Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 435



Only Noblemtl

435. The Immortal Secretary (8)

The child must have been greatly shocked. Perhaps he felt deeply betrayed by someone he believed was his family. That was what Marsain thought at first.

But what he discovered in Mores’ eyes was his own fear, foolishness, and incompetence that he had been trying to hide until now.

Masain was completely dismantled in that incomprehensible gaze.

I feel like an insignificant soul standing before the judgment seat of the Absolute.

The feeling of one’s own weak nature being exposed nakedly, without leaving anything out.

A feeling of being lost in an endless abyss, as if one would eventually be swallowed up in darkness… … .

“… … .”

Blink.

That magical, strange time disappeared the moment the child blinked.

Mores slowly got up from his seat and began fiddling with a toy on the floor without saying a word.

“…lowering.”

“Huh? Why?”

“… … .”

Masain was left speechless by the casual question.

Fortunately, the awkward moment passed quickly, as Logan returned to the playroom moments later carrying a cup of fragrant tea.

His eyes widened as he found Mores sitting on the floor.

“What are you doing? Mores. Where does it hurt? Your aura is really messed up.”

It was hard to believe that he was only six years old. Mores answered with a slightly sullen expression.

“No? No?”

“I don’t think that’s not the case. There’s definitely something wrong with you right now.”

Logan put down his teacup and hurriedly approached Mores. Then, he began to carefully examine his brother’s condition with sharp eyes.

“What? You have a bump on your head. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Nothing happened.”

Martha, who sensed a slight tremor in the boy’s stubborn answer, realized only then that the boy was trying hard to suppress his extremely agitated emotions.

‘Oh my God, my goodness!’

It was absurd. I was so lost in my own self-loathing that I neglected the wounds and shock my child must have received!

“…okay.”

Perhaps he sensed a strange current flowing between the two. Logan stopped asking questions and instead poured divine power into the back of Mores’ head.

So Mores went to bed after drinking his jajangcha, seemingly in good health. As soon as he laid his head on the pillow, he immediately vomited all the tea out.

“Ugh!”

It was a concussion.

* * *

After that incident, Marsain’s face became increasingly darker.

He tried hard to live as if nothing had happened. However, even after that, red curse letters would occasionally appear on Mores’ body, and Marsain became increasingly afraid to approach the child.

Mores must have noticed this change in Masain, too. When he entered the Blue Rose Labyrinth, he would greet him with his usual bright face, but he no longer hugged him tightly or hung on his arm without hesitation.

‘Should I apply for a change of workplace…?’

I was troubled by that for a moment.

It could never be good for either of us for this awkward state to continue.

More than anything, what was on Marsain’s mind was a vague fear that he might not be able to properly carry out his escort mission when it was really needed.

But around that time, a major change occurred in Mores’ life. Empress Lisabeth, who had been neglecting her child until then, suddenly began visiting the Blue Rose Palace for some reason.

-Mommy, what is that! Call me Mommy properly. Quick!

-The child still hasn’t taken etiquette classes? What has the chief of staff been doing all this time!

-I heard that Logan has already entered the Auror initiation. Mores, you are also a child of the Seonghwang family, so you will definitely show great talent in swordsmanship like Logan.

-What if I don’t have divine powers? Instead, I’ll devote myself even more to studying theology.

Suddenly, Mores’ class hours increased significantly, and he soon became busier than Logan. Naturally, Marsain also had less time to see Mores.

‘Mores… … .’

Martha was very worried about the child. Even just from a distance, she could see how much the child was struggling with the sudden classes.

But Empress Elizabeth’s interference did not end there.

“Have you heard? Well, the Empress has requested that His Majesty the Holy Emperor build her a new villa. A perfect villa just for Prince Mores!”

“Huh? No, did Your Majesty grant that unreasonable request?”

“When has Your Majesty ever refused a request from an empress or empresses? Besides, Empress Lisabeth’s family is the great Archduke of Asain. I heard the Archduke invests quite a lot of money.”

“Oh my! The Empress must be very upset. It seems like we’ll have to watch her every move for the time being.”

There were even instances where the empress would keep Mores in the Ruby Palace for days on end. So naturally, Masain’s escort duties had to be drastically reduced.

“… … .”

Now, Marsain’s worries had entered a new phase. It was no longer time to worry about their strained relationship.

‘It’s obvious that Mores is suffering from the Empress’s excessive interference, and I can’t just sit back and watch it happen!’

So, Masain went to the office of the Holy Emperor, because he was confident that he could solve all these problems.

Above all, the ominous cursed letters that invaded Mores’ body.

‘There is no curse that my uncle cannot resolve. Didn’t he completely remove the terrible curse that was placed on me that day at the Gate Fortress?’

So there must be a good reason for leaving Mores alone.

With such thoughts in his mind, Marsain lingered in front of the main palace. Of course, he could not formally announce that he would meet with him right away, because after receiving the surname of Clanos, he did not want to take personal advantage of being a member of the royal family.

“Mr. Masain?”

But the person who discovered such a person was an unexpected person.

“What brings you here? Have you come to see His Majesty? His Majesty is not in his office right now.”

A gentle-looking woman neatly dressed in the white and red uniform of the Knights Templar.

It was Katrina, who was also called the strongest shield of the Holy Spirit.

* * *

Katrina Belpine.

Martha didn’t know much about her.

It is said that he once served in the palace guard as a knight. When the Holy Emperor was still young, he faithfully assisted him, and later, as a rare case of divine powers manifesting later in life, he joined the Knights of Saint Aurelion.

And currently, he is so trusted by the Emperor that he has taken on the position of Vice-Captain of the Knights at a relatively young age.

“If you had given me notice in advance, His Majesty would have been happy to make time.”

But unlike the image of an iron-blooded person known to the world, when I actually met her, I found that she was a gentle person with a very likeable smile.

Katrina guided the hesitant Masain to a small reception room in the main palace. There, she heard the unexpected news that the Holy Emperor had been secluded somewhere alone and praying more often recently.

“Prayer? Your Majesty?”

It was hard not to wonder. Despite his nickname as God’s representative, Martha knew better than anyone that his uncle was not a very devout Orthodox Christian.

“Yes, I think he will be in the prayer room late today. So, if it is alright with you, Marsain, how about I hear your business first and then relay it to Your Majesty?”

“… … .”

Martha looked at Katrina for a moment, thinking.

She was a woman with a strange air. Solemn but not stubborn, polite but not heavy. If you tell her anything, you feel like she will listen to you, and somehow it feels like you are facing the King himself.

“It’s just a minor concern. It’s not something Katrina needs to convey separately, but… … .”

“But it seems like you’re having a hard time with that.”

Her gaze deepens as she stares at Martha.

“How about this? Sometimes, just talking to someone about your worries can make your heart feel a lot lighter. And, shamefully, I pride myself on being quite good at listening to people’s stories.”

“No, it’s not that much of a burden… … .”

But surprisingly, after a while, Martha found herself pouring out her worries to Katrina.

“Is it the villa building? Well, how could I know Your Majesty’s profound intentions?”

Katrina continued cautiously.

“From what I’ve seen, it seems like Your Majesty feels the need for at least one more secluded villa.”

“Do you need more?”

There’s already a labyrinth of blue stones for the princes, so why on earth?

“… Well, I suppose we all know why. But Your Majesty, there is always a reason for everything you do. We just don’t always understand it.”

Indeed, Katrina seemed to have no doubts about Seonghwang, as she was one of his close associates.

“Then… Then, Katrina, just in case… … .”

With great difficulty, Marsain managed to get the most important matter out of the way.

“Do you, Prince Mores, still have traces of the curse left behind by the outlaws of the past… ?”

Of course, he didn’t expect to hear a proper answer, but surprisingly, Katrina nodded slowly at him!

“Yes, I know.”

“…yes?”

At her cool answer, Martha became rather confused.

“Then why does Your Majesty just leave it alone? I heard it’s a very dangerous curse that can even damage the soul!”

Yes. Didn’t Cardinal Benitus say the same thing? It was a terrible curse that emptied the original personality in order to contain something evil in the body of the sacrifice.

But to Martha’s urgent question, Katrina asked an unexpected question.

“Mr. Marsain. Mr. Marsain, what do you think is the most important thing for someone to recognize themselves as themselves?”

“Huh? Recognizing yourself as yourself? That’s-”

“I think it’s a person’s memory or emotion.”

Not long ago, Katrina heard the emperor muttering something that sounded like a lament.

-Yes. So you didn’t want to lose your emotions, so you ended up choosing to erase your own memories?

She, who always carefully assisted Seonghwang, could infer many facts from that one word.

The curse that leaves a person with an empty personality is not much different from the curse that erases all of a person’s memories.

‘And that is truly what His Majesty the Mores wanted.’

Yes. At least with regards to that curse, it is certain that the prince’s wishes were reflected to some extent.

According to the investigation, Prince Mores went to the scene of the ritual on that day of his own free will. That is why the Holy Emperor did not completely remove the curse, even though he could. He is a man who is ready to grant anything the children want.

“So, based on my limited knowledge, this is the conclusion I have reached.”

Katrina continued with a slightly complicated look in her eyes.

“Perhaps Prince Mores knows something he doesn’t want to know. That’s why he wants to use the curse to make us forget it all.”

“… … !”

“Leaving a curse behind must have been Prince Mores’s intention. Of course, this is all just my poor guess… … .”

It was a completely unexpected answer.

“Mo, Moresga… … .”

The curse, Mores wanted it himself?

“Then… how should I treat you from now on… …!”

Martha was so shocked that she stammered.

“What should I do now, Lady Katrina? Does that mean that from now on, Your Majesty Mores will have to live with that red curse?”

“Mr. Masain.”

“That can’t be! That’s not right! Living with the curse of the demon race on your body! That can’t happen… …!”

Masain, who had been speaking without thinking, clutched his head in great distress.

“Lady Katrina! I, I am so afraid of that curse! So this can’t go on! I can’t stay by Mores’ side any longer!”

“… … .”

“I swore to protect him for the rest of my life! But every time I see traces of that curse, my whole body trembles uncontrollably! How can I, like this, dare to call myself a knight who protects him!”

“… … .”

“I am not worthy of being a knight! Katrina, answer me! Is there really no other way for me to leave your side?”

Katrina stared silently at the overly agitated young knight. After a while, when he showed signs of calming down a little, she sighed softly and opened her mouth.

“How could someone as incompetent as me dare to speak of the qualifications of a knight?”

“… … .”

“Master Masain, do you know that? I have now acquired the illustrious title of ‘Shield’ of His Majesty the Holy Emperor, but in reality, I have never properly protected His Majesty. I have even personally administered poison to Him.”

“…yes?”

At that tremendous confession, Masain forgot all his worries for a moment.

What? Poison?

As Martha’s eyes widened, Katrina smiled bitterly.

“Of course I swear to you, it wasn’t intentional.”

It was quite a long time ago.

Katrina, who had just been appointed to the royal palace, was a young girl with a strong sense of justice. So, she felt sorry for the young prince who almost always skipped meals, so she committed an act of excess by going out and buying food for him.

The first few times there were no problems.

-… … .

At that time, the young emperor stared at her with an unknown gaze, but he did not try to ignore the knight’s devotion. Katrina seemed to be a little moved by the sight of the sickly prince eating properly after a long time.

But that moment of emotion didn’t last long.

“I never thought that the enemies would buy up every single restaurant in the Imperial City… … .”

“… … !”

That’s not all the problem.

Although it was not intentional, it was an incident where the knight personally fed poisoned food to the prince. However, no one in the palace at the time raised an issue about it.

Thanks to this, Katrina was able to remain as the young emperor’s escort, and for a while, she struggled to find safer food.

However, after the prince was repeatedly poisoned, Katrina eventually gave up on procuring food from outside.

“But do you know this, Master Marsain? His Majesty has never once resented me during that time.”

“… … .”

“And even though I was filled with deep guilt and self-loathing, I never left Your Majesty’s side.”

It cannot be denied that it was her fault for poisoning the prince several times. At that time, Katrina was so distressed that she wanted to give up her position as the prince’s bodyguard right away. If she could atone for her sins with her life, she would have gladly taken her own life.

But Katrina was also well aware of this fact.

In this bloody palace, the only person who could give strength to the young prince was himself. Once he left, there would be no one here who would be on the prince’s side anymore.

That’s how she endured the long and painful time.

“People now call me, who is so lacking, ‘the strongest shield of the Holy Emperor.’”

Katrina gave a gentle smile to Martha, who had a blank expression on her face.

“And now I know that my presence meant more to Your Majesty, who was young at the time, than I thought.”

“Lady Katrina… … .”

“And perhaps the same is true for His Majesty Mores. Masain is a true knight of the lower ranks, irreplaceable by anyone in this world.”

“… … !”