With the Heart of the Arch-Nemesis (2)
After locking her up, we waited a few more days, and the Emperor still had not made contact.
So we sent the Empire a magical record admitting the Empire’s faults.
The very day we dispatched it, the Emperor reached out via real-time communication magic.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the Emperor’s figure appeared and he spoke.
“I truly feel sorry about what happened.”
That was all the apology was.
The Emperor was famous for never using honorifics with any other rulers, even calling his father by name alone—without the title “King.”
He was still looking down on Solea.
Father kept his expression calm.
His face trembled from the boiling rage, yet he did not erupt.
“But I do not wish our two nations to suffer from this incident. Rather, I hope you will accept it as proof that I hold Solea in high esteem. Am I not correct? There is no reason for me to plant so many of my people inside a country I deem unworthy.”
“In a way, it seems the Emperor of the Empire is testing Solea.”
“That is exactly the meaning I intended. I hope you accept it as such. Let it be so.”
Those words were nothing more than veiled blackmail.
He would not allow us to expand the incident further.
“Understood. I will keep this matter buried without informing other nations, out of respect for Your Majesty’s reputation.”
“I appreciate such generosity. Honestly, I am quite surprised. You demanded nothing else, yet you asked for this single thing.”
The Emperor reread the document containing our demands.
“Admit the prince and princess into the Imperial Academy? I truly cannot understand this part. Why would we accept princes and princesses together, even though we already did something? What reason is there?”
“We had originally intended to demand nothing. But because my son and daughter wish it, I request that you admit them into the Academy.”
“The level of our Academy is well known across the world. The prince would have entered anyway. Sending the princess as well is an excellent decision. I gladly accept this demand. We should be grateful that you made such a request.”
The Emperor closed the document with a satisfied smile.
“Oh, right. The prince and princess are together. Would you allow me to speak with them?”
“Of course. Erewon, please go first.”
I waited.
I could not let the Emperor view me as a mere hostage.
I had to instill in him the sense that I was a valuable pawn he wanted to train and use.
I advanced before the Imperial Palace with a dignified greeting.
“I greet the sun of the Empire. I am Prince Erewon von Soleil of the knight kingdom Solea.”
“You are that friend who reached the third circle at only fifteen years old. How are you feeling?”
“I have not fully recovered yet. But I believe I will soon. I am grateful for Your Majesty’s concern.”
The Emperor stroked his beard and nodded.
Stroking his beard while nodding was his habit.
He did it whenever something pleased him.
He had perfectly followed Imperial etiquette, yet he was satisfied with just a simple greeting.
Even the Emperor, who was renowned for boundless generosity toward talents, showed a rare moment of warmth.
“How did you master Imperial etiquette so perfectly?”
“I practiced urgently. Since the day Your Majesty personally summoned me last time.”
Hearing my words, the Emperor’s eyes widened.
“To learn so quickly… you really are no ordinary person. I look forward to you entering the Academy soon. Ehur, you have truly raised an excellent son.”
“I agree, Your Majesty.”
Although the Emperor’s words were arrogant, Father smiled in pleasure at the praise for his son.
Next came Lua.
Unlike me, who had already learned etiquette in my previous life, Lua had rushed to learn Imperial etiquette.
Yet Lua still gave a clumsy greeting to the Emperor.
“Lu… Lua?”
Lua strode forward without following even one piece of etiquette.
“Hello. I am Princess Lua of the knight kingdom Solea.”
She did not even lower her waist, only slightly bending her head in greeting.
Everyone present, including me and Father, was stunned by her behavior.
However, the Emperor only chuckled, without anger.
“How pleasant. But who are you? Your brother has mastered etiquette so well, yet your sister is like this? That is impossible.”
That was the truth.
Instead of raising his voice, the Emperor mocked her with all his strength.
“My brother is quite skilled. He was the one who caught the spies we planted in this country.”
“Heh heh, heh heh…”
The Emperor’s expression was smiling, but his hand gripped his beard tightly.
That was his habit when truly angry.
“You already know that my father buried what the Empire did, yet you still bring it up?”
“Because there is still resentment in my heart.”
“Resentment, you say? Fine. Tell me, what should I do about the resentment left in your heart?”
The more Lua spoke, the more the Emperor’s voice trembled.
His face flushed red and his voice grew slightly lower, yet Lua remained calm.
“Thanks to Your Majesty, I nearly lost my country. Who is more angry is something Your Majesty should already know. We Solea have not demanded anything for the wrongs the Empire committed against us.”
“Not demanding anything? You demanded admission into the Imperial Academy for your brother and yourself.”
“Is that all you call a demand? Do you truly think that, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor was no longer smiling.
He frowned.
“Do you truly wish for war? If you do, I can raise my army right now and wipe Solea off the map.”
Cold sweat poured down my forehead and neck.
The situation was on the brink of explosion.
There was no way to make Lua back down now, so Father clenched his fists and watched.
Should I completely revise the plan?
Countless images of how to respond if war broke out with the Empire flashed through my mind.
Yet I felt a powerful presence strongly persuading me.
Instinct.
The transcendent instinct gained from crossing death’s thresholds since my previous life convinced me.
Lua was no ordinary child.
“But Your Majesty will not do that.”
“What do you know about me? Why do you think I would not?”
“Because Your Majesty is the wisest ruler in the world right now.”
‘Hmm? You’ve raised expectations so high, then what is this…?’
Even facing the crisis of war, Lua did not blink.
“If we go to war with Solea, the Empire already at war must add another front. Moreover, to confront a powerful knight order like Solea, elite troops must be sent. No matter how displeased you are, you will not start a war immediately.”
The Emperor’s gaze sharpened at Lua’s insight into the Empire’s situation.
“You are correct.”
“I am saying this, but I also do not wish to oppose the Empire. Who would challenge the Empire? I think the Empire is an incredibly great nation.”
A long silence followed.
When Lua simply stared at the Emperor without speaking further, he broke the silence first.
“You are testing me. What do you want?”
“The reason I wish to enter the Imperial Academy is to learn the wider world. There is not a single lie in this heart. But there is one thing that holds me back. Your Majesty can solve it.”
“Tell me.”
With a playful smile, Lua addressed the ruler of the world’s strongest empire.
“Please give me just one word of apology. Say ‘I am sorry.’ Then the resentment I hold toward the Empire will disappear, and I will study diligently in the Academy.”
Lua demanded an apology that even the King—her father—had not requested.
It was a clear diplomatic attack that could not be dismissed as the bad manners of a child.
“Fine. I apologize. Although it was for the Empire, I tried to take your future from you.”
An extremely generous voice.
The angry tone had vanished from the Emperor’s words.
Then Lua greeted again with proper etiquette.
“I greet you once more. I see the sun of the Empire before me. I am Princess Lua von Soleil of the knight kingdom Solea.”
In a posture of perfect Imperial etiquette—more flawless than mine.