Chapter 76

Rathil's lips trembled. The shock was so great that the back of his head felt numb. Even if his deceased father had appeared, it wouldn't have been this surprising.

'No, that's not right. That would be a mix of surprise and horror. He would have been even more shocked.'

But even this was hard to bear, and Rathil took a step back.

"Daughter, I feel like I'm going to faint. Can I sit down?"

His mother asked worriedly, her voice as gentle as always. But even that voice was unwelcome to Rathil now. It sounded insincere, like a dagger hidden in kindness or a sweet fruit wine laced with poison.

"Two necklaces, right?"

If he took off one more necklace, another face would appear... but that would be better, wouldn't it? But it was unlikely.

"One."

His mother smiled. In the midst of this. Rathil's eyebrows drooped. To be betrayed by his mother after his brother... even if he were slapped on both cheeks and then hit on the back of the head, it wouldn't feel this numb.

"How could you do this?"

"My legs are shaking. I think it's better to sit down first."

"Why is this happening?"

"Aren't you going to sit?"

"If I sit down, the floor might flip over and a trap might appear. That's how I feel right now. How can I sit down and relax here with you, Mom?"

"..."

His mother looked troubled. When she used to make that expression while they lived together, Rathil always panicked. He would make meaningless noises to cheer her up. Then his mother would hug him tightly and kiss his forehead. My pretty daughter, my pretty daughter, she would sing. Thinking of this, Rathil felt like crying.

"Mom, you are my sky and my earth. What do I do if you act like this? My world is collapsing and flipping over."

"In your world, you are the sky and the earth. Your world won't flip over just because someone else hurts you."

"Is it that easy to think like that? But it's Mom who did this?"

"Even if it's not easy, you have to. If you flip over so easily, what will the people who trust and rely on you do?"

"But Mom took everything from those people!"

"They were borrowed, Rathil. Not taken."

Rathil clenched his fists and glared at his mother.

"What do you mean?"

Kallain alternated his gaze between Rathil and the former empress. His eyes showed no strong emotion, but they were clearly troubled. It would be awkward to intervene even in a minor argument between his wife and mother-in-law, let alone in such a huge one. His mother sighed.

"You and your brother are both my children. To save both of you, it was necessary, Rathil."

"Why is my brother involved here? He was living well with the Great Sage."

Of course, he was called to handle state affairs for a while. But it was only for a few days, and it wasn't a dangerous task at all.

"Did you think my brother would die from overwork after handling state affairs for a few days?"

"Take a deep breath, Rathil."

"What?"

"You might be the reincarnation of the Vampire Lord."

Rathil and his mother, who were on good terms, were having a sad but realistic argument about why they betrayed him and why his mother did such a cruel thing to him. Suddenly, an unrealistic story popped up, and Rathil was momentarily stunned.

"What?"

Rathil repeated the same question.

"What?"

"Lord."

His mother enunciated it again. Rathil's eyes widened and his lips curled. He shouldn't laugh in this situation, but he couldn't help it. When something is too absurd, laughter can come out even in such a situation.

"What are you talking about?"

His mother pointed to the shoe Kallain had just removed. When Kallain handed her the shoe, she put it on and said to Rathil.

"You were also under investigation, right? The black mage, the vampire, the zombie, the Lord who resurrects every 500 years, and so on."

Rathil scowled.

"Are you saying I'm that Lord now?"

"It's not certain. It's a possibility. To be precise, you are one of the candidates for the Lord."

Rathil was speechless.

"What are you talking about? I was born to you. Is my father a descendant of the Lord?"

"It's not a matter of bloodline but reincarnation."

"No!"

Rathil shouted. He felt like everything about him was being denied out of the blue. He was so angry that he couldn't breathe. After shouting, he realized that this wasn't the time to raise his voice. His personal guards, brought by his mother, would be outside the door. He had to be careful.

"I am your daughter!"

But he couldn't stay silent in this situation. Rathil lowered his voice and whispered, almost sobbing.

"I know, Rathil. Whether you are the reincarnation of someone or not, you are my daughter, born from my pain. I don't care about that part."

"But why?"

"The Vampire Lord is said to awaken all the evils in the world just by existing. You were also investigating this, right?"

By now, Rathil had moved closer to his mother. Kallain sat on the windowsill, watching this perplexing standoff.

"Then why did you let me become the Crown Princess?"

"I was at the temple at that time."

"Oh, right. You weren't even by my side."

Rathil pulled at his hair and asked.

"Who came up with this ridiculous idea that I'm the Lord? My brother? Then why did he let me become the Crown Princess? No, he was the one who pushed me to become the Crown Princess! Was he planning this from the beginning?"

"That's not true, Rathil."

"I can't believe it. I can't believe anything you and my brother say."

"You couldn't be certain you were a candidate until you became the Crown Princess."

"But you said you're not certain I'm the Lord now. What does it mean to not be certain I'm a candidate?"

"Leand became the Great Sage's disciple and went to the temple. Only then did he hear clearly about the signs of the Lord and think that you had a high possibility of being the Lord."

Rathil huffed and stared at his mother. He wanted her to explain the situation. But he also wished she would say nothing and that it was all a lie. On the contrary, he had an impulse to destroy everything in the room.

"If you knew I had the possibility when I became the Crown Princess, why didn't you stop me then?"

"Even if you were my daughter and my brother, how could I cast you away as soon as I found out you might be the Lord's reincarnation? I knew how pure you were. I believed you would be different even if you were a reincarnation."

"But you were wrong?"

Rathil exhaled the breath he had been holding. No matter how nicely his mother spoke, it didn't sound right to him.

"According to the prophecy, you ascended the throne with blood."

Rathil recalled his coronation day. He also remembered that Leand, who hated Tella as much as he did, criticized him for killing his half-brother. Was that related to this?

"You are ruling well and handling state affairs well, but even if you try to be a good emperor, the dark aura is gradually gathering, Rathil. Strange things are already happening, like the disappearance of people in border villages."

"It's not my fault! I'm not the Lord!"

"I couldn't just leave it as it was. That's why I acted."

Rathil shouted indignantly.

"Then you should have told me!"

"What would you have said? That the world is going to end because of you? So, it's better to step down from the throne? Would you believe me if I said that? No, you would think that Leand and I were crazy and prevent us from even approaching you."

"!"

"Rathil, what if you regret it later when you find out you're not the Lord? According to my investigation, the Lord is Tella. Almost certain."

"I told you. A candidate. Tella could still be right."

Rathil laughed coldly.

"It's not a possibility but a certainty. Tella. When I ascended the throne, I saw blood, right? That applies to Tella too. I know nothing about black magic or anything. On the other hand, Tella died and resurrected and is doing all sorts of strange things."

But as Rathil explained, his mother narrowed her eyes and asked.

"Are you sure? That Tella has resurrected?"

"Yes!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I saw him!"

Rathil declared firmly. But his mother's tone remained the same.

"Rathil, did a dead person resurrect, or did you see a dead person? Which one... are you really sure about?"

Rathil hesitated. She hit the nail on the head. The situation in which Rathil saw Tella was ambiguous, and he couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality. Recalling the sensations, it felt real, but considering the circumstances, it was more likely a dream. If Tella had resurrected, he was more likely to be the Lord. But if Rathil had seen a dead person through dark power, Rathil was more likely to be the Lord. His mother pointed this out.

"So, what do you want? Because I might be the Lord, you want to kill me? Kill me and pretend to be me as the emperor for the rest of your life?"

"Stay in the temple until it's certain you're not the Lord."

"The temple?"

"I've prepared the priests. They will suppress your aura with their energy."

"You prepared this? When you said you were going to the temple to calm your mind, you were going to control me?"

"If it's certain you're not the Lord, as you say, you can return then. I'm pretending to be you on purpose."

Rathil repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. He had a question, but he was afraid of the answer. But in this situation, what could be worse no matter what the answer was? Eventually, Rathil stopped and asked.

"But if I am the Lord? Then... will you kill me?"

His mother, who had been sitting, stood up from the bed for the first time.

"That won't happen, Rathil."

"I can't believe you."

"I have to prevent you from harming the world."

Rathil lifted one corner of his mouth.

"Why don't you just be honest? You're trying to suppress me to protect my brother?"

"Frankly, Rathil. If it weren't for your brother, what would it matter if you were the Lord or if the world was in danger? I only need to protect you."

"!"

"But I have two children, so I have to protect both you and your brother."

Rathil bit his lower lip hard. His eyes stung. He felt wronged, sad, and miserable... something was about to pour out of his eyes uncontrollably. Any negative emotion would fit the situation. They all applied.

"Should I be more honest, Rathil? If someone else was a candidate for the Lord, I would have just killed all the candidates. That would be the safest."

"!"

"Because you are a candidate. Because my daughter is a candidate, I made things so complicated. I wanted to protect you."

His mother, who had approached, cupped Rathil's cheeks with both hands. But Rathil stepped back before her hands could touch him. He remembered he was wearing a mask. It was unclear whether his mother knew that the magical item that changed his face was a mask. In this desperate situation, Rathil didn't want to reveal all his few remaining cards. But his mother's eyes wavered, thinking she had been rejected. Seeing this, Rathil felt a pang of pain. He resented his mother but didn't want her to be hurt, a conflicting feeling.

"Rathil, please go to the temple willingly. I don't want to see you get hurt in the process. Things will return to normal when the situation calms down. I will inform you about the state affairs every week and what happens every day. Think of it as taking a break. Okay?"

Rathil thought for a moment and nodded.

"I will."

Then Rathil spread his arms.

"I can't forgive you for doing this, but I understand that you did it for me... so I will follow your advice. I also want my brother to be safe."

Hearing this, his mother looked sad and hugged Rathil tightly, as she used to when he was a child.

"I'm sorry, Rathil, even though it's for you."

Rathil hugged his mother tightly and whispered in her ear.

"I'm lying, and I'm not sorry."

"!"