HTRE 03

Chapter 3

“Protect the Empire…… protect Franz.”

Her father’s voice was still vivid in her mind as he barely managed to open his lips and deliver his final words.

“Father gave me this Black Ivory Moon. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Eroika’s gaze turned toward the two men.

Her violet eyes and silver hair were the symbols of the Claudius family. When Tiller met her eyes, he was unconsciously overcome by a feeling of unquestioning obedience.

“Father has placed the future of Franz in my hands. I will become strong. And I will return. I will make sure to fulfill Father’s will.”

Eroika tightly clenched the Black Ivory Moon as if she might crush it. Her small hand turned red, and her whole body was filled with indescribable emotions.

“And I will have my revenge.”

Her eyes, filled with anger, burned under the sunlight.

“Against Franz, against the Empire.”

A shiver ran through Tiller’s entire body.

It was far too full of certainty to be merely a child’s voice. And she understood her situation more clearly than anyone else.

This was what a Claudius was like. A strong and clear determination.

Despite her small body, she already possessed something that overwhelmed the two men.

“I swear my eternal loyalty.”

A red-haired boy knelt beside Tiller. He seemed to have already forgotten his seasickness.

Soma had been Eroika’s eternal servant from birth, and he had also lost his family. But the sole reason for his life was devoted to one person.

Tiller wondered. Was the reason he had been sent here really only to help this young child take revenge?

No.

He had to protect the children.

“I will give you eternal peace.”

What Tiller wanted to protect was the children’s peaceful days.

He prayed that whatever awaited them in the future would be a little easier and less painful.

As the large Tiller knelt down, the ship shook with a loud thud.

The shaking lasted only a moment before the sea became completely calm, without a single wave.

Its wide and endless appearance seemed to reflect their determination.

That night, Eroika dreamed.

More precisely, it was a nightmare.

The child who had smiled brightly at her.

That smile became a huge wave and crashed over her.

Why had that child been there?

Even when she shook her head, telling herself that it could not be true, the memory of that day only became clearer.

What if everything she had shown until now had been a lie?

What if that voice, which had made her want to trust someone one more time, had been a lie?

If that were true, then the object of her hatred would gladly include Kailev Halshter, that child as well.

In her dream, Eroika could only watch the small figure moving farther and farther away.

“His Highness Prince Kailev.”

At the prince’s appearance, everyone stopped moving and bowed their heads.

Ignoring all the greetings from the officials, Kailev walked straight toward his older brother.

“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Kailev’s half-brother and the Empire’s Second Prince, Bosarva Halshter, had ascended to the throne after Derick’s death.

The Emperor acknowledged his younger brother with a sidelong glance, then continued to focus on dressing himself with the help of his maids in front of the mirror.

The man who loved ‘beauty’ the most in the Franz Empire was Bosarva.

He spent three or four hours just on dressing himself.

While he was being dressed, Kailev quietly waited.

Only the soft sound of rustling fabric filled the room.

Kailev kept his back bent until he was ordered to raise his head.

It was the minimum respect he could show his older brother, who was now the Emperor.

Bosarva, dissatisfied with his appearance, eventually picked up a scarf of another color.

As he brought the scarf close to his face, he saw Kailev’s handsome face in the mirror.

The boy clearly had no interest in dressing himself, yet somehow he looked neater than Bosarva himself.

His ash-gray hair, neatly swept back, emphasized his handsome features.

The clothes covering his strong body were not particularly flashy, yet they naturally drew attention.

Bosarva envied his younger brother’s appearance. Even without perfume, he looked as though a mysterious fragrance would come from him.

But he could not let his foolish thoughts show.

Bosarva turned his head and finally spoke to Kailev.

“So, little brother. Did you sleep well? Tomorrow is your coming-of-age ceremony. How about holding your engagement ceremony with Lady Brigitte while you are at it?”

His exaggerated words were simply a way of hiding what he really thought.

Now that his brother had spoken to him, Kailev no longer felt the need to keep his head lowered.

He straightened up on his own.

He was now looking down at his older brother.

The difference in their height seemed to be more than one span, perhaps even two. It created a different kind of pressure from the intimidation that came from his younger brother’s low voice.

“I have no interest.”

There was not even a trace of politeness in his tone.

His voice was always cold enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

It was as if he had no emotions at all.

“Explain why you called me here. I hope there is a reasonable reason.”

‘What an ill-mannered brat.’

Bosarva disliked Kailev, but he could not bring himself to make his younger brother an enemy.

Because he was also a wielder of the Power.

The Halshters had forced themselves to have many children so that their bloodline would not end.

They had to choose someone with the qualities of an emperor from among the princes who possessed the Power.

The Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fourteenth Prince were the wielders of the Power in this generation.

The Second Prince had strong power, while the Third Prince’s power was weak but he had enough qualities to become a benevolent ruler.

Franz chose the Second Prince.

That was how strong the faith in the Power was within Franz.

However, after becoming Emperor, Bosarva showed little interest in state affairs.

He was an Emperor who cared only about decorating himself and attending banquets where women gathered.

“I heard princesses from various countries are also coming to your coming-of-age ceremony.”

A coming-of-age ceremony for a prince who possessed the Power was a major national event.

It also played an important role in strengthening Franz’s position.

“If you do not like Lady Brigitte, find another young lady.”

His younger brother’s threatening tone was frightening, but that did not mean the Emperor would easily back down.

He continued to repeat one meaningless thing after another.

“It seems you are having trouble finding a reasonable reason. You keep saying nothing but nonsense.”

Kailev had no intention of playing along with his brother anymore.

He pushed himself away from his place and turned around.

Only then did Bosarva come to his senses and block his younger brother’s path.

After looking up at him for a long time, Bosarva met those cold-blooded eyes.

His golden eyes were similar to Bosarva’s, proving that they shared the same blood, but they were completely different from his own.

Faced with Kailev’s emotionless gaze looking down at him, Bosarva could not gather the courage to act tough.

Kailev’s eyes belonged to a ruler who stood above the Empire—or even above the entire world.

Under those eyes, there was nowhere for an untruthful person to hide.

“Do you know about the Claudius family, which was destroyed eight years ago?”

For the first time, a vivid light appeared in Kailev’s previously unfocused eyes.

Bosarva had finally succeeded in gaining his younger brother’s attention.

At the name Claudius, Kailev could not help but become tense.

There was no way he could not know.

Every cell in his body remembered it clearly.

A wrinkle formed between Kailev’s brows.

Even as his younger brother’s face hardened, Bosarva continued talking without noticing.

“I heard there was a hidden daughter. A letter came from the Crown Prince of Palestinian last night.”

Bosarva pointed with his chin toward a piece of paper lying on a small table.

Kailev walked over and picked it up.

To His Majesty the Emperor of Franz.

Thank you for inviting His Highness the Fourteenth Prince to his coming-of-age ceremony. As a gift, I would like to share some good news with you.

We have been taking care of the youngest daughter of the Claudius family in Palestinian. Respecting her wish to return to her homeland, she will be accompanying us on this visit.

I hope you will welcome her warmly.

— Ethan Hoffman

The letter, written in beautiful handwriting, contained news about Eroika.

Kailev’s entire body froze.

Why are you coming here?

He had clearly confirmed that she had left Franz on that day eight years ago.

If you left, why didn’t you just live quietly? Why are you coming back?

“That is strange. I had never heard that the Claudius family had a hidden daughter. Hey, are you listening to me?”

Bosarva knew nothing about what had happened that day.

That was why he could innocently call Kailev and talk about this.

“Did you know? About the youngest daughter of Claudius?”

“……I didn’t.”

He opened his heavy lips and answered.

He could no longer hear the Emperor’s meaningless words.

“Ugh…… urgh…….”

“Ugh…… He ate so much earlier that he is throwing up something that looks similar to his own hair color.”

Tiller, who had been beside Eroika, could not bear to watch any longer.

He poured some water and approached Soma.

“No one can stop that man’s appetite, apparently.”

The woman watching the scene in front of her with her chin resting on her hand had a kind smile on her lips.

“Lady Eroika, are you all right?”

Tiller asked after patting Soma’s back for a long time.

He looked at Eroika with eyes filled with concern and affection.

“Do you mean the seasickness, or stepping onto my homeland after eight years?”

“What does it feel like to set foot on your homeland after eight years, Eroika?”