Lucretius Le Cransia.

The heir to the Cransia Empire.

The one and only son of the emperor who was now dead in his own bed.

The one who helped me this morning.

It was him.

“You are smart. Too smart for your own good.” The man, I mean, the prince, said to me disappointedly. He looked like he was thinking. I felt terrified.

I was so stupid! Why did I let him know that I realized who he was?

He turned around.

Lucretius said to me sharply, “You!”

“I will do anything you tell me to! I don’t know who you are! Just run away!”

I then ran towards the reception area. It felt like it took me a thousand years to get to the door. I kept expecting the prince to grab me from behind, but it didn’t happen.

He would have escaped by now through that secret pathway. He would have a solid alibi. I knew he contemplated killing me just then, but I escaped in time.

I ran as fast as I could. When I saw the maids and the guards, I fell to the ground and screamed.

“Ahhhhh! The emperor…! The emperor has been murdered!”

I wanted to live!

***

The emperor was murdered. It happened in the well-guarded castle. In his own bedroom no less.

The one and only witness were, of course, me. The fifteenth and the newest concubine. On her wedding night.

I cried and cried until I almost fainted.

At first, I was just acting, but as I cried, the reality hit me and I cried for real.

The next day, with swollen eyes, I was dragged to a large reception room. In that room were many people including him.

He looked different than last night. His blond hair was brushed back neatly. Instead of the black outfit, he was wearing luxurious purple clothes decorated with jewels. His face wasn’t covered with a mask anymore.

Instead of a simple dagger, he had a bejeweled sword hanging on his belt.

However, there was one thing that remained the same.

His cold green eyes.

It was definitely him.

The man who killed his own father last night.

The one and only heir to this empire.

My accomplice.

Lucretius Le Cransia.

His green eyes were directed at me. I felt uncomfortable, so I bowed my head politely.

“Your Highness.”

Suddenly, the empress, who was sitting next to the prince, criticized me angrily.

“You must have bad eyesight.”

I realized my mistake and bowed to her deeply. The proper etiquette dictated that I greet the empress first as she had the highest rank in the room. I was so tired I made an easy mistake.

I almost lost my voice from crying and screaming last night. I used that to my advantage as I apologized.

“I apologize, your highness. I… I…”

A beauty with long grey hair listened to me carefully with a smile. She was the only woman in the room other than me, and she’s the Empress. Strangely, she was wearing a piece of intricate jewelry over her eyes.

“Sa Bina, right? Sa Bina went through such a shocking and horrible event last night. She must be still very confused.”

Whoever it was, she was clearly very powerful. The Empress seemed to accept this woman’s words.

However, she had to have the last word.

Empress Katleyanira said to her, “Priestess, you are too kind.”

Priestess.

Daughter of the god. The only person in this world who could hear the god’s voice. I was told there was only one place where a priest or a priestess existed in this world. This meant this woman was the last priestess of this world.

She was the most revered person in all countries. Even I knew that, and I only have been living in this world for a year.

I nodded towards her in thanks. I wasn’t sure if she could see me, but she smiled at me in return.

As soon as I finished greeting everyone properly, the discussion started.

“The reason we asked you to come here is because of the horrible incident last night.” A white-haired old man said to me. Who was he?

Someone who could speak freely in front of the prince and the Empress. He was clearly a high-ranking figure. I remained quiet.

The empress interrupted as she said in a shrill voice, “We must find the murderer and whoever hired him!”

The prince agreed with a kind smile, “Of course. Our priority will be to avenge the former emperor.”

I kept my head bowed and listened. If the prince really wanted vengeance, all he had to do was kill himself. Of course, I didn’t say this out loud.

The Empress asked irritably, “Former emperor?”

The prince didn’t waver at all. I didn’t see his face, but I could imagine what kind of expression he would have on his face.

“He is deceased, god bless his soul, so wouldn’t it make sense to call him the former emperor?”

“But…!”

The white-haired man said to the Empress, “Empress dowager, please remain calm.”

The empress complained loudly, “Chancellor! How could you call me the dowager? The emperor’s body hasn’t even cooled yet!” This was clearly a very important topic for her.

She was wrong. His body was dead cold.

The chancellor ignored her and continued, “He passed away, so it is proper to call him the former emperor. You are, from now on, to be revered as the dowager empress. The prince is now the new emperor. This is the law. Don’t you agree, your highness?”

The chancellor kneeled in front of the prince. The others followed, except for the empress and the priestess. The new emperor. I wanted to live, so I kneeled as well.

The room became silent.

The prince announced in a sad voice, “I am not worthy, but I will do my best to continue the former emperor’s legacy.”

By the chancellor’s order, everyone said together, “Long live the emperor!”

“Stand.”

The coronation didn’t take place yet, but he was now the new emperor of Cransia.

Lucretius Le Cransia.

The chancellor stood up and walked towards the empress, I mean, the dowager empress. He politely but firmly asked her.

“Then dowager empress, please hand the official seal to the new emperor.”

The dowager empress paled. She made her last attempt to stall.

“But the coronation hasn’t taken place yet, so we must wait till…”

“Your Highness, the law states when the emperor passes away, the empress needs to hold the seal.”

The dowager empress brightened. “So…!”

“But if the heir to the throne is over the age of 18, he immediately becomes the new emperor even before the coronation. This means you need to hand him the seal immediately. His Highness is 27 years old. We are all lucky this empire has a legitimate, healthy, and fully-grown heir ready to take over right away.”

The Empress, I mean, the dowager Empress reddened. She couldn’t hide her anger. Dowager Empress Katleyanira held on to the black box, which must have held the seal, and growled in defiance.

“Legitimate? After the birth of the prince, the formal empress committed adultery and ended up giving birth to another child that was not of royal blood! This man is that woman’s son! The emperor always suspected Lucretius may not be his son!”

The room became silent. I remembered the dead emperor’s face. Obese, wrinkly, and blotchy. Even considering that he was much older, he couldn’t compare to Lucretius’s beautiful face. Anyone who didn’t know both of them would be surprised to find out that they were related at all.

The dowager empress’s accusation sounded real.

‘Could it be…’