CHAPTER 156………………………………………………
Under the unusually bright moon, Killian’s face remained expressionless.
Facing the stubborn man who had not changed even once since arriving at the imperial palace, anger crept into the emperor’s voice.
“Enough. Isn’t it time you abandoned this foolish resolve?”
“If I had known Your Majesty was still so determined, I wouldn’t have come all this way.”
“Tch!”
Esid III—Emperor of the Empire, and Killian’s father—threw back the blanket with his bony hand.
When Killian had come to the palace of his own accord, it had seemed as though all worries might finally be laid to rest. But things were not so simple.
In the meantime, his son had only grown more imposing, and as his gaze deepened, so too did his obstinacy.
“Please accept it. I have said all that needed to be said. Remaining here any longer is meaningless.”
“By whose decision!”
“…Why would I need anyone else’s permission to leave?”
The eyes fixed on the emperor were cold and piercing like ice.
A servant watching nearby startled and dropped the silver tray in his hands, but neither Killian nor the emperor turned their heads.
They were focused only on each other, and the tension in the room sharpened.
“I am no longer a person of this place. I came only to tell you not to cling to any lingering attachment.”
“How cruel! How can you say such things to your own father!”
“…I think I’ve endured this much only because we are bound by blood.”
Killian’s dark brows twitched. How many days had this gone on? Even repeating the same words had grown tiresome.
“No matter what happens, no matter what you say, I will not inherit your will. I cannot waste time any longer. And Your Majesty should stop wasting yours as well, and focus on recovering your health.”
“Anyone would think I’m forcing you into something unforgivable!”
“A position is nothing but a burden unless one truly desires it.”
“It is the throne itself! How can you refuse it so easily?”
Cough.
The emperor raised his voice, then broke into a dry cough.
His pale, sickly face looked as though even continuing this conversation was too much. But if it was a way to keep hold of his unfeeling son, then perhaps it was worth it.
“I know you suffered here. But once you sit in that seat, it will all end. No more watching others’ moods, no more cold treatment.”
“…You knew I lived like that?”
“That is…”
Caught in his son’s unwavering gaze, the emperor flustered and lowered the handkerchief from his mouth. But making excuses or correcting the past was useless—Killian no longer seemed to care.
“No… I should correct myself. From the moment Your Majesty knew such things were happening… I may as well have been no one in this place.”
“I had no choice. I thought it was safer for you to fade from people’s attention. You had no backing.”
“…”
“At the time, it was the best option. Do you not know what nobles are like? If I had shown you favor, they would have used your mother’s bloodline against you and tried to cast you out.”
He pleaded in his own way, but Killian merely lowered his eyes, unmoved.
Frustration building, the emperor struck his chest.
“Killian… Do you think you would be any different? Even if you had a child—”
“…If I had a child.”
For the first time, Killian’s cheek twitched.
It was subtle, but even his neat lashes and moonlike aloof gaze shifted. There was longing in it—along with bitter self-mockery for a dream that could never be.
“As a father, I would have done everything I could. I would have given them all that was good in the world. If they wanted something, even a passing glance would have been enough for me to place it in their arms.”
“Then I, too, wish to give you this position!”
“Before that… I would have stayed by the child’s side. Always.”
“…”
“There is a time for everything. I do not wish to argue over the past. But now… there is someone beside me.”
He could not linger any longer. Every moment, every second, was precious. Killian rose from his seat.
Whether it was from speaking of the child that never existed, or from the moment he had left her behind, his chest burned to its limit.
Even his heartbeat quickened until he could not understand himself.
“It seems I have stayed long enough, Your Majesty. I do not wish to sin against my person any further.”
“Stop!”
Before the emperor’s furious command could fully erupt, Killian’s steps had already halted at the doorway.
Soldiers who had not been there before now filled the vast staircase and crowded the palace courtyard.
“Ha…”
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Killian only let out a quiet sigh, not truly startled. Perhaps he had anticipated this even before entering the emperor’s chambers.
“…Must you go this far?”
“If only you had changed your mind sooner! It pains me, but there is no other way. Preserving the imperial line is my final duty.”
“Your Majesty seems to have forgotten… My curse has not yet been lifted.”
Clink.
When he gripped the hilt of his sword, the knight standing at the front flinched.
He was not even trying to intimidate them—he had only drawn the blade—yet the pressure was overwhelming.
“Did you truly think men like these could stop me?”
“Of course not. You are the owner of the Holy Sword.”
At the emperor’s murmured words, bitter yet proud, the imperial soldiers stepped back and bowed their heads.
They were making it clear—they had no will to fight the crown prince.
Killian, hand still on the sword, turned slightly toward the emperor.
“I once said I would overturn the entire palace… but I never imagined my curse would be fulfilled like this.”
“So you mean to cut down even your father?”
“…I could never bring myself to do that. But I can cut down these men instead.”
Shing.
Killian’s blade rang long through the air.
He had no taste for striking first, but cornered as he was, he was not a man who would cling to honor alone.
And before anything else, he had to remember whose son-in-law he was—whose husband.
“My wife told me this: my worth is something I must protect myself.”
“…That southern woman?”
“She is not someone to be called that.”
Killian’s fierce rejection was clear. But rather than faltering, the emperor’s momentum only strengthened—as though he had been waiting for this reaction.
“You never spoke of her before me. I admit… I am curious.”
“There is no need for Your Majesty to be curious about someone you will never meet.”
“But you are different.”
“…”
“Killian. You understand what it means to cut them down here, don’t you?”
The emperor’s aged face was not bright.
The moment a sword was drawn in the palace, it was considered treason. Harsh as it seemed, the palace laws were even stricter between parent and child.
“This will not end with you alone.”
“Your Majesty.”
“By law, I will have no choice but to send troops to the South. Even if you go yourself… how long do you think your wife’s family can endure?”
What will you do?
Though he was a man already marked for death, he had once ruled an empire.
The desperation of having to bind his son like this was miserable—but there was no turning back.
“Killian.”
“I have never once truly reflected on the blood curse placed upon me…”
Killian’s bitter smile reflected along the silver blade as he traced the cold edge with his hand.
“…Only now do I realize just how hateful… and terrifying it truly is.”
