The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 177
The Emperor burst into loud laughter, then suddenly raised his index finger and spoke.
“Youngest, it seems you have a misunderstanding. Your name was chosen by your mother.”
Arma’s eyes widened in surprise at the Emperor’s words.
“…My name was given by my mother?”
It had been a long time since the Emperor had seen such genuine emotion from his son, and he found himself feeling inexplicably pleased, nodding his head.
As he rubbed his chin, he looked at his son with a faintly amused expression and then smiled.
“Why, is that hard to believe?”
“…I thought she believed I was dead.”
“There’s no way. Hearing about her child would give her a reason to live.”
The Emperor’s expression softened considerably.
Despite having everything in the world, this was a man who had used it all to imprison just one person. Arma remained silent.
“Anyway, your mother will be quite pleased to hear this.”
The Emperor rubbed his chin as he spoke.
He hadn’t expected that the child who once pretended to be dead and seemed ready to leave the country behind would now express a desire to become Emperor.
‘I was planning to make the eldest Crown Prince if nothing unusual happened…’
The Emperor rubbed his chin again.
‘The eldest might be quite disappointed.’
He had no intention of immediately giving the position of Crown Prince to Arma.
He planned to make Arma pay for all the trouble he had caused and would only give him the title if he met the expectations.
However, from what the Emperor had observed, there was a clear difference in abilities between the eldest and the youngest.
The second child had never had much ambition for the throne and had always assumed the position belonged to his older brother.
The eldest had awakened his Abyss early on and was raised learning imperial studies, being treated as a potential Crown Prince by those around him.
The problem was… Arma’s abilities turned out to be far superior to what the Emperor had expected.
Ironically, the one who resembled him the most was the youngest, the child who was treated as an illegitimate son.
And Arma himself was well aware of his own capabilities.
That was why he had decided to abandon the throne, to give up the supreme position where he could have the world at his feet, and instead chose to leave it all behind.
‘But he decided to give that up.’
—For a woman named Roxelyn Bellion.
Arma had distanced himself from all affairs of the imperial palace for a long time.
He had lowered himself, hidden his true nature, and kept his claws concealed. It reminded the Emperor of his own childhood.
In fact, this wasn’t a bad situation at all.
“So, you want to become Emperor.”
At least, it was quite favorable for the Emperor.
As Emperor, one of his final duties was to ensure that imperial authority was successfully passed on to the next generation.
To be honest, he was someone who wanted to retire quickly and needed someone reliable to take over.
Among the options he had, Arma was the best choice.
“It’s surprising to hear you say you want to take up the mantle.”
The Emperor smiled as he tilted his glass.
“Have you gone mad?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then?”
“I need power. I need authority.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Arma’s words.
“The power of the third prince isn’t small. After me, there’s nothing above you.”
Despite the Emperor’s tone, which was somewhere between coaxing and mocking, Arma’s gaze remained steady.
“It’s not enough.”
