Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Royal family
Chapter 3 - Royal Family
Ashael walked through the corridors of the royal palace. The servants, maids, and guards moved around as they continued their duties. The moment they saw Ashael walking toward the royal dining hall, they immediately bowed their heads deeply, their eyes filled with fear and respect for him.
Ashael had already executed some of the workers here. He didn’t expect anything less.
And even nobles were scared of him.
Soon, Ashael reached the royal dining hall.
The two royal guards standing outside saw him approaching and bowed their heads while saying, "Your Highness."
The royal guards opened the door, and Ashael stepped inside the hall. The guards also announced his name.
Usually, only the Emperor’s arrival was announced in the royal dining hall since, in a hall full of royal blood family members, only the Emperor held the highest position.
But since Ashael was the crown prince, he had that privilege too. Though Ashael didn’t like attention much, nor did he eat in the dining hall often. Only his sister had been able to drag him there by throwing tantrums in front of him, and since her death, he only came here when he felt like mocking the ’leeches’ inside the hall.
The moment Ashael stepped inside, every conversation stopped, and every eye turned toward him.
A few were happy to see him.
Some expressions darkened upon seeing him enter like he owned the place and they were beneath him.
Well, in status and authority, they were. Because Ashael was the crown prince and the Emperor’s only son from the main wife.
The others were merely two concubines and their children.
The atmosphere in the dining hall was calm on the surface, but Ashael could feel the underlying tension beneath it.
The Emperor sat at the head of the long table while, leaving two seats empty on both sides of the table, the two concubines and their children sat nearby.
The reason those seats were empty was because they were supposed to belong to his mother and sister. But since they were no longer in this world, he still kept them empty.
The first concubine and her son had once tried to sit there, but Ashael threatened them that if they tried again, he would butcher them alive and feed them to the dogs while making sure they stayed alive.
The Emperor had also agreed with him.
Well, the not sitting there part, not the butchering one.
On the right side of the table sat the first concubine, Evelyne Vale Dratharis. She was a very beautiful woman with golden blonde hair and sharp eyes. She was a capable woman with ambition. Of course, she knew that neither her son nor daughter would ever become ruler as long as I’m alive. So, she tried to act neutral but could become friendly or hostile depending on the situation.
Sitting beside her were her two children.
First was Serena, who was 16 years old and one of the few people in the entire royal family who was neither afraid of nor jealous of me. And believe me when I say this, most, if not all, were afraid, jealous, bootlickers, or honey trappers.
Then there was Lucien.
Ahh, Lucien. This motherfucker.
Just looking at him made me want to rip him apart because he was the one who leaked the information that my sister Livia and I were going on that trip. Of course, he only thought that by releasing the information, we would be attacked and scared, not killed, because the royal guards were protecting us.
They failed.
I still remember when this fucker came to me with fake tears, pretending to mourn. He was probably happy that at least one of us was dead.
I only know this because of the game. Originally, Ashael only found out after he started killing everyone.
I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of simply dying because when Ashael learned the truth, this guy had already died, and Ashael regretted not making him suffer.
On the left side sat Selene Aeris Dratharis, the second concubine. Selene was obviously a very arrogant woman. She was the daughter of a duke from one of our vassal kingdoms. She smiled often, but that smile never reached her eyes.
And I really don’t like her.
Beside her sat her daughter, Celes, who was the same age as me, with white-golden hair and red eyes inherited from her mother.
And she was just like her mother.
Selene also knew that her children would never sit on the throne, which was why she chose a different method.
She tried to push the engagement of her daughter Celes with me, all under the pretense of keeping the Valeria bloodline pure.
Disgusting, really.
Then there was her son, Ravn, who was 8 years old and also looked up to me.
Truth be told, I have nothing against the kid.
Maybe that’s why Ashael sent him off painlessly.
Ashael went to the seat where he usually sat.
There was only one empty seat between him and Evelyne.
The servants stepped forward and started serving breakfast.
Everyone either ate quietly or whispered among themselves.
They wanted to converse with Ashael too, but they knew he wouldn’t even bother sparing them a glance, much less answer them.
It didn’t matter whether they liked him or not. They had to maintain a relationship with him because he was the future Emperor, and after becoming one, he could execute them for anything.
In the Dratharis Empire, the Emperor had absolute authority. It didn’t matter if you were a royal family member, family elder, noble, or king of a vassal kingdom. Only the Emperor was absolute here.
The only way Ashael wouldn’t become Emperor was if he failed the Valeria Trial or died before it. But after last year’s incident, the Emperor wouldn’t let him leave the royal palace without sending an army with him.
Not that it mattered. Ashael was a recluse.
But there were always those who tried.
Selene was the first one.
"Your Highness, I heard you hurt yourself again yesterday during training. You should really take care of yourself," Selene said with a smile like a mother worried about her child’s well-being.
Ashael turned his eyes toward her, but before he could glance at her, or rather glare at her, she spoke again.
"Celes was also worried about you. She wanted to visit you, but you know you don’t like us much," Selene said.
Seeing the signal, Celes also spoke.
"Brother Ashael, I’m really concerned for your health. How long are you going to keep living alone? I know you are still mourning the loss of Livia, but you should rely on us. We are family, even if we only share that through our father."
Ashael looked at them.
Like really looked at them.
He could clearly see through their act of trying to care for him. First get close, then act supportive, then show Father that they could support him in ruling and take care of him.
I mean, they don’t need Ashael’s approval to get him engaged to Celes. They just need to show the Emperor that they are on his side.
The talks about who the crown prince would marry had been going on for a few months already.
And the Emperor also knew what they were trying to do but didn’t interfere because he believed Ashael needed to know how to handle situations like this.
Sometimes, he even joined in just to make fun of Ashael, who didn’t like talking much.
But today, Ashael wasn’t in the mood for any of this.
So he spoke before the Emperor could.
His voice was colder than ice.
"You all really like mentioning my sister’s death, don’t you?"
Ashael’s words instantly dropped the temperature in the room.
Selene’s smile faltered.
Celes looked startled.
Even the others looked nervous.
Especially Lucien.
He looked very nervous.
Of course, he tried to hide it well, but both the Emperor and Ashael could see through him.
For the Emperor, it was concern over Lucien’s feelings.
For Ashael, it was fear of getting caught.
Selene recovered quickly and said, "That was not my intention, Your Hig-"
"I don’t care about your intention."
Ashael cut her off immediately.
Then Ashael pointed his knife at her while saying,
"Take this as your last warning. Next time you mention my sister’s death... well, you remember what happened a few months ago, right?"
Of course, everyone had heard about it.
One of the direct family members’ sons had spoken ill about Livia, and Ashael’s maid, Isolde, happened to be there and told him about it.
Ashael had beaten him nearly to death with only his bare hands and would have killed him if the Emperor hadn’t arrived in time to stop him.
"That goes for all of you."
Ashael pointed the knife at everyone except the Emperor.
The knife lingered on Lucien for a second longer.
Then the Emperor spoke with a sigh.
"Stop threatening them every time you come to eat."
"I wouldn’t if they let me eat in peace."
"Politics are part of running the empire, son," the Emperor said in a teaching tone.
’Here we go. Another lecture while eating.’
’Even my own father won’t let me eat quietly.’
"They won’t be able to play politics if they don’t have any power," said Ashael.
"That’s one way to speak like a tyrant," the Emperor said with a smile.
"I will be one if I have to."
The Emperor sighed like he was wondering what the hell the royal educators were teaching him.
How the hell could a kid who wasn’t even 10 yet be cruel or smart enough to know how to run an empire?
"Since we are on the topic, I have decided your engagement candidates for you," said the Emperor.
’There it is. Ashael was supposed to have been engaged by now.’
’No wonder Selene spoke today.’
"I see."
"So, who are they?"
As the crown prince of the Dratharis Empire, it was his duty to marry politically to strengthen the empire. Even if Ashael didn’t like politics, he was loyal to the empire.
The only reason he slaughtered the empire in the game was because he had completely snapped by then.
And what type of man would reject marrying beautiful women even if they were arrogant, entitled, spoiled girls?
Ashael had already tamed one.
Ashael glanced back at Isolde, who was standing a short distance behind him.
Ashael asked his father who they were, but he already had a guess from the game.
"First is Archduke Lumierre’s daughter, Athanasia."
’Athanasia.’
’Ahh, one of my favorite characters from the game and Ashael’s queen.’
Athanasia Lumierre was an extremely beautiful and very cruel woman. She was arrogant, ruthless, manipulative, psychotic, and extremely intelligent. She possessed overwhelming talent and strength.
Beneath her beautiful smile was a cruel woman who had killed many people.
And she was only 16, for fuck’s sake.
Not only that, ever since Athanasia was young, she wanted one thing.
To rule this world.
Yes, the world, not the empire.
In this era, where different worlds had already made contact with one another, Athanasia, who was extremely ambitious, wanted to rule all of it.
And she possessed every single quality needed to make it happen.
’Wait a second, doesn’t Lucien like her?’
Ashael glanced at him, and Lucien’s expression darkened.
Seeing that expression, an urge to boast rose within Ashael, but boasting was David’s habit, not Ashael’s.
He believed in silent misery.
"Alright, who is next?"
"Oh, so you already knew there would be more than one."
Ashael nodded.
"Well, you may have talked with Athanasia before, but the other two, you don’t know."
"But they will come to your birthday banquet in two months."
"Who are they exactly?"
"Second is Duke Morvain’s eldest daughter, Seris."
"Third is the second princess of our vassal kingdom Elarion, Lunaria."
’Seris and Lunaria, huh.’
’Seris may be easy, but not Lunaria.’
The current royal family of the Elarion Kingdom didn’t like being a vassal to the empire. They hated their ancestors’ decision to become vassals of the Dratharis Empire.
They had also tried an insurrection 100 years ago but lost badly and paid a heavy price.
"Father, are you sure about the third one?" Ashael asked.
"Yes. This union is meant to mend the hatred between us."
"What hatred? They tried to rebel against the empire and lost badly," said Serena.
Serena was a very loyal person to the empire, and she took pride in it.
"That may be true, but they already paid the price. Even then, we can’t just destroy the kingdom," said the Emperor.
"The Dratharis Empire gave them protection, yet they repaid us with rebellion," said Evelyne.
’They are right.’
But they would pay the price again if they crossed the line.
In the game, Seris pissed Ashael off, so Athanasia suggested making an example out of her family. So Ashael massacred the entire royal family in front of Seris.
That massacre completely broke her.
And Ashael warned her that next time, her entire kingdom would follow.
’Well, I might need to take extreme measures against her if she tries something.’
’Don’t want to break her too much because she is very useful.’
’Nobody wants to break a useful tool.’
Then the Emperor called Ashael again.
"Ashael, there are others too."
"You are supposed to have five queens to aid you in ruling."
"What? But why? You only had one."
"I awakened before 10. Did you?"
Ashael turned silent.
Then Ashael spoke again.
"I will awaken before my birthday."
Lucien scoffed.
The others also looked at Ashael like he was drunk.
The Emperor said, "It doesn’t matter. The decision has already been made. Why are you so worried? It’s not like you have someone you like. And even if you do, you can take them as your wife or concubine."
The Emperor stood up, walked toward Ashael, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don’t worry. I will let you select the candidates. You have one month to decide so I can announce it on your birthday."
"You will have the candidate list by tonight."
Hearing the Emperor, both Selene’s and Evelyne’s eyes lit up.
They both had someone they wanted Ashael to get engaged to.
And they only needed to place their candidates onto the list.
Everyone stood as the Emperor walked off except Ashael.
To Ashael, Raizen Valeria Dratharis was his father first and Emperor second.
The matters of the empire were just business.
Nothing personal.
Then Ashael continued eating.
Soon, both concubines also left.
Only Ashael, Lucien, Celes, Ravn, and Serena remained.
It was quiet here.
Almost peaceful.
But underneath, it was anything but peaceful.
Lucien glanced at Ashael every now and then. He clearly wanted to say something about Ashael’s engagement with Athanasia, but Serena stopped him.
Ashael might have been eating, but he was also checking the system functions.
Ashael had decided to use [Quest Choice Function].
