Chapter 23

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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Since it was still spring, the sun crossed the mountains early and hid its form.

In the Imperial Palace covered by darkness, those who were finishing their work were hurriedly leaving the palace.

Usually, those who worked in the Imperial Palace returned home before dinner time.

The remaining people either ate in advance or brought things they could take and eat.

Clois was also one of those people.

In fact, there was no need for the Emperor to worry about meal times inside the Imperial Palace.

Whenever he wanted, not just a simple meal but a flamboyant banquet would be prepared in full.

However, Clois did not particularly like such meals.

People thought he avoided flamboyant meals because the habits from the war remained and his personality did not particularly like luxury.

But there was another reason why he was reluctant to eat at the dining hall of the main palace.

‘It’s too wide.’

He ate the simple meal brought by the servants and thought of the wide dining hall.

In the past, he always ate there.

That was back in the days when there were quite many Imperial family members.

Not to mention the former Emperor and Empress, there were seven sons and four daughters. And even the children of those who had married early among them.

Regardless of whether they got along well, it was always bustling.

Therefore, the dining hall of the main palace that Clois remembered was always a place full of people.

But now, the person eating at the huge table in that dining hall is only him, one person.

Because no other Imperial family members remained.

When he ate alone sitting in the dining hall, he realized once again the fact that only he remained among the Imperial family.

And also the fact that no one else would be able to sit together anymore.

So, the number of days he ate simple meals in his office without going there gradually increased.

Thinking of the past, Clois raised the lid of the plate placed on the cart.

Whether the doctor had delivered words out of concern for his meal, things that were prepared very appetizingly were visible.

However, no particular expression appeared on Clois’s face as he looked at them.

As if he were a person who had lost all sense of appetite.

After checking all the meals on the cart, he thought for a moment and picked up a sandwich from the middle shelf.

They said it was made by packing all kinds of ingredients, but it was still the simplest among the prepared food.

However, Clois did not care and returned to the table holding only that plate.

Before eating, he took off the gloves he was wearing.

A pattern of a very complex form was situated on the back of his exposed hand like a tattoo.

This was the proof of being a direct Imperial family member.

The mark left by mysterious beings when the first Emperor received help from them at the time of the founding.

Those who possessed this mark had mysterious powers, even if not to the extent of magic.

At the time of the first Emperor, the power was strong enough to block incoming arrows.

But by now, there was no such strong power.

‘It seems some faint power remains…’

Just things like instinctively keeping away if there is something dangerous.

Even that can barely be felt only by those whose power appeared strongly like Clois.

Therefore, he thought nothing of having this pattern on him.

Possessing power is a story from a long time ago, and now there are many people who do not have the pattern even if they are the children of the Emperor.

Furthermore, not having a pattern does not mean having no talent.

Clois’s grandfather also did not have a pattern but left a name as a reasonably good sage-king.

But apparently, for the Emperors, it was a shock that the pattern that had been continuing did not appear, so they used to be particularly obsessed with the pattern.

Then, when the pattern did not appear even in his child, the former Emperor, he erased as many records about the pattern as possible.

Anyway, it is knowledge that is not widely known in the world.

Furthermore, it was treated half as an old story.

So, now that decades have passed, it only remains in the records and paintings of the Imperial family, and not many people outside know about the pattern of the Imperial family.

‘But the obsession continued.’

The former Emperor had seven children, including Clois.

Among them, Clois was the only one born with the pattern.

Therefore, the Emperor openly favored Clois.

Furthermore, Clois had the most outstanding talent among the children of the Emperor.

Clois moved his hand slightly.

Then he suddenly thought.

‘If Evbien had been alive…’

Would the pattern have appeared?

The small corpse he recovered was already rotting, so he couldn’t confirm.

‘If she was born with it, it would have been clearly revealed by now.’

It appears definitely at age 5 or 6 at the latest.

They say it disappears for a while if power is used greatly, but since she would have grown as a Princess, there would have been no dangerous things, so perhaps it might have appeared vividly.

Then the image of a young child brushed past his mind.

Was there a pattern on the hand of the child holding the somewhat loosely tied flower crown…?

“…!”

Suddenly, realizing who he had thought of, he stood up in surprise.

“This…”

Clois repeatedly brushed his face with his hand.

For a moment, he had unconsciously thought of the grown image of Evbien as the image of Evi whom he met yesterday.

It was absurd.

He had seen children of the same age as Evbien several times so far.

But he had never thought of those children as Evbien, yet he naturally thought of that small and thin child he saw for the first time yesterday as the image of his daughter in his fantasy.

Clois closed his eyes. Apparently, meeting that child in front of the tombstone of Lilian and Evbien yesterday was more intense than he thought.

After standing still for a long time, he lowered his hand and approached the window.

The image of Evi bowing her head in greeting during the day naturally came to his mind.

‘She must be very tired today.’

He remembered the schedule of the Gifted Center that was in the document he saw in passing.

She must have wandered around touring various places in the Imperial Palace today. It must have been quite a difficult task for a young child to walk and follow all day.

So, wouldn’t she be resting after returning to the dormitory at this time?

While he was lost in thought like that, suddenly a loud noise was heard from outside.

The sound of noisy footsteps, the voices of the flustered head servant and other servants.

There was no one promised to visit at this time.

‘But the shouting of the knights is not heard either.’

If so, it is certainly someone who has the qualification to enter at any time.

But such people would mostly visit gracefully and quietly.

The person who would visit so noisily…

“His Majesty! I’m here! I’m coming in!”

“Lady Seraphina! It’s troublesome if you come in so recklessly!”

At the head servant’s voice heard from outside the office, Clois let out a sigh as if he had expected it.

He could tell it was Seraphina’s voice as soon as he heard it.

Even if it weren’t for the voice, he would have recognized her.

Who else would dare to act like that in front of the Emperor’s office if not Seraphina?

“Come in.”

As Clois said while sitting down, the door opened immediately.

“Your Majesty’s faithful servant, *pant*, Seraphina, *pant*, greets you.”

Looking at her, who was catching her breath from how urgently she had run, Clois felt a headache.

But he decided to endure it.

Because he was the one who had asked Seraphina, who was making a fuss about going into seclusion, to take the role of the Director of the Gifted Center.

“Fine. What are you going to ask for that you ran here like this?”

“Please lend me the Imperial Mana Stone!”

At those words, Clois frowned.

“Are you planning to commit treason today finally?”

“Why would I do such a difficult thing? Even if I succeed, I’d have to work all the time like Your Majesty, which is not the life I want!”

At Seraphina’s appearance of shivering as if it were truly horrific, Clois felt his headache getting worse.

Seraphina was the only one who could carelessly blabber about treason or whatever in front of him so easily.

That was not only because she was a strong mage but also because she was a benefactor who had saved Clois’s life several times during the Succession War.

“And I have to use large-scale magic inside the Imperial Palace, so please grant permission as well.”

“You’re going to use magic inside the Imperial Palace?”

Clois’s gaze sharpened.

At first, he thought Seraphina had come to talk nonsense again, but it wasn’t that; something must have happened.

“What on earth happened?”

At Clois’s cold voice, Seraphina also abandoned her playful attitude and straightened her posture.

“A child went missing today during the Gifted Center students’ tour of the Imperial Palace. Accordingly, as the Director of the Gifted Center, I intend to use tracking magic for the child, so please grant your permission.”

“…A student missing?”

He felt a strange, ominous feeling.

“What is that student’s name?”

At his question, Seraphina also looked at him with surprised eyes and answered.

“Evi Alden. A 7-year-old girl.”

The moment he heard that name, Clois stood up from his seat unconsciously.

“I grant permission for the use of magic inside the Imperial Palace. Find her at once!”