Gerard had left.
Eric was mercilessly whipping his servants and maids. The luxurious and extravagant whip made with silver thread and adorned with jewelry in his hands turned dark red over the course of time.
“So… sob. Sp, spare me, please. Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
One of the young servants couldn’t endure the pain as he clung to the crown prince’s leg and cried. But Eric did not stop.
“Spare you? What position do you think you’re in for you to beg me to spare your life?”
“Ah… N, no. It’s not like that…”
Frustration colored the face of the servant looking up at Eric. He knew full well that the crown prince was releasing his pent up stress and ugly mood in this sadistic method. Back then, they were told that they should always let him vent his anger and make him feel relieved. However, the whipping that he experienced for the first time was so excruciatingly painful that he made a blunder.
“How dare you! A lowly baggage like you trying to speak to this Empire’s crown prince!”
“Aaaaack!”
Eric’s whip landed solely on the young servant.
All of the servants and maids working at the crown prince’s palace were terrified. They had no choice but to watch the brutal scene in front of them in horror. Seeing this, the crown prince’s chamberlain bowed and knelt down in front of him.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this lowly servant of yours did not know. Please show him mercy.”
However, his words made Eric even more upset.
“Mercy? This bastard, that bastard, all of you are arrogant! Are you going to block this body too?!”
Eric gritted his teeth as the veins on his hands popped from how hard he was gripping his whip. He wanted to relieve his mood that Gerard had ruined but these lowly things below him kept on stopping him. But in the end, he had no choice but to stop.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, we’re terribly sorry but His Majesty, the Emperor is looking for you.”
“My father?”
This was because the person standing at the top of the food chain in the Empire was looking for him.
✢✢✢✢✢
“Eric.”
The old emperor laid in his bed as he called out to Eric. His age could not be hidden anymore but the majesty, dignity and awe-inspiring aura surrounding his body couldn’t be hidden. After all, he was someone who had been standing at the peak of power for a long time.
“…Greetings, Your Majesty. Father.”
The servants helped the emperor sit up on his bed as Eric bowed his head in greeting. Then, he beckoned to Eric and asked him to come closer. Eric quickly and calmly approached the emperor.
“Right. I heard that you had breakfast with Duke Verchester today.”
Eric was shocked to hear his words but he did not show it on his face and just smiled at him.
“Ah. Yes. We had a meal together. Didn’t you order to watch the Verchesters closely, Your Majesty?”
However, displeasure rampaged inside him.
The emperor seemed to be indifferent to Eric but he knew his every move. And never hesitated on reprimanding him especially if he did something that he did not like at all. Just like now.
“That’s right. Jim* ordered you to watch the Verchesters closely but what I meant was monitoring them and taming those wizards. So, why did the imperial garden become a mess?”
“Your Majesty, that…”
Although he tried his best to not let anything leak from the garden, it was clear that the emperor knew that Gerard had threatened him at the crown prince’s palace.
“Prince, you’re not telling me that you let Duke Verchester run wild in your palace, right?”
Eric quickly made an excuse.
“That’s not it at all. I was just curious about Sir Verchester’s magic so I asked him to demonstrate it.”
However, the emperor’s gaze remained firm as he reached out towards Eric.
Eric bit his lips as he bowed his body and placed his face near the hand that reached out to him. It was as if he was already familiar with this.
Slap!
The emperor slapped Eric’s cheek loudly.
“You! You’re trying to fool this jim again, huh?”
“…I apologize.”
“Idiot. You don’t know how to tame a dog so you can only get bitten.”
“……”
The emperor clicked his tongue.
“Tch… If only Roxanne was alive.”
“……”
Roxanne was the emperor’s most precious and most cherished child, the late princess. The emperor cared for her deeply and bragged about her, his very own imperial child, intelligence and brilliance.
Perhaps, Eric would never become the crown prince if Roxanne was still alive. However, she was already dead for more than a decade and he had become the crown prince based on the natural order of succession.
And ever since then, the emperor had always complained about Eric and compared him to her.
“If I just had one more child.”
Eric was still showing a bright smile to his father, who was showing his anger and frustration at him openly.
“I’ll try my best, father.”
“Whatever. What should I even expect from you? Go back. I’m tired.”
The emperor dismissed him without even sparing him a single glance.
Eric stepped out of the door and rubbed his cheek as his expression turned cold.
“Stubborn old man. You don’t have a choice in the end.”
After all, he was the one and only surviving child of the Emperor that would succeed and inherit the Morcathium Empire. Even if the emperor was dissatisfied with him, the throne would eventually fall in the hands of Eric.
“Keke. That’s why, Gerard Verchester, in the end you too…”
You will kneel under my feet and beg for my help.
And he intended to return the insult and humiliation that he had suffered multiple times over.
“Alright. By that time, I will have a lot of fun with you before throwing you away.”
Eric thought for a moment before issuing an order.
“Decorate the garden again and bring a bigger cage.”
Gerard Verchester.
It seemed like his younger siblings were far more precious to him for him to express his feelings in that way.
“It seemed like he was particularly concerned about that sister of his. This is quite fun.”
Even if Gerard hid Lestia in Verchester Duchy right now, as long as she remained a Verchester, she would not be able to live the rest of her life in there.
“What a pity. Instead of a young chick, I will have to break the wings of a bird that’s just getting ready to fly.”
Eric felt better the moment he thought about that.
Time was on his side so it did not matter if he waited. After all, the pleasure and satisfaction would be better if he waited.
✢✢✢✢✢
Notes
*[Jim] – 짐 a first person singular pronoun for an emperor. The “I” that kings uses. Like the zhen that chinese emperors refer to themselves.
TL’s notes
Let me just wrangle this prince’s neck.
