Chapter 168

Imperial Palace. Ash's Star Palace.

In the dead of night, as dawn drew near, within the dimly lit reception room.

"..."

Sitting on the sofa, I slowly brought the wine glass to my lips, lost in thought.

It was about Prince Fernandez, the second prince, who had escorted me to the Star Palace, and the words he had uttered.

The Emperor is in a deep sleep.

The Emperor and the three princes, four of them call themselves the guardians.

They had sworn to protect the empire from a destiny of ruin, even if it meant sacrificing everything else.

...

What is this madness, these lunatic empire enthusiasts?

Something smells foul. A sense of foreboding looms.

It's the creepy feeling that hits your spine just before encountering a hidden boss while exploring a dungeon. A similar sensation was poking at the back of my neck.

'This is frustrating...'

I decided not to think about anything related to the Imperial Family for now.

Soon, there will be a 'Guardian's Meeting' or something, so I'll attend it, and then the truth will reveal itself.

Rubbing my aching forehead, I also thought about other matters.

The Imperial Family intends to annul the engagement between Serenade and Ash.

Serenade's family, the Silver Winter Merchant Guild, is of lowly birth.

And, Ash's mother is also of lowly birth...

"..."

It feels like fragments of information are floating in the air. I glared at each piece of this puzzle.

Frustration welled up anew.

I am not Ash. I have no way of knowing his past, his thoughts, his goals.

If Ash were here, I would love to share a drink and ask him,

'About your father, your brothers, your mother, and your fiancée.'

What do you think?

What... do you want to do next?

Just then,

"Your Highness?"

A neatly dressed old butler entered the reception room. It was Alberto, the head servant of the Imperial Palace.

"I was worried since you came back late, but drinking at this hour?"

I thought he was going to nag about drinking, but he didn't.

"If you only drink alcohol, you'll upset your stomach. Why don't you have some appetizers? I will quickly prepare some."

Alberto headed to the kitchen and soon returned with a small plate of elegantly arranged cheese pieces.

"Care for a drink, Alberto?"

As I asked while pouring new wine, the old butler graciously smiled and shook his head.

"Drinking with the honorable Prince would be special, but as the head servant, I must always remain sober."

"What a pity."

I gulped down the fresh glass and gestured to the sofa beside me. Quick-witted as befitting his position, Alberto promptly took a seat.

"Is something troubling you, Your Highness?"

"...Alberto."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You have been managing the affairs of the Imperial Palace for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have been working here since before Your Highness was born."

The old man's face was filled with pride as he spoke. Hmm, indeed.

"Then you must know well about the secrets of the Imperial Palace."

"Unfortunately, I have seen and heard things."

Alberto lightly thumped his chest.

"But Alberto, the faithful, has buried and forgotten them all. I have never spoken of what has happened here to anyone else."

"Very loyal indeed, Alberto."

Setting down my wine glass, I grinned broadly.

"So, I'll apologize in advance."

"Yes?"

"The secrets you've buried, now you'll have to tell me."

The next moment, I activated [Gaze of Command].

Looking into Alberto's eyes, I commanded.

"Until the sun rises, answer honestly to everything I ask."

[Command Difficulty: Difficult]

[Comparing the user's Intelligence stat with the target's Magic Power stat.]

[Determining the success rate. Beginning resistance check...]

Alberto is an ordinary person, not a hero character.

He practically has no Magic Power stat. Therefore, even a somewhat difficult command worked flawlessly.

[Evaluation Complete!]

> Success: 1 body

[Executing the forced command.]

For a moment, Alberto stiffened, but then he nodded solemnly.

"Ask whatever you wish, Your Highness. If it's something I can answer, I will tell you everything."

***

I first asked Alberto about the emperor and the princes, but Alberto knew nothing about the emperor's sleep or the guardians' meeting.

Perhaps it was outside Alberto's administrative domain, or it could mean that the emperor and the princes had kept their secrets so thoroughly that even the caretaker knew nothing about them.

However, Alberto was well-versed in the other parts I was curious about.

"Your Majesty's mother, Dustia the Second Empress, was originally a war slave," he began to spill the story as I asked about Ash's mother.

"She was said to be a descendant of the royal family of a small country that our empire destroyed. After the country's fall, she was reduced to slavery and served on the northern front."

"A slave..."

"Although she was a slave, she had an exceptional talent in magic and caught the eye of the emperor, who was on a punitive expedition to the northern front. She was appointed as a mage and later participated in many battles with His Majesty, even receiving a title for her contributions."

She was a mage. Perhaps Ash inherited her magical talent from her mother.

"The Emperor wanted to take her into his harem but met with much opposition. 'How could you bring someone of low birth into the palace?' they said..."

"..."

"When the opposition continued, the infuriated Emperor accepted her not as a concubine but as the second Empress. The entire nation was in uproar at that time."

I broke into a cold sweat. The Emperor had quite a temperament. Making her an Empress when faced with opposition to taking her into the harem.

"A year after entering the palace, she gave birth to you."

Up to this point, Alberto had been speaking with a smile, but now his face darkened.

"However, the First Empress, along with the other concubines, quite ignored her. Since they were all of noble lineage."

"..."

"When His Majesty left the palace on expeditions, she was openly tormented. Consequently, she became weaker and more despondent."

Although it was painful to hear, I listened. I needed to know.

"She requested the Emperor several times to demote her from Second Empress and send her back to the north. But His Majesty refused."

"..."

"Then, eight years ago, when you were fifteen, suffering from physical weakness and mental derangement... she hanged herself."

"..."

"You were the first to discover the Second Empress's corpse."

Alberto's voice trailed off.

"Although Your Majesty was mischievous and lacked interest in studies, you were fundamentally kind-hearted. But from that day on, you started to become twisted..."

"I see."

So it was the death of his mother that led Ash astray.

"Sigh, this foolish Alberto, tears come to my eyes every time I think of that day..."

Before Alberto could pull out a handkerchief, I hurriedly threw the next question at him.

"Can you tell me about the Silver Winter family next?"

At that, Alberto, robot-like, stopped for a moment, then promptly changed the subject. The [Gaze of Command] effect was incredible.

"The Silver Winter family was originally a fallen baron family in a remote area. Struggling with debt, a merchant came to them one day and offered to pay their debt if they would sell their title."

"The merchant was...?"

"Yes, the first head of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild. Serenade's grandfather. He was a mixed-race slave, but he had a good business sense and amassed a lot of money."

The part about being of mixed race lingered in my mind, but I continued to listen.

"Adopted into the Silver Winter family, the merchant became the Silver Winter Baron, and the guild he established flourished and grew very large. By the next generation, it became the largest guild in the empire."

Clearing his throat, Alberto continued.

"When the Emperor decided to accept Dustia as the Second Empress, all the officials opposed it, so he couldn't open the treasury, and there was no money to build a new palace. That's when the Silver Winter Baron came to the Emperor and offered to cover all the costs."

They had lined up for the Second Empress.

"The Emperor was delighted and granted the Silver Winter Baron a new title of Count. And so, he became the Silver Winter Count, the second head of the guild, Serenade's father."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"Was manipulating rank something that could originally be bought and sold at will?"

This was no game rank to be raised or lowered at whim.

"It was rarely done, of course, but this case was far too blatant..."

"The other nobles must have hated it."

"They hated it indeed. Imagine the scorn for the merchant who purchased rank with money. Especially the other Count families; they were frantic, unable to catch him."

That made sense. They'd protected the value of tradition for a long time, only for it to be bought with money on the other side.

"But the Silver Winter Merchant Guild had tremendous financial strength. After that, they acted as the protector of the Second Empress, lavishing the Imperial Palace with gold and treasures."

Alberto's eyes seemed distant as he reminisced about that time.

"Especially the Countess of Silver Winter; she was the only friend of the lonely Second Empress in the palace. The Countess would often visit with her young daughter, who quickly became friends with His Highness."

Huh?

"The young daughter you're talking about?"

"Yes. Miss Serenade."

"What?!"

I opened my mouth slightly in shock.

Good Lord, were Ash and Serenade childhood friends?

"Miss Serenade was two years older than His Highness, so they were like close siblings. They were both really adorable back then..."

"Even older?!"

Ash did seem younger than I'd thought, but I hadn't expected Serenade to be older.

"But it seems the Count of Silver Winter was not satisfied with merely being a Count. He wanted to establish a deeper connection with the Imperial Family, and since he had a close relationship with the Second Empress, he wanted to take it to the next level."

"The next level?"

Could it be...

"Arrange a marriage?"

"Yes. They pursued a marriage arrangement between His Highness and Miss Serenade."

Alberto squinted his wrinkled eyes.

"The Emperor was... quite displeased. Although the Second Empress came from a low background, His Highness was a legitimate heir. A merchant family that had bought their rank demanding a marriage was overstepping their bounds."

"..."

"But the Second Empress was desperate to become related by marriage to her only friend, so reluctantly, His Majesty allowed the marriage negotiation, but with conditions."

I recalled what I had heard from Fernandez.

"The nationwide road construction?"

"Yes. Road maintenance had been pursued since the time of the previous Emperor, but it had been stalled due to the enormous cost. The Silver Winter Merchant Guild was asked to cooperate in this matter."

"..."

"Silver Winter Merchant Guild gladly jumped into the road maintenance project, and the engagement went smoothly. But then... another problem arose."

"My mother passed away."

Alberto nodded heavily.

"That's right. The biggest reason the Emperor allowed the engagement was the Second Empress, and with her passing..."

"..."

"The Emperor decided to annul the engagement once the road maintenance project was complete. And he resolved to deal with the Silver Winter family, who had risen too far by relying too much on the Second Empress."

So that's what had happened.

"The Emperor strongly advised His Highness to distance himself from Silver Winter."

That's why Ash began treating his childhood fiancée so coldly.

"His Highness began to warp after the Second Empress's passing, but what truly twisted him was the confirmation of the annulment with Miss Serenade."

"Huh?"

I cautiously asked.

"Did Ash... I mean, did I... hate Serenade?"

At this, Alberto jumped on the spot.

"What are you saying! Miss Serenade was His Highness's first love! Even before the marriage talks began!"

"Wha- What?"

"Didn't you consult with me several times about how to write love letters? Saying you couldn't even talk to Lucas about such things..."

Alberto looked at me with a grandfatherly smile.

"Every time there was a party at the palace, the two of you would be partners, holding each other's tiny hands and dancing. How cute and innocent the two of you looked, with your faces turning red..."

But his old face soon filled with sorrow.

"But after the engagement, things turned out like this... The two of you grew apart... I heard you've become completely indifferent to each other now. Sniffle!"

Alberto pulled out his handkerchief again and began wiping his eyes. This old man sure cried a lot.

***

After placing the [Gaze of Command] on Alberto again, I instructed him to organize the night's affairs and sent him away.

He probably noticed from our conversation that I had lost my memory, but the effect of [Gaze of Command] would prevent him from speaking about it to anyone for some time.

As dawn began to break, I returned to my room and stared quietly into the mirror.

"..."

I still didn't understand.

What kind of person you were, Ash. What you wanted from life. What you would choose in this situation.

Even after reading the character's profile or hearing people's words, it didn't feel real.

'I have been given 3 years.'

After finishing the game in 3 years and seeing the ending, I don't know what will become of this body.

Will the original Ash return?

Or will I collapse and die, losing my soul?

"Sigh."

Either way, I decided to keep it simple.

I steadied my resolve and opened my eyes wide.

'I will do as I please.'

What I want to do.

That is, to protect people.

To save those within my reach.

So, Ash.

'I will save you.'

During the 742 times playing this game, I never managed to save you. I will take on your life.

As the commander of the Monster Front and the empire's third prince.

I will live as you to the best of my ability, in my own way, struggling with all my might.

'No matter how it turns out, don't complain later.'

I smiled bitterly, looking at Ash in the mirror...

No, 'me.'

'Since you're the one who lent me this body.'

***

That morning.

Imperial Capital New Terra. Seaside port next year.

5th floor of the Silver Winter Merchant Guild building. The Guild Master's room.

"What brings you here, my lord?"

Even though I had arrived unexpectedly, Serenade did not falter.

Without even looking at me, she continued her busy work.

Her slender fingers holding a quill moved briskly across the paper.

"The matter you spoke of yesterday is underway. We are selecting the best architects, and arranging our guild branch to be dispatched to Crossroad. You don't have to worry."

Serenade's turquoise hair sparkled like a midday surface, bathed in sunlight.

I stared at her for a moment, then turned my gaze to the side. Elize, standing behind Serenade, was in view.

"..."

Elize, her body wrapped in bandages, was examining me with narrowed eyes.

Her eyes seemed to say she didn't understand me. I smiled sweetly at her.

Then Serenade finally looked up at me, still holding her quill and wearing her glasses.

"My lord? If there is something else you want to instruct-"

"Serenade."

I blurted out what I had prepared to say.

"In a week, there will be a victory celebration party at the palace."

"...?"

"You won't believe this, but I don't know how to dance."

Serenade blinked her silver eyes in surprise. I grinned.

"Can you teach me?"

"Ah...?"

For a moment, Serenade froze, then fumbled to pull out a new piece of paper.

"Oh, you mean, you want me to call a dance instructor? I understand. I'll find the most famous instructor in the Imperial Capital right away-"

"No. Serenade."

I strode over to Serenade's desk, placing my hand with a thump on the paper she was about to write on.

Then, looking straight into her surprised eyes, I said clearly,

"I want you to teach me."

"...Me?"

"I want you to personally teach me how to dance. And I'd be grateful if you could also teach me some party manners."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Am I asking too much from the very busy Guild Master of Silver Winter?"

Bang!

Serenade pushed her chair back and stood up.

With a flushed face, and even a hint of tears in her eyes,

"No! I, I just pretended to be busy!"

With trembling eyes focused on me, Serenade exclaimed,

"I have plenty of time!"