After Temenos and Inosensia left the Imperial Palace.

“You called for me, Your Majesty.”

“Yes,” a strained voice responded, followed by a fit of violent coughing. Somehow, the sound felt unfamiliar.

‘His voice… Is it hoarse because of the coughing?’

“Come inside.”

This time, the hoarse voice was clearer.

The Crown Prince frowned. The Emperor’s voice didn’t sound merely hoarse from coughing—it sounded as if it belonged to an old man.

‘…An old man?’

A strange sense of foreboding crept up his spine.

As he stepped past the curtains, he tried to recall the last time he had seen his father.

‘Two months ago… No, was it three?’

At some point, the Emperor had shut himself away for no apparent reason.

On occasion, he would open the doors to the audience chamber, but even then, he remained hidden behind a white curtain, revealing only his voice.

Recently, there were even rumors that he had begun using magic tools to alter his voice. Naturally, the nobles couldn’t help but speculate.

“Lately, he hasn’t even attended state council meetings… Could he be seriously ill?”

If that were the case, the first person to be informed should have been the heir, the crown prince.

Yet, neither the chief chamberlain nor the palace physician had come to visit him. Even when he sought them out himself, they claimed to know nothing. And whenever he requested an audience with the Emperor, he was refused.

Something was definitely wrong. Yet, with no way to uncover the truth, all he could do was feel frustrated.

“This is…! Father, what on earth happened to you?”

Faced with the truth at last, the Crown Prince was horrified.

Just two months ago, the Emperor had looked no older than him.

But now, standing before him, was an aged and withered old man.

It was as if he had taken some terrible drug and suffered severe side effects, making him look at least ten years older than his actual age.

Had he seen this man anywhere else, he would never have recognized him as his father.

“I have lost my blessing,” the Emperor spoke in a voice thick with betrayal and rage.

“Lost your blessing…? Why? How did this happen?”

“I was deceived by the Pope. That man stole my blessing!”

The Emperor slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair in anger. But there was so little strength in the blow that it barely made a sound.

His jaw clenched, as if the sheer injustice of it all was unbearable.

“The Saintess had already awakened, yet he kept that information hidden. All the while, he remained in seclusion, plotting. He must be coveting my throne!”

“Calm yourself, Your Majesty. You’re getting too worked up.”

The Crown Prince instinctively glanced around the chamber.

Fortunately, the Emperor had dismissed all attendants and guards to conceal his condition, so no one else had overheard his outburst.

“Calm down? You think I’m overreacting? My mind has never been clearer!”

“Then, Your Majesty, do you have any proof of what you just said?”

The Pope coveting the throne.

In other words, the Emperor was accusing the Pope of treason.

Treason.

Unless there was undeniable proof, that was not a word to be spoken lightly, no matter who the accused was.

Especially when the accused was the Pope. If even a whisper of this spread, it would not be the Pope but the Emperor who faced public outrage.

“Proof? My current state is proof enough. If that man hadn’t demanded the holy relic, I would never have lost my blessing!”

“The holy relic? What do you mean?”

“The spoils of the holy war! The Pope demanded them, and because of that, God grew angry and took my blessing away. The Pope must have known this would happen—he must have planned to use it as an excuse to denounce me, claiming I am no longer fit to rule!”

The Crown Prince struggled to make sense of what the Emperor was saying.

He had known that relics from the holy war were kept in the imperial treasury. But he had not heard of the Pope demanding them, let alone that the Emperor had actually handed them over.

And now, he was saying that doing so had provoked God’s wrath, causing him to lose his blessing?

‘As if he had spoken to God directly…’

Moreover, the notion of God being angered by such an act seemed odd. Why would giving holy relics to the Pope—God’s supposed representative—be such a grave offense?

Before he could press for more details—

“…Yes, now that I think about it, there were strange circumstances surrounding the Empress’ death as well. The Pope must have been involved!”

At those words, it felt as if he had been struck in the back of the head. The Crown Prince’s fists clenched involuntarily.

‘And what good does it do to say that now…!’

That had been fifteen years ago. Any chance of seeking justice had long passed, leaving nothing but unresolved resentment.

“Mother was a heretic? That’s impossible! She was one of the most devout people I have ever known! There must be some mistake!”

The Empress had been accused of heresy by the Great Temple.

To prove her innocence, she had taken her own life.

The only person who had questioned her death was the young crown prince. But no one had listened to him.

She had been the Empress—the second-highest-ranking person in the empire.

If she had truly committed suicide, it was a problem. If she hadn’t, it was an even bigger problem. And yet, people had simply swept her death under the rug.

Even the Emperor.

“As a member of the imperial family, how shameful it must have been to be accused of heresy. Though her actions were rash, at least her innocence was proven. Surely, your mother would have found peace.”

The Emperor had buried the truth.

He had never even protested to the Great Temple about the accusation.

Officially, her cause of death had been recorded as an illness.

Though only a suspicion, if word had spread that the Empress had been accused of heresy, both her reputation and the imperial family’s honor would have been irreparably damaged.

“I told you, time and time again, to properly investigate her death.”

“It’s too late now. What good would it do to revisit something that happened fifteen years ago?”

Despite being the one to bring it up, the Emperor waved a dismissive hand when the Crown Prince’s words carried a note of reproach, as if the topic gave him a headache.

Then, as if to shut him up completely, he removed the imperial seal ring from his right middle finger.

“Listen carefully. I am leaving for treatment. Starting tomorrow, you will act as regent and handle all state affairs in my stead.”

“You mean to make it look as if you are leaving for treatment, but in reality, you plan to investigate the Pope’s schemes?”

“No. I will enter seclusion for prayer.”

“Prayer…?”

“Yes. To regain my blessing, I must offer penitent prayers to God. That is the most urgent matter.”

The strength of the imperial throne rested upon the Emperor’s title as the Holy Sovereign and the endorsement of the Great Temple. That was the foundation of his power over the nobility.

If the Pope revealed that the Emperor had lost his divine blessing, the common folk might not understand, but the nobles would see their opportunity and rise up against him.

“And as you can see… The backlash of losing the blessing has been severe. If I do not regain it soon, I will…”

“Say no more.”

The Crown Prince took the seal ring and slipped it onto his right middle finger. Then, he looked at the Emperor.

In the aged eyes before him, he could clearly see the anxiety lurking beneath the surface.

Rather than feeling pity, he found himself relishing the moment. He supposed he was incapable of being a filial son in this lifetime.

But he could at least play the role of the perfect heir.

He bowed respectfully.

“I will ensure that the empire is well-governed so that Your Majesty may focus solely on your recovery.”

“…Good. I trust you.”

Leaving the audience chamber, the Crown Prince strode forward, sorting through everything he had just heard.

There was much he didn’t understand.

Above all, he found it strange that the Emperor was so certain that prayer would restore his blessing.

‘Now that I think about it, he spent quite some time speaking with the Duchess.’

Could she have been the one who convinced him?

‘It was said that she was exiled because she was the least qualified of the four candidates…’

Why did the Emperor trust her so much?

‘Perhaps I should meet her myself.’
 

<To be continued>

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