My father was the sun of Varno Kingdom, and my mother was the beautiful moon, the Empress. I was the eldest son with more legitimacy in bloodline than anyone else. But sadly, I did not receive Rorta, the royal dynasty’s middle name. It was a treatment given only to illegitimate children.
The Emperor treated the Empress coldly and favored the 1st Imperial Consort above all others. It wouldn’t have seemed strange even if he suddenly promised to give her half the country.
The Empress called having a child a miracle. That’s how rare the nights the Empress and Emperor spent together were. It could be said to be an event that didn’t happen even once a year. I was even suspected of being illegitimate blood. Nevertheless, the reason I wasn’t completely denied as the Emperor’s bloodline was because I looked exactly like him.
However, the 1st Imperial Consort’s pillow talk resulted in all the power I should have received being stripped from me even in the womb. While my bloodline was acknowledged, I was granted no power whatsoever. The Empress was weak-natured by birth and didn’t even dare to stand up to the 1st Imperial Consort.
The loyal vassals who would give honest counsel to the Emperor had long since dried up. The imperial family and nobles competed to exploit the people. My homeland was a hideous country that reverberated with the screams of citizens and the stench of rot.
Parasitizing on their suffering, the 1st Imperial Consort produced imperial princesses and princes one after another. With each child born, the 1st Imperial Consort’s momentum rose frighteningly high enough to pierce the sky.
The more that happened, the more the national treasury hit rock bottom. The corrupt power holders lived wealthy lives steeped in debauchery with money wrung from the people. The more that happened, the more the Empress shut herself in a back room. It was partly a matter of personality, but also because her position was like a candle before the wind.
There was no one to care for her shut away in the back room. Naturally, there was no one to care for me either. Even if I had stayed as I was, I would have ended my life as a withered ghost prince, but perhaps even my existence was irritating—the Imperial Consort and her offspring drove me out to Connubium.
Their thinking was obvious. A beautiful ghost prince. The 1st Prince who was alive but no different from dead. His innate bloodline and appearance are useful. So let’s send him to Connubium and sell him for a high price.
Originally, the Emperor told the 1st Imperial Consort’s offspring in detail about the true nature of Connubium, which only the successor should know. It was affection so clear it was visible to the eye.
Now that they knew the identity of the education Connubium provided, there was no reason not to use it. They sent me to Connubium and raised their glasses in celebration—thinking of the money they would receive from selling me. Cackling with the sense of victory at stuffing the legitimate successor into a place where they should have gone.
I knew all of that well. Even if I had no power, even if I hadn’t received proper education, my ears worked fine and my head turned properly too.
I think I once harbored hope that my circumstances would improve someday. But every failure taught me resignation.
“But… to reclaim everything that’s mine? In this situation?”
I ground my teeth without realizing it. But even burning anger requires fuel. Since I couldn’t burn anger with nothing, my emotions quickly died down.
“Whatever the Holy Grail is… there’s no way I can reclaim it. From the beginning, that wasn’t…”
Even my position.
I stared blankly at empty space for a moment, then staggered away from the garden. If it was a position I couldn’t obtain no matter how much effort I made, it was better to give up early. The sun was too far and too hot to approach. I didn’t want to wither and die.
* * *
After the conversation with Vinoshu, Jay carefully observed the students. However, the students entering his classes all still flaunted the artificial appearance of dolls.
They were mostly A-rank and B-rank, so they showed no openings. They were like students who had adapted to Connubium to some degree. Perhaps that’s why there were also no students consulting with or informing on anyone to Jay. It was because the perception that he was an outsider was strong.
Unable to sense anything abnormal in the other students, Jay eventually observed his assigned students in more detail. Jin Chung in particular was a main subject of observation. It was natural since there was that appearance he had shown.
However, Jin Chung never showed the appearance from that day, that conversation. Rather, his harmless-to-the-extreme appearance made it doubtful whether the holiday conversation had actually happened.
“Haah…”
Jay truly let out a sigh involuntarily. However, no matter how much he exhaled sighs deep enough to make the ground cave in, the indigestion piled up layer by layer inside didn’t disappear. It was because what Jin Chung had said wasn’t forgotten. But while it came to mind, no solution occurred to him.
Afternoon. After eating dinner, students enjoy personal time. Jay received greetings from Jin Chung and Vittorio and waited for the last remaining Ivan to leave. However, no matter how long he waited, the drooping Ivan showed no sign of getting up from his seat.
Jay approached Ivan with a worried heart.
“Scotilino. …Scotilino?”
No matter how many times he called, Ivan didn’t respond. Jay lightly touched his shoulder.
The moment his hand touched the shoulder, Ivan’s eyes flashed open like a ghost. Jay was startled and stepped back several steps. Ivan looked around like a frightened beast, then realized that only he and Jay remained in the room and let out a small sigh.
“I’m sorry, Professor.”
“No. Um, Scotilino?”
Jay became worried seeing that the area under Ivan’s eyes was pitch black. Ivan, who already had a pale and sickly-looking impression, looked even more tired these days.
His poor complexion wasn’t all. He, who normally ate as little as bird feed, had barely been able to eat meals lately. There were even times when he dropped the food he was holding.
Since Connubium students generally observed etiquette thoroughly, dropping food during meals was an impossible occurrence. That’s why Ivan’s appearance was all the more strange and naturally drew Jay’s concern.
He could have suspected it was in the direction of the nonsense Vinoshu had mentioned, but Ivan looked like a sick beast, so his guard naturally loosened.
“What is it, Professor?”
“Are you very tired these days? You’re not sick, are you?”
“…That’s unnecessary meddling.”
Ivan pretended to be fine and jumped up from his seat. Jay’s hand that had been reaching toward him lost its bearings and returned to its place. However, Ivan, who had gotten up vigorously, closed his eyes and took several breaths due to sudden dizziness.
He usually gave off a hazy atmosphere as if he might sink into the ground, but now he looked like he might die at any moment. As if he hadn’t slept for days and nights, shadows were cast darkly under his eyes. Since he couldn’t eat more than a few bites of food, the situation didn’t look good.
Ivan tried to walk again but swayed greatly once more. Jay rushed over like a shot and supported him.
“Are you okay?!”
“Ugh…”
Ivan frowned as if he wanted to shake off Jay’s supporting hand immediately. But his creaking body didn’t seem to move as he wanted. He was limply nestled in Jay’s arms.
Perhaps disliking the situation of being held by Jay, Ivan scrunched up his face fiercely. However, scrunching up his face with an obviously sickly complexion didn’t feel threatening.
Jay touched Ivan’s forehead with a worried touch.
“You don’t have a fever…”
Even with his hazy consciousness, Ivan tried to push Jay away. But contrary to his thoughts, his hands only flailed weakly.
Jay tried to take Ivan to the infirmary. However, in that moment, the reaction the infirmary professor had shown when he brought Vittorio there flashed through his mind like lightning. That appearance of not feeling much seriousness even though a student was sick.
In the end, Jay spread out a blanket he had stored on the floor and laid Ivan down. He didn’t forget to check thoroughly and lay him in a blind spot in case someone might see from outside. The things he had stored away for the students proved helpful.
“Ivan, you haven’t been eating properly until now, but have you eaten anything else?”
“Ugh…”
Without answering, Ivan slowly shook his head. Perhaps because shaking his head while dizzy made him nauseous, his face turned pale. Jay, startled, made him stop and then rummaged through his pockets. While there was still a sandwich he carried as a spare, it was too much for Ivan with an empty stomach right now.
At that moment, something rustling was caught in Jay’s hand.
“Huh… this is…”
A small purple candy wrapped in foil. A type of snack Jay didn’t eat—grape candy. Jay wouldn’t have any memory of this candy. That’s because it was something Belly had prepared for me. Well, anyway, right now candy would be better for Ivan to eat than a heavy sandwich.
In Jay’s view, the candy didn’t seem old or inedible. Did he forget and neglect it? Jay, who wondered for a moment, buried the question and put the candy in Ivan’s mouth. Right now, Ivan’s recovery was more important to Jay than trivial questions.
“Ugh, this is…”
Ivan tried to spit it out immediately. Ivan was a child with strong wariness to eat food that hadn’t been properly verified. But that was only his feeling—he couldn’t easily spit out what was in his mouth.
For his weakened body, even the meager nutrition of candy would be desperate.
“It’s candy. Right now, eating a sandwich is a bit… so.”
He ate the candy, rolling it around in his mouth like a child. Though he didn’t say anything, one could feel that he welcomed that sweetness. Sweetness tends to soften a sharpened mind. Perhaps Ivan was no different, as his fierce gaze gradually melted.
“You should have been eating meals. If your body breaks down like this, it’ll be hard later.”
“…”
“Is the food too poor? Should I prepare some for you?”
Ivan looked at Jay, who spoke worriedly, with unfamiliar eyes. As if he had never received something like this even once in his life.
