The light on the floor dimmed down and the door swung open, revealing Theresa and my mother who were standing not far from us. We approached them and bowed in unison.
"We greet Her Majesty the Empress of the Chrono Empire."
"You may rise."
"We greet Her Highness the Consort."
"You may rise."
Finished with the pleasantries, all of us straightened our backs and Theresa took a step forward.
"Welcome back everyone."
Her blue eyes swept across our faces.
"Thank you so much for all you have done. I heard all of your noble deeds and His Majesty's promise to reward you handsomely. Future activities regarding this matter will be notified and for the time being, you are dismissed. Please have a proper rest."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Theresa nodded and she turned to my mother.
"We will take our leave."
"I understand."
We bent our backs forward and one by one people started to leave; leaving only my mother, me, the maids, and the knights.
"Welcome back my son."
Our eyes locked and she smiled gently at me. I threw away my face and walked past her. However, I paused my step once a thought kicked in and I turned around.
Sadness graced her face as our eyes met for the second time. Moving my feet, I stopped in front of her and took out something from my Magical Sphere.
"Here."
After she took the black box from my palm and I immediately turned around to continue my way. However, my steps came to an abrupt halt when arms wrapped around me from behind.
A whisper pricked my ears.
"Thank you. I will treasure it for the rest of my life."
I sneered upon hearing it.
"It's just a piece of iron, there's no need for you to cherish it with your life."
"How could I not? This is the first gift my son ever gave me. Thank you."
I shut my mouth tightly when a kiss landed on top of my head. Honestly speaking, I was way too old for this kind of treatment, but…
'Why can't I bring my hands to shove them away?'
.
.
.
The next day Damian and I were invited to attend breakfast with Dariush. As usual, I was the first to arrive at the dining hall of the Emperor Palace.
"His Highness the Second Prince entering."
I glanced at the voice when the Guard outside announced Damian's presence. The door opened and a white-haired boy with blue eyes came in and sat beside me.
"I greet–"
"Shut up."
I hurriedly cut it.
'How many times do I have to remind him that he can talk casually to me.'
"That's rude."
I shrugged and leaned my back on the chair.
"I heard a conference will be held today."
Now that he spoke of it, a conference was also held in the past and as a result, Dariush decided not to forgive the Yovanny Kingdom for the massacre of the Refugee Camp and the war continued.
Since I changed the event, I had no idea if it would be the same as my previous timeline or not.
"Yes, I heard that too."
"Do you know how to attend it?"
I couldn't help but furrow my brows and turned to Damian.
"Why do you want to attend it anyway?"
Yet, he let out a creepy smile that made me taken aback.
"Out of curiosity?"
I massage my temples upon hearing his answer.
"You can't attend it merely because of your silly wonder. Not to mention this one is not an ordinary conference, high-ranking nobles from all over the region, influential military people, and even the Elders of the Arcanist Tower will be attending. Simply put, brats like us have no possibility of attending at all."
He tilted his head.
"No chance at all?"
"Not a chance."
"Like… nothing?"
"Yes."
In the end, his expression drooped and but–
"Can't you do something about it?"
The wrinkles on my forehead deepened.
'Why did he ask me? I by no means, not the Emperor.'
However, before I could say anything, the Guard's voice filled the space.
"His Majesty the Emperor entering."
The door wide opened and a white-haired man walked into the room and we hastily stood to pay respect.
"We greet His Majesty the Emperor of the Chrono Empire."
"You may rise."
We straightened our backs and patiently waited for his next order as he sat down.
"Have a seat."
We did as he told and his magenta eyes landed on us.
"It's good to see my sons again."
"Thank you."
"Well, we will continue this conversation later, for now, let's enjoy our meal. Bring the food."
The maids and butlers immediately arranged the food and we ate solemnly.
.
.
.
I lifted the teacup and the scent of Earl Gray tea shortly wafted into my nostrils. Without much thought, I sipped it and right after Dariush placed down his teacup, Damian and I followed suit.
To tell you the truth, the Imperial custom kinda sucks. For someone who had lived on the battlefield, I would rather live outside Aeon Castle than inside this place.
"I have read Sir Ulrich's report and I, personally, said thank you to both of you. It truly makes me very proud that my sons lived up to my expectations. It seems my wives have done a great job raising you both."
I had never seen him smile so genuinely like that, especially after I delivered Damian's casket back to the Palace.
I vividly remember how his feral red eyes pierced me and how his killing intent almost choked me to death after he found out that I killed his son.
'It was a terrifying experience for a 14-year-old me.'
Dariush continued.
"Your mother and your noble sacrifice will be rewarded handsomely."
"Thank you."
"However, even though you've done a good deed, you still remember the task I gave you, right?"
Wait–what? I didn't remember him asking such questions back in the day. How come he asked now? How could this be?
I could see Damian taking the sheets out from his Magical Sphere and giving them to Dariush. His reddish eyes skimmed through it and nodded.
Realizing that I gave him nothing, the white-haired man switched to me. Ah, damn, I fucked up.
"Where is yours, Prince Alexander?"
I racked my brain for an acceptable reason to answer his question. However, in the end, my head refused to give me bright ideas. I could only wail inwardly when I thought about the punishment that awaits me.
Dariush patiently waited and before I could open my mouth, there was someone faster and we both turned toward the voice.
"Prince Alexander left his assignment papers to me. This is undoubtedly my mistake that I forget about it. I hope Your Majesty could pardon my forgetfulness."
Damian took out another document and placed it in front of him. Nevertheless, Dariush remained silent as he looked at me and Damian in turn.
–Tuk –Tuk –Tuk
He tapped his fingers on the table and eyed us intently. The Emperor was by no means a fool, he must have noticed that his son who sat next to me was trying to save his brother.
After a long pause, Dariush answered.
"Fine, I'll let it slide this time. But there's no second chance."
"Thank you."
We bowed in gratitude and the Emperor nodded.
"Very well then, I'll grant you anything you wish."
"Like… anything?"
The little imp's face lit up; he was in a strange mood somehow.
"As long as it's within my power, then why not?"
'Wait, don't tell me–'
"We would like to attend the conference that will be held today."
I knew it!
"We?"
Wait. We?
Dariush raised one of his eyebrows.
"Yes. Alexander and I."
His magenta eyes rolled at me and I wanted to palm my face but restrain from doing so. If that little imp wanted to attend the conference so badly, why did he drag me into this?
'I'm not interested in listening to old men babbling about politics!'
Ahh. I could feel my head swirling in pain and the energy inside my body perished into thin air; leaving no speck at all.
'In terms of demolishing my patients and damaging my brain cells, this damn brat is number one without a doubt!'
Ah, my head!
"Haa…"
I let out a deep long breath to quell my misery and spoke whilst staring back at those reddish gems.
"Yes, we would like to attend."
'In the end, I have to babysit him again.'
Quietness enveloped the room and we patiently waited. He tapped his finger against the table once again and after a brief pause, he replied.
"Alright."
Dariush rose from his seat and we shadowed him. He gazed at us.
"I will prepare special seats for you two."
"Thank you."
He strode toward the entrance and we immediately bowed.
"We wish you a nice day."
"Make sure to come before 10 am, don't be late."
"We understand."
He nodded and left.
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