Emperor’s Alternate - Chapter 82

“Who in the world had the audacity to spread such an outrageous rumor!? That I bore His Majesty after an affair with your father — what utter lunacy…!”

“…Please, calm yourself, Your Majesty the Dowager Empress. We’re still investigating the source.”

Not long ago, the Courtesan had summoned me, entirely unhinged, pacing and shouting in a fury. She hurled her incense holders to the floor with a force matched only by her indignation, insisting it was the handiwork of the ‘Neutral Faction’ and the ‘Elitists,’ scheming to tarnish the prestige of the imperial family through scandalous lies.

I had tried to soothe her with practiced calm, but truthfully, I too was shaken. The atmosphere lately had grown increasingly volatile, and I was well aware of the tide turning against the Emperor. The shift in public sentiment was undeniable, and I received daily briefings detailed enough to leave no room for ignorance.

Still, this? That the Emperor might be my father’s illegitimate child?

The rumors had started in the aftermath of the royal hunting tournament, when whispers spread like wildfire about the Courtesan’s taste for handsome men. And though I knew better than to say it aloud, her behavior had made her an easy target. The slander hadn’t touched her alone. It had ricocheted to Teiles II.

For me, for the Grand Duchy of Rotea, already annihilated under the charge of treason, such a scandalous implication was beyond damning. It was lethal.

Setting aside my personal feelings, if this rumor were true, then this country… my country would be doomed to collapse. For the royal family, the most important virtue was, above all else, the purity of bloodline.

When I visited the Courtesan shortly after my house was destroyed, the fact that Teiles II had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as me was certainly one of the reasons the rumors had spread. I could understand why they had gained traction.

‘It probably started among the people, just like those songs the children sang in the squares, spreading of their own accord.’

But the Emperor looked nothing like the father I remembered. It was clearly a stretch and an absurd claim. Just like that baseless gossip about the Emperor sabotaging Lecan and the Princess’s tragic love out of jealousy.

‘For the Grand Duchy of Rotea to be dragged into such disgrace… I feel sick.’

The idea that Teiles II might be my half-brother was a thought that had never once crossed my mind. It was too revolting. The mere notion made me want to claw my skin off.

‘It’s nonsense. Father would never have cheated on Mother. In my memory, they loved each other more deeply than anyone. And besides… to say the Courtesan was his mistress? Father always preferred intellectual women…’

If my parents were still alive, such a scandal would never have spread in the first place. At the very least, if the honor of our house had been restored…

‘Lucian and the Emperor are the same age. If the rumor is true, that would mean Father had an affair with the Courtesan not long after Mother became pregnant with Lucian. Good grief, what utter nonsense.’

I bit my lip so hard it wouldn’t have been strange if it bled. Overwhelmed by suppressed rage and aimless shame, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

If one of my brothers had survived the day our family was destroyed instead of me, maybe they would have handled this situation more wisely.

Time reversal research was never something to be completed overnight. With a blank expression, I began to tidy up the materials.

“You’re returning to the palace already?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll bring your lady’s uniform at once.”

The tower servant looked like they had something more to say to me, but sensing my unsettling expression, they held their tongue and stepped back. Moments later, they approached and handed me a freshly laundered lady’s uniform, lightly perfumed with a pleasant scent.

I hurried to change clothes and returned to the imperial palace. It was midday. The sun that greeted me after an all-nighter was, as always, blindingly bright. As I walked down the corridor toward my quarters, whispers followed me. From maids and attendants to knights and soldiers — none refrained.

“Hey, you go and say happy birthday to Lady Leyesha on behalf of us. You said you got her a present.”

“You do it! You prepared a gift too! Why push it on me?”

“Why don’t you say something?”

“A surprise birthday party…”

“Idiot, she can hear us!”

‘…Is it already my fake birthday?’

I paused mid-step in the corridor. The whispering died instantly, replaced by a chill silence. I sensed someone hesitantly trying to approach me, but when I resumed walking with feigned indifference, the presence wavered, then gave up.

All I had ever left with the servants were memories of distance. And I intended to keep it that way.

It had already been ten days since I asked Lecan out on a date. In that time, I hadn’t heard a word from him. When I entered my quarters, I felt a familiar atmosphere.

All palace servants automatically received a day off on birthdays as part of their welfare, so at this moment, no reports cluttered my table.

Since it was a fake birthday, I should have felt nothing special, but oddly enough, I was excited.

Suppressing the strange flutter in my chest, I surveyed the room. Suddenly, I noticed a vase by the window that wasn’t usually there — the very window frame where Lecan had once leapt out without hesitation. I approached slowly.

“……”

Inside the vase was a single red rose.

Lifting the vase, I found a note underneath. Unfolding it, the handwriting struck me as somehow familiar — masculine and scrawled, yet restrained and full of strength. It was written in the ancient tongue:

Evening, Dolce Temple

The deep scent of the rose was even more intense, perhaps because it was summer. Only after reading the note did I realize just how much I had wanted to meet Lecan. All this time, I had been waiting for his contact.

My heart sank. I felt a sudden rush of heat, and I felt like unbuttoning my sleeves, even if it was just to get rid of the frustratingly tight buttons.