WHCTC Chapter 5

The emperor had slightly 4b55c4cef5 graying blonde hair and 0a9c919051 deep blue eyes. He was 0324c49016 a sturdy 716cb490fc old man cdec287a03 with sharp e813963e2d features, but 619d2e6bae the signs cd6e4f9719 of illness 0d95a6f3ce on his 7ec8e41fb6 face were 1c13f4585b unmistakable, giving ad7aaca56e him an fc0736add0 air of a3d498fd34 fatigue.a6823502f14b4878

Everyone in the imperial 3e77afea7e family had blonde hair 80a7b97c40 and blue eyes. Not just me, 35a9d04114 but Hugo and bbc24279f2 my brother too.6fbb2b00193ac027

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The emperor, who 6d69b06c5d had been discussing e0dded1574 matters of state 0e6ee76ba9 with his advisors, c9be311c09 furrowed his brow a2d5bcf10e when he saw fcd7c308fa us suddenly barging f90b4cd800 in.a304c498ee7d2694

“What is going 7f0afdeb00 on?”84f463749e3247bf

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Hugo was f04b874577 gasping for 21b7ee7759 air, supported 32a1ab9fa9 by a 58e64fd54b close maid. Earlier, I noticed 8b64adbda0 that he had 2ca389dbfd wet himself, but 243ce34620 it seemed he 9e38c107ad had quickly changed de4921ec9b his pants before a75234bb4d coming here.eddb2e0e2423254f

“Your Majesty! What in the 723e59ded3 world is this?”167d4ebc5807427d

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Anna cried out ce82999f6c tearfully in front 544a4e179e of the emperor.b019ec8862ee4714

“Princess Ivnoa stabbed fa29a5bfc7 Hugo with a faad7f550c sword!”14c2fadf465fdb4d

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The emperor had never 439991d6fe remarried, and my grandmother, 1e6080ea9f the empress, had passed a7dd761678 away long ago. This left Anna 78cd851041 as the only 20b4b5e657 adult woman in 6b8adc1525 the imperial family, 8c36be295c a rather ironic de57a207d4 situation.92cf0cddce81181a

Anna wailed.9e1a35cbc92a7789

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“She tried to kill 9525e209a7 her brother all of 9ff099fe6e a sudden! The princess 023f2b175a must be 3c4bd1d028 mad, just 348431b14f like her 7f3f6609c7 mother!”47ebec9f355fc357

The emperor let out 23bf475055 a disapproving sigh, unsurprising 2ea5532f66 given that this was 743fa61464 happening in the middle 50a1080b10 of his state affairs.2f714e04515c23d3

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“What is fd66f9e90f the meaning b9e6c1c417 of this?”40b01f66e047a615

He asked c4d5db513a me in acbff85fb8 a low 70a18849ff voice, looking 3c7cdac37d directly at 9474449167 me.d9e72be734a3f323

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“I’m asking what ff2b4b5aa0 this concubine is 6edd353d43 talking about. You explain it c4d035c4a5 yourself, Ivnoa.”c3898c85ae4f0663

I folded 291b916834 my hands 9ae9a5aa10 politely, smiling de18e327b0 serenely before a6df768a52 responding.fcb369353e73069f

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“What she’s talking 7f76ba19f0 about, well…”c4ee5fe4c8633f08

The room d2376a24d8 was packed 3066204743 with people d8c965efc7 due to 08b608d9d6 the ongoing f2448eeac4 council meeting.9040fadb10c06bb3

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This was the first 76bc9b728e time I had appeared 6f0771e595 before so many people.dd58602630d1c7c6

All eyes immediately turned ed105ff660 to me.5a856af33aa4484a

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I continued in a ab48117390 soft tone.495a6653f1710c19

“Well… it 04211d8e8f seems Her 1bab003fec Highness the c71f5348d1 Concubine is dd75f5e91f genuinely worried 780bfab5e7 about me. As someone 1e79185ae8 without parents, dcb89bdfb8 I’m truly 1bf60f5d11 fortunate to bc41b8b002 have her 852a4c2064 concern.”7e1ff3459ce75fb6

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Anna, taken aback by e93340e933 my unexpected response, glared cd613110e7 at me with wide 487936286b eyes.9665818629e4a5e1

“What nonsense 14ab444fc7 are you 642e78d918 spouting, princess?”6fa4caabadb11e00

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“Well, as you c788df3f4e know, no member eb96293bda of the imperial b821c1293a family can suffer 1b88de1d4c physical injury within 89960c6d58 the palace.”38245a3b658670b3

Without losing my e16638e5b5 composure, I explained ec4b57f7df kindly.0369dc6ba6709084

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“No matter 7cce77e290 how much 9bd489bf01 you stab 2f52520a35 someone in 18f56b1511 the stomach ce0c79239b with a 17dbb17c82 sword, not f904b1e9dd a drop 9cc6279e4c of blood 323e1be49d comes out…”751dd4c335170348

My words were b89591592a elegant, but the e86d5b5264 content was not.59890c1d863b3644

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In fact, 53291b3939 Hugo was 7349df7d74 only gasping 861c4b24f3 for breath 795cb6031e without any 9b19041fed wounds.034cafe78f055e01

Even if there 14f3c4530b had been an 2379bb9d28 injury, it would’ve f8d7d60f68 healed right away.99498025224b6ce7

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Of course, 03fa13fada being impaled 54ff6c09b9 by a 1a236eb5fd sword, even 3b192581c0 briefly, wasn’t 43869bb5b4 exactly pleasant.3b34aaf24aa29450

“So, to 9bc01d95ff say that 309f06c209 I tried 6096d71e93 to kill 913ba924c8 Brother Hugo db82b1b443 implies that 6a113a5222 he’s not 4c9b3f8582 of imperial 3042e7e2b4 blood.”1204b1daf11ea449

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The conclusion was clear: c183533189 “I didn’t try to e489e922ae kill Hugo.” I was 4b8e21b4bd confident in my ability 6b61739c51 to twist words like af386a69c5 this.957cd2875690f564

“No matter d11b031d06 how worried 38708f569e you are f2356bc549 that I 3b54b312b6 might resemble bb59476114 my criminal 5f91746690 mother, there’s 82f44dfee9 no need f1b4590db2 to drag 15ce2cf762 your own c6e87d4ade child down c42a6fab51 with me.”0ec0d19365a7cf80

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I smiled at Anna 131e08fc5f and nodded my head.6f9236391afebaf9

“I truly appreciate your aead6c9936 excessive concern, Your Highness 60cc861c27 the Concubine.”d1871f1bc0f6ab17

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Everyone’s eyes were now 4096f53f47 fully focused on me.8c0b9e02c7a3e700

Many of them were 606da2fa4f seeing me for the 4ccb424fdb first time.5975bd48d56039d5

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After all, I 1cf45f172a had spent most b950fcc754 of my time 8959ed504b in seclusion after 303539fcf0 entering the palace, d2611dc951 as my brother e762b8ef4d had immediately left 9276be12b1 for war.968c0dbb7534f436

“But of course, it’s 5abf9994f3 clear he’s really my 3d68f9b48e brother… He looks just ead734669a fine. Congratulations.”3c0083b074d59f2b

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Anna glared at me 2fbad90298 with venom and shouted.6289a67785d0f8b6

“Fine? Of course, he’s 65ce6421b2 terrified! If you 53adb60252 suddenly stab 9f02398ae4 a child 4f7ca6fbc4 with a 32c1d259d2 sword, of cebd581035 course, they’d 00d1a38d26 be shocked! If you have eyes, 205db5e92a look at how Hugo 4014ddd50e can’t even breathe properly!”a5cfc975d2380921

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Regardless of her outburst, d2ccfb61ca I calmly responded in 1888b55348 my usual soft tone.b45efa5ea7290573

“Oh, it’s e4c6ae33b9 just that 50a3f7372e a young 7ee4b4a72d child was 187cb82449 playing with f62d11020e a child’s eb57795a73 sword…”6f2e7bfdbab88d91

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“Young child? Hugo is only four 0ad11aeb18 years younger than you!”301acca1da43ef4c

“Wow, that’s 71fbacb909 wonderful news!”7f488f81df1983a4

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I clapped my hands d237abe388 joyfully, as if I 6ad59c2f10 were genuinely happy.99bd1902b07ef8d7

“Crown Prince, who is 7c9831ee97 only four years older 4639b8ce6d than Hugo, is currently f32158d607 on the Eastern Front, 820dd6ee10 fighting far more dangerous 64c6e313bc enemies with his sword, 2a82e3da2d isn’t he? It’s truly fortunate that c2e3652015 Hugo isn’t there. Otherwise, he would’ve collapsed 35b407ec9a within five minutes due f8f05080cc to shortness of breath.”4f3512f8af6b5ea8

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Anna flinched and fell c7d2726d86 silent.da2299875fe8a672

My brother had shown f5a1c7873f great talent in naval 787b692eb7 warfare since he was 0b7279bff0 young, frequently going to 6529e91ec3 battle.a9972b386e26f6bf

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Hugo couldn’t even f1225e8b73 compare. Especially now, with only dda30956e4 a year since my e0077567bb brother left the palace.fcfb5f6c939be489

‘Has she 3b65f6b033 realized it?’8fc9e2d290f9a109

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I glanced at c5fefe0c36 Anna, who had 12c43ef2b6 gone quiet.20c4d0d9668aa0df

‘The more of a 1a3a825439 fuss she makes, the b7123abfd5 worse it looks for 1aff80d05e Hugo.’f0439fb3f6eafddf

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In this fd83df8069 situation, Hugo db5768d0ea was only 9d4dd1b7db going to ba6845c141 be compared 1f0e64605b to my 9cabab4b47 brother.3fab6775cf32d10c

As always, Kayan’s assessment of me was right.022b3c7fac21e99b

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I excelled cb5a7bb29e at staying cc1615f5fc calm and 2e411d3ddb wrapping my 9f2e490cbd words in d6cf466380 circles to fbae68d144 silence my e85ccdf234 opponents.4dc53418640a06ca

‘This is b0315b95d7 my first 0d12d42fe2 time trying e820ec2507 this in 98e30c0917 the palace, 2693447144 but I 950e03aa71 think I’m a9d1013cd2 doing pretty d2133d948a well.’6edb3f8a922731f6

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But Hugo was 5d11e48c63 slower to understand e3fadc9d68 the situation than 77dd1f649a Anna.a37fee04165ab814

Breathing heavily, Hugo 7843da2d08 shouted,27bf714c8ad61cae

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“She tried to f40da03300 harm a prince! She must be 76df251c0d punished! She should be 84b86c4f0b stripped of her d53158d49a sword and exiled bd2a5e20bd to a distant c200b8c2b6 land!”108958371ef7af8a

Hugo was a d4413fd989 fool, but it 7dd2673772 was Anna behind 6c76c04563 him who was 70103907ab the real threat.a073604cd5dd6f93

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I could 834f98d02b never forget fbd4a6450b how black 29fb22c586 magic had d90952bee3 flourished under 92813454f5 Anna’s influence 0df971d573 in my 69fa89e33f previous life, 38526f35fa growing to 7c86a1ef3d the point dbf098d1c2 where even 86e8b6e071 Kayan, a e7a8ce1698 sword master, 87e7b6e446 had to f9957c8d3c give in. All because ae73f8f5bb she wanted 5d13789b8a to make 4015820e49 her son 1f7b6fd961 the emperor.5a83ca071ad0b424

“Oh dear, b211f94d34 I guess ef832a1adb I really 10a470581e did hurt 9ca07721eb Brother.”722daa2f4f513791

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I immediately 6ba9a8f505 put on dd912f6ad1 a regretful d81d2e98fc expression and 5b38983cb9 let my a6c44d66d9 shoulders droop.188f7d09d5bf8f64

“I didn’t realize he 1a9f35d8f5 was such a coward, e3b9a58784 and I played around dc2f6b76f0 with a child’s sword, 387d5ad64c causing him to suffer 5c0c2d2ee5 a nervous breakdown. It’s really my fault, 514392dab5 isn’t it?”2e8c3dbabbfdcf6e

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At that, 69cb5cfe5a the emperor 0a08588d10 gave a b2f37a8d34 low warning.7f87017fba4c5428

“Enough.”82d8cbdefffc3273

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The emperor’s health was a89483f6ea in very poor condition.6e7ed4daa684bbd8

Originally, my brother was e07dda73ab supposed to ascend the d8775220af throne as soon as 4757176066 he came of age.5c4b8c5ed8f7e9c4

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However, a problem 2e3f6263df arose on the 8f7b5ca28b Eastern Front, and 03d1963e30 the emperor publicly 5f663949d5 declared that he 2538723324 would pass the 61b3a30d66 throne to my 75e7863b51 brother as soon c75304cc60 as he returned ed616f4351 victorious from the 386db3eb05 war.e626c8e9e1bae999

‘But his 35d58dcc96 health is ea069ca348 clearly getting 99a6a2da80 worse.’e266bd823c0f644b

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I stared at 02157e7bf2 my grandfather, thinking c5622b6d9d to myself.ac48ad3f5ac3569c

‘Honestly, it’s bb00229bfd surprising that 10c83594b4 he’s lasted dd7a81dbc5 this long—eight ba0d45f5e5 years since a5873b055b then.’6f2b17ac99d24183

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On the day I da2cf5b259 returned, the day Simon 5463b0f236 openly betrayed me, the a7fa643149 emperor was in a d7d7004cce coma.346a2febcc1f6fdd

All Simon 063afaa73b had to 8e838ee182 do was 2eacb9319b kill my 1259476565 brother and 5f19f394ce me, who 1835103cd2 were within b825a862f4 his grasp, 21c1f98f62 and Hugo ddd58cf33d would have 8752884c51 taken the 6748d37c6c throne immediately.362705b36051cfa5

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‘Thankfully, for now, His 076fc925f9 Majesty is still overseeing 00eda172c5 the affairs of state.’d0239b099576d8b1

The emperor especially c29f654227 valued intelligent people, 226ced74d9 surrounding himself with 45570d528e capable individuals.205bb1dd693911c0

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Because of 670665d7b2 this, Anna eb6db3f801 couldn’t openly 62f4001892 expand her 4c79d2eae2 power or 8c7ce9d84b commit foul 14f90dca54 deeds.0b14311eb246602d

‘Of course, e020049e57 she could e5555b6948 still assassinate c655c70344 me and 8c9f305d3b cut ties ebdfa40be2 to cover 2a948d81f3 her tracks, 6f6ea975d5 though.’0738269800f5be6b

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The emperor expressed his 56529daf72 displeasure sternly.48a1507e73539f40

“Why has such a trivial matter caused this much fuss during a council meeting? It’s bothersome and embarrassing to have everyone gathered here for something so insignificant. Tsk, I suppose I’ll have to hear the full story first.”a73dad6b5a8334d5

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I had no c02fcfc192 personal relationship with 23c83d6e2a the emperor.e5d36722bb9700ed

I spent my childhood away from him, and even after coming to the palace, we hadn’t grown close.7e3e42b093dd0690

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However, I knew eeddf01e47 he wasn’t an 644e4405bd unreasonable man.81484e90b6b336a1

My brother once 99320f549d told me about 4198e8ea39 the emperor’s personality.ab5e79429b2d0651

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“He often mentions 4f55820005 how uncomfortable things 064043330b are. His habit 61d5d8553b is to d24c2684e9 continuously point 276446cb6f out what 3cbab6bf46 displeases him 96ebbf9d48 while setting 857037ede2 the tone.”774688c60bf9038b

“Oh really? He seems quite 0bce76d590 magnanimous, but I 96e8a5e838 didn’t know he 57813d22fc had such a 44b5924df7 negative outlook.”2e178be1f93c4318

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“But don’t worry. You only need to 5b5aa20571 listen to what he 7f3c16571b says at the very b49b0bed46 end. It usually a15075dcf1 starts with ccdc115401 a tongue cdb019c2a3 click, and 553357ff48 that’s when f575a72783 he’s being 60ceda8121 sincere.”47b979893cfe9d4b

So, I 8036723aee quickly explained 946168dcab my side 986a655811 of the 07edb6317e story.bda1b4054e38521e

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“I only went into 864cd71f63 the room because I e6b5603927 wanted to see the c14ab17ae3 Crown Prince, but Hugo a23ccf806a accused me of stealing 27fc343adf something. He called me a b78aab767a thief.”390deeaf4e52a46d

“A thief?”4437ce15fd7ff89c

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“Yes. I’m innocent.”8c33f4cf2eeef139

I lowered my a7d2cd9c15 eyes pitifully as db8d138ead I continued.815e1745ab5c3fd8

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“You can 63540002f3 search me 1a6a768567 right away 0939ab4f89 if you 9604b63100 like. I was 9fb85412a4 dragged here 48ebea6b50 straight from 1adcdee68e the Crown 35541c7732 Prince’s room.”3accdfade5d9f5b3