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Prince Marius’s fate was uncertain.
Rumors rapidly began to circulate in the capital. Marius was the first son born of the Emperor and his first wife. House Tremblin—Marius’s mother’s family—directly led the Noble’s Conference, one of the two major forces in Avalon.
“Is everyone present?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The nobles gathered in the Great Hall all bowed their heads to Emperor Douglas.
Seated in front were Aden’s parents, Toben and Meri von Agnus.
“I believe this is the first time I've seen the two of you together since that day.”
Realizing what the Emperor meant by “that day,” Meri trembled slightly.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you in ten years
 but it’s unfortunate we have to meet under these circumstances.”
Emperor Douglas leaned back even more into his chair as he looked Meri up and down. He seemed to still lust for Meri’s beauty.
“I don’t know what to say, Your Majesty,” Toben said as he bowed deeply.
“Tsk. What could you possibly be guilty of.” Emperor Douglas clicked his tongue at the Duke. “While I want to move on from this
”
“...!”
“This isn’t a personal matter but one that concerns the dignity of the Imperial family. If I act on my bias and close my eyes on this, then public order and balance will fail. Some may even point their fingers behind my back, calling me a toothless tiger.”
Meri couldn’t stop herself from fidgeting nervously. Emperor Douglas seemed to savor Meri’s desperation for a while before he got up and continued the conversation.
“Furthermore, your son Aden has the ability and talent to control his sword, and yet, my son has become like this
.”
“Your Majesty,” Meri protested, “it that was never—”
“Jegar,” the Emperor called, ignoring Meri entirely.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the still-youthful military advisor answered.
“How heavy is the sin of deliberately harming the dignity of the Imperial family?”
“If it’s deliberate
” Zegar was silent for a tense moment.
Several of the nobles swallowed nervously.
“Since the Prince is no different from His Majesty, I think I can say that
 it would be treated as treason.”
Emperor Douglas donned a pitying expression.
“What if I rule them guilty of the crime of treason?”
“It depends on the degree of severity, but in this case, with the Prince's life itself uncertain
 complete annihilation of the entire family life.”
A stiff silence fell over the hall after Zegar finished speaking.
“Well, that’s what he says. What do you think, Toben?”
Toben slowly raised his bowed head, but Meri suddenly stepped forward.
“I will pay for my sins!” she exclaimed. “My child’s upbringing is my sin. Please—!”
“I can’t.”
“...!”
“Aren’t you overestimating yourself? Do you think your life is worth the lives of the rest of your family? Do you really think that your life will be an equivalent exchange for complete annihilation?”
Thump.
“Your Majesty, please have mercy—!”
Seeing Meri prostrate herself on the floor, a lustful smile crept over Emperor Douglas’s face.
“But
.” He glanced at Toben.
“...”
“Toben, considering your devotion and that of the Duchy of Agnus to the Empire, I also think that annihilation is too severe.”
“...”
“But as I said earlier, I can’t leave this as it is
.” Emperor Douglas's smile deepened. It was as if he thought that, in the end, he was the winner.
“If you agree, I can do as your wife wants
 what do you think?”
After a lengthy period of silence, Toben finally looked Meri in the eye. She shook her head dejectedly.
Toben clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into his palm. Despite being the head of a powerful family, what could he do? The Emperor had the upper hand here.
“...As Your Majesty commands,” Toben eventually whispered.
“Tie up the criminal,” Emperor Douglas ordered with a bright smile.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Imperial Knights were already prepared and quickly gathered around Meri, binding her in ropes in short order.
That day, Toben von Agnus forgot what emotions were.
****
“Keep Aden in prison until further orders,” Toben coldly commanded upon returning to his home.
“Yes, Sir!”
“Let go!” Aden struggled against the knights holding his limbs. He was no fool—he could see what was happening and had already heard the shocking news.
“Please let me go! Why should Mother be the one to pay my sins—”
“Because you’re weak.”
His father’s words were deeply etched into Aden's heart—forever.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
In the end, Aden was kept in prison until everything was settled; he spent three years of what should have been his idyllic childhood there.
He never saw his mother, not even after he was released from jail. When Aden asked about his mother, not a person gave him so much as a word of reply.
So he worked harder.
His plan was to get stronger so he could enter the Imperial palace where his mother was being held captive

But Aden could not fulfill that plan. By the time he was strong enough, his mother was no longer in this world.
***
Twenty years passed.
A bloody wind blew across the Avalon Empire.
Emperor Douglas had ten sons from seven different wives. A terrible civil war broke out after the Emperor's health deteriorated as a result of an unexpected and fast-moving illness.
The Imperial Palace descended into chaos. Not a single day went by when blood wasn’t shed. Members of the Imperial family died, went missing, or killed each other. It had become a regular occurrence for the noblest bloodline in all of Avalon.
In the meantime, the immature boy matured into a man. Not long after he reached manhood, he obtained the title of “Master,” something that many knights could only imagine. He was the youngest Master in the Empire, instantly making him the idol of all young knights in the Empire. He was also one of the most eligible bachelors in the Empire.
When he was young, he would’ve been proud of his bloodline. Instead, the man just silently swung his sword again and again and again.
He had one wife, Vanessa ben Britten. His name was Aden von Agnus.
A knight bearing an embroidered golden mane approached him.
“The bloodbath has begun, sir.”
“...”
“As expected, the mad prince of Avalon has finally started slaughtering his brothers.”
At those words, Aden slowly opened his mouth to speak.
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“Armstrong
”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“The time has come.”
“...!”
The knight’s eyes widened for a moment before he immediately lowered his eyes.
“Everything will go according to your will, My Lord.”
“He cannot notice anything.”
“There have been no problems so far. Moreover, the cause for us to help him with his sister's matter is also clear.”
Aden nodded.
“I will use the chaos to finish my work. Any princess with Britten blood will do
 not just Vanessa, who seems to be on his side. I will end the Brittens’ filthy bloodline myself.”
The knight bowed his head.
“The havoc going on in the Imperial Palace has created a perfect opportunity,” Aden continued as he glanced at the knight. “I will not force you. You may end up as a fugitive, branded as a traitor for the rest of your life. If you don't want to—”
“I can do it, sir,” the knight firmly responded. “My Lord, I swore my life to you that day. I live to serve, by choice. Please, give me your orders.”
For a while, silence reigned. Aden regarded the knight calmly.
“We’ll kidnap the Princess amid the chaos in the palace,” he slowly said. “The seventh and last concubine of Emperor Douglas has a daughter, but no son
 so people are not really interested in her. It’s actually a miracle that she managed to stay alive until now. Not to mention, given the circumstances, not many know the face of the Princess. She will be of age soon.
Aden finished his words with a gleam in his eyes.
A light flashed through the patiently listening knight's eyes.
“Then
”
Avalonians’ coming of age was celebrated with a ritual. The Imperial family’s celebration was rather unusual, but the huge banquet was not even the grandest part.
It was held in the northern part of Arcadia, on top of the hill where the Imperial family laid their ancestors to rest. That the Imperial family’s coming-of-age ritual was performed in front of these ancient tombs was what made it so unique.
The majority of the Imperial family’s children spent their entire lives locked up in the palace because they were constantly under threat of assassination. Because of this, the coming-of-age ceremony was the first time that a member of the Imperial family would be introduced to the public.
“The Imperial Tomb of Britneve is where we’ll begin our rebellion,” Armstrong realized.
“It would be better to attack on the way back. The Imperial Tomb is usually tightly guarded.”
"Ah,” the knight exclaimed.
“Don’t worry too much,” Aden continued. “I’ve already sent the rough plan.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But there is one thing
.”
The knight straightened.
“Please, tell me.”
“The princess I mentioned has none of the Brittens’ physical characteristics, so familiarize yourself with her appearance in advance.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“She has very common blue hair, so if she gets too difficult to find
.” There was a frightening gleam in Aden’s eyes. “Kill everyone except her.”
Armstrong was surprised at first, but he soon answered with determination.
“I obey!”