8: Chapter 5.1 Where is your Mother?
8: Chapter 5.1 Where is your Mother?
After the parade, I was now preparing to enter the banquet hall.
As the golden doors slowly opened, the air in the banquet hall instantly froze.
The Emperor of the Empire entered with dignified steps, and beside him was the Empress, shining like a dazzling jewel.
And between the two, the moment the form of the First Imperial Prince, advancing with small footsteps, was revealed, the hall stirred like a quiet wave.
An age of only five, yet his gaze was surprisingly straight and unwavering.
The nobles bowed their heads deeply, yet they couldn’t hide their differing inner thoughts.
‘That child will one day be our master…’ A gaze filled with reverence and expectation.
‘He’s still just a child.’ Some smiled condescendingly, while others had eyes full of conviction.
‘He is the Empress’s son…
One day, he will surely grasp the empire.’ No one said a word, but everyone felt it.
The fact that the empire’s past, present, and future were walking side by side.
And that the presence of the young imperial prince at the center was shining brighter than any magnificent decoration.
At the center of the banquet hall, upon the highest dais, the authority of the Imperial Family was fully displayed.
As the Emperor sat on the central Golden Chair, the Empress soon took her seat to his right.
Between them sat the young First Imperial Prince.
And behind the Emperor, on a lower tier of seats, sat the First Imperial Consort and the Second Imperial Consort in order.
Amidst the splendid decorations and gentle smiles, a strange tension flowed.
The First Imperial Consort demurely kept her eyes down, and the Second Imperial Consort carefully bowed her head, but her gaze was subtly directed toward the Empress and the Imperial Prince.
The arrangement on the dais alone made it clear.
The empire’s present was the Emperor and the Empress; the empire’s future was the young Imperial Prince.
And the concubines who silently kept their places behind them enveloped the Imperial Family’s authority more firmly, like the unseen shadows of politics.
The nobles raised their glasses and smiled, but their eyes lingered on each and every seat.
Some pledged their loyalty, while others calculated in their minds.
Today’s banquet was splendid, but behind the stage, the fierce power structure of the empire was already clearly revealed.
The Emperor rose from his seat and shouted.
“Subjects of the empire, and nobles who grace this occasion today!
Today is a meaningful day to commemorate the day our great empire was founded.
Our ancestors pioneered this land with blood and sweat, and upon their sacrifice and devotion, this glorious empire was built.
As Emperor, I inherit that will and promise peace and prosperity to the people.
Under the skies of the empire, hunger shall vanish, injustice shall be broken, and justice shall stand firm.
This is possible not by my strength alone, but through the loyalty and devotion of all the subjects who march forward together.
And behold.
This child by my side, the First Imperial Prince, is the future and hope of the empire.
Though he is but five years of age, there is no fear in this child’s eyes, and his steps hold the empire’s tomorrow.
As he grows, you must watch over him, teach him, and be with him.
Today, I declare here and now.
The empire will not be shaken, and our descendants will greet an even greater era.
As long as the Imperial Family and the people advance as one, no enemy, no crisis can break us.” -May a brilliant light be with the empire!
After the Emperor’s speech, the banquet began in earnest.
The orchestra played music, and the nobles showed off their connections with drinks in hand.
My mother, father, and I also descended the stairs to join the banquet.
As the Emperor, the Empress, and the young First Imperial Prince came down from the dais, the tense atmosphere of the banquet hall began to slowly ease.
The Emperor accepted a glass and exchanged greetings with the nobles, while the Empress welcomed them with an elegant smile.
Just then, a middle-aged man with golden hair and blue eyes stepped forward.
With a neatly trimmed mustache, he exuded a dignity that could lightly shake the weight of the banquet hall as he approached the Emperor.
He was none other than the head of the empire’s oldest and most distinguished house, Duke Ardel.
“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress, and His Royal Highness the Young Imperial Prince.” The Duke bowed with dignity in greeting.
His voice was low and heavy, causing the surrounding nobles to quietly listen in.
Beside him stood two boys, side by side.
The eldest son, the thirteen-year-old Ardel Heir, was already much taller than his peers, and his blue eyes, resembling his father’s, held a calmness unbefitting his young age.
The seven-year-old second son beside him stared at the First Imperial Prince with curious eyes, tugging at his older brother’s sleeve as if whispering.
The Empress smiled subtly as she looked at the children, and the Emperor raised his glass to greet the Duke.
For a moment, the boundary of authority that had been divided between the dais and the floor vanished, and a strange tension flowed as if the empire’s ‘present’ and ‘future’ had met in one place.
The moment the Emperor, the Empress, and I were exchanging greetings with Duke Ardel, the Empress’s gaze rested on the two sons standing beside the Duke.