Chapter 13
“It’s all in the past, now . Nothing you should be concerned about . ”
“B, but, Your Majesty, you haven’t done anything! You aren’t to be blamed for anything, that’s why—“
“—I’m alright, now . My brother has persuaded everyone around me . I’m living peacefully, as of now . ”
“Is that… true?”
“Yes . Although my brother can’t see Rave, he believes in me . ”
Beads of cold sweat drenched Jill’s body at Hadith’s happy proclamation .
If I recall correctly, you’ll execute said brother and another half-brother under the charge of treason, better called a civil war, and no one will be left—!?
Moreover, the one who would leak information to Kratos would be Prince Vissel .
“Of course, I won’t astutely say that everything is working along . I don’t even know the actual location of my brother . He’s still being avoided by our other brothers . Still, I want to believe that a day where we can peacefully talk will come . ”
Did he keep holding on to such a belief and get viciously betrayed afterwards—?
Was that the reason he fell into despair—?
That’s…
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions . All she could do was clench her fists in anger, she wanted to punch the wall—that was when the topic changed .
“…From the Kingdom of Kratos’ view, it strange how the Rave Empire hasn’t made any moves in recent years . It seems that it has something to do with the talk about your curse, Your Majesty . ”
“That’s right . The yearly deaths of the previous Crown Princes scared off even the best of people . As such, they ran away . Ever since I became the Emperor, I’ve tried to stabilize the political situation . But the rumors still stand, that I am a Cursed Emperor . My brother is supporting me, however, when someone gets even a little hurt, it is linked to my curse . They also suspect the deaths of the previous princes as my doings . ”
—despite such a feat being impossible for a prince whom was driven out to be forever forgotten .
However, fear can easily overcome reason .
“Regardless, because my brother is a reputable and ambitious man, my backings have grown stronger recently . But, I can’t always rely on my brother’s will . After all, there’s the saying, ‘once it’s past the throat, one forgets the heat’[1] . ”
“…then, the main culprit of the previous ship attack isn’t Prince Vissel? Was it a random attack, or perhaps, another brother is responsible for it…”
“If it’s a member of the royal family, they’ve witnessed their relatives dying one after another . That shouldn’t be a fear that’s easily forgotten . ”
“Then, the only suspect left is Marquis Veil…”
Certainly, under such premises, it was difficult to imagine the Royal Family actively abolishing Hadith .
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“Forgive me . ”
Hadith thoughtfully declared to Jill as a shadow crept over his face .
“It’s already common knowledge here that I’m cursed, but it’s apparently not so in the Kingdom of Kratos . I should’ve explained it to you before we proceeded with the marriage… I was too busy celebrating…”
“…how far did you celebrate…”
“However, there was a high chance you’d drop the marriage if I explained before-hand . It goes without saying that I did the right thing?”
Rave frowned at Hadith, who seriously uttered so .
“Even if you honestly think that, you shouldn’t be so foolishly honest about it . ”
“Is that so?”
“I think it would be best if Your Majesty stayed silent from now on…”
Despite her rudeness, Hadith looked happy .
“You should take care—but I don’t think you need to worry about curses and whatnot, anymore . After all, you’re already here . ”
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“…and your reason for saying that?”
“It’s still full of holes, however I think it’s a curse that occurs when the Dragon Emperor has no wife . Now that there’s a bride bearing Rave’s blessing, the curse should subside . ”
“Then why didn’t you just arrange for a quick marriage…?”
Hadith was already nineteen years old and also an Emperor . It would be easy to come up with candidates to be his bride . It was a simple question, however, Hadith smiled bitterly .
“I already told you, didn’t I? I’m a prince who was driven out to the frontier . Even after being imprisoned and left to starve to death, I’m still alive and well—aren’t I a monster? As such, no one wants to come in contact with me . ”
Darn it . However, she couldn’t retract her words . All she could do was apologize .
“…I’m sorry, how thoughtless of me…”
“Don’t think too much about it . In the first place, without the ability to see Rave, one can’t receive his blessing . It doesn’t matter even if I am the Crown Prince, searching for a girl with a high enough amount of magic that can see Rave is still a difficult task . ”
She was starting to understand the reason why she was treated so amiably . The reason Hadith celebrated—the reason he wanted her to love him…
…in other words, up until now, he only had Rave with him . In other words, he’s always been alone .
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‘Happy Family Plan’—such ridiculous words weighed a lot more than before .
“Do you ever think it’s unreasonable that you’re forced to be the Emperor for such a Royal family, people, and everything in your surroundings…?”
“Why would that be? I’m the reincarnation of the Dragon God Rave . I was born to be an Emperor, such is my fate . They are my family and my people . It is my obligation to protect them . By denying it, I would lose my reason to live . ”
The Emperor’s smile was both gallant and beautiful .
“I have Rave, and now, you… that’s why, there’s no way I will lose . ”
It pierced her eyes, she who tried to stand up against fate and challenged the future . She repeatedly blinked in surprise .
No, regardless of anything, this shouldn’t be true… calm down . In summary, the reason His Majesty wants to marry me is because he wants to lift his curse .
When she thought about it that way, she gained an understanding . Suddenly, she felt optimistic .
“Then, could it be, the condition that the marriage partner has to be under the age of 14 is also related to that curse—!?”
“No . The absolute condition is that she can see Rave . Age is just a safety measure—to put it precisely, it’s a personal preference . ”
She shouldn’t had asked .
[1]once it’s past the throat, one forgets the heat: danger past and God forgotten .
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