BE 43

Chapter 43

The man I’d never seen before didn’t even acknowledge Blake’s greeting.

But I couldn’t care less about that—because all my attention was on Khan.

What was Khan doing here?

What is going on?

I looked first at my father and brother, then at Khan and the stranger.

They look alike.

Their moods were different, but there was something—like a radiant, sunlit aura—that felt the same.

How to explain it… Khan had a calm, noble air, while the man who resembled him was more flamboyant, dazzling somehow—

“Come here, young lady.”

Ah—he was talking to me!

I blinked blankly.

It was the first time in my life anyone had ever called me young lady. I’d been called Lady, the Duke’s daughter, the precious one, even the child of prophecy, but never young lady.

It really makes me feel like a noble for real.

I glanced toward the Duke to gauge his reaction. Father just watched, detached, as though observing the situation unfold.

I stepped forward timidly. Maybe because the man spoke politely, he didn’t seem unpleasant. At least, I didn’t think he’d hurt me in front of my family.

“I’ve always wanted to shake hands with you while alive. I’ve been quite curious—what sort of person receives divine blessing?”

I stared at the hand he extended, dazed.

He was tall—about as tall as Father, maybe a little less. He bent slightly, as if to meet my gaze.

Father’s voice came from behind us, low and dangerous.

“Don’t act so smug. You’re disgusting.”

“Can’t you let it go? You only allowed me to see such a lovely young lady now.”

“Go to hell.”

“I told you, I’m no demon.”

Apparently, Father said go to hell quite often.

I was simply astonished—this was the first person I’d ever seen talk to my father so casually.

They must have known each other. The man looked a bit older than Father.

The stranger looked back at me with a gentle smile.

“My hand is starting to hurt, young lady. It might fall off, you know.”

“Oh.”

Startled, I grabbed his hand on reflex.

…Huh?

But then an eerie chill ran through me.

Was this what it felt like to be soaked in blood?

Why does it feel like there’s so much death clinging to him?

<For the sake of protecting the nation.>

A spirit’s voice—one I hadn’t heard in a long time—whispered in my mind.

Only I could hear it.

I looked up into the man’s golden eyes and felt the roughness of his hand—calloused, large, hardened from long years.

“You’re smaller than I expected. I heard you’re only eight.”

He didn’t seem like someone who usually spoke politely.

Judging by Father’s grim expression, that much was clear. Blake was always expressionless, but Khan’s face—Khan’s face was worth seeing.

He looked like he couldn’t stand hearing the man talk that way.

The stranger noticed where my eyes went and turned slightly.

“A pitiful, worthless son of mine.”

“I know him,” I said.

“Oh?”

“She believes I’m a servant,” Khan replied, lowering his gaze respectfully.

The man chuckled. “A charming little trick, isn’t it?”

His tone was completely different when speaking to Khan—sharper, more informal.

No one else reacted, as if they were used to this. Only Father looked weary, rising from his seat.

He walked toward us with a scowl carved deep across his face.

He didn’t hug me—just brushed past, plucked a cigar-shaped candy, and bit down on it.

I want to go stand next to Father.

No one explained who this stranger was.

“Do you still not know, young lady?”

He tilted his head as if amused by my confusion.

And in that moment, it felt like something not human was mimicking human gestures.

What is he talking about?

I couldn’t understand. I stayed silent, and perhaps he took that silence as confirmation—because a faint madness began to cloud his eyes.

His hand moved toward his sword.

I froze.

He drew it slightly, revealing a sliver of gleaming silver under the light.

“Sorry, my hand just itched.”

“…”

The air turned razor-sharp.

Father’s killing intent clashed with the man’s lazy dominance, creating a tension that even I could feel.

“I’d like to meet whoever was responsible for the young lady’s education.”

As he spoke, realization dawned on me.

My tutor—Miss Ehin. The top student at the Royal Fes Academy.

If I stayed quiet, he might hurt her.

That realization struck like lightning.

“I know.”

I cut in, rude as it was. He looked at me.

Think, think.

Sarina had said I must never cry, no matter how scared I was. That this would be a meeting with the highest, most exalted being.

Khan had never said outright that he was my servant—he’d just smiled when I asked.

They looked alike.

Ever since my adoption, I’d heard the word Imperial over and over again.

Father said that above the Emperor was the Divine Beast, and above that—the Child of Prophecy.

Khan had said I would remain a Lady, but everyone kept emphasizing that one month.

Ehin’s first lesson had been teaching me the Crown Prince’s full name:

Kasmahan Sugar Haspelt.

Khan told me to call him Kahan. He said he was engaged.

And he looked at me in that strange way when he said it.

He said early marriages happened among nobles sometimes.

So then—

“Your Majesty.”

I didn’t know how to properly greet an Emperor, but I looked him in the eyes and spoke.

Was I right?

He looked intrigued.

“My, my. Our little lady’s been studying hard, hasn’t she?”

Blake broke the silence, shrugging slightly.

No one denied it. The room stayed quiet. Even Father, when our eyes met, just rolled the candy in his mouth.

That means I was right.

Then…

I looked at Khan again.

Why hadn’t I realized sooner?

Was that what my brother meant when he said I should study harder?

Because you—Khan—are the Emperor’s son. The heir to the Empire.

“Your Highness… the Crown Prince?”

Khan gave a slight nod and looked away.

Was he sorry he hadn’t told me sooner? Or had he always known this meeting would happen?

He did say he’d “formally introduce” himself someday.

So he just let me believe he was a servant, since I’d find out eventually.

I had guessed he was at least of high birth—maybe a Marquis—but the Crown Prince?

“I’m…”

Then—could it be that I was meant to be the Crown Princess?

All the conversations I’d had with Khan began to overlap in my mind.

He did say he hoped I wouldn’t have to go through with a child marriage…

I stood frozen, overwhelmed.

At least my expression was calm—people rarely noticed when I was deep in thought.

“So you know, then,” the Emperor said.

Now I finally understood why his cloak bore the imperial crest—and why everyone grew tense whenever the royal family was mentioned.

I didn’t know much about noble society, but even I’d heard the rumors about him—

The Tyrant.

People in town said it often. They all had their reasons, though no one could tell me the full story.

“You’re looking at me with fear. Why? Because of the rumors?”

My heart skipped a beat. Could he read my mind?

The Emperor smiled kindly.

“I’m quite famous as a tyrant, yes. Though most of what they say was actually done by Eisen.”

Eisen—Father’s real name.

Now it all made sense. Only the Emperor could address him so informally.

But Father also spoke to the Emperor the same way—just moments ago, he’d told him to “go to hell.”

“What… what kind of relationship do you two have?”

“We’re friends,” said the Emperor.

“He’s my subordinate,” Father said flatly.

Their answers clashed perfectly.

Father looked indifferent; the Emperor grinned, looking at me.

“You’re quite the clever girl, young lady.”

“And Adele,” Father interrupted coldly, “don’t pretend to know what you don’t.”

Father’s gaze met mine—stern but somehow protective.

I felt like I could breathe again.

“He’s the Emperor, and that’s the Crown Prince,” Father said plainly. “But listen carefully. I was supposed to send you to the palace one month after adopting you—but I changed my mind.”

I blinked.

Blake stepped closer, standing behind me. Only then did I manage to relax my shoulders.

“So… you weren’t planning to send me back to the orphanage after a month?” I asked. “You were going to make me the Crown Princess?”

Father didn’t answer, but I could tell it was yes.

“Who could ever throw you away?” Blake said, breaking the silence, almost incredulous.

Khan—no, the Crown Prince—watched me with an unreadable look, as if asking why I’d worried so much.

But how could I not? They had no idea how terrifying it was. What family meant to someone who’d never had one.

“To handle the Divine Beast, you had to be of the highest royal rank,” Father said at last. “It was just paperwork—formality. Nothing more.”

So yes—he admitted it, in his own way.

I didn’t understand all of it, but I knew enough to realize that “Divine Beast” meant something huge.

Anyway, they’d planned to make me Crown Princess on paper—a month after adoption.

“That won’t happen now,” Father said. “You won’t have to go to the palace for five years. I’ll have a special class made for you at the Academy. You’ll study there.”

“Wait, you said two years earlier,” the Emperor interjected.

Father ignored him.

The Emperor looked at him sharply.

“People are dying across the Empire even now, and you’re letting the one hope for humanity rot in an academy?”

“Don’t tell me what to do with my daughter’s life.”

“You’re saying your daughter’s life matters more than billions of lives that could be lost?”

“Yeah.”

Father said it without hesitation.

“…This is a bad omen,” the Emperor muttered—but he was still smiling.

My head spun.

I couldn’t follow anymore.

It felt like Father and the Emperor had already made some agreement about my future—one that Father had just decided to break.