Emperor’s Alternate - Chapter 78

The First Memory.

When does a person’s self truly begin to form? Lecan found himself wondering.

At some undefined point, he had simply existed, blinking up at the familiar face of his father.

“Lecan.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You already have a bride chosen for you. You must not act otherwise.”

How old had he been then? Three? Four? Likely around that age. Far too young to understand the meaning of the word “bride.”

His father’s stern face had made him flinch a little. The buried, violent urge to one day surpass and overwhelm the man must have taken root precisely because he had always known how powerful his father was.

Lecan let go of the maid’s hand without much thought.

She was very young — crying loudly, likely from tripping and hurting herself while running. He’d simply seen her while wandering the palace grounds, extended a hand, and helped her up.

But his father had reprimanded him.

“Don’t be kind to other girls. It’s for your bride’s sake.”

“Where is my bride?”

“She hasn’t been born yet.”

That was all his father had said. And that, for Lecan, became his very first memory.

‘So that’s how it is. My future is already decided. I’m to marry a bride who’s already been chosen for me. That means I won’t need anyone else in my life.’

As a child, Lecan’s favorite pastime was playing war.

Children his age would gather in the alleyways, dividing into blue and red armies. They played at conquest, using hopscotch games to claim more territory—the side with the greater land would win.

Everyone wanted to be in Lecan’s army. His side always won.

“Young master! This is boring! You win every time!”

“That’s right! Ark said the right thing! Of course it’s fun for you since you’re good at it! Reflect on yourself, young master!”

“…Really? Then why don’t you all just become my subordinates?”

“…?!”

When the complaints started piling up, Lecan simply made everyone his underlings and led them to invade other territories — playing war games against children he didn’t know and who had no idea how he operated. He didn’t care whether his string of victories became the talk of the neighboring regions.

He didn’t remember studying much as a child.

“For a child’s development, they should be allowed to play as much as they like.”

His mother had insisted firmly, and his father had silently agreed. During early childhood, all he remembered was playing until he dropped.

Even after sunset, he would play until he was starving and on the verge of collapse. He’d come home with his whole body scratched up, and his father wouldn’t say much. His taciturn mother, however, would wordlessly pick up a switch and strike him the moment he came in with bloodied knees.

“Boys grow up like that. Leave him be,” his father would say.

“He’s injured and dares to come home like that — of course he should be punished. Don’t stop me.”

“…Did you hear that, Lecan? It’s your fault for getting hurt.”

“……”

As a child, he couldn’t understand why he had to be beaten again after coming home already injured and bleeding. He just wanted someone to treat the wound. It already hurt as is. But his mother’s strikes were never merciful. Still, after becoming an adult, Lecan had come to faintly understand her intent.

‘She was probably just upset seeing her child hurt.’

From time to time, Lecan would ask his father,

“Where is my bride?”

“She hasn’t been born yet.”

“When will she appear?”

“How should I know? Should I send for a sacred relic that blesses its bearer with daughters just to shut you up? The House of Rotea only bears sons—”

“Can’t I marry a son, then?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

When, exactly, will his bride be born? He occasionally wondered, but life was so full of excitement that he soon forgot about it.

Then one day, his father told him.

He was seven years old, in the middle of winter.

“Your bride has been born.”

“……! Then can I see her now?”

“No, newborns are vulnerable to infectious diseases. You’ll have to wait another six months before you can see her.”

So he waited another six months. He went to the capital for the first time to meet Winter.

I remember being amazed by everything, as everything was new. However, the people in the capital were overly polite to him.

“Welcome. I hope your long journey wasn’t too tiring…”

“No, it’s fine. My wife is too ill to come here.”

Although the Duke of Rotea held a higher official title than his father, he still bowed to him respectfully. Lecan had heard he and his wife were close, engaged in the womb as Lecan was, but listening to their conversation, it seemed that their relationship wasn’t as casual as he had thought.

“You’re already as handsome as your father, Lecan.”

“Lecan, offer your greetings. This is the Grand Duchess, your future mother-in-law.”

“…It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, Your Grace.”

“How mature. It’s quite reassuring. Please, feel at ease.”

The Grand Duchess smiled gracefully, never letting go of the Duke’s hand for even a moment. Lecan found it curious. He had never seen his own parents display such affectionate contact. But judging by the familiar expressions on the faces of the two young nobles, it seemed such intimacy was normal in this household.

Still, the sons of the Grand Duke appeared somewhat uneasy around Lecan.