The Protagonists of the Novel
Luen Nathaniel sat in the deepest corner of the library.
It had been her place for as long as she could remember.
The narrow space between the desks, the faint scent of dust, the sunlight streaming through the window—everything was familiar. Yet none of it brought her the comfort it once had.
A single book rested on her lap. She had not turned a page in days.
“You should take the throne.”
Ever since General Berhardt had spoken those words, the letters on the page refused to settle in her mind. They simply echoed, over and over, refusing to fade.
It was not a question of acceptance or refusal. The real doubt was whether she was even worthy of hearing such words at all.
She had lived her entire life as a shadow of the imperial family. People had forgotten her, and she had forgotten herself. That had been the safest way to exist. But General Berhardt had dragged that forgotten shadow into the light.
The moment he looked at her, she felt—for the first time in her life—that she was not merely a shadow. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
“……”
The princess rose with the book in her hands and walked slowly between the shelves. At the very end, she pulled out a volume of imperial history—the records of every emperor from the founder to the present day. She placed it on her lap and opened it.
Page after page showed emperors who had achieved great feats and strengthened the empire.
Could I ever become an emperor like them?
The question surfaced, only to be dismissed with a shake of her head.
Of course not.
She did not doubt General Berhardt’s ability. Given the current state of the empire, he could certainly place her on the throne. But she was not blind to the truth.
Any throne she ascended would belong to him. She would be nothing more than his puppet—exactly as she had offered herself in their bargain.
She knew this. The problem was that she could not bring herself to refuse.
Crown Prince Leon was wavering. Perlin Claire was exploiting that weakness. And General Berhardt was not the kind of man who would stand by and watch the crown prince falter.
The key to breaking this flow rested in her hands. The weight of that knowledge was almost unbearable.
Perlin sat in a small annex beside the crown prince’s residence. Time moved slowly for her. The answer she had been waiting for had not arrived.
Her confidence from meeting Robento a few days ago remained intact. She was certain he was on her side. She felt relief knowing General Berhardt could no longer move freely. She took satisfaction in the way the crown prince leaned on her more and more.
Yet small cracks had begun to form within that confidence.
Robento had not replied.
Several days had passed since she asked him to stop General Berhardt. He had hesitated, but she had interpreted his silence as eventual acceptance. The old Robento would never have hesitated to refuse. But days had gone by, and he had not returned to her.
If he had accepted, he should have sent some signal—arranging a meeting, outlining a plan. Instead, Robento remained silent.
Perlin tapped the handle of her teacup with her finger.
At first, she assumed he was simply being cautious. But as the days stretched on, another possibility crept into her thoughts.
Perhaps he had refused. Perhaps he intended to walk a different path without giving her a clear answer.
“That can’t be right…”
There had been affection between them once. She knew the weight of that old sentiment.
Having read the original novel, she understood exactly who Perlin had been to him. She knew that after Perlin left, he had never forgotten the empty space she left behind.
Someone like Robento would never refuse her request. Yet no answer came.
Perlin set the cup down and looked out the window.
The imperial garden stretched beneath the sunlight, as peaceful as ever. Today, however, the shadows seemed more prominent than the light.
The moment she noticed it, she realized her smile had vanished.
Crown Prince Leon sat in his office. On the desk lay the broken remains of a sword from several weeks ago.
He had brought it himself. For a long time, he simply stared at the shattered blade.
It was the sword Arsens Berhardt had broken. Proof that if the man wished it, he could destroy anything in the capital and cut down anyone he chose.
When the incident first occurred, Leon had been furious. But as time passed, that fury slowly transformed into something else.
Fear.
Why was Berhardt leaving him alone? The answer, once it came, filled him with dread.
Judging by how the general’s behavior had changed, there could only be one reason.
“If he removes me, the empire will fall into chaos.”
Leon was the crown prince. Removing him would destabilize the empire. That was why Berhardt had spared him—so far.
But the reverse was also true. The moment Berhardt judged that the harm Leon posed to the empire outweighed the chaos his removal would cause, everything would end.
Arsens Berhardt weighed those two possibilities every single day. And the moment the scales tipped…
A cold sweat ran down Leon’s back.
He picked up the broken hilt. It felt cold in his hand.
Perlin’s smile flashed through his mind.
She had told him they were safe now. That General Berhardt would soon be under control. Every time she said it, Leon had felt reassured.
But now, holding the broken sword, doubts began to surface.
Why was Perlin so confident? How could she be certain she could control General Berhardt? Was her confidence genuine, or was it merely an act to keep him calm?
Leon tried to push the questions away, but once they had taken root, they refused to leave.
The broken sword in his palm felt heavier than ever today.
Robento stood by the window of his residence.
For several days, he had barely moved. He had exchanged only the most formal greetings with the rest of the Holy Kingdom’s delegation and had not replied to Perlin’s unofficial letter.
He was delaying his answer, just as General Berhardt had advised. In the meantime, he had sent a separate letter to the Holy Kingdom.
It was not an official message. It was a short note addressed to the one person who had delivered a divine oracle to him—the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom. She held sacred authority apart from the Pope and the Hero. Since she was the one who interpreted oracles, she would be able to give him a more direct response.
“Why did the Holy Kingdom send me here?”
That single line was all he had written. It would take several more days for a reply to arrive. Until then, he had no choice but to remain in the capital.
Robento gazed out the window.
The imperial garden, the distant outer walls, and the city beyond them—all of it looked peaceful. But he doubted that peace would last.
The Hero’s intuition told him so.
I had remained in my office for several days. The same question kept circling in my mind.
“What would Arsens Berhardt have done?”
The answer was always the same.
The original Arsens Berhardt would never have chosen this path. He had been a man who swung his sword only at the imperial family’s command. The very idea of replacing the emperor would never have occurred to him. That was probably why the empire had fallen.
I did not know whether he had died or simply disappeared in the original story. All I knew was that at some point he had vanished from the capital, and the empire had met its end.
I would never repeat that mistake. If the empire could survive—even through extreme measures—I would do whatever it took.
Replacing the emperor was merely one step in that process.
Everything except survival was a luxury to me.
“Marshal.”
Adjutant Raylin’s voice came from outside.
“Come in.”
She entered carrying a report. It was the usual briefing.
Except for the final line.
“Her Highness Princess Luen is on her way here now.”
I set my teacup down.
Raylin gestured toward the door. A moment later, a small, clear knock sounded.
When I opened the door, Princess Luen Nathaniel stepped inside.
She wore the same dress, the same glasses, and carried the same book as before—but her expression was different. She stopped in front of my desk and offered a brief greeting.
“General Berhardt.”
“You’ve arrived.”
She adjusted her glasses once. Then she met my gaze with a tense look.
“I’ve brought my answer.”
So the time had finally come.