“Imperial Prince, may I come in?” “Lily, perfect timing.
Come here and sit down.” “What is it?” Lily placed the refreshments she was holding on the table and sat in front of me.
I smiled in a few different ways in front of Lily and then asked for her opinion.
“Lily, which of these looks the best?” “Hoo…
haah…” “…Lily?” Lily, with a crazed look in her eyes, hugged me tightly on the spot.
“Kyaaah!
You’re so cute, Imperial Prince!
It’s been so long since I’ve seen you smile, I still remember you smiling brightly as a baby, you’re so cute~” “Mmph!
Lily!
Stop…
Stop!!
How insolent, let go of me n— Mmph…!” Lily hugged me to her chest and shouted with a moved expression.
As expected of a former knight, she’s ridiculously strong.
Lily is disqualified as a judge due to a lack of objectivity.
*** After that, I went to see Mother.
Asking the servants around would be embarrassing and they’d probably only say nice things, and as for Father…
I just didn’t want to show him.
Besides, the Imperial Prince’s Palace and the Empress’s Palace are close, and children are supposed to act cute for their parents anyway.
So I headed to the Empress’s Palace with the servants, and Mother opened the door herself before I could even knock.
“Oh my, what brings our Imperial Prince here at this hour?
Shall we sleep together with this mother today?” “Mother, I’m practicing my smile, could you watch for a moment?” “Mmm….?
What practice?” “My smile.
His Majesty told me to practice it.” “Mmm, His Majesty, you say?
That man is really something…
Alright, go on and try.” In response, I mixed three types of eye shapes with four types of mouth shapes to present a variety of options.
The goal was the Idol Ending Smile that was once trendy on the internet!
Behold my face, with 3×4, a whopping 12 variations!
At that, Mother’s eyes reddened slightly, and she gently pulled me into her embrace.
“It feels like just yesterday you were smiling so purely in my arms, and now you’re already so mature…
Mommy loves you, my son.” The Empress spoke as if she were sending off her grown-up son to be married, and my own eyes reddened for no reason.
It made sense, because in my past life…
[I…
sometimes I resent you…
No!
What am I saying…
That’s not it, Mommy, Mommy’s sorry, sob sob…
I’m sorry I couldn’t give birth to you healthy…] I couldn’t say anything, overcome by an unfamiliar feeling I had never experienced in the past.
“Son…
shall we sleep together with Mommy today?” “Yes…
Mom.” I slept with Mother that night.
It was embarrassing for my age, but what did it matter.
What’s good is good.
*** And so, the Founding Festival began, and I am now dressed up, waiting for the festival opening ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
My family, dazzlingly adorned.
“Empress…
you are so beautiful…
It’s such a shame that you are pregnant.” “Oh my, you’re really something.” It’s a thing to celebrate that the couple’s marital harmony is good, but for some reason, I feel nauseous and like I’ve seen something I shouldn’t have.
Seeing your parents’ affections at any time seems to be an ordeal.
After watching my parents with cold, unimpressed eyes, we boarded a lavish, roofless carriage and waited for the castle gates to open.
As I was spacing out idly like that, Father whispered to me.
“Imperial Prince, do not be overwhelmed.” As the castle gates that had been blocking the sunlight opened, a brilliant light shone down, and the knights in white armor lined up on both sides simultaneously drew their swords, pointing them to the sky.
On either side of the knights, the cheers of the vast crowd made my limbs tingle.
They cheered with various forms and expressions, and all of their gazes were directed at us.
-Waaaaaaaaaah!!
-Long live His Majesty the Emperor!
-Long live Her Majesty the Empress!
-Long live His Royal Highness the Imperial Prince!
Some called out to us fervently with scrunched-up expressions, while others whistled intensely.
As I was overwhelmed by their vitality and energy, Father smiled faintly and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Try to smile, and wave your hand a little.” In response, I smiled and waved my hand, and the cheers grew fiercer.
As I stood there, bewildered…
“This is why appearances are important, why we must be more beautiful, stronger, and smarter than them.
Everything is about justification.
The justification that ‘the reason I rule over you is because I am superior.’ It is a position where you must pretend to be superior even if you are not, a position where you must pretend to be strong even if you are not.
Because once prestige begins to crumble, it is twice as hard to build it up again.
You must not be charmed by them and find them lovely.
The position you must one day ascend to will force you to choose, dozens, hundreds of times, to sacrifice the few for the sake of the many.” His words about not being charmed struck a chord.
The eyes of the crowd sparkled with hope, and they looked happy.
While I was being overwhelmed by the spirit created by those tens of thousands of people, the life force they radiated was intensely sweet, and at the same time, it imprinted my position upon me once again.
“They look for us when an epidemic breaks out, when war occurs, when farming is arduous, when the rain doesn’t fall, and when crime happens.
When hardship and adversity come, they seek God and shed tears, but in the end, they resent the world.
Do not forget, the world they lean on, breathe in, and live in is the one we rule.” Attention I had never received when I was lying on my sickbed.
The heat, contrasting with the empty, gloomy hospital room, is burdensome.
I feel like I’m suffocating from their expectations.
The reincarnation that broke out of the egg called ‘inside a dark hospital room’ has gifted me with such brilliant colors.
As much as I have been gifted a miracle, I want to repay them.
From this day forward, I will not treat this place as just inside a game.
No, I don’t think I can.
Because they are alive, breathing, moving, and thinking.