Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 12
How old was I then? I think I was three, as I vaguely remember not even being able to pronounce the words. It was a prenuptial betrothal between our families, so I was already betrothed to Lecan from the moment I opened my eyes. Of course, when I was very young, I didn’t know the meaning of marriage or engagement.
Lecan, who was seven years my senior, was significantly taller than me. what bored as he propped his chin, merely staring at me without a word in response. Disheveled short black hair in the wind, vivid crimson eyes.
The memories are fragmented.
The sunshine, the smell of summer, the boy sitting on a cut log with a languid look on his face, the way he looked at me with a blank stare, like he was wondering what to do. And the pain in my arm as I held out the book.
Eventually, Lecan took the book and began to read in his soothing voice, but I don’t remember much of what he said, just the occasional smile, the way he seemed to think I was cute, the way his face alternated between annoyance and interest, and my vague impression that I’d never seen anyone more handsome than my father.
He was also close to my two older brothers, which is why I vaguely felt he was family. I was too young to recognize him as a man, even if we were engaged.
‘My memories became somewhat clearer around the age of five.’
I looked up at Lecan, who seems to grow taller every time I look at him.
“I won’t be coming to the academy for another ten years.”
“Why?”
“To cause trouble here and there.”
“So we’ll see each other in ten years?”
Lecan merely nodded.
Ten years was a very long time for a five-year-old me. I’d have to live the life I’ve lived twice more before ten years would have passed.
I circled around Lecan, speaking with a surprising sense of confidence.
“In ten years, I’m going to look just like my mom!”
“…”
“And I’ll be the kind of girl that people compliment a lot, and I’ll get along with my mom and my dad and my brothers, and I’ll be as cool as Lecan.”
“…”
“And… in ten years, um. In ten years, I’ll be a smart person who reads a lot of books.”
This is the delusional future planning of a child. Many children are excited to tell adults that they will be great when they grow up, and at the age of five, I truly believed in that future. Everyone around me looked at me with admiration, addressing me as a young lady and hailing me as a prodigy.
Lecan, however, merely listened in silence.
Then he knelt down in front of me so that he was at my eye level and said, “Let’s look forward to the future in 10 years.”
The crystal-clear memory of his last words to me reverberated vividly in my mind
“My young fiancée.”
The hand that tousled my hair was firm and warm.
***
Before arriving at the examination hall, I checked myself in the mirror several times.
I don’t know if I grew up to be as beautiful as five-year-old me declared, but I did inherit my mother’s good looks, who was a renowned socialite. It was a wonder even to me, as I drank the potion and gradually became more like the Sixth Prince.
“There’s no way Lecan would recognize you.”
Contrary to the Sixth Prince’s concerns, who growled ferociously at me for disturbing him, I looked perfectly like him. Even the ring that altered my voice functioned flawlessly.
‘The one who witnessed my childhood.’
My younger brother has only faint memories of his time as Rotea Grand Duchy, and my family, down to distant relatives, had perished. Amidst all this, the prospect of reuniting with Lecan, someone I once felt as close as family, as an adult in this eerily silent place felt peculiar. Of course, he shouldn’t and wouldn’t recognize me, but….
‘Whatever the Sixth Prince knows of my escapade was but a fleeting moment during adolescence. I contemplated seeking Lecan’s aid but restrained myself, mindful of the imprint on my heart. And yet, much time has passed.’
Perhaps until the day of my death, I had deemed it impossible to encounter Lecan again. I am the one who shadows the Sixth Prince.
That’s why even as I gazed upon Lecan seated before me, it didn’t feel real. Though it might be an exaggeration, it felt akin to facing deceased parents or a brother—such was the sensation.
The Persi Academy was known for unveiling the examination format only upon arrival at the examination hall. And this final entrance exam format was an ‘interview.’
His presence loomed larger than in my memory. Everywhere I went, his name never failed to surface, which only intensified the surreal sensation. It was only yesterday when I heard the news that Lecan had volunteered as an unexpected examiner for the Academy’s evaluation.
“Please give a brief self-introduction.”
Lecan’s voice, delivered dryly, was as gratingly low and resonant as ever. He hadn’t glanced my way even once since I took the seat opposite him.
Clad in a jet-black attire, his well-developed physique subtly hinted through the contours. At twenty-nine years old, he was even more handsome than the rumors had claimed. He could rival most women in beauty, with harmonious features basking lazily under the sunlight.
I opened my mouth, struggling to contain my nervousness.
“Sixth Prince Fauvan Teiles.”
Lecan stopped dead in his tracks. His hand, which had been dutifully flipping through papers, stiffened.
He was such a powerful, young man that one would not be surprised to hear that he had rebelled and taken the Emperor’s head.
Lecan finally lifted his head, meeting my gaze across the table. It felt as though time had halted, moving exceedingly, almost unnaturally slow.
‘He is stillness to me.’
I tried not to think about it, but Lecan’s gaze was too direct.
I felt an unexplained sense of urgency. My stomach felt like it was tightening. The potion that made me look like the Sixth Prince, the ring that changed my voice, and the card that evaded identity scanners were perfect.
The security at the Persi Academy was said to be the best in the world, but bypassing the circuitry of magical items was my specialty.
Yet, there was something peculiar about the way Lecan looked at me. Ominous, somehow.
