Chapter 47 – The Prince’s First Seal
In my previous life, Empress Karin gave birth to her second son when I was eleven years old.
Not long after that, Tian was stripped of his title as Crown Prince.
He lost his position to his newborn younger brother and was forced out of the palace.
And that timing… it matched perfectly with when Hyana returned to Duke Longtern’s mansion.
I tried to recall the faint memories.
‘Yes… it was around then. How could I ever forget?’
It was the moment when my peaceful life completely fell apart.
When Hyana appeared at the Longtern estate, I shut myself in my room.
Somehow, I already knew instinctively—
that there was no place left for me in that mansion.
‘What? You came to the mansion seven years ago?’
‘Yes… but it was completely empty. I begged to meet Father just once, but they thought I was a beggar and kicked me out…’
Hyana had come to the mansion at the worst possible time—
the one day when everyone in the house was gone, on a trip for my birthday.
Since no one recognized her, the servants threw her out.
And on that same day, she was sold to a slave trader.
After that, Hyana spent seven years living as a slave in another country.
When she finally came back and told her story, the entire household went into chaos.
Duke Lambert Longtern ordered an investigation and a blood test to confirm her identity.
Soon enough, the results proved that everything she said was true.
The atmosphere in the mansion changed overnight.
Even the few servants who used to quietly help clean my room stopped showing up.
There was nothing I could do anymore except stare out the window all day, watching the bustling world outside.
That’s how I remembered it so clearly.
Because I saw him then—
the man who visited Duke Longtern during that time.
“Please, we beg for your support.”
The man who came to see Duke Lambert Longtern introduced himself as the commander of the Guarder.
Even though I was still young, I knew what Guarder meant.
I had always been good at understanding politics.
Guarder—The Empress’s Shield.
They were the elite unit that had once protected the late Empress Miraena.
“Even though Her Majesty Miraena has passed away, the Guarder still remains loyal.
We plan to petition His Majesty to restore Prince Tian’s position as Crown Prince.”
Naturally, they served the late Empress’s son, Tian.
Even if he had been dethroned, they still believed in him enough to fight for his return
“Her Majesty the Dowager Empress will surely side with us.
We came here today hoping that you, Duke, would lend us your strength as well.”
From what I saw, Commander Logrio had been visiting powerful nobles across the Empire, asking for their cooperation.
He must have been desperate—because that day, he even knelt down.
Not realizing that I was watching everything from the fourth floor.
***
“I beg of you. If I fail to protect Prince Tian, I will never have the face to see Her Majesty Miraena, even in death.”
Logrio wasn’t just any knight.
He was the commander of Guarder, the strongest unit that had once stood right beside the Empress herself.
For someone like him to kneel—it was something that would never happen, not even before a duke.
But Logrio had thrown away his pride for the sake of restoring Tian.
There was only one problem.
He didn’t know the kind of man Duke Lambert Longtern really was.
“I understand your intentions. I’ll send my response by letter later, so please return for now.”
After sending Logrio away, the Duke did write a letter—
but not to Logrio.
He sent it to Empress Karin.
“That man Logrio… I can’t tell if he’s loyal or just a fool.”
He didn’t even bother keeping it a secret.
Everyone in the mansion soon knew what the letter said.
It was simple.
That the former Empress’s knight, Logrio, was plotting to restore the dethroned Crown Prince.
And that since there was already a new Crown Prince, Logrio’s actions were clearly treasonous.
It was a report full of exaggerations—a letter that framed Logrio for crimes he didn’t commit.
***
“For the sake of a strong Imperial future, traitors must be punished.”
Not long after, Logrio was executed.
Because of Duke Longtern’s letter.
The charge: treason.
Empress Karin claimed that Logrio’s plan to restore Tian was a direct threat to the new Crown Prince.
The Emperor agreed without hesitation and approved the execution.
Even the Dowager Empress, who had supported Tian, was forced into seclusion.
That was how Tian’s last remaining allies were destroyed.
‘But that’s still about six years away. Which means right now, the Guarder and Logrio are still alive…’
After organizing my thoughts, I smiled brightly at Tian.
“Then this is the perfect chance! You’ve never used your seal before, right? So use it now!”
“But…”
“And I understand—the Imperial Seal is super important. You can’t just stamp it anywhere, right?”
Tian looked dazed.
“Well, yes, but still…”
“Then that’s even better!” I clapped my hands.
“Wow, this is great!”
I pushed the medicine bottles toward him.
“Here, take these, Your Highness.”
He stared at me in surprise.
I smiled confidently.
“Once you try them, you’ll want to write that recommendation letter yourself!”
I had no intention of forcing him to write it.
‘I’ll make him want to do it on his own.’
Once Tian saw how well the medicine worked, he’d write that letter willingly.
“This ointment goes on wounds, and the potion helps prevent infection,” I explained.
Tian hesitated, looking at the bottles.
“…I see. But I don’t have any injuries. I don’t need medicine right now.
And if you just need the letter, I could write it even without using my seal—if you really want me to…”
“What? No one around you is hurt either? Then you can give it to someone who needs it! I don’t mind at all!”
Tian froze.
His eyes slowly returned to the bottles.
‘Come on, think. There is someone you want to help, right?’
Commander Logrio.
When he came to see Duke Longtern, he had been wearing a prosthetic left hand.
‘He was sent to a border conflict after the Empress died, under the Emperor’s orders.’
That’s where he was injured.
It wasn’t a large wound, but it had become badly infected.
In the end, the infection spread, and he had to amputate his arm below the elbow.
I knew all this because, in my past life, I’d researched it myself after he was executed.
Logrio had left a strong impression on me—
because even when he had lost everything, he had still remained loyal to Tian.
‘If I’d had someone that loyal to me back then, maybe things would’ve been different.’
Now, it was the year 1287.
And the news about Logrio returning from the frontlines after losing his arm… would come out in August 1287.
‘Seriously, I’ll never forget numbers. What a blessing of a brain.’
I didn’t know who my biological parents were,
but for that at least, I was grateful.
As expected, Tian’s eyes began to brighten.
“…Now that you mention it, there is someone hurt.”
I silently cheered.
In my previous life, Logrio had stayed loyal to Tian until the very end.
Even after Tian was dethroned, he had tried to protect him—until it cost him his life.
With that kind of loyalty, it made sense he’d still be keeping in touch with Tian now.
And sure enough—
“There’s a knight I know,” Tian said quietly. “He used to serve my mother. He’s been sending me letters lately, even though I rarely reply.”
Yes! Just as I thought!
Logrio was still reaching out to him.
‘He really is such a good man…’
I could still picture him clearly, kneeling before Duke Longtern.
Even kneeling, he had looked noble.
If only he hadn’t been so straightforward—
if only he’d chosen a safer path instead of confronting the Duke head-on—
‘He might not have been executed in my past life.’
“He said a few weeks ago that he was injured. Maybe I could send him this medicine…”
“Wow! What a perfect coincidence! That’s an amazing idea!”
I clapped excitedly and pushed the bottles closer.
“Give these to your knight, and if he needs more, I’ll send more! I have plenty!”
I jumped down from my chair and opened the wooden box in the corner of my room.
Inside, rows of Lubarina and Lubawen bottles filled the box to the brim.
Tian looked at them for a long moment, then finally nodded.
He picked up the two bottles from the table.
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Yes! Yes!”
“And I’ll also write your recommendation letter. With my seal.”
