The signs
This truth had always been enough to bring Louis to his knees. He was the celebrated crown prince, an heir with no immediate rivals, a beloved and kind prince that commoners revered while aristocrats respected. However, that respect was not given easily. Seraphina had shed the blood and tears of her enemies and her own to put her son in the position he was in right now.
"As a second-born son, you were neglected since birth until I took a stand. You were meant to inherit an insignificant title and some barren land. That is far from becoming the next emperor right?" She asked while looking at her son in a condensing manner. Her mouth covered with a maroon hand fan moved as though trying to plummet Louis' newfound confidence to the dirt, "That dirty concubine's son was about to become the Crowned prince but I stopped it. For you, for our house, I did the unthinkable, have you forgotten about all of that?"