Chapter 40
However, I didn’t rush to ask questions and instead kept my mouth shut.
After a long period of seclusion, Moren had finally come outside.
I didn’t want to pressure a child like that.
So, Moren, you should be the one to tell me first.
Don’t keep secrets from me.
You, of all people, mustn’t make me anxious.
But as if mocking my desperate wish, Moren shook his head from side to side.
“Sorry, sis. I can’t tell you yet.”
There was a determined light in his eyes as he spoke.
Seeing that, I took a moment to steady my breathing.
I wanted to completely clear away the anxiety occupying my heart.
“…I see.”
“Just wait a little while. When the time comes, I’ll tell you everything.”
Moren quickly grabbed my hand.
“There’s a reason for all of this. Sis… you trust me, right?”
At those words, I skillfully curved my lips into a smile.
“Of course I trust you! You’re my one and only little brother!”
“Thanks, sis…”
“But you have to promise to tell me later.”
“Yeah! I promise!”
Moren and I hooked our pinkies together tightly.
“Sis, thank you so much for believing in me.”
He said that and hugged me.
I tried hard to suppress the unease that still muddled my head.
Honestly, wasn’t it ridiculous?
I haven’t told Moren a single thing about myself…
Yet here I was, wanting him to be open with me.
Moren had always been a good younger brother who shared everything, even the deepest wounds in his heart.
So I thought he would always be honest with me.
But that was just my arrogance.
Could I fully trust a brother who now had secrets?
Truthfully, I couldn’t be certain.
Even if I assumed all his secrets were for my sake, I couldn’t predict how it would all turn out.
Now I have to consider Moren’s true intentions, too.
To hide these selfish and dark thoughts, I gently patted Moren’s back.
“Moren, at least tell me this—are you going to actively participate in the Crown Prince competition?”
Becoming the Tower Master’s disciple, wanting to become stronger—
Those two things seemed similar, but they were different.
The former meant creating a way to survive regardless of the Crown Prince competition. The latter…
“Do you want to become Crown Prince?”
That would mean building his own faction and fully diving into the struggle.
Moren slowly pulled away from my arms.
Fortunately, he seemed willing to answer this question, and looked me straight in the eye.
“That’s right. I’m going to join the competition for Crown Prince.”
“But we agreed to live quietly here until the time was right to leave the palace.”
“That’s not possible anymore.”
Each clear word of Moren’s voice etched itself into my mind.
“If we keep staying quiet, we won’t survive. Just like Mother.”
“Moren…”
“I’m going to build the perfect ship to protect us, sis.”
“…”
“A strong ship that won’t break or drift away, no matter the waves or storms that hit it.”
Losing someone precious once was more than enough.
At his murmur, I gently brushed my thumb under Moren’s eyes.
His red eyes slowly blinked under my touch.
His skin was still soft and smooth.
And yet, you’ve decided to move forward.
In this endless voyage, I had thought my role was to help Moren find his harbor as soon as possible—
Because I didn’t have the strength to keep holding my brother forever.
But Moren had chosen something entirely different from what I expected.
This child, who had always seemed so young, now said he would sail on with me. How could I stop him?
“I’ll help you, Moren.”
He blinked wide, as if my words were unexpected.
“You’re not going to stop me anymore?”
“I told you, I trust you.”
“Still… I thought you’d keep opposing me.”
“I won’t.”
Saying that, I slowly lowered my hands to grip his shoulders.
When I tightened my hold, the quick-witted Moren flinched.
“Sis?”
For the first time, I showed my brother an unguarded expression.
“There’s no going back to our old life, Moren.”
Moren had always been someone far removed from power or strength.
He probably never even dreamed of challenging the summit.
That’s why I searched for Moren’s harbor in the first place.
But if this child had chosen to walk the same path as me…
Then I couldn’t keep pretending to be a warm, sunny presence in front of him.
“Once you get swept into that storm, you can never leave the ship.”
“S-sis.”
“Even if, at the end of this voyage, you sink with the ship.”
My expression seemed strange to him—he looked flustered as he called my name.
I gripped his shoulders even tighter.
At the same time, my thoughts raced.
Moren is, unlike me, a confirmed direct descendant of the Emperor.
That meant he could pass the ritual at the coronation ceremony.
The Blood Ritual…!
This was a tradition passed down since the founding of Rornord.
It was said that during this ritual, a dragon sleeping beneath the land would appear before the new ruler of the Empire and deliver an “unchanging prophecy.”
Only a successor who passed this ritual would be acknowledged as the rightful new master of the Empire.
According to records… illegitimate children like me all died during the process.
It meant that without the dragon’s bloodline, one could never become Emperor of Rornord.
That’s why, from the start, I had no intention of becoming Emperor myself. I had planned to cooperate with someone worthy of the throne in order to survive and avenge my mother.
And if that someone happened to be my own brother, it would be the perfect outcome.
“Moren Mivan Rornord, now that you’ve decided, you must take the next throne.”
“…”
“Whenever I feel like I’m about to break, when I want to give up, I’ll think of that one thing and keep moving.”
“…”
“You are my goal now. Understand?”
“…I understand.”
At that moment, I didn’t miss it—
The way Moren’s eyes, always warm like a campfire, suddenly flashed blood-red for an instant.
“I’ll win this competition no matter what. And I won’t let anyone touch you. Even if… that someone is the Emperor.”
At his resolute reply, I quietly nodded.
In Moren’s eyes, my smileless expression was reflected.
It must have been an unfamiliar sight, but Moren didn’t ask anything and instead leaned his head against my shoulder.
I couldn’t hold back the mixture of pity and deep gratitude I felt for my younger brother, and gently stroked his hair.
In this moment, at least, I could briefly calm my anxiety.
*
“Neroli Mivan Rornord.”
The night was pitch-black.
From the far end of the hallway came a voice, brimming with anger, calling my name.
I smiled sweetly.
“Wow—! This time, you actually showed up at the promised time?”
At my words, he ground his teeth and strode quickly toward me.
Then, without warning, he reached out and grabbed me by the collar.
“This was all your doing, wasn’t it?”
His face was so close.
“You leaked that letter to me on purpose.”
In his eyes, so close I could see them clearly, swirled all sorts of emotions aimed at me.
I narrowed my eyes at the sight of Gobad’s blue gaze.
“Last time, you ignored my invitation and barged into the palace. Do you know how much you startled me?”
“Cut the chatter.”
As if trying to rein in his rising temper, Gobad drew in deep breaths.
“You were playing with me and Agasa from the very start. Why? Why did you try to drive a wedge between us…?”
I burst out laughing.
“Drive a wedge? Me? You’re the one who toyed with Agasa without even breaking off things with your fiancée.”
“What?”
“So, how does it feel—having your toy snatched away?”
I leaned toward him on purpose.
Then whispered mockingly in his ear.
“Oh, right. Agasa’s not just some toy, is she? She’s the girl who made you throw everything away for the sake of a fleeting romance.”
“Watch your mouth…”
“Your subordinates’ loyalty, the Emperor’s trust, even your power as Crown Prince—all of it.”
“Neroli Mivan Rornord…!”
He growled my name through clenched teeth, his neck veins bulging.
Along with that murderous air, I could tell Gobad was deeply shaken—
Because the hand gripping my collar trembled.
I seized the chance and smacked his hand away.
At the same time, my elementals appeared, watching over me.
[Master! Are you okay?! Waaah! Bad human! Bad human!]
[That rude guy’s acting up again~?]
[I swear I should just burn him to ashes this time! Don’t stop me, Master!]
Sorry, but I have to stop you again this time.
Gobad couldn’t actually harm me.
Besides, I still had things to gain from him.
So calm down. This is all going exactly as I want it to.
At my reassurance, the fuming elementals quieted down a bit.
Unaware of their glaring eyes fixed on him, Gobad ground his teeth.
“Agasa isn’t some toy. She’s my destiny. Nothing I have can compare to her.”
“How romantic. Accepting Rornord’s madness like that is a talent in itself.”
“What do you know…!”
Then he stopped mid-sentence.
The moment he looked straight at my face, he seemed to remember—
Someone who had been sacrificed to madness disguised as love.
Well, I didn’t want to keep exchanging small talk with him either.
So I obediently handed over what I had brought.
When Gobad took it, his brow furrowed—then his eyes went wide.
“No way…”
