Chapter 6

The road back to his homeland was sunny all the way. Latil, atop his horse, listened absent-mindedly to the 'clip-clop' of the hooves. Was what I just did a farewell? Or was it just a dream? His head grew hazy, and he couldn't distinguish between the two. It seemed that if he turned back right now, he could see Haysins again, and if they faced each other and laughed, everything would be as if it never happened. When he arrived at the village at the border, the people there were talking about Emperor Haysins' marriage.

"Aini is the best! She has been famous for her character since ancient times."

"Yeah. She's smart and doesn't cause any trouble. She's different from the other noble children who are always in the gossip columns."

"She'll make a great empress."

"Her family is solid, so there's no reason for it to be a problem."

Only then did Latil realize the truth. Damn, it's real. Haysins really did get married, to someone else. Meanwhile, the people of Karisen mostly welcomed this marriage. That night, Latil, who had just realized this, sobbed and pounded his pillow.

"Haysins, you bastard! Bark like a dog, you traitor! Give me back my prayers!"

* * *

Around the same time, a man who couldn't sleep was also pounding his pillow.

'I clearly said we would meet again.'

It was Prince Klein.

Klein, who had been sipping his drink, suddenly gripped his glass with one hand. The glass shattered in his hand and fell to the floor. Klein shook off the blood and glass shards from his hand and instructed a servant to clear the table. He pretended to be calm. But after the two servants cleared the glass shards from the table and left, Klein clenched the pillow and gritted his teeth.

"Damn it!"

The more he thought about it, the more his pride was hurt. He had pretended not to notice when the woman, drunk, hugged his waist and cried, staining his clothes with her tears and snot. He had patted her back when she pressed against him, showing how much she liked him. If he had approached her first, he wouldn't feel so wronged. But she had come to him first, declaring her love and begging him not to leave. She had sneaked away in the morning, ignored him, and then disappeared again. Would she ignore him again the next time they met? Klein rubbed his forehead. In a way, it wasn't a big deal. But his temper wouldn't let him just brush it off. Klein's high self-esteem made his forehead heat up with every passing second. What made him even angrier was that he had attended the wedding and the reception, searching for her everywhere. He had even planned to seriously ask her when she started to have a crush on him. Calculating that a princess could also become an empress, he felt embarrassed to even think about it. Klein huffed and finally pulled the bell rope hanging from his bed. When the attendant arrived, he gritted his teeth and repeated the same question for the seventeenth time.

"Is it true that the Tarium delegation has returned?"

"Yes, they returned after a brief farewell to His Majesty this morning."

The attendant, tired of repeating the same answer, replied with a slightly annoyed tone. Klein waved the attendant away, lay back in bed, and huffed, "Huh."

'Alright. Let's forget it. Forget it. After all, she likes that woman, not me. If she leaves like that, it's ultimately her loss. I don't care.'

* * *

As the representative of the delegation, Latil couldn't mourn for long. Although his eyes were puffy the next day, he bravely ate breakfast, took care of the delegation, and crossed the border of Karisen. After that, his body was so exhausted that he didn't have to tend to his heart's wounds, which was a relief. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he thought this was better. When he finally arrived at his homeland and saw the familiar buildings and clothing, Latil sighed deeply in relief. He still felt pain and his heart twisted when he thought of Haysins, but he wanted to return to the palace. If he spent a few months with his family and nanny, he would be fine, right?

'I hope I don't stay sick for long. It would be a waste of my time.'

However, what awaited Latil upon his return to the palace was not the warm embrace of his family but shocking news.

"What? You said my brother is stepping down from the position of Crown Prince?"

In a way, his wish had come true. As soon as he heard the news, Haysins vanished from his mind. Latil stared blankly at his father, who delivered the unbelievable news. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. The Crown Prince, his brother Leann, was stepping down from the position?

"I'm sorry to greet you with such news, Latil."

The emperor smiled awkwardly. This was a meeting where Latil, as the head of the delegation and the emperor's daughter, was to report on his mission in Karisen. But before he could hear the report, the emperor felt bad for delivering such shocking news.

"How was it in Karisen?"

"I kept the promise I made with Father."

"Feet? Did you step on them hard?"

"Yes. Haysins also got married well. But that's not the important thing now. What do you mean my brother is stepping down from the position of Crown Prince?"

The emperor and empress had only two children: Crown Prince Leann and Latil. If his brother stepped down from the position of Crown Prince...

"Surely, it's not Tella who will be the next Crown Prince, right?"

Latil asked irritably. The first in line for the position of Crown Prince was the emperor's son by the empress. If the empress had no son, the position would go to the empress's daughter or the son of a concubine. According to Latil's knowledge, the son of a concubine had become the Crown Prince more often. Tella, his half-brother, was the second son of a concubine and was known to be quite intelligent. Although Latil didn't want to admit it, if the position of Crown Prince became vacant, the nobles would likely support Tella as the next Crown Prince.

"Latil, don't call your brother by his name, it's disrespectful."

The emperor frowned, but Latil frowned even more. She couldn't help it. Latil loved her father, but she couldn't agree with such words. Like many half-siblings in the royal family, Latil and Tella had a poor relationship. There was no specific reason for their poor relationship. She just disliked his very existence. Tella's mother was a concubine favored by the emperor, and her mere existence made Latil's mother sad. Every time the emperor sent loving gifts to Tella's mother, or went for walks and watched plays with her, Latil's mother was deeply hurt. Latil disliked Tella because of this. Tella felt the same way. He resented having to bow to the empress, and this resentment naturally turned towards Latil and Leann. How could Latil not be angry at the thought of that damn Tella becoming the Crown Prince?

"I don't want Tella to become the Crown Prince."

Latil said bluntly, prepared to be scolded by her father. While it was a personal feeling, objectively, Tella was not fit to be the Crown Prince. But the emperor didn't scold her. He just smiled.

'Why isn't he angry?'

Latil looked at her father. The emperor favored the empress's children, Leann and Latil, the most, even though he favored Tella's mother, Concubine Anakcha, the most. But even the emperor wouldn't let Latil openly show her dislike for Tella. Yet, he didn't scold her and just smiled? Surprised by this unexpected reaction, Latil looked at her father. The emperor pointed at her.

"You, Latil."

Latil blinked, not understanding her father's words.

"You will become the Crown Princess."

Only after her father repeated his words did Latil freeze. The emperor, seeing her reaction, asked calmly.

"Why? Are you not confident? If you're not confident, say so now."

It was a clear provocation. Latil knew this but, hearing these words, she immediately shouted.

"I can do it! I will do it! Crown Princess."

Her answer was immediate and without hesitation. Only after answering did Latil seriously consider, 'Can I do it?' But the answer came quickly. What can't I do? Haysins did it, didn't he? She had wanted to become his empress because she loved him, but that dream was now gone. Before meeting Haysins, she hadn't coveted the throne because she loved her brother, the Crown Prince. But now her brother had stepped down voluntarily, and her old dream was taken by someone else. She needed a new dream. And the throne was not a bad new dream at all. In fact, the moment she realized the possibility of becoming the emperor, a competitive spirit she didn't know she had emerged.

'If I was born a princess, I should at least try to become the emperor. Yes!'

The emperor burst into a hearty laugh, as if he had expected this.

"I knew you would answer like that."

His eyes filled with affection for his daughter. But after looking at Latil with satisfaction for a moment, the emperor suddenly became serious.

"But the weight that comes with that answer is very heavy, Latil. You will have to undergo all kinds of education from now on."

"I can do it."

Latil's eyes shone, and she clenched her fists. It wasn't just words. She really could do it. The word 'emperor' turned her heart, filled with pain and Haysins, red. Her heart pounded, making her face hot. Latil pressed her collarbone and smiled contentedly. Then, a sudden question came to her mind, and she frowned.

"But why did my brother suddenly step down from the position of Crown Prince?"

She had forgotten this in the shock of being told to become the emperor. This was the most important question. The emperor sighed deeply with a worried look.

"He wants to become a Great Sage."

"Really?"

* * *

Later, it was revealed that it was her brother, Leann, who strongly recommended Latil as the Crown Princess. When Leann declared that he would step down from the position of Crown Prince, he directly named Latil as the next heir. This was fortunate for Latil. Many of those who supported Leann accepted the emperor's decision to make Latil the Crown Princess. The fact that the two half-siblings, children of the empress, had similar support bases also helped. For the empress's side, it didn't matter much whether Leann or Latil became the emperor. However, unlike Leann, who became the heir without opposition, Latil faced significant opposition.

"Of course, the next Crown Prince should be Prince Tella."

"Of course! Princess Latra has not systematically studied imperial science until she became an adult. How can she suddenly become the Crown Princess?"

"Absolutely, it's not because of any personal bias against Princess Latra. Your Majesty, looking at the precedents, in this case, Prince Tella should be the Crown Prince."

"Exactly! Prince Tella is so intelligent and proactive that even his teachers are amazed. He will further strengthen the Tarium Empire."

Several ministers, relatives of Concubine Anakcha, and those who usually supported Prince Tella gathered to oppose the emperor. Latil gritted her teeth every time she heard this through the three knights.

"Bad guys! I studied imperial science too! ...Just self-study."

But what did it matter? Her father, the current emperor, was healthy and not old. She could start studying formally from now on, right? There was plenty of time. Moreover, while she acknowledged that Tella was intelligent and proactive, he was also a unrealistic idealist. In Latil's view, more than half of the proposals he made were not feasible.

"Really, bad guys!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she pounded the table with her fists. It annoyed her that Tella's supporters, who couldn't even speak up when Leann was the Crown Prince, were now making their voices heard.

"Don't worry. Princess, you can suppress them all, can't you?"

Whenever this happened, the three knights would laugh lightly and reassure Latil.

"Of course. I'll remove anyone who stands in my way."

Latil pursed her lips and nodded.