[March 6th — 9:23 PM]
[Outside the Grand Imperial Citadel]
[Perspective: Kaiser Everhart]
"We're here." I said, adjusting the collar of my borrowed coat.
I was wearing a plain, completely forgettable noble's outfit I had procured from a very distracted merchant earlier that afternoon. Beside me, Axel was wearing Maverick's stolen luxury pants and a ridiculously oversized top hat that he had tilted down to look 'mysterious'. It just made him look like a very short, lost magician.
The Founder's Day gala was essentially divided into 2 massive sections. Down in the capital's sprawling plazas, the civilians were currently throwing a massive festival where you could eat as much as you wanted from the open stalls. But that wasn't where the real food was. The real food—the enchanted Elvian pastries, the high-tier magical meats, the things that cost more coppers than I had ever held—were up there.
In the Grand Imperial Citadel.
It was a staggering architectural marvel, glowing with thousands of floating crystalline lights, its towering marble spires piercing the night sky.
"Woah!" Axel breathed out, staring intently to our right. "Hundreds of people in that house? That's crazy."
I blinked. I looked at where he was staring. He was looking at the Citadel's external guard barracks.
I grabbed his shoulders and physically spun him forty-five degrees to the left. "That's not the palace, monkey boy."
Axel tilted his head back, his top hat nearly falling off as he finally took in the actual Citadel. His jaw dropped.
Instead of being normal, Axel immediately pulled a crumpled piece of paper and a charcoal stump from his coat.
"Okay, let's see..." Axel muttered, scribbling furiously. "Height... maybe 400 feet. Width... spanning the entire cliff. Window count... 1, 2, 3, 4... wait, I lost count. 50?"
I stared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Taking notes," Axel said confidently. "The Dark Wolf always maps his target."
"We're here to sneak in and eat," I said, snatching the paper out of his hand, "not add more architecture to the palace."
I reached into my canvas bag and pulled out a long, retractable metal pole. Affixed to the very top of it was a small, modified wind-mana crystal with a microphone and camera lens hooked directly into my makeshift radio receiver.
"Here. Grab this and go." I handed him the pole.
Axel took it, testing its weight like a sword. He nodded solemnly. "Amazing work, bro. Smart thinking for bringing the rod. There are a lot of street dogs here. It's dangerous to be out here at night."
I looked at him. I literally lost the ability to speak for two full seconds.
"That's a stick with a microphone and a camera," I said, my voice completely flat. "Our goal is to reach the palace, navigating and sneaking in. We are not fighting dogs."
"Oh." Axel lowered the stick. "Right. Obviously."
"Alright. You go up near the restricted gates where they only allow the invited nobles. I'll stay back here and hear everything."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses, sliding them onto my face. They were heavily tinted.
Axel stared at me. "You're gonna hear with that?" he pointed at the sunglasses.
"I'll hear them with the radio." I said, tapping the heavy metal box strapped to my waist. "Not the sunglasses. Oh my god, just go."
Axel gave me a sharp salute, turned around, and immediately tripped over his own stolen luxury pants. He recovered quickly, adjusting his top hat, and began sneaking toward the heavily guarded staircase leading up to the Citadel's outer terrace.
I put the radio's earpiece in.
FWOOOOOOSH.
A deafening roar of wind blasted directly into my eardrum. I ripped the earpiece out, wincing.
I looked up. 50 yards away, crouching behind a marble statue, Axel was blowing directly into the microphone crystal to test if it was working.
From my distance, I stepped out slightly from the shadows, pointed aggressively at him, and made a sharp horizontal cutting motion with my hand. Stop blowing air.
Axel saw me. He squinted. He nodded in perfect understanding.
Then, he did a backflip.
I slowly raised my palm and slapped it over my own face. A deep, profound exhaustion settled into my bones.
Despite his best efforts, it eventually worked. Through the earpiece, I began picking up the crisp, clear audio of the Imperial Guards stationed at the top of the stairs.
"Shift change in three minutes," a guard's voice crackled through the radio. "Make sure the western flank is clear."
Perfect. I adjusted my canvas bag, checked my grip, and sprinted silently across the courtyard, scaling the side of the grand staircase just as the guards turned their backs.
I met Axel near a sheer marble wall leading up to a second-story balcony.
"Okay," I whispered, pressing my back against the cold stone. "We climb. Follow my exact footholds."
"The Dark Wolf traverses any terrain," Axel whispered back.
I scaled the wall in complete silence. My fingers found the microscopic grooves in the marble, my boots finding leverage where there shouldn't have been any. I swung myself onto a narrow ledge, then looked down.
Axel was stuck halfway up, his legs trembling violently.
"Bro," Axel hissed, his voice cracking. "This isn't a wall. This is a cliff."
"It's a decorative pillar," I whispered down. "Grab the gargoyle's wing."
"It looks angry!"
"It's made of stone, Axel. It doesn't have emotions."
"What if it bites me?"
"I will personally push you off this ledge if you don't grab it right now."
Axel whimpered, stretching his arm out and grabbing the stone wing. He hauled himself up beside me, panting heavily. He looked at me, his eyes wide.
"You didn't even make a sound," Axel whispered, genuine awe cutting through his persona. "You're like... a total pro at this. Are you secretly a criminal?"
"I'm an opportunist," I corrected. "Now shut up and move. Guard."
We flattened ourselves against the balcony floor just as heavy armored boots walked past the glass doors inside.
"Did you hear something?" a muffled voice asked from inside.
Axel froze. His eyes went wide with pure terror. Without thinking, he opened his mouth.
"Meow."
I stared at him. The sheer stupidity of it was almost paralyzing.
"Just a cat," the guard inside grunted. The footsteps walked away.
"See?" Axel whispered, grinning proudly. "Genius."
"If we die tonight, I am haunting you," I whispered back.
We climbed higher, bypassing two more patrol routes and a magical security ward that I bypassed by snapping the localized mana thread with a sulfur-coated pin. Eventually, we reached the main floor—a massive, open-air ventilation grate that overlooked the Crystal Ballroom.
"Set up the mic," I ordered quietly.
Axel wedged the pole between the iron grates, angling the microphone crystal down toward the massive crowd of nobles below. We shuffled back into the shadows of the alcove, completely hidden, and I turned on the radio's speaker at a very low volume.
"Why won't we just enter?" Axel asked, adjusting his top hat. "We have fancy clothes."
"Because if we enter through the front doors, they're going to see us as thieves who don't belong, and they'll execute us, monkey," I stated plainly. "We wait until everyone is distracted by the main event. Then we raid the kitchens."
Axel nodded sagely. "A secret feast."
We sat in the shadows and listened. For the first twenty minutes, it was mostly just the overlapping hum of high-society whispers, political posturing, and polite laughter.
But then, the atmosphere shifted. Through the radio, I heard the murmurs grow quiet. I heard the distinct, cold authority of a woman's voice—a fortune teller, it seemed—throwing out prophecies.
And then, I heard Emperor Noctis Valentine speak.
We listened to the historical recounting. The Emperor began describing the legacy of the True Emperor of Asura from thousands of years ago. Through the microphone, his voice carried the heavy weight of reverence as he detailed the mythic aesthetic of the ancient ruler.
A high-collared tailored black coat with asymmetrical tails. A dark crimson sash draped diagonally. Silver chains. A red gemstone cross.
I stared at the radio.
A very specific, very terrible idea began to form in my head. A social engineering play so outrageously bold that it circled back to being brilliant.
I stood up.
"Keep listening," I told Axel. "Don't move."
"Where are you going?" Axel asked, looking up.
"I need fresh clothes." I said, looking down at my plain noble outfit. "These won't work for what I'm about to do."
Before he could ask anything else, I dropped backward off the ledge, plunging into the darkness of the lower palace wings.
*
[Time Skip — 30 Minutes Later]
I climbed back up the marble wall and swung myself onto the balcony ledge.
Axel turned around to greet me, and his jaw instantly hit the floor.
I wasn't wearing the plain noble outfit anymore.
I was wearing a masterful, high-collared tailored black coat with asymmetrical tails. A rich, dark crimson sash was draped diagonally across my chest, perfectly matching a long crimson cape that cascaded off my shoulder. Silver chains decorated the sash, connecting to a striking red gemstone cross that hung near my thigh. Tall black leather lace-up boots completed the ensemble.
Axel stared at me, his eyes wide.
"Woah..." Axel breathed out, genuinely stunned. "You look like a true emperor now."
"Yes." I said, adjusting the silver chains perfectly. My voice was completely deadpan. "I got them on rent. And I stole the sash from a guard."
Axel raised a very skeptical eyebrow. "You rented a mythical emperor's outfit in the middle of a heavily guarded citadel at 10 PM night?"
"The black market never sleeps, Axel." I lied effortlessly. "Now, what did I miss on the radio?"
Axel pointed at the receiver. "You missed a lot. Some crazy fortune teller just completely insulted the Crowned Princess in front of everyone. It sounded brutal."
I frowned, stepping closer to the radio.
"And she didn't say anything?" I asked, picking up the earpiece. "She just took it?"
"Yeah," Axel said, adjusting his top hat uncomfortably. "I actually feel kind of bad for her. The old lady called her a hollow vessel and said she would lose everything and nobody loved her. Why isn't she fighting back? Or arguing?"
I stared at the radio. I didn't understand it either. From everything I've seen, Rose Valentine is not someone who just takes a beating. She commanded absolute authority over Class A. She shut down an Elvian religious confrontation with strategy and wit. She is a tactical genius. So why is she completely mute in front of the Imperial Court?
"Is it because of her parents?" Axel asked quietly.
I stopped.
Of course. It wasn't the nobles she was afraid of. It was the two people sitting on the dais.
This is an opportunity, my mind immediately calculated. If she is completely isolated and humiliated by her own family, she will hit an emotional breaking point. The most rational strategy is to wait. I don't need to raid the kitchen. I can wait until she leaves the palace broken, and then step in. If I exploit her vulnerability in a controlled environment, she'll become completely dependent on my validation. Even if she thinks I'm a stranger from the woods, she still possesses an attachment to me. I can use this.
Through the radio, the grand orchestral music began to swell. The Imperial Waltz.
Some time past as we listen to the music play, and dances... and so on.
But a moment later, the music choked and died with a horrible screech.
We listened to the ensuing confrontation between Emperor Noctis and the Elvian orchestrator, Zahra. The rejection of the magic.
"Well, the elf isn't wrong," Axel whispered, leaning closer to the speaker. "Elvian weeping-wood instruments are carved from trees that absorb the ambient emotions of the Blackwood Forest. They literally possess a soul. They only breathe into existence when the mana resonance of the person dancing is pure and aligned. If it finds someone it dislikes, or someone whose soul is entirely hollow... it just stops."
I raised an eyebrow at Axel's sudden burst of magical lore, but kept my focus on the radio. "They are professionals. I can barely make music like that, let alone sing."
I listened as Iris and Asylym danced perfectly. I listened to the music reject Rose a second time. And a third.
Why her? My chest tightened slightly. Why do such perfectly engineered, hurtful moments only occur to her?
Then, the final confrontation crackled through the speaker.
"I can fix my steps. I can align my mana, I promise. Please, Papa." Rose's desperate, cracking voice echoed from the metal box.
"Do not call me that." Emperor Noctis's voice was absolute ice. "You are making a spectacle of yourself. You are embarrassing me, and you are embarrassing the Crown."
and then...
"Stand down, Rose. You are unworthy of this dance. You are unworthy of this floor."
Then came the final, devastating rejection, and the heavy footsteps of the Emperor walking away, followed by the deafening whispers of the court tearing her apart.
Axel looked at the radio, his eyes wide with horror.
"Bro, that sounds horrible...." Axel whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "She just wanted to call her father something less cold."
I didn't say anything.
"And he's punishing her for that?" Axel continued, visibly upset. "How cruel can he be!"
"I literally heard the other two princesses call him Papa earlier!" Axel gestured frantically at the radio. "Why is it a crime when she does it?"
I stared at the metal box.
Because she's not a daughter to him... I realized, the memory of her crying into her hands at the Rustlantern tavern flashing violently in my mind.
She's just a weapon in their eyes.
I took a slow, deep breath, forcing my tactical mind to suppress the sudden, irrational anger spiking in my chest.
I know the right call. I told myself. The right call is to wait. I meet her outside, away from the guards, away from the court. I create a safe space where she can only depend on my validation and care. That is the most rational way to stitch her emotions back together and secure her loyalty.
But... that's not what I would do if it was Elfie.
No, stop being sentimental, my inner monologue sharply rebuked. Going in there right now to comfort her is an objectively terrible idea. The Crystal Ballroom is secured by dozens of Imperial Knights and elite Paladins. The Emperor and Empress of Asura are sitting right there. If I reveal myself now, I expose my identity to the entire Empire. They might recognize me as the anomaly from the Decaying Foundation. I risk severe punishment from the Academy, and Axel will absolutely be caught in the crossfire. They might even execute me for trespassing and interrupting a Royal Gala. The risk of death is near absolute. Therefore, meeting her outside is the only rational conclusion.
That's the right call...
I nodded to myself. It was decided. We stay here.
"I know you're planning to go in right now, right Kaiser?" Axel asked.
I stopped. I turned my head slowly, looking at him through the dark lenses of my sunglasses.
"What makes you think that?" I asked, my voice dangerously flat.
Axel fidgeted with the rim of his oversized top hat. "Well... at first I felt really bad for her. The treatment is horrible. But I was terrified of even thinking about going in to defend her. You know the knights, the guards... they're all in there. The Emperor and Empress themselves are sitting right there."
Axel looked up at me, his wide, dark eyes completely sincere.
"But knowing you... none of that should matter, right?"
I stared at him.
What does he mean?
Axel took off his oversized top hat, looking down at the marble roof for a moment before looking back up at me.
"I know my limits, Kaiser," Axel said, his voice surprisingly steady, entirely stripped of the 'Dark Wolf' persona. "I know I'm frail. I know I get scared at the worst possible times, and I know I can't be decisive when things go wrong. But... when we were trapped in the Deepvein mines, surrounded by the dark, hunted by the ghost of a dead girl... it was you who trusted me. You gave me the courage to fight it."
I didn't say anything. I just listened.
"I trusted you not because I believed in myself," Axel continued, his dark eyes locking onto the dark lenses of my sunglasses. "I trusted you because I knew you had absolutely no limits to be scared of."
My eyebrows slowly widened.
"And yesterday," Axel smiled weakly. "You called me into the Whispering Woods for a secret food party. And I came. Even when I realized there was no food, and we were suddenly fighting alongside each other, taking out literal terrorists... I mean, Imperial Knights... I wasn't terrified. Not because I had gotten stronger—that'll take a lot of time—but because I knew you were there. And as long as you were on my side, I knew they stood no chance."
Axel put his top hat back on, adjusting it firmly.
"So, knowing you... you and Rose were close, right?" Axel deduced quietly. "She called you brother, and you called her sister. You set all those chemical and deadly traps in the forest just to keep her safe, not even knowing she was the Crowned Princess of the Empire. You care for others, Kaiser, even if you never show it or admit it. Just like you did for me in the dungeon floor and the mines. Even if I don't know the exact details of why you two act like siblings... I know it's deeper. In a way... you and I are."
Axel raised his fist, holding it out toward me.
"So, mate," Axel said, a genuine, completely un-delusional smile on his face. "Just know, even if we're breaking into an Imperial Gala and fighting the entire court... I'm on your side."
I stared at his fist.
The cold, perfectly rational calculations in my head shattered. The risk assessments, the logic, the perfectly maintained facade of the unremarkable Class C student who avoids danger—it all dissolved into nothing.
Oh, yeah... I realized, a strange, overwhelming warmth flooding my chest.
I'm Kaiser Everhart.
"Ahahaha... ahahahah!"
A sudden, genuine laugh escaped my throat. I couldn't stop it. I reached out and firmly palmed Axel's shoulder, gripping it tightly.
"You're right, Axel," I said, the dry, flat affect completely gone from my voice. "We're going in there. And I'm going to ensure my sister never cries again."
Axel beamed, his 'Dark Wolf' confidence instantly surging back. "Hey, bro... if all of the Imperial Knights and Paladins in there went after us... would you lose?"
I adjusted the crimson sash across my chest, the heavy silver chains clinking together.
"Hehe... even if the entire Empire came after me." I said, a dangerous, cold smile pulling at the corner of my mouth.
"I doubt they'd be able to leave a scratch. I'd win."
"OHHH? That's peak!" Axel practically vibrated with excitement. "What would the power difference be?"
I tilted my head, genuinely considering it. "Hmm. I'd say it would be negative difference."
"Yeahhhh, that sounds much more right than no difference!" Axel agreed instantly. "They stand absolutely no chance against our duo! So go ahead, Dark Wolf's Bestie. Save your sister."
"I will," I said, turning toward the sheer marble wall. "But you have to do something first. Carry and hide the bodies, alright?"
"Wait, what?" Axel blinked. "What bodies?"
I didn't answer. I broke into a dead sprint.
My boots hit the edge of the balcony, and I launched myself across the open chasm of the inner courtyard. I caught the decorative golden trim of the Citadel's eastern wing, my fingers digging into the ornate metalwork.
This is who I am. I swung my body weight, executing a flawless, horizontal wall-run across the sheer face of the Citadel. I was playing it safe. I was hiding behind rationality and risk assessments. But they stand absolutely no chance. Even if they all turn against me, in an all-out war... I will never lose.
I should stop underestimating myself. Maybe I'm not that weak after all.
I reached the massive, arched stained-glass windows that flanked the grand entrance gates of the Crystal Ballroom. The windows were cracked open to allow the night breeze to circulate.
I slipped through the gap like a shadow, landing silently on the polished marble floor of the grand foyer.
"WHO?!"
Two heavily armored Imperial Guards spun around, their hands instantly flying to the hilts of their broadswords.
They didn't even get to draw them.
I closed the distance in a fraction of a second. The first guard thrust a heavy, gauntleted fist toward my face. I didn't block it; I slipped entirely under his guard, pivoting on my heel, and drove the palm of my hand upward in a brutal, palm-strike directly beneath his chin. The precise impact rattled his brain stem against his skull, instantly short-circuiting his consciousness.
He dropped like a stone.
The second guard realized the physical threat and immediately shifted his stance, his hands glowing with a lethal surge of high-tier fire magic.
He was powerful. But he was too slow.
Before the fireball could even fully manifest, I stepped inside his magical range, grabbed his extended wrist, and violently twisted my hips. I applied maximum leverage against the joint and snapped his elbow backward with a sickening crack.
The guard gasped in agony, the fire magic fizzling out instantly as his concentration shattered. Before he could scream, I swept his leg out from under him, grabbed the back of his armored collar, and drove his face directly into the marble floor.
He went limp. Total elapsed time: 4.6 seconds.
"Holy shit... what?!"
I looked up. Axel had just managed to scramble through the window, panting heavily. He stared at the 2 unconscious Imperial Guards on the floor, his eyes completely wide.
I stood up slowly, adjusting the lapels of my tailored black coat and ensuring the red gemstone cross was perfectly aligned on my thigh.
"I'm going in now," I said, walking past him toward the massive iron-wrought doors of the Crystal Ballroom. "Take care of the bodies, mate."
Axel looked at the guards, then looked at me, a profound, newfound respect shining in his eyes for the Kaiser Everhart standing before him.
"Alright, bro. Bet." Axel nodded seriously, immediately grabbing the first guard by the boots. "I'll be there in a bit. Leave these bodies to me."
I walked up to the towering, heavy iron doors. Beyond them, I could hear the devastating whispers of the Imperial Court tearing my sister apart.
I reached out and placed my hands flat against the cold metal.
Even if we have to pretend we're not blood-related, Rose. I thought, a cold, protective fury settling into my bones. I felt anger for you. And I will ensure those eyes never cry tears of sorrow again. Only those who made you suffer will.
The gala is going to change tonight. Because the True Emperor has arrived.
I pushed the heavy iron doors open.
*
[March 6th, 2012 - 10:32 PM]
[The Crystal Ballroom]
[Perspective: Rose Valentine]
"Are you okay, Princess?"
I stared at him. The black, messy middle-parted hair. The calm, unwavering gaze.
It was Kaiser.
My breath caught in my throat. Before I could even register how he had gotten past the Imperial Guard, his hand wrapped firmly around mine. His grip was warm. Calloused. Real.
He pulled me up from the cold floor. And then, in front of the Emperor of Asura, in front of 500 nobles, in front of my sisters who despised me... he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight, protective hug.
"I'm sorry for being late." He whispered, his voice vibrating against my shoulder.
A collective gasp ripped through the ballroom. The sheer audacity of a stranger—dressed in the mythic garb of the Creator—physically embracing the Crowned Princess was practically treason.
I was paralyzed. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I could only feel the steady, calm beating of his heart against my chest.
"It's okay now." Kaiser whispered softly, ensuring his voice was low enough that only I could hear it. "I'm here, Rose. Let them stare. Let them whisper. You don't have to carry this humiliation alone anymore. Just breathe. I've got you."
My hands trembled as I weakly grabbed the fabric of his coat. "Why?" I choked out, a fresh wave of tears spilling over my lashes.
He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes.
"You're my sister," he said gently. "It doesn't matter that we aren't related by blood."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a clean, dark cloth, and subtly, intimately, wiped the tears from my cheeks. His thumb brushed against my skin, grounding me, pulling me back from the edge of the abyss.
He wiped my tears again... My thoughts spun in absolute chaos. My face flushed a deep, burning red. In front of the entire Empire. When my father turned his back on me... he was the only one who reached out to catch me.
Kaiser tucked the cloth away. He took one step forward, placing himself entirely between me and the Emperor's dais, physically shielding me from the court's gaze.
When he turned to face the crowd, the gentle, caring brother vanished.
The person who stood before the court was entirely unrecognizable. His posture straightened, radiating a terrifying, absolute authority. A charismatic, dangerous smile curled on his lips.
"Forgive the sudden intrusion, Your Imperial Majesties." Kaiser's voice boomed across the Crystal Ballroom. It wasn't the dry, flat tone he used at the Academy. It was the voice of a seasoned, master politician.
"I am Axel Wiezner." Kaiser announced smoothly, bowing with perfect aristocratic grace. "Heir to the Wiezner House of the Western Marches. I must humbly apologize for interrupting the Founder's Waltz."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
"You see," Kaiser continued, pacing slowly like a predator addressing a flock of sheep. "My father, the Grand Noble of Wiezner, operates heavily within the neutral maritime borders of the Valerion trade routes. We are a quiet faction, but fiercely loyal to Her Highness, Princess Rose. Moments ago, she remembered a highly classified, pressing diplomatic matter regarding the southern naval blockades that my father urgently required her counsel on."
Kaiser gestured gracefully toward me. "The Princess, ever burdened by the immense, crushing weight of her duties to the Empire, was merely taking a brief recess from the Gala to issue her commands to me. It was not a rejection of the dance, Your Majesty. It was the burden of statecraft prioritizing itself over leisure. She simply exhausted her mana reserves in a high-level scrying spell right before the music began."
The excuse was a masterpiece. It was a complete fabrication, entirely made up, yet delivered with such hyper-realistic political jargon and flawless confidence that the entire room hesitated.
"Wiezner?" Duke Atreus stepped forward, his brow furrowed in deep suspicion. "I oversee the Valerion border logistics. We have no such house in the central imperial registry."
"And since when," Duke Reinhardt sneered, stepping beside him, "does the Crowned Princess take private counsel from a foreigner during the most sacred dance of the Founder's Day Gala?"
Kaiser didn't flinch. His smile only grew sharper.
"We are an overseas house, Duke Atreus," Kaiser countered instantly, his charisma suffocating the room. "Archived under the archaic Sovereign Treaty of 1342. We operate in the grey zones of the Valerion straits, handling the... less palatable logistical realities of the Empire that the central registry prefers not to write down. As for why Her Highness takes my counsel now, Duke Reinhardt? Because unlike the isolationist politics of the central nobility, Her Highness understands that an Empire that only looks inward will inevitably rot from the inside out."
Kaiser met Reinhardt's eyes, his gaze piercing. "She was securing a continental trade monopoly while the rest of you were arguing over ballroom etiquette. Surely, you aren't questioning her dedication to the Empire's future?"
The political trap was perfectly laid. If they questioned him further, they were questioning my dedication to Asura. Duke Reinhardt's jaw tightened, and he stepped back, unwilling to risk political suicide on a technicality he didn't fully understand.
I stared at Kaiser's back, completely mesmerized. He's controlling the entire room. He's steering the narrative with sheer confidence.
Then, Kaiser's eyes drifted across the room, landing on Seer Evika Lunarstar.
"And as for the prophecies spoken tonight..." Kaiser's voice dropped an octave, commanding absolute silence. He began to walk slowly toward the fortune teller.
"You claimed her soul was a hollow vessel," Kaiser said, projecting his voice so every noble could hear it. "You claimed it held no love for the throne. You are entirely correct, Seer."
The crowd gasped.
"A standard, fragile cup cannot contain an ocean," Kaiser proclaimed, his words ringing like a bell of truth. "Her soul is hollow to the petty, insignificant squabbles of a single throne, because her destiny was never to merely rule Asura. She is hollow because she is emptying herself to make room to conquer the entire world. She does not strive for an Imperial Throne, Seer. She strives to be the Supreme Empress of the Continent."
Evika's eyes widened in shock.
"You claimed she would lose everything," Kaiser continued, his voice rising in power and majesty. "You claimed her world would collapse. Again, you are right! Her small, restricted world must collapse to build an empire that spans the horizon! The misfortune you sense is not her own ruin—it is the ruin of her enemies. It is the ruin of the old world making way for the new one she will forge."
"You said nobody would reach out a hand to her," Kaiser laughed, a charismatic, booming sound that echoed off the chandeliers. He turned and gestured grandly toward me. "Because she does not need a hand to pull her up! She is the one who will extend her hand to pull this Empire out of the darkness! The music rejected her today not because she is unworthy... but because a song meant for a princess cannot contain the soul of a Supreme Empress!"
The Crystal Ballroom erupted into deafening murmurs. Not of pity. Not of disgust. But of absolute, shivering awe.
The narrative had been completely, violently hijacked. The humiliation was gone. In its place, Kaiser had painted a portrait of a mythic, terrifying conqueror destined to rule the world.
I looked up at the dais. Emperor Noctis was leaning forward, his piercing blue eyes narrowed into sharp, calculative slits as he analyzed the boy in the True Emperor's attire.
Beside him, Empress Rosaline was completely frozen. Her hands gripped the armrests of her golden throne, her eyes wide, entirely unable to take her gaze off Kaiser.
The murmurs erupted into actual whispers. Frantic, rapid-fire political recalculations rippled through the noble houses.
But the silence that followed was broken by a sharp, rhythmic clapping.
I turned my head. Iris stepped forward from the shadows of the pillars, her dark indigo-violet eyes fixed entirely on Kaiser. Beside her stood Asylym, his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword.
"A very bold claim, Sir Wiezner." Iris said, her voice dripping with dry, calculating sarcasm. "And a very poetic twist of words. But poetry does not run an empire."
She stopped a few feet away, tilting her head.
"You claim she strives to conquer the continent," Iris continued, her tone sharp and logical. "But ambition without the foundational stability of the central throne is merely treason. If she is ignoring the very capital she is meant to inherit, she is not a conqueror. She is an idealist fleeing from her actual duties."
Kaiser turned to her. He didn't look intimidated by the Imperial Princess. He looked mildly entertained.
"Idealism, Princess Iris?" Kaiser replied, his voice carrying effortlessly. "No. Idealism is believing that maintaining the status quo is the same thing as strength. What Her Highness possesses is absolute individualism."
He began to pace, taking complete control of the floor.
"You confuse structural legalese with actual sovereignty, Princess Iris," Kaiser projected, plunging into complex political philosophy. "A ruler who relies solely on the collective validation of central institutions is not a sovereign; she is merely an administrative clerk wearing a crown. Princess Rose does not seek validation from central registries because she understands that authority is not derived from a bureaucratic contract, but from natural capability."
"By focusing her efforts on external expansion and border autonomy, she is practicing realpolitik at its highest level. She bypasses the domestic compromises that weaken central authority, establishing a framework where Asura's strength is projected outward. She is not bound by the fragile, collective idealism of this room. She is forging an autopoietic system—one that regenerates its own power through self-evident dominance rather than relying on the decaying consensus of centralized nobility."
Iris's eyes narrowed. "You speak of expansion, yet she could not even complete the Founder's Waltz."
"Because she is destined for a grander stage than a ballroom." Kaiser countered instantly, his voice rising with absolute, unwavering conviction. "You look at her and see a failure of tradition. I look at her and see the zenith of Asura's potential. She is the most brilliant mind of our generation, a rare intellectual anomaly who operates entirely beyond the scope of ordinary nobles. She commands respect not through the passive receipt of birthright, but through undeniable, overwhelming competence. She is the structural jewel of this Empire. To confine her ambition to this room, to measure her against a simple, archaic dance, is not just an insult to her capability—it is a confession of your own cognitive limits."
I felt my heart skip a beat. The absolute certainty in his voice—he was praising me to the heavens in front of the people who hated me the most.
Iris's jaw tightened. She was losing the rhetorical ground, and she knew it.
"Fine words, Sir Wiezner," Iris said coldly. "But you cannot debate magic. If she is as grand as you say, explain the weeping-wood. Why did the purest acoustic mana in the Empire reject her soul entirely?"
Kaiser didn't even blink.
"The magic didn't reject her," Kaiser stated plainly. "The orchestrators simply failed to play at her level. It is a mere problem of incompetence on the part of the musicians."
"Excuse me?!"
A serene, crisp voice snapped from the elevated orchestra pit. Zahra, the High Elf Master Orchestrator, stood up, her untouchable artistic authority deeply offended.
"I have played the weeping-wood symphonies for 40 years, boy!" Zahra said, pointing her Sound-Weaver wand at him. "Do not blame your Princess's hollow soul on my—"
"Enough."
The single word fell over the room like a physical weight, crushing the air out of the ballroom. Emperor Noctis stood from his golden throne.
He slowly descended the steps of the dais, his piercing, analytical blue eyes locked entirely on Kaiser.
"You speak with a silver tongue, Wiezner." Noctis said quietly, stopping a few feet away. "But words are cheap in this court. What are your actual intentions here?"
Kaiser met my father's gaze. The Emperor of Asura and the boy from Class C stared at each other, the tension between them heavy enough to crack the marble.
"My intentions, Your Majesty?" Kaiser smiled slightly, his voice dropping into a dramatic, almost mythic cadence. "I planned her dance myself. The weeping-wood failed because a Princess of her caliber does not dance to a borrowed song. Tonight, Princess Rose will be giving a performance not just for this gala, but for the entire Empire of Asura. As the most beautiful, heavenly princess that has ever laid foot upon this world."
A heavy silence followed. My father analyzed him, his eyes narrowing as he read the sheer confidence in Kaiser's stance.
"A grand promise, Axel," Noctis finally said, his voice carrying the low, dangerous resonance of an Emperor. "But the Wiezner name is not one that carries weight in my court. Who are your family to make such claims, and what is your true relation to my daughter?"
Kaiser did not back down. He stood tall, the True Emperor's sash gleaming under the magical light.
"My family, Your Majesty," Kaiser replied, his voice echoing with absolute authority, "are those who watch from the borders, observing the rise and fall of dynasties with quiet indifference. But we do not watch Rose Valentine with indifference. My house exists solely to serve as the foundation upon which her legend will be built. I do not stand here as a mere political ally. I stand here as her shield, her herald, and her most devoted believer. Princess Rose is not just a candidate for a throne; she is a heavenly princess sent to stand between mortals and the abyss—a sovereign whose sheer presence elevates the very concept of Asura. I will spend my family's entire legacy, our wealth, and my own life to ensure she ascends to the heights she belongs."
"I planned her performance tonight because a mortal stage is beneath her, and she deserves nothing less than a canvas that stretches across the heavens."
Noctis stared at him, his piercing blue eyes searching Kaiser's face for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, the Emperor slowly let a thin, dangerous smile play on his lips.
"Mythical words, Axel," Noctis said. "Can you keep them?"
"When the time comes tonight, Your Majesty," Kaiser bowed slightly, maintaining eye contact. "I will prove it to the entire continent. You will see a dance that makes the stars themselves look dim."
Noctis stared at him for a long, quiet moment, then turned around and walked back to his throne.
"Very well," the Emperor accepted. "We shall see."
Kaiser immediately took the silence and commanded the room. He clapped his hands twice, the sharp sound echoing off the high ceilings.
"With your permission, Your Majesty," Kaiser announced smoothly. "Her Highness is severely fatigued from the magical strain of her earlier classified duties. She requires a short break to recover her mana before her true performance. 30 to 40 minutes, no more."
He turned to me, bowing deeply, offering me a perfect exit.
I was completely flushed. My mind was spinning.
He stepped closer, moving into my personal space. In front of the entire stunned court, he reached out, his gloved fingers gently brushing a loose strand of golden hair behind my ear. The intimate action sent a violent shockwave through my chest.
He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear.
"Take a break and rest." he whispered softly. Then, I heard the subtle smirk in his voice. "But if you keep staring at me like that, Rose, they might start whispering rumors of us being in love."
My face ignited into a burning, catastrophic shade of red.
I quickly took a step back, hiding my furiously blushing face by looking down.
"I... I shall return shortly." I announced to the crowd, my voice shaking slightly despite my best efforts to sound regal. "I leave the floor in the capable hands of Lord Wiezner."
I turned and walked toward the grand exit.
Every single eye in the ballroom was on me. But this time... it wasn't the suffocating weight of pity, or disgust, or mockery. They were looking at me with awe, with respect, with genuine fear of the Supreme Empress Kaiser had painted me to be.
It was all because of him. Because of Kaiser. No... because of my brother.
Right before I pushed through the side doors into the private corridors, I stopped. I turned back and looked over my shoulder.
Kaiser was standing in the center of the ballroom, his hands in his pockets, the True Emperor's coat flowing behind him. He looked at me, and gave me a warm, genuine smile.
I quickly faced forward, pushing through the doors. I grabbed my own wrists, hiding my trembling hands against my chest. My knuckles were red. My face felt like it was on fire.
As I hurried down the quiet, empty hallway toward the royal resting chambers, my mind began to spiral.
Why does everyone think I'm perfect? My heart hammering violently against my ribs. I perform the flawless princess every day, hoping they won't notice the crushing loneliness I've faced throughout my entire life. I go to my chambers wishing my life was a fantasy from a book, wishing I could escape. I've cried myself to sleep on so many nights, wondering what it would be like to have a real family... a real brother.
When the music rejected me tonight, it broke me. I thought the same mistake was happening again. I thought nobody would ever understand.
I leaned back against the cool stone wall of the corridor, closing my eyes, feeling a strange, fluttery warmth spreading through my chest.
But he was different. When nobody else reached out... he caught me. Why is he so special to my heart? Why is my heart beating so fast just seeing him take my side against the whole world?
A soft, genuine smile broke across my face. For the first time in years, the tears in my eyes weren't from grief.
I took a deep breath, feeling incredibly, wonderfully happy.
I wonder what my brother is going to do to them now.
*
[Empress Rosaline's Perspective]
I sat back on my golden throne, my posture immaculate, my face a mask of absolute, serene imperial composure. To the 500 nobles watching us from below, the Emperor and Empress of Asura were observing the unfolding chaos with the cold, unbothered detachment of gods.
In reality, my heart was beating with a fierce, fluttering maternal pride that I hadn't felt in years.
With a subtle, imperceptible flick of my wrist, I cast a high-level Sovereign Domain barrier. An invisible, pressurized bubble of gravitational force snapped around our thrones, completely soundproofing us from the rest of the room.
I leaned slightly toward Noctis, a dry, amused smile playing on my lips.
"You were rather cruel, dear," I murmured, my eyes fixed on the boy in the center of the ballroom who looked so much like the mythic silhouette my husband had projected.
"Humiliating our daughter like that on the floor. But then again, I suppose it was worth it. Her brother came to make her a heavenly princess once more."
Noctis did not turn his head. He kept his chin resting on his fist, his gaze locked onto the boy who went by 'Axel Wiezner'.
"Yes," Noctis replied quietly, his voice carrying that dry, deadpan Earth-lens tone he only used with me. "He did."
"I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised," I teased, resting my chin on my palm. "We spent years reading reports on the Decaying Foundation, and we both assumed that any student who reached Level 10 would be a completely anti-social, mute creature incapable of basic human communication. Yet our son, the only Level 20 anomaly, has somehow mastered high-society etiquette. He is almost completely unrivaled in both political argument and public speaking. Where do you think he got that?"
"Certainly not from my side of the family," Noctis deadpanned. "I prefer coldness over theatrical monologues."
"Oh, please. It is obviously inherited directly from me," I chuckled softly, my eyes shining as I watched Kaiser effortlessly command the attention of the entire room. "The dramatic timing, the absolute confidence, the sharp tongue... it is all me. I am keeping him all to myself, Noctis."
Noctis's jaw twitched slightly. "He is my son too, Rosaline."
"No, he is mine," I corrected him smoothly, giving him a sweet, sharp smile. "You should be grateful I am even sharing our daughter with you. You get Rose. I get Kaiser. It is a perfectly balanced trade."
Noctis let out a soft, exasperated sigh. "Rosaline, focus. Keep your face straight. We cannot afford to give away our reactions to the court. If the nobles see you smiling at a trespasser, the political narrative will collapse."
"I am focusing, dear," I replied, my expression instantly shifting back to a cold, untouchable imperial mask, though my voice remained dripping with amusement. "But I must comment on his outfit. A high-collared black coat, a crimson sash, silver chains, light blue eyes... it is exactly like the 'True Emperor' you made up during your speech. You read your son's spying habits perfectly, but you completely miscalculated his arrival."
"I estimated he would wait until the waltz was finished," Noctis admitted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He chose the path of maximum theatrical impact instead. He is far more unpredictable than his profile suggested."
"Which makes him all the more delightful," I murmured. "Though, knowing your genetic traits... I wonder if he will quickly create a harem within this gala. Perhaps out of 6 to 8 women? Even if he is just 12, he looks far older, more mature, and possesses that magnetic presence. I would bet none of the ladies in this room could tell the difference."
Noctis's brow furrowed. "That is way too much to expect from a 12-year-old, Rosaline."
"Oh, I don't know," I teased, my gaze drifting to the young noblewomen in the crowd who were already whispering and blushing as they stared at Kaiser. "I have a distinct feeling the ladies are going to want to spend a great deal of time with him tonight."
I settled back into my throne, the soundproof barrier dissolving as I returned my attention to the court. My face was a mask of cold, imperial majesty, but my eyes remained locked on my son.
My son... A fierce, overwhelming warmth bloomed in my chest. Look at him. Standing in the center of the ballroom, completely unfazed by the gaze of the entire Asura Empire. He has my eyes, and my blood. I spent 8 years believing he was gone, but he returned as a king... No, emperor. I simply cannot take my smile or my eyes off him.