I Became the Father of a Degenerate Emperor

Episode 3. A hungry wolf passed a wounded deer.

Episode 3. A hungry wolf passed a wounded deer.

The Empress of the Kratus Empire. Estill Bright.

The dreamlike world she lived in collapsed like a palace built on sand.

Her emperor’s indifference and self-mocking quibbles. And even the government’s ruthlessness that flew in every time they happened to meet.

As she endured them silently, she felt more pain than the twisting of her intestines.

Even though she shed bloody tears alone every night, she made up her mind that she would pass on the throne to her children.

And when she occasionally bumped into the Emperor, she questioned herself.

‘Are you truly happy to have abandoned me and met a new woman?’

Of course, I didn’t need an answer.

He didn’t look happy at all.

Camilla Vicious.

The emperor changed drastically from the moment the vicious woman came and went in and out of the palace.

Her harsh language and rage that pops out at any time, which has never been seen before.

It was as if he had gone mad.

After a while, she suddenly started lame on her leg.

However, the emperor did not tell anyone the reason for this, and even the imperial family doctor was no exception.

One thing is for sure, it was the fact that the spirit of the emperor was rapidly deteriorating as time went by.

The eyes lost their firearms, and the gentle smile and soft voice that made others feel at ease had cooled as cold as those of a dead man.

The emperor’s condition worsened as time passed.

I distinctly remember the moment the man I loved so much punched me for the first time.

Camilla Vicious, I had only been slapped on the cheek first by that wicked woman and returned it.

It was just that.

Puck!

The angry emperor’s fist was directed only at Estill. Even the very simple procedure of asking the reason was resolutely omitted.

Even though it was only one blow, the amount of suffering was as devastating as that felt by a deer that has been hit by an arrow in the neck.

It wasn’t because of the burning pain in the bruised area.

It was because of the feeling of betrayal that tore out his heart and the shame that felt like bugs were crawling all over his body.

If it was possible, he would have killed himself on the spot.

But there were children who wouldn’t hurt even if she put them in her eyes, and she had to live to protect them.

Of course, the children also couldn’t escape the mad emperor’s abuse. No matter how much she tried to block it, it was useless.

For him who seemed to have lost his senses, being young or small didn’t matter at all.

Hell-like days were repeated endlessly, and he had no choice but to struggle to protect his children somehow in the midst of extreme helplessness.

Having once truly loved Emperor Nama, he loathed himself so much that he went mad.

At least it was his family, so I had no choice but to take comfort in the fact that it was that much.

In the case of other people, even the slightest resentment was enough to easily decapitate them.

Chuhwaak-

Dozens of loyalists who followed him were slaughtered mercilessly, and only courtiers and tricksters swarmed around the emperor like maggots.

It goes without saying that there was no place in the empire that was not rotten due to tyranny, and even the people’s sentiments were ruined.

Recently, it has become a situation where it would not be strange if a rebellion broke out at any time.

In a situation where the empire was already on the verge of collapse, the emperor finally went ahead and tried to wage a war.

Just a few months ago, he was in order to recover Florente, which was the land of the Kratus Empire.

It was originally a granary that supported the entire food situation of the empire.

But now it was taken away by Barbarus, the kingdom of barbarians, and as a result, the Kratus Empire was suffering from severe food shortages.

It was not easy to import food from other countries, so it couldn’t be better if Florente could be recaptured.

However, the kingdom of Barbarus was the strongest of the strongest.

The savages of Barbarus were human, but their strength and agility were so great that they could be called beasts.

In addition to being naturally large on average, he had an unusual constitution that produced a bizarre amount of muscle as he grew up.

In fact, they were also known for performing the ridiculous ritual of beating a lion without a weapon as part of their coming of age ceremony.

If each person’s ability was the same, the tactics they used were more difficult.

The warriors of Barbarus were powerful losers in the southern part of the continent who, although each individual was a muscle mass monster, always made full use of man-man tactics and rushed like a swarm of ants to quickly subjugate numerous neighboring countries.

Of course, I never dared dream of an invasion of Kratus until the emperor, the strongest sword master in the empire, was fine.

But it was true that a horse without feet can travel a thousand miles.

The fact that the emperor couldn’t use auras had become an open secret before he knew it.

I haven’t been on the battlefield once in the past five years, so it wasn’t unreasonable.

The savages, who are always suffering from food shortages because they do not farm, could not just sit still and watch the good opportunity.

Thousands of elite Imperial soldiers were unilaterally slaughtered as the barbaric warriors flooded in, staining the vast plains black, and as a result, Florente was taken away in vain in less than a day.

As of now, even if we concentrate all our forces within the Empire, we will never be able to drive them out.

In fact, the Kratus Empire was surrounded on all sides by enemies, so concentrating its power in one place was impossible in the first place.

In any event, the moment they did that, even for a moment, it was clear that the other kingdoms, which had only been paying attention, would quickly take advantage of the gap and launch an invasion.

Even under the circumstances, the emperor had ordered Florente to be restored only with the knights and soldiers of the Duke of Bright.

It was no different from a small moth flying into a pillar of fire.

If his father and brother went to Flo Lante as the emperor commanded, not only his family, but also all of the family’s knights and soldiers would be slaughtered.

As the Empress of the Empire and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Bright, Estill couldn’t stay still any longer.

‘I have to stop this ridiculous campaign somehow.’

In the near future, a rebellion was bound to happen, no matter who was instigated.

If it’s a tragedy that can’t be prevented anyway, I thought it would be better to cause it with my own hands.

Thus, if he could save his family from a futile death and give rest to the only man he loved, he would have no reason to hesitate.

So I accepted the offer of Count Desapio, my classmate at the academy.

Of course, he knew very well that he had a dirty desire for himself from a very long time ago. He must have had impure intentions as well.

However, it is unknown when a rebellion will occur.

Her time was running out for her.

I never wanted to see the only man I loved with all my heart being dragged away by an angry mob and dying in shame.

So, she appealed with tears to her father to hand over the military, and asked her younger brother to take control of the palace first.

However, there were still many loyalists by the emperor’s side.

The six wings of Kratus.

It was a term referring to the six ducal families that supported the empire.

I never dreamed that four of them would still be on the emperor’s side.

As soon as the rebels entered the imperial palace, they were completely surrounded by numerous knights and soldiers who were ambushing them, and they were suppressed in vain without ever having had a decent battle.

That alone was surprising enough, but something even more unbelievable happened.

“I’ve seen enough blood, so I’ll cover this issue at this point.”

The emperor saved him from participating in the plot.

Even though Count Desapio, the ringleader of the rebellion, was talking nonsense as if he had committed an injustice, the emperor seemed strangely composed.

Once he started having doubts, he never gave up his obsession no matter how much evidence he presented until he pumped his fists until his anger was resolved.

But why was that?

Is there a hungry wolf that can pass by a bleeding deer?

No.

There is absolutely no way such a ridiculous beast could ever exist.

However, even after the murderous emperor suppressed the rebellion, he killed only one ringleader and quietly withdrew.

All those who participated in the treachery escaped annihilation, and survived intact, preserving their existing power.

‘Why did you forgive those who took part in the plot so easily? What was the reason for saving me and my family?’

A question that could not be solved no matter how much I thought about it echoed endlessly in my head, and since it had never happened before, I became more and more anxious and nervous.

Then this morning, the emperor sent someone to have a meal with him.

Pounding- Pounding-

It was the first time in years that we had breakfast together, so it was difficult to control our beating hearts.

That urgent heartbeat was never caused by fear.

A glimmer of hope for her husband, who saved her even though she took part in treason.

It was because of a single ray of light shining through the dark clouds covering the sky.

A vague expectation that perhaps this terrible hell might finally come to an end sprouted like a tiny sprout pushing up the soil.

‘No way, a change has happened…… ?’

As soon as that thought occurred, her head hurriedly moved from side to side.

‘…… It can’t be.’

In the meantime, she had hoped for and was disappointed with the emperor countless times.

Of course, the ending was always the same.

‘If I hadn’t expected it from the beginning, it might not have been so painful. Next time, I won’t be foolishly expecting it.’

She was like that, she was the one who couldn’t let go of her hope until the end even though she was constantly brainwashing herself.

When I came to the dinner table, I thought that maybe that hope wasn’t meaningless at all.

‘Your eyes have changed…… !’

The moment I felt the slightest change, the anticipation that had been suppressed like a criminal raised its head.

My heart also beat like a wild horse escaping from a cage.

But before the startled heart could subside, the emperor took away the steak from the youngest with a cold face and voice.

Then he even sent the second one to catch it.

The moment I realized that everything was my own illusion, it really felt like my heart was breaking down.

After a while, as always, he would try to hit the youngest again in front of everyone.

‘In the end, it will be like this again…… ?’

That’s right.

There was no way that such an absurd miracle in which an emperor who had gone mad suddenly became normal would happen this easily.

Esteel felt like a small pebble sinking into the abyss.

Perhaps, it might be the last moment to really let go of everything.

The upcoming tragedy was clear before my eyes, but I just thought it was really over.

So I continued talking calmly as if nothing had happened.

“If this is the case, why not kill me and the princes that day?”

Poof!

As expected, the emperor raised his hand as always.

Esteel was convinced. This time, he’s going to stab himself.

Whether he despairs or not, whether the children are afraid or not, he will dare to reveal that terrible violence again.

‘If you’re going to do this until the end, please kill me. Please don’t torture me with hope anymore.’

I couldn’t bear to put it into words, so I tried to convey that feeling with her eyes, but the learned fear didn’t allow me to even struggle.

But after a while, nothing happened.

When he opened his eyes again, the emperor held his hand still with his fist clenched.

‘Why didn’t he hit me…… ?’

Then, suddenly, the emperor meets his eyes and starts scratching his head.

“My hair is a bit itchy today.”

Looking at him scratching like he was having a seizure, it really seemed like that.

‘I didn’t mean to hit you…… ?’

In the past five years, not once has he turned a blind eye to his retort.

So he was right this time too, he should have hit himself.

“The meat will cool down. Eat it while it’s still warm.”

After saying that, the emperor began cutting his youngest son’s steak.

After a while, the youngest returned, and the emperor gave back the steak and even apologized.

“I just wanted to cut the meat for you. I’m sorry if I was scared.”

Although that expression and voice were brutally cold, it was definitely something that had never happened before.

I couldn’t quite grasp what the situation was.

Thumping! Pounding!

However, as if her heart had understood all of this, she began beating vigorously once more.

‘…… Why are you doing this all of a sudden?’

At that moment, she didn’t know.

Tears were flowing from her own eyes.

Perhaps the long-awaited miracle has finally happened.