DMEC | Chapter 26

Hearing those words, Joel continued reading the book he was holding, [What is the Start of Romance? Just Like This~ At Least a Hundred Women Have Dated Baron Andrean~], and said, “I’m not reading these books for romance.”

Alexander’s expression was filled with disbelief. From an outsider’s perspective, the emperor seemed desperate to win the queen’s heart, to the point of clinging. He hid his identity and visited the Emperor’s Forest and the Water Palace daily to approach Queen Lute, vehemently refusing to allow a divorce and desperately trying to establish a relationship under the guise of revenge.196190a1d6d42073

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Because that way, divorce b48946e6fe would be impossible.12b575eeaf9f1e82

But could a655583088 he completely cc76f64e97 prevent the feac84ab65 divorce this 2eecf7794b way? The emperor was ad4e85ca41 forgetting something.10403624f78f26cf

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“Your Majesty, then why did you suddenly bring all these romance books from the Imperial Library?”f9ad7f71cde99620

“I want to find evidence of whether I really like that child.”50e95016b995b710

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He closed 23c1dc4ea9 the book ba00335674 with a ef2bcd18b3 loud snap b2399fbca0 and placed aef85eb131 it on 7c5db8d6e7 the desk, ac5a5737a7 then hummed a90575b578 thoughtfully. Placing his hand 7940303a1e on his heartless ac17290627 chest, he spoke c34355a94c in a serious 3b750bed9a voice.ebff315c430cba5d

“I knew something was off when I felt aroused.”b4fe66ef69770ac5

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Alexander’s jaw dropped.f7a6c030f13d23a3

“Uh, no… What are you saying…?”5118a2ab728df297

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Joel crossed his hands, rested his chin on them, closed his eyes, and muttered, “But arousal happens with any beauty with black hair, blue eyes, white skin, and red lips…”ce41caa69a59a3ee

“That’s Queen Lute, isn’t it!”a17ea7959459f159

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Joel slowly opened his eyes and looked at Alexander. “Yes, that’s right. But? It could just be a coincidence, or a preference. It just happens to be Lute. Of course, the books say that when two things overlap, it’s the start of romantic feelings.”57490584b9158baf

The emperor paused for a moment, then pulled out the book [Marriage Before Romance] and spoke. It was a bestseller, a novel about raising a child, appreciating the small things in life and the importance of family, and feeling affection for the child raised, providing warmth and insight into love.

“I’m happy as if I’ve returned to the past. They say feeling happiness is love. Of course, being with cute animals makes you happy and loving, but… I can’t deny love when I get aroused looking at the queen. So, after reading all these books, I can conclude that ‘Joel Ragnus loves Lute Synthsis.'”6c3531935d680cd6

“Your Majesty, as I’ve said before, you need to reveal your identity and apologize for your wrongdoings.”ac51e2eaf5cc3bff

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“Wrongdoings? What did I do wrong?”96d9ee65e1820045

For ten years, he had placed a magical shackle on the child, preventing him from leaving. The child had willingly submitted, saying he would bear his parents’ sins, but Alexander’s opinion hadn’t changed.760577c4e7b847d3

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“Your Majesty, at that time, Queen Lute was fourteen years old. You confined a fourteen-year-old child in the Water Palace and even placed a magical shackle on his ankle, preventing him from leaving. The palace staff, thinking you had forgotten the queen, treated him poorly, not even providing proper food or clothing. For ten long years, he survived with just a maid and a knight, struggling to live. You need to apologize for that…”227708e4db846d68

But the emperor had only understood basic human emotions intellectually, not felt them. Based on past events, the emperor felt he should apologize, but he couldn’t gauge the extent of his wrongdoing.53cfc3c65357b83b

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Initially, the wrongdoing was Lute’s, the prince of Synthsis. Dressing as a woman and coming in place of his twin sister. Deceiving the emperor was a grave offense. The emperor’s rational scale tipped towards Lute’s wrongdoing over his own.40fda74b284cf264

“Can’t I just treat him well from now on? Besides, the wrongdoing was the child’s reckless act. Marriage between nations isn’t something a fourteen-year-old can decide on a whim, so he should be grateful for this leniency.”e64643108bc18384

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Saying that, the emperor frowned, recalling Lute from back then. The child hadn’t just come to disrupt the national marriage. Lute had come with a purpose, asking for forgiveness for his parents’ sins…7c66aa2a9640a4ab

The emperor rubbed 0ef6d48e81 his aching head, 6fe8daeb44 suppressing a groan.7a3550d40a99ac16

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“Your Majesty!”3da9af65f1b0df50

Alexander couldn’t hold back and raised his voice, but the emperor remained unfazed.2d45588e36a8c77c

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“That child was mine from the start. Who can say anything if I want to do as I please with what’s mine? The child’s parents? They only gave birth to what’s mine; the ownership is mine.”a499d5136ecd7f72

Alexander felt darkness closing in. He knew Joel was eccentric and somewhat unreasonable, but claiming a living person as his own, saying the ownership was his… It was absurd to see him assert that ‘Lute is mine’ after raising him for eight years.d5c86c8b28dfbe5b

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“Lute can’t go anywhere. He must stay by my side, just like when he was a child.”16e51736cc3367e5

He even laughed confidently, like a child solving a difficult problem. Laughing out loud, the emperor added, “But how did I come to love Lute? I don’t have a heart. It’s still a mystery. This might not even be love.”90f2ebac4b75de77

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The emperor 50b7b19af0 seemed to 247d17f4af be in 034d5cb2d5 a state 60dfe22f70 of confusion. Alexander, recalling 4e54ac72c6 the past da8e3cf972 that led bf0ac022c5 to this 26439552b3 complicated situation, dc11183fec let out 0f90cdcd08 a heavy ee75850c26 sigh.9d5b519780f0864e

Due to the terror politics of Emperor Eliana, offering citizens as prey to the basilisk, Joel’s father, overwhelmed by guilt, couldn’t hold on long after Joel was confirmed as a tribute and passed away. Thanks to his parents, who genuinely loved their two sons, Joel, who lacked a heart, could understand human emotions of good and evil. The memories of living freely and happily before being taken as a tribute shaped the current Joel.1a39a9e77bad7873

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So how could Joel’s feelings towards Synthsis be at ease? Alexander, feeling suffocated by the tangled emotions between the two, asked, “Your Majesty, what about an heir?”fd71c46204b26c79

At Alexander’s question, the emperor fell silent. Furrowing his brows, he asked, “What?”111aa041417277cb

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Alexander stood before Joel, speaking in a serious and resigned voice, “Just following Article 10, Clause 1 of the Royal Law won’t prevent the divorce. There’s Clause 2, isn’t there?”221c6bd107d3e114

The emperor looked at Alexander with a face as if he’d been struck, then stood up abruptly. Swallowing dryly, he blushed and spoke excitedly. It was indeed about his member.a35dd1b30f4ba1d4

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Quickly, tell that child to bear your child. Because it’s your child, it’s okay to impregnate him.a14c7ea98af51862

“Tell the child I raised to bear my child?”bef96fd465c1855d

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“Yes, can you do that?”50ef877dbbf42e52

Of course, he couldn’t, if he had a conscience. It would be thievery, not humanity, to impregnate a child he had nurtured and cherished for eight years.a05de5f9933077a9

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“I can. Why wouldn’t I?”5c9f35a1ee2a4003

But the words from the emperor’s mouth were entirely different from Alexander’s expectations. Seeing Alexander’s shocked, pale face, he smiled smoothly.8b3ca70ca0b4b50b

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“Royal Law Article 10, Clause 2. Even if the couple has relations, if no heir is born within five years, the wife can take half the husband’s property and file for divorce.”0129a7c5c0dff9c7

Confidently reciting the Royal Law he’d memorized since his prince days, Joel tapped the romance books in front of Alexander.3e48af59a31dfee6

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“I see it even explains how to lead to the bedroom. It’s meaningless for someone like me, but it was interesting to read.”4b89754fd37e0b50

Alexander felt dizzy. The man who couldn’t reveal he was Joel Ragnus, fearing Lute’s hatred, read a few romance books and was now imagining marriage and children, smiling happily. Alexander, trying to remain calm, spoke to the emperor, who had missed another crucial point.b81d63983c954f53

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“…Queen Lute is a man.”acc54422c7856106

“So what?”c7b0b5ea169e3f77

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The emperor replied as if it were nothing. Pulling out a new romance novel from the pile of books, he said, “I can use life magic to create a womb inside. It doesn’t matter if the child is male or female. As long as there’s a child…”22dc5c220fa0e057

The emperor’s words abruptly stopped. Covering his mouth at the fishy, nauseating smell wafting in, he rushed to the window. Alexander frowned at the familiar scent entering the palace.835e1364828514c2

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It was the bac5da60b0 smell of a 4ca874ffd0 decaying corpse.398d1d79bcc37db6

“Necromancer?”775fcc9fc4c116f1

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The emperor opened the window wide and spoke in a sharp voice, “How dare you summon a deadman where Joel Ragnus is?”a965ba7a7ba26cf7

Joel Ragnus swiftly drew 44cde2c4fd the holy sword, Peridexion, 803e1c4b31 from his waist. Unlike other swords, as b8f5748034 he ran his gloved 4461fa2aee hand along the blade, 10ab7f46fb a mysterious mix of 73d89cc349 silver and gold hues 567a69d4db began to envelop it.40f907e774b191d4

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“Darkness cannot cut through light, but light can cut through darkness.”dc4addb940039b42

Looking at the black 9aa1b5caa3 clouds covering the sun, b64a949f6c the emperor spoke. He leaped c58d69b539 from the e276b02d35 study, landing dda68ef39b on the a3bbad1ec3 ground. Alexander, watching the a68de5abcf emperor fall from 5ff2a9c502 the third floor, 4362d257ac swallowed dryly.716caadc1ce0695b

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Holding Peridexion in his 3ef8f7c6b5 right hand, the emperor 114a10c99c smiled confidently. His cloak 07f1718db1 billowed in 9616fbd9d9 the fierce, cdc3e7b120 fishy wind.a187615b4fb712de