Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Secret of Birth
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A few days after I regained consciousness.
Wilfried summoned me after hearing the news through Cornelia.
My battle-ready clothes had been reduced to rags during the fight, so I threw on some suitable garments from the palace and headed to the audience chamber.
There, several high-ranking nobles and Emperor Wilfried awaited me, along with the empresses lined up behind him.
There were far fewer people than last time, but it felt like all the truly important figures were present.
The one odd detail... was that one of the empresses' seats stood empty.
For a brief moment, I scanned the surroundings out of habit. Then, taking position below the throne, I dropped to one knee and spoke the rehearsed words of etiquette.
"Enoch Zahav. I have come in response to Your Majesty's summons."
"Hah... It's still hard to believe no matter how many times I see it. To think I'd live to witness a Zahav like you."
"Pardon?"
Was it because I followed etiquette so perfectly? I'd heard it had been simplified considerably to accommodate my unfamiliarity.
All I'd done was walk up and kneel at the designated spot. No matter how low my self-assessment, even I could manage that much...
...Ah, it must be the clothes.
My father—the former patriarch—wasn't just sloppy with his attire; he reportedly wandered the palace stark naked.
Even I had to admit that was... intense. It was enough to make me sympathize a little with Wilfried, who'd endured a lifetime of such Zahavs.
As I smirked inwardly, Wilfried spoke in a voice brimming with satisfaction.
"Raise your head. This gathering is to honor you, so excessive formality only burdens me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I gave a curt reply and lifted my gaze. Only then could I observe his face more closely.
He hadn't changed much from our last meeting. The emperor still wore his dignity like a halo, his very presence symbolizing the empire's enduring strength.
Yet my senses picked up a faint dissonance.
Shoulders slightly more slumped than usual. Shadows of worry under his eyes. Subtle signs of fatigue in his movements. And that single empty seat among the empresses.
...Well, what did I expect?
Even if things had been resolved somehow, the fact remained: his own son had committed treason and died by my hand.
Was it because he'd spent his life ruling over others, commanding them at will?
Wilfried let out a dry chuckle, having noticed that I'd caught the grief he was trying to hide.
"A true Zahav, as expected. Sharp instincts. Don't misunderstand—I'm genuinely grateful. If not for you, I would have had to act myself. That would have been undesirable, both as emperor and as a father."
"I'm relieved to hear you say so."
"Ah, I apologize for not holding the banquet. With it happening in the imperial capital—and such an unprecedented event in a thousand years—things have been a bit chaotic."
"Truth be told, I don't care much for banquets anyway, so please don't trouble yourself."
"What? You don't care for banquets?"
Wilfried stared at me as if no Zahav could possibly say such a thing.
I quickly added, realizing my slip.
"What I like are the young ladies dressed up to attend them—not the banquets themselves."
"And yet you seemed rather restrained at the last one."
"...Lady Adriana wouldn't let go of me."
"Ah, er... I see..."
As I mentioned Adriana's unusually aggressive behavior, Wilfried nodded awkwardly.
At the same time, the only empress with pink hair spoke up, her face flushing as if mortified.
"My sister was quite rude..."
She seemed to be Cornelia's mother—and Adriana's twin sister.
Not quite as striking as Adriana, but youthful beyond her years. I wondered if Cornelia would grow into that same vibe.
For a moment, I absentmindedly overlaid Cornelia's and Adriana's faces onto the empress's.
Had I stared too intently? Wilfried cleared his throat and steered us back to the main topic.
"Ahem. Now, the reason I summoned you... I assume you have some idea."
"I am listening."
"Enoch Zahav. You have saved the empire once again."
"You overpraise me."
"Before I commend your feats, there's one thing I'd like to ask. Is that alright?"
"Ask anything."
"How much do you know about your mother?"
His words made me flinch involuntarily.
Come to think of it, my forcibly revealed memories had briefly shown my mother's face too.
Though only her head remained... but it was recognizable enough.
I'd never imagined anyone in the capital would know her, given she'd spent her whole life in Calypso Territory.
So how did Wilfried—the emperor of the empire—know my mother? The answer came quickly.
I spoke cautiously.
"...Were you one of my mother's customers as well, Your Majesty?"
"???"
Oof. Should I call him father?
Even back when I lived with her, plenty of men claimed to be my father... though most either killed each other in fights or got beaten down by my brother and shut up.
I was too weak back then to make a fuss, but honestly, it was for the best.
Those bold enough to claim Calypso's number one courtesan as theirs were all heavy hitters.
And the thick-headed braggarts in Calypso were rarely sane.
But Wilfried? He was the emperor, so his abilities and background were beyond question.
Plus, when the second prince's treason came up and I demanded his head, he'd agreed without hesitation—despite his agony—which I'd rated highly.
It showed he separated public duty from private sentiment cleanly.
Yes. Only someone like that could match my mother, who'd held Calypso's top spot for over a decade.
...Objectively, something felt off, but I decided not to dwell on it.
Just as she'd proudly boasted of her achievements in life, I chose not to be ashamed of her—but proud.
She deserved respect, after all.
As I nodded to myself, a puzzled Wilfried asked carefully.
"First, let me ask: what did your mother do?"
"She was a courtesan."
"..."
The atmosphere froze. The ministers recoiled in horror, the empresses glared at their husband, and Wilfried— at the center of it all—broke out in cold sweat.
Of course. The emperor visiting Calypso for a mere common courtesan would stir up a storm.
So, I decided to help him out a bit.
"The undisputed number one in Calypso."
"That's not the issue...!"
Wilfried clutched his head and sighed deeply.
"Hah. Fine. You're a Zahav through and through."
"???"
Now it was my turn to tilt my head. Why bring up self-assessment here?
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. That wasn't what I meant. I was asking literally—how much do you know of her past, her origins, her background?"
"Pardon?"
"Think about it. Even in Calypso, your mother must have stood out as extraordinary."
"That's... true."
Simple beauty could explain her looks.
But maintaining them agelessly for years—even after bearing two children—was no small feat.
And her conduct was anything but ordinary.
Decades ago, it might have been different... but Calypso now was like a criminal dumping ground.
A place overrun by inhuman monsters.
Yet Mother never lost her grace there.
Her posture was always upright, her every action elegant. She never uttered coarse words lightly, and even when my brother or I caused trouble, she'd calmly ask what happened before getting angry.
As number one, she didn't squander her earnings either.
When she saw talent in my brother—the real Zahav—she hired a reliable retired mercenary to teach him how to fight.
Knowing I was good with numbers thanks to my Earth memories, she introduced me to a merchant she dealt with often and secured a apprenticeship spot for when I came of age.
She prepared for our futures in the rare honest ways available in Calypso.
And that wasn't all.
Courtesans were at the absolute bottom even there. They endured all sorts of injustices and couldn't properly raise sudden children.
Yet she'd take in those who'd ruined themselves beyond work or abandoned kids and raise them all together in the brothel.
She worked to make her surroundings just a little better.
No wonder I respected her.
She was devoted to me and knew how to give back when she had spare.
Until that day I was mistaken for a Zahav bastard. I'd never seen anyone like her in Calypso—not once.
Everyone around loved her, so when the crow clan raided, they fought alongside us...
Only to die together or get sold off like me.
In the end, power was what mattered in Calypso.
A faint smile crossed my lips as old memories resurfaced, and I nodded.
"Yes. My mother was special—not just as my mother, but objectively."
"I see. What if I told you I might know the reason for that specialness?"
"What do you...?"
Wilfried gestured lightly. One of the ministers beside him stepped forward and pulled a large portrait from a subspatial pouch.
It was vividly lifelike, as if painted by a master artist. The subject: a happy father and daughter, both with black hair and black eyes.
Just like my mother and me as a child.
"This portrait was salvaged from the mansion of the exterminated Calypso ducal house."
"...Pardon?"
"This man is Ephestion Calypso. The last duke of Calypso, who helped me in my youth. And this young lady..."
Wilfried swallowed hard, gazing at me intently before continuing.
"Beatrice Calypso."
"..."
I was speechless.
Beatrice.
That was my mother's name too.