The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 175
“But let me ask one thing. Why is the captain of the imperial guard the King of Makruxa?”
“I recommend finding that out yourself.”
The Emperor casually tilted his glass and narrowed his eyes.
“Your Majesty, if the child of a murderer is born, should that child be branded as a criminal?”
“…Are you suddenly trying to discuss guilt by association?”
“Then… are the unintended children of a monarch criminals or not?”
He wasn’t a fool. It wasn’t hard for him to understand what Roxelyn was trying to convey.
‘The children of a monarch…’
The former Emperor had a penchant for women. He had several concubines in addition to the former Empress.
Now, there were none left in the imperial palace. He had dealt with them all to secure the throne.
Those who could be sent away were sent away, and those who refused all met with ‘unfortunate accidents’ that claimed their lives.
Even the many siblings he had during his childhood had all died in unexpected accidents.
However, considering the former Emperor’s womanizing ways, it was laughable that he had so few children.
‘…I knew I had half-siblings.’
But since they didn’t stand out, he hadn’t bothered to pay attention to them.
The former Emperor, despite his love for women, cared deeply for the empire and its well-being.
Of course, once Severus was named Crown Prince, he didn’t concern himself with what Severus did.
Whether other siblings met with unfortunate accidents or whether Severus cleaned up his surroundings, it didn’t matter to him.
The former Emperor had a weakness for women, but he wasn’t foolish.
He may not have been a good father or husband, but he was likely a good emperor.
Just as the current Emperor had fallen in love with a woman, the former Emperor’s only true love was the empire he ruled.
Thus, he didn’t want to bring any unnecessary or petty conflicts into the imperial palace.
In other words, any illegitimate children were discreetly taken care of without even coming to his attention.
“To think that one survived…”
The Emperor, lounging on the sofa like a carefree playboy, silently sipped his drink, amazed by the news.
It was a posture unbefitting the ruler of a nation.
‘An illegitimate child… This is a problem.’
Unfortunately, there was no law in the empire to protect illegitimate children.
Roxelyn was right.
They existed but shouldn’t. They breathed but couldn’t step into the sunlight. For the crime of simply being born, they had to live their entire lives as sinners.
It wasn’t a formal rule, but society’s prejudices dictated it.
‘To think they’d plan a rebellion…’
They must have hidden their intentions for so long that even the Emperor was unaware.
‘Has it been about 30 years since I placed the Captain of the Imperial Guard in that position?’
He had been the Emperor’s right-hand man for a long time.
At least, the Emperor had thought so.
As he was about to refill his glass with whiskey after adding ice, he sensed a presence outside the door. The Emperor smirked as he took another sip of his drink.
Without a knock, the door quietly opened, but the Emperor didn’t even glance at it as he spoke.
“It was hard to see you even though we lived in the same palace all our lives, but lately, you’ve been visiting quite often. Getting restless, are we, my youngest?”
Despite the Emperor’s jest, Arma said nothing.
He walked in silently, stared at his father for a moment, then dropped onto the sofa opposite him and placed the wine he was holding on the table.
It was a rare bottle of Blood Wine from the Kingdom of Loti, produced 20 years ago.
That year had favorable weather, leading to an exceptionally high sugar content in Loti’s “Blood Grapes,” resulting in a wine of excellent quality.
Because of its fame, the wine was now scarce.
The Emperor squinted his eyes at his youngest son’s gesture, then let out a small laugh.
“Do you have another request?”
“What do you do if there’s something you want, but it seems out of reach?”
The boy, now shedding his childish ways, poured himself a drink into his crystal glass as he spoke.
“…”
