How on earth did the Emperor find such capable orphans among so many?
It’s not like he has thousands of children running around, and he definitely didn’t send knights out to look for them.
There were some theories among the players. After all, the Emperor must have gathered those gifted children by some ‘special means’, and that ‘special means’ was likely related to Claire or the bloodline of other imperial children. I got sucked into this world’s game before uncovering the truth.
But I never thought that ‘special means’ would be mixing blood!
If that’s the case, the Emperor must be outrageously confident. No, more than confident—he’s probably overconfident. He’d think his children would obviously inherit his ‘amazing abilities.’
Ha!
The thought made me chuckle.
The idea of ‘Emperor’s children’ isn’t something unique to the current Emperor; previous Emperors had their groups of elite guards too, and there were those who were known to have them.
The overconfidence about bloodlines isn’t just the Emperor’s; it’s a pride that radiates from the entire royal family.
But if that’s true…
Then I, who wasn’t supposed to be in that position, definitely wasn’t the ‘child’ the Emperor was after. Claire was the one who rightfully belonged there.
If the Emperor planned to just spread seeds, he wouldn’t care about the specifics. He’d just trust someone to keep an eye on where that woman’s child ended up. Whether the child had blue hair or black hair… that wouldn’t matter to the Emperor.
“Whoa…”
Sitting in my chair, staring blankly at the ceiling after reaching that conclusion made me gasp in awe.
If someone brought me into this world, that being really put me in the right spot. Hurting me with a secret about my birth, too.
Plus, the ability they granted me was in practical terms. Rather than some uncertain talent like swordsmanship I might spend a lifetime honing, I was given infinite chances to fix things when I made mistakes.
And yet… the Emperor still thinks how I fight is all tied to that ability, while believing I’m his daughter.
That’s right. The Emperor mistook me for Claire.
The reason for that confusion is purely because Lucas brought me, not Claire.
…I need to find Lucas.
*
Lucas probably has no idea he might be the Emperor’s true son! After all, he doesn’t resemble the Emperor much. Plus, considering the circumstances, Lucas’s orphanhood likely rivaled Claire’s misery.
He wouldn’t think the royal blood was running in him. Who would have thought that a child born in such conditions would even be able to roll around freely?
So, I must go to Lucas and find out why he chose me and what his past is like. Only then can I hold some certainty about the situation.
The damn Emperor just threw that bomb at me and laughed, as if to say, “figure the rest out yourself!”
The problem is, I have no clue where Lucas is.
Bella and another person were already sent on a mission. In fact, those two were among the lesser-known faces among the Emperor’s children, so they were very useful and always busy. If Bella hadn’t received a separate mission, I wouldn’t have even crossed paths with her.
Thus, I went to find the only ‘brother’ I could meet right away.
And that person is—
“Lucas?”
Jayden furrowed his brow at the mention of Lucas.
“How would I know where Lucas is?”
Fortunately, Jayden didn’t seem angry with me. His irritation was directed at Lucas. To Jayden, the Empire’s greatest knight, leaving without informing the Emperor would indeed be seen as treachery.
I quietly gazed up at Jayden’s golden hair, which was distinctly split into an 80-20 ratio.
Seeing it like this, his hair color reminded me quite a bit of the Emperor and Alice. Of course, using that as evidence would be tough, since golden-haired people aren’t rare in the Empire.
But… after hearing such stories, seeing this golden hair makes me think differently.
Jayden has been thoroughly trained in the royal sword techniques, but he too probably has a dark past like Claire or Bella.
Perhaps that obsessive obsession with elegance comes from that background.
“Is that so?”
“Why? Is something up? Did he do something to you?”
“No.”
At my answer, Jayden shrugged and continued packing. The large trunk was packed so tightly that it made me wonder how he managed to fit everything in like a jigsaw puzzle.
Admiringly, I asked,
“Where are you being dispatched to?”
“That’s right,” Jayden nodded while packing.
“I’m heading to the North. Thanks to your great efforts—”
While saying that, Jayden glanced my way. His expression was clearly one of pride. For a moment, I nearly got chills, but I held it together.
“—we managed to obliterate one faction, but there are still similar factions overflowing everywhere. We can’t afford to pour our army into a war with the autonomous nations, but having one reliable regular would greatly help in combat.”
As he spoke, Jayden shut the open trunk.
“The North…”
Thinking about how I’m the only one left in the Imperial Palace as the Emperor’s child, I started feeling a bit gloomy, but suddenly a bright thought flashed through my mind.
“By any chance, how will you be traveling?”
“I requested for it to be as fast as possible, so I’ll probably be riding along on a supply ship?”
The term ‘supply ship’ doesn’t refer to the regular type of boat. If there’s a sea or a massive lake nearby, that might make sense, but a supply ship moving overland means ‘airship’.
The speed of the transport ship can’t even be compared to that of the sky battleship, Dreadnought. It barely goes about 100 km/h.
However, since it’s an airship, it would surely fly straight toward the destination. It wouldn’t stop along the way. Therefore, the actual arrival time would be faster than a train.
“Is there any chance I could ride along on that transport ship?”
With only about two weeks left until the end of the holidays, I was running out of time.
“Huh? Still, it’s a military supply ship… It’s not that I suspect you, but there are procedural issues with riding those. I’ve already completed my affiliation a week ago, but you…”
Seeing how he refuses to let me ride just because of his position, it’s clear how much of a ‘model citizen’ Jayden truly is. That’s probably why the Emperor trusts him for ‘visible action.’
“I… have something urgent.”
“Something urgent, huh?”
Jayden grew a bit serious upon hearing that.
“Is it related to His Majesty’s orders?”
Uhh…
That’s not true.
I could make excuses and dodge the question, but as an imperial knight, Jayden had a stern side when it came to such matters. If I lied, he’d definitely check with the Emperor. Not because he suspected me, but to know things more clearly and deal with the orders correctly.
“…”
“Silvia?”
Jayden cocked his head, looking at me as I suddenly fell silent.
…Alright then.
In this case, I should take advantage of Jayden’s weak points.
Drawing a deep breath, I steadied my heart and clasped my hands in front of my chest.
Then, I looked up at Jayden. This part wasn’t too difficult. He was taller than me anyway.
But the problem was what came next.
“O…”
“Huh?”
As I paused in the middle of my sentence, Jayden responded back.
“O… Brother.”
Since I couldn’t bear to call him ‘oppa,’ I opted for an extremely respectful title fitting my character.
Right, this is merely my character’s persona; it’s not something I said out of my own will.
Let’s think of it that way.
With Jayden stiffening up like ice in front of me, I inhaled deeply again and spoke.
“Brother… please?”
“…”
Jayden stared at me in shock for a long while, his mouth hanging open, and eventually raised a hand to his forehead.
For a moment, I wondered if I had failed.
But Jayden swiped his hand down his face and then touched his forehead again.
A small smile was tugging at his lips, and his eyes were filled with an expression that seemed like, ‘Have I ever seen a troublemaker like this?’
“Oh my.”
Almost regretting what I said, I seriously contemplated if I should rewind time.
“If my sister says that… there’s no helping it. Don’t worry, Silvia. This ‘big brother’ will do whatever it takes.”
…I seriously agonized over that.
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