Several days had passed since Shusain was imprisoned.

Unlike at first, he was now living very happily inside.

“Luri, eat slowly.”

The name Luri was one he had given to the calico cat. Since it had been bullied out of its food by other pets, he specially set aside a separate bowl for it.

At first, he hadn’t realized that pets, like people, each had distinct personalities.

Some were affectionate, some were gluttonous, some loved activity, and others were lazy, preferring to lie on the floor all day.

Thanks to Tanashia Brellof leaving behind so many pets, Shusain never had a dull moment.

Every day was chaotically busy and joyful as he adjusted his interactions to suit each animal’s temperament.

Perhaps sensing Shusain’s effort and affection, the animals also followed him devotedly.

Before long, he was sleeping in the same bed as the pets and eating meals with them at set times.

Never in Shusain’s life had he felt so peaceful and happy.

‘I want to stay here forever…’

At first, he had been terrified of being imprisoned and possibly killed, but now he strongly wished not to leave this place.

He no longer wanted to become Emperor.

Yet, he also lacked the courage to give it up.

He often thought he wanted to live here, trapped forever. And each time, he remembered Tanashia’s words:

─I want to help you live the life you truly desire.

He wished, with all his heart, to follow Tanashia’s advice.

If he could cast away this heavy burden and live peacefully as he did now, he would want nothing more.

But the faces of Petro and Laila kept appearing in his mind, preventing him from doing so.

Tanashia had accepted that his inability to relinquish the Crown Prince’s position was his own choice—but in truth, Shusain simply lacked the courage to change anything.

As he stroked Luri’s head while she ate, he murmured softly,

“What should I do…?”

He felt trapped in a space where he could neither move forward nor retreat.

Yet, the time spent with the pets was so blissful that he silently, desperately wished this moment would never end.

Then, suddenly—

Bang!

The door burst open violently, and several burly men stormed inside.

It wasn’t the usual time for meal delivery. More importantly, the men’s expressions were extremely tense.

Shusain asked, puzzled,

“What’s going on?”

“We are relocating your quarters. The pets will be moved separately later, so please follow us now.”

“R-right now?”

Unconsciously, Shusain glanced out the window. It wasn’t terribly late, but evening had fallen, and it was dark.

He couldn’t understand why his quarters were being changed so abruptly.

‘Could something have happened?’

Having no knowledge of outside events, his mind inevitably raced with possibilities.

When Shusain hesitated, one of the men inside the room urged him,

“If you don’t hurry, we’ll be forced to carry you.”

“Ah, I understand. You really will move my pets along too, right?”

“We have orders from above to do so.”

“Wait. The others are fine, but I’ll take Luri myself. She’s too frail—I won’t feel at ease unless I personally care for her.”

Shusain cradled Luri, who had nearly finished her food. Though he cherished all the pets Tanashia had left behind, Luri held a special place in his heart.

Perhaps he saw himself in Luri—the way she struggled to fit in with the others.

The men eyed Shusain disapprovingly but didn’t stop him. In fact, their treatment of him was unusually respectful for a prisoner.

Unbeknownst to Shusain, this was only possible because Tanashia had previously instructed them not to mistreat him.

Thus, holding Luri in his arms, he stepped outside the place where he had been imprisoned.

It felt awkward—his first time stepping out since confinement—but more than that, he noticed the atmosphere around him felt ominous.

‘Why does everyone look so grim? As if preparing for war…’

He could understand if only the men escorting him looked that way. But as he rode in the carriage, he saw the common people’s faces mirrored the same grimness.

Naturally, he sensed something serious must have occurred.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Shusain cautiously asked the men leading him,

“Did something happen? Everyone’s faces look terrible.”

One of the men glanced at him and replied curtly,

“The Grand Duke has surrounded the capital with ducal troops. Everyone’s tense, fearing war might break out. Tch—just when we’re barely managing tensions with the Calua Empire, now we face civil war.”

“C-civil war?”

Shusain couldn’t believe his ears.

Civil war carried profound implications—countless people would die or be injured; some noble houses might vanish entirely.

He was overwhelmed with guilt, feeling this catastrophe must be happening because he hesitated, unwilling to become Emperor.

‘It’s because of me…’

He should have taken a firm stance, whatever his choice.

The worst possible scenario had unfolded: while he hesitated, Retanda had mobilized troops.

“I—I have to stop this somehow. Can’t I at least write a letter? Or better yet, let me meet Lady Brellof…”

“You seem to be mistaken—this matter has nothing to do with you. The person the Grand Duke intends to place on the throne is no longer you.”

“Wh-what?”

Shusain was engulfed in shock.

He couldn’t believe Retanda no longer intended to crown him.

Retanda might have frightened others, but to Shusain, he had always been a kind relative.

Yet, only days after Shusain’s disappearance, Retanda was already trying to install someone else as Emperor…

‘Does Her Majesty know about this?’

He wondered if Laila agreed. After all, her lifelong wish—repeated so often he’d memorized it—was for Shusain to become Emperor.

Something inside him felt like it was crumbling.

He had lived his entire life crushed under everyone’s expectations, yet now it felt as if the world functioned perfectly fine without him.

For the first time, Shusain felt his existence was utterly insignificant.

It was hollow. A complex mix of resentment and relief.

Just as he sat frozen in that numb state—

“Meow—”

Luri, nestled in his arms, let out a cry. Then, as if to comfort him, she rubbed her tiny face against him affectionately.

Her sweet gesture barely pulled him back to his senses.

Somehow, Tanashia’s recent words floated into his mind:

─Are you willing to risk your life to hold onto the Crown Prince’s position? I wonder if fulfilling others’ expectations is truly worth that much.

Back then, he had believed there was no way to escape the chains binding him. But now… he wasn’t so sure.

Uncharacteristically serious, Shusain looked at the men and said firmly,

“I want to meet Lady Brellof.”

The man who had answered earlier opened his mouth again,

“Your Highness, Lady Brellof is—”

“Enough.”

The man who appeared to be their leader cut him off sternly, preventing any further information from being revealed to Shusain.

He turned to Shusain and replied in a businesslike tone,

“I will relay your message to Lady Brellof, but I cannot guarantee when—or if—you will meet her.”

Normally, the timid Shusain would have simply nodded without protest. But this time was different.

“There’s no time. Tell Lady Brellof I want to see her immediately. If that’s impossible, bring Prince Dekain instead.”

If Retanda’s troops had surrounded the capital, civil war could erupt at any moment.

If the Largent Empire weakened due to internal power struggles, the Calua Empire—already hostile—would never miss such an opportunity.

“Your Highness, why should we obey that request—”

“To prevent civil war. As Crown Prince of the Largent Empire, I command you. You are my subjects, after all.”

For the first time, the frail Shusain radiated the dignity of a Crown Prince.

Perhaps that’s why—the men were momentarily speechless.

I heard the news of Noxia Brellof and Rohel’s engagement belatedly. I was astonished that, in my absence, the two protagonists of had finally come together.

I had tried every effort imaginable, yet I never thought these two would ever truly connect. I couldn’t fathom what had sparked their love.

Whatever the process, if Noxia and Rohel’s love had come to fruition, it was cause for celebration.

Yet, deep inside…

‘…Why does this feel so ominous?’

An inexplicable unease crept over me. It felt as though the story was falling back into the original plot.

So far, many events in had diverged significantly from the original.

But if, ultimately, the ending couldn’t be changed…?

Since the novel wasn’t yet concluded, I couldn’t know whether it would be a happy or tragic ending—but the fact that we hadn’t fully escaped the original narrative’s trajectory was the worst possible scenario.

It might even mean we couldn’t stop the Calua Empire.

‘Don’t jump to excessive conclusions. Focus on the crisis right in front of you.’

I never imagined Retanda would lead ducal troops to surround the capital.

I had assumed Shusain’s disappearance would buy us time. During that window, I planned to persuade him to step down from the Crown Prince position—or find another solution…

‘Unexpectedly, the Grand Duke doesn’t care at all whether the Crown Prince lives or dies.’

Retanda’s goal was clear: he was determined to install his chosen candidate as Emperor, no matter what.

Naturally, I had expected him to search for Shusain—but instead, Retanda boldly nominated another figure: a child barely five years old.

Though of imperial bloodline, the child was a collateral relative, not the Emperor’s direct offspring.

Retanda’s justification was this:

[Malicious conspirators have assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince and seek to manipulate the Largent Empire. We shall punish these traitors and set an example.]

Shusain was, in fact, alive—but Retanda treated him as already dead. Had I not intervened, Shusain would likely have been eliminated.

In any case, releasing Shusain meant accepting Dekain could never become Emperor; yet continuing to hide him left us unable to refute Retanda’s public justification.

‘I never dreamed he’d go this far.’

Setting aside Retanda, I had assumed Shusain’s mother, Laila, would hesitate. Yet she too completely defied expectations—she supported the five-year-old Emperor.

They had reached the point where Shusain’s presence—or absence—no longer mattered.

At this rate, Retanda would create a child Emperor and seize de facto power, while Laila would govern state affairs as regent.

Their abandonment of Shusain was undeniably heartless—but strategically, it was undeniably brilliant.

“Sigh.”

I let out a sigh without realizing it.

Right now, stopping Retanda was more urgent than finding and persuading Shusain.

‘Since I can’t surrender the Crown Prince, I have no choice but to settle this by force.’

Shusain was first in the imperial succession. If released, he would inevitably become Emperor.

Better to maintain the current stalemate—even if we couldn’t refute Retanda’s justification—than allow that outcome.

‘In any case, the Grand Duke mobilized troops without authorization. That’s a legal vulnerability—I can exploit it for advantage.’

The regrettable truth was that civil war within the Largent Empire seemed unavoidable.

My goal was to contain the Calua Empire—which required installing Dekain as Emperor.

But if the Largent Empire weakened, that was terrible news.

‘I must conclude this civil war with minimal damage to the Largent Empire.’

For now, no other option existed.

First, I sent messengers to the Brellof family requesting support with magical engineering weapons. The problem? Weapon deployment would take time.

While I was pondering how to resolve this crisis—

Thud. Thud. Heavy footsteps approached.

I turned my head absentmindedly and saw Ascan walking toward me, clad in full armor.

Dressed in black helmet and black armor, he resembled a god of war. His aura was so overwhelming, anyone would feel dwarfed.

Instinctively, I recalled he was the strongest character in the novel’s entire world.

“Ascan, that outfit…”

“I knew I’d find you here. Don’t be alone from now on. It’s dangerous.”

This was the first time I’d seen Ascan in full battle armor. Naturally, I instantly understood his intention.

“You can’t mean… you plan to personally join the civil war?”

He nodded, expression utterly calm.

“Sometimes, force can resolve many things.”

“But the Grand Duke is a master swordsman, and the troops surrounding the capital are enormous…”

As I spoke, I realized—suddenly—who stood before me.

Ascan was the man who had placed Helsion on the throne with his own hands. I had forgotten—I had the strongest man on the continent fighting on my side.

Ascan smiled faintly and spoke.

“I know what you’re thinking, even without you saying it. Don’t worry anymore. I’ll buy you that time.”