Chapter 43

After that, Via had a leisurely lunch with the children and then returned to the Empress's Palace, inviting Lord Rovman to her private room.

"Before I ask His Majesty, I wanted to gauge your feelings first."

After apologizing for causing worry, Via immediately got to the point.

"Lord Rovman, if Romaris were to join the Knights in the future, I believe the Rovman Knights are the only option."

At the Empress's words, Lord Rovman smiled gently. "It seems so."

The current Emperor and Prince Caltis are both from Antoire. Furthermore, Prince Romaris, the third son of Emperor Palesis, being from Antoire as well, is too imbalanced. On the other hand, placing Prince Romaris in Reitao would be too risky, as Reitao was the one who once raised Prince Romaris to rebel against the current Emperor.

"But it might be difficult under the current circumstances. His Majesty won't be pleased."

"I have already received His Majesty's assurance that he will treat Romaris as a younger brother from now on."

Lord Rovman was genuinely surprised. He hadn't had that information.

"That child has a complicated background.

Half-hearted affection will only make him resentful in the future. If we are to welcome him into the royal family, we must shower him with complete love."

Via paused, looking at Lord Rovman seriously.

"Romaris needs a noble to act as his guardian. He is a child who needs an adult to live with him in the Ruby Palace and treat him like a parent.

And that person must be someone you are absolutely certain will never betray His Majesty.

I would like you to choose that person, Lord Rovman."

"Me...?"

"Yes."

Via nodded.

"His Majesty has entrusted the selection to me. Of course, His Majesty's final approval is necessary, but since the child will eventually join the Rovman Knights, it would be better if he is close to you.

I have no intention of forcing you. Can you at least consider it?"

After a moment's hesitation, Lord Rovman slowly nodded.

"Understood. I will consider it and try to meet your expectations."

"Thank you."

Via smiled in relief.

"I cannot leave that child in the dark forever."

---

The night the Empress was found, the three aides refrained from visiting, but the next evening, they promptly went to the Emperor's private room. The Empress had fully recovered, apologized for the worry she caused, and welcomed them with a cheerful smile.

"Emotionally, I feel like I would grant any whim of the Empress right now," Gruuk said, draining his cup in one go.

"Compared to the collapse of the country, anything is nothing."

"Even you, Lord Gruuk, can make jokes," the Empress laughed, but Amon and Ruitas couldn't laugh. When the Empress went missing, the country had almost stopped functioning. Gruuk and Ruitas had worked hard to cover for the gaps.

The Emperor, the root of all evil, was now holding Empress Via's hand on his lap, playing with her fingers while drinking as if nothing had happened.

When the Empress was missing, Gruuk, seeing the Emperor's exhausted state with no leads, removed as many official duties as possible from the Emperor, thinking he couldn't handle them. But even though the Empress was found safe yesterday, the Emperor didn't show up in the office today.

Worried that the Emperor might be unwell, Gruuk went to check and found the Emperor holed up in the Empress's bedroom, ordering that no one disturb him until he called.

Angry from worry, Gruuk made the Emperor work like a horse in the afternoon.

"The Empress met with Lord Rovman this afternoon.

In fact, just now, Lord Rovman suggested that Lord Aldis, who is my brother-in-law, be appointed as the guardian of Prince Romaris. Lord Aldis is impeccable in character and personality as a guardian for the Prince."

After carefully considering the words, Gruuk consulted with the Emperor, leaving Lord Rovman waiting in another room.

"So?"

"For Romaris to step onto the public stage, we need someone we can trust completely as his guardian.

I conveyed that Lord Aldis is the best choice."

In truth, Gruuk was grateful for the Empress's discretion. When the Emperor allowed Romaris to be called "brother," his partial rehabilitation was assured. However, considering the past, they had to be cautious about how far to restore his position.

The Empress broke through this impasse. She clearly stated that she would protect Romaris and treat him like her younger brother, just as she did with her younger sister, Myra.

Under the Empress's protection, those who might change their minds would not be able to approach Prince Romaris. After all, Lord Rovman, who proposed the Empress's enthronement at the Round Table Conference, is effectively her guardian. If Lord Aldis and his wife, who are connected to Lord Rovman, enter the Ruby Palace and treat Romaris like a parent, the seeds of unrest would never sprout in the Empire again.

"Is that acceptable?"

Looking up at Alex with a delighted smile, Via received the response, "Do as you wish."

Alex had no idea how to interact with his brother, whom he had neglected, but he thought Via would figure it out. In any case, he could leave all family matters to Via.

---

For Romaris, that day was a series of strange events. In the morning, four kind-looking maids came and introduced themselves, saying, "We will be serving you from today."

The fat, bossy, skinny, and freckled maids who had treated Romaris as a nuisance were gone, and there were new servants he didn't recognize.

The new maids stayed with Romaris all day, playing with him, running around the room, and playing ball. When they said it was time for snacks, a very handsome prince came to see Romaris.

The Emperor from the day before yesterday was the epitome of cool, but today's prince was a flawless beauty.

"Prince Caltis!"

The maids exclaimed excitedly and hurriedly knelt before Prince Caltis.

"Prince Caltis?"

Repeating the name, Romaris was frowned at.

"I am your brother. Call me Brother."

"Brother?"

Romaris was surprised.

"The Emperor also said he is my brother."

"The Emperor is your brother. He is also my brother."

Romaris stared at Caltis intently.

"You look like my sister."

When he rescued her, the beautiful sister he saw had a similar face to this brother.

"Of course. I am related to my sister by blood."

Sensing a small discrepancy in his words, Romaris looked up and asked.

"Um... what about me?"

"Not related."

Romaris was shocked.

"Lie..."

Seeing Romaris on the verge of tears, Caltis looked annoyed.

"The only ones related to you by blood are me and the Emperor. Oh, and there's also a sister named Myra."

"But my sister called me her brother."

"She is your step-sister. Neither Myra nor you are related to my sister by blood. The only one related to you by blood is me."

Romaris frowned, feeling like he was being bragged about.

"I heard you found my sister."

Romaris nodded slightly.

"Thank you. She is important to me. The thought of not finding her is terrifying."

After that, Caltis had snacks with Romaris and even practiced sword fighting with him. At the end, he picked Romaris up and spun him around.

"Don't tell Myra or Retias that I carried you," he said at the end.

"Or I'll be in trouble," he added, which made no sense to Romaris.

---

A few days later, Caltis visited the Crystal Palace for the first time in a while, concerned about how Romaris was adapting to the royal family.

Myra was playing in the Crystal Palace as usual, and he thought Romaris would be there too.

Sure enough, Romaris was there, along with his guardian, Lady Aldis.

When Myra saw Caltis, she called out "Brother" and ran to him. As he picked her up, Retias, a step behind, shouted "Uncle" and climbed onto his back.

Caltis thought they were getting too heavy and wished they wouldn't jump on him at the same time. Then, Aveya, his niece, who was as tenacious as her mother, crawled over and bit his leg.

Romaris, being more reserved, just looked on enviously, so Caltis called him over and picked him up as he had before.

After playing with the four of them for a while, they started playing among themselves. The maids watched them closely to prevent any injuries, and during this time, the Empress, the Empress Dowager of Sektur, the two wet nurses, and Lady Aldis started their tea time. Caltis joined them today.

"It's rare for you to come here."

When his sister spoke, Caltis shrugged.

"I was concerned about how he was adapting."

Looking at Romaris, who was playing with the others, Via smiled.

"Children get along quickly."

"It seems so."

Caltis looked at Via with a mix of exasperation and admiration.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Caltis cleared his throat and spoke to the Empress Dowager of Sektur, who held a high position after the Empress.

"The scene before me is hard to accept.

Isn't it the way of the royal family of Ansheize to quarrel among parents and siblings, and even kill each other?"

The Empress Dowager of Sektur's eyes widened, then she burst out laughing. Lady Vieta and Lady Aldis also couldn't help but laugh.

Indeed, everyone thought so.

Emperor Palesis killed his brother to ascend the throne, and Emperor Alex and Prince Romaris had fought a war over succession just five years ago. Before the Empress came to Emperor Alex, the children of Emperor Palesis hardly knew each other and had no brotherly affection.

"Everything changed when the Empress came."

At the Empress Dowager's words, Via tilted her head.

"Did it?"

The passing time was precious. And it was Alex who had given it to her. Rescued and loved by Alex, Via, who had been trampled by the powerful, rose to the position of Empress.

"It's all thanks to His Majesty."

---

For over twenty years, the Securt Federation was in turmoil, and eventually, one of the duchies unified the others and declared itself the Securt Empire. The fierce king began invading other countries, and the southern countries of Danan and Taiac lost territory one after another, but the solid Ansheize remained unshaken, inflicted heavy damage on the Securt Empire, and even seized territory. The core of this defense was the two younger brothers of the Emperor, Prince Caltis and Prince Romaris.

Emperor Alex is hailed as a restorer, and together with Emperor Retias, who succeeded him, he built the golden age of the Ansheize Empire. His achievements are significant, but what made Emperor Alex's name widely known was his love story with Empress Viatrix.

Empress Viatrix, praised as the most beautiful Empress in history, is the only woman to rise to the position of Empress from a commoner background in the Ansheize, where lineage is highly valued.

Viatrix, who became a foster child of the royal family because her mother, a dancer, was a concubine of the previous Emperor, became a concubine to Prince Alex when he was still a prince.

The beautiful and wise Empress Viatrix was loved by Emperor Alex, but her intense favor raised concerns about the country's stability, and she was sent to Galacia for a period of rest. However, Emperor Alex, unable to give up on Empress Viatrix, refused to approach any other women and eventually brought her back as Empress.

Her extraordinary life has been the subject of many plays, and her rise from a commoner to Empress, as well as the deep love she received from her husband, has made her a role model for many women, leading to the popularity of the foreign-sounding name Viatrix in Ansheize.

---

Romaris, welcomed into the royal family, grew up to be a sister-worshipper like Caltis. He was often at the mercy of Retias, Aveya, and the other children born to Via. Despite being close in age, he was called "Uncle" and would respond with "Don't call me Uncle!" or be wet the bed during a nap together (laughs).

This concludes the story. I am truly grateful to everyone who read it.

I had one more story about Caltis that I wanted to write, but it was difficult to fit it into the timeline and it was too comedic, so I submitted it as a short story. If you're interested, please take a look.

Until we meet again in another work.

Thank you very much.