Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 10
“His granddaughter left a curse and committed suicide… The Chancellor is already seventy, and we thought it was just worsening health, but in the end, it wasn’t due to a blood disorder. He’s despairing from the death of his granddaughter.”
“…The Chancellor’s last ambition would have been an Emperor from his own bloodline, and now that it has been thwarted, he must be heartbroken. Emperor Teiles I doesn’t have much time left either.”
Despite being the Emperor’s beloved concubine, his consort didn’t seem sad at all. She smiled gracefully, as if she got what she wanted.
“Hope for the best. That’s the only way for the Sixth Prince to ascend to the throne.”
“…”
“But, Winter, you plan to stay up all night again when the exam is tomorrow morning?” the Emperor’s mistress asked.
I replied, “I’ve mentioned this before, Your Majesty. I’ve lived away from society for so long that my daily rhythm is different from most people…I concentrate best in the evening and early morning, so I’ve been reading and staying awake at these times regularly. Forcing myself to sleep will only ruin my condition.”
“I know you don’t fall asleep until the middle of the day, but won’t staying up all night still affect your performance?”
“Even if my performance is not at its best…”
I chose my words carefully.
“There should be no issue with Your Highness passing.”
The Sixth Prince cocked his head to the side in annoyance, but I didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t get under his skin. The Emperor’s mistress, who had been sitting on the bed in her nightdress, suddenly stood up. The silhouette of her body was sensual. I averted my gaze.
“It’s amazing that even though you didn’t sleep well at night, you grew this tall.”
“…Genetics probably played a significant role, Your Majesty.”
“The fact that the prince is just as tall as you is a sad thing. He should have grown much taller by now, just like His Majesty.”
The Emperor’s mistress acts like she loves the Sixth Prince, but I’ve never seen her make physical contact with him except when he was a baby. Not holding his hand, a hug, a pat on the head, or any of the other light touches that are common among family members.
She always chastised the Sixth Prince quietly with kind words and an icy look in her eyes. It was one of the reasons why the Sixth Prince was obsessed with me. I saw the Sixth Prince biting his lower lip and lowering his head.
“It would have been better if he were clever enough not to need a proxy.”
“…I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”
There was a grunt and the sound of the Sixth Prince grinding his teeth. I was the one who would be tired after the consort provoked the Sixth Prince like that, but I couldn’t interfere.
“Winter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“They say Lecan is coming as an examiner tomorrow.”
“…?”
“In fact, that’s why I called you, to let you know.”
I hesitated for a moment at the unexpected name.
Lecan is coming as an examiner?
“Right now, he must be very busy. Why would he suddenly participate in the academy entrance exam?”
Lecan used to be my fiancé from my past, but that was when I was very young, and the marriage would naturally have been dissolved with my disappearance. I hadn’t seen him since I was seven years old. The problem was, as a proxy exam taker, I had to be the perfect Sixth Prince tomorrow.
‘I can’t afford to reveal my true identity.’
Besides, Lecan was…
Until now, I had deliberately allowed his power to grow, but only in the hope that he and the Crown Prince would keep each other in check. Historically, the strategy of killing one enemy by the hand of another was an ancient, tried-and-true method. But now that things had changed, if the Sixth Prince were to ascend to the throne, Lecan would be the first to die.
“…It’s fine. I can handle it.”
That was the extent of the consort’s warning, and I bowed my head slowly.
