episode_0150

The Sun. The light that illuminates the world, and a name that reigns over all that is noble. People looked up to such a being and called him Emperor.

‘Valkaros Rantana von Staupen.’ The man was no different. Born with the Staupen name, he had to bear the responsibility of the celestial sun.

The weight of the golden crown and the blood-red cloak was heavy. A being who, because he reigned, could not truly be with others. And yet, they say people love people. Even the Emperor had one allowed place to lean on. That was none other than his family.

“-Valkaros.” “-I heard you had a big fight with the retainers again today?” “-How many times do I have to tell you to fix that quick temper of yours…” “-Anyway.”

The most noble flower. The Empress.

“-Still… you worked hard.” “-I know you always try your best.”

The lonely throne of the empire. Perhaps it was because of that loneliness. The Emperor particularly cherished the Empress.

Even while maintaining a sharply severe atmosphere, he was unfailingly gentle when dealing with his wife. She was a unique source of strength in the dirty political arena. Thanks to her, Valkaros was consistently known as a devoted husband.

“-Remember, Valkaros.” “-That I am always by your side.”

The words she whispered when the day was hard. The scent of her skin that settled on the bridge of his nose. The warmth of their bodies as they quietly embraced each other. Even her green eyes that crinkled into a smile whenever their gazes met. Not a single glimmer of light had faded from his memories. They were that vivid.

However. Even that fragile peace was shattered. The first misfortune found the man.

‘My God.’ The Empress was inherently weak. To the extent that she constantly lived with medicine and doctors. Nevertheless, she undertook pregnancy and childbirth for the sake of an heir, and her fragile body could not endure it.

Ultimately, right after giving birth to their second child, the Empress could not overcome the aftereffects and fell ill in bed. As her petals withered, Valkaros’s world also crumbled.

Yet. “-Valkaros.” “-Even if I’m not here… please take care of the children.”

The Empress’s last words. That faint echo held Valkaros. It embraced him so he couldn’t give up.

“-I was happy because I loved you.” Eventually. The Empress passed away. Valkaros, holding her limp hand, swore. That he would protect his children no matter what.

‘From now on… you will be my life.’ Thereafter were days of tireless effort. Valkaros, at the very least, did his best.

He wanted the children not to feel their mother’s absence. Thus, even while staying up all night with the overwhelming work, he made sure to spend time by his daughters’ sides and show his face. Even his somewhat sharp personality softened. It was astonishing.

“-I told you to fix your temper.” “-Everyone finds it hard to approach you because you’re always so sharp.” “-Well… I like it because it feels like I have you all to myself.” “-But still, you’d be lonely living as a loner, wouldn’t you?”

Words he had heard so often they’d formed calluses on his ears. He, who hadn’t changed even under the Empress’s nagging, was changing for the sake of his children. Even enduring difficult work, a smile would spontaneously appear when he thought of his children. At that time, those small beings were his only reason for living.

‘Please.’ Elize. Although he had lost the Empress, he did not resent the child. Because her red hair, exactly like her mother’s, was beautiful. Because her green eyes, which seemed to have stolen his heart, were endearing.

Valkaros’s only joy was to chase the fleeting glimpses of the Empress’s image reflected in his daughters. Memories that faded like light resembled the bittersweet aftertaste of tea. That was life. To grieve. And yet to hope.

‘May this life last forever.’ However. Even in the dawn of such desperate struggles, the ill-fated pack of wolves did not pass him by. Rather, they bared their fangs as if mocking the Emperor.

“-Your Majesty.” “-I’m afraid you must prepare yourself.”

The second misfortune arrived. The personal physician delivered the news with a devastated expression.

“-At most, one year.” Elize. A terminal diagnosis had fallen upon his daughter. From the explanation, it was an incurable disease.

‘Mana Petrification Disease.’ A disease notorious for its cruelty. A bolt from the blue struck the imperial family.

A curse from God. If it became known that such a thing had appeared in the princess of a nation, it would clearly harm the authority of the Emperor as the Sun. The naive would be agitated, claiming ill omens had entered the empire. The cunning would seize this opportunity to make ominous moves. The political problems were enough to cause a headache.

However. Valkaros had no capacity to consider such matters. He simply stared blankly, losing his senses.

“-Why?” His daughter was facing death. How many parents could maintain their sanity in such a situation? Especially in Valkaros’s case, his attachment to his children was strong. Because they were the only remnants left by the Empress.

“-Find it.” “-Search the entire continent and find a way…!”

Even knowing it was a futile struggle. Valkaros sought answers for the petrification disease by all means possible. He dispatched his secretly retained confidantes to wander the continent. Renowned doctors proficient in all kinds of illnesses, sorcerers knowledgeable in curses, priests who had reached the pinnacle of divinity, and even herbalists who handled miraculous herbs… He eagerly pounced on anything that seemed even slightly helpful. It was to grasp even the faintest hope.

“-Not this time.” He set aside his duties as a monarch. For him, only his daughter came first. Because of this, he even received harsh words from his retainers. He didn’t care.

“-Please, give me time…” A raging storm. The Emperor could only struggle to keep himself from sinking into despair.

Time flowed by without any significant results. Half a year later. No answer was found. In fact, it was hard to even find proper records of the disease. And that was because it was a disease that appeared perhaps once in a hundred years, even in the vast continent. Indeed, there was a reason it was called a curse from God.

“-The patient’s condition is not good.” “-Given her inherently weak body… there’s a high possibility she won’t even last the predicted year.” “-To be honest, it’s a miracle she’s lasted this long.”

Elize’s condition worsened day by day. Now, it was truly a stage where her life could end any day. Valkaros, hanging by a thread, also felt his limits. Repeated failures were the main culprits, debilitating his mind and suffocating his life. Was there truly no choice but to give up like this?

At that time of despair. “-Your Majesty.” “-Would you be willing to listen to what I have to say?”

Someone came to find Valkaros. “-There is a way.” “-It’s temporary, but… a way to suppress the worsening of the disease.” “-Eventually, it may even be possible to prevent death.”

The old man spoke abruptly. The exhausted Emperor could not dismiss such a voice. Especially since the person before him was not one to indulge in nonsense.

The identity of the old man who offered the advice was as follows: “-Marquis Galimar.”

Galimar Academy. One of the educational institutions considered the best on the continent even at that time. It was Gaston Galimar, its dean.

“-Go to the Imperial Archives.” The Imperial Archives. It was a place even the Emperor himself didn’t fully grasp. That’s how full of secrets the ancestral legacy was.

“-What my destiny allows me to say ends here.” “-May the stars always be with you.”

The old man left after leaving only a few brief words. Valkaros had no choice. He simply frantically rummaged through the archives, taking a chance as if being tricked.

A space that had existed for hundreds of years. It took several days to sift through the countless piled records. Was it around the time he had spent nearly half a month trapped among the bookshelves? He finally found it.

“-Is this it…?” The clue about the Mana Petrification Disease that the old man had mentioned. It was listed as part of the [Forbidden Books] sealed by the First Emperor.

The Emperor was happy for a moment. For he had finally found a clue to cure Elize. However. As he checked the contents, his brow furrowed again. Such a thought suddenly crossed the Emperor’s mind. That there was a good reason this document was designated as a forbidden book.

‘Curse Sharing’. It was an excessively inhumane spell. A spell that sacrifices a family member as an offering to save one. Valkaros agonized, with the old document before his eyes. For a long time thereafter.

“-What about me?” Curse Sharing. It was a spell that diluted the curse over a long period and ultimately transferred it. If the role was to take on his daughter’s curse, he had to be the one to do it. There was no other option. He didn’t even want to consider Charlotte as the target. If there was to be a sacrifice, it was the father’s place.

However. “-Your Majesty… you must attend to state affairs.” “-The lives of the poor lambs hang on your shoulders.” “-Please, remain steadfast.”

He was the Emperor. The reigning Sun. Moreover, the one who shed light even on the darkest and lowest places. And at the same time, the one who bore such responsibilities.

‘If I were to take on the curse… it surely wouldn’t end in mere disaster.’ A chaos unlike any before would arrive. In the case of the princess, perhaps, but for the Emperor, who symbolized the sun, to die from receiving a ‘curse from God’? It was difficult to even imagine what kind of repercussions and chaos would ensue. The hyenas who had been waiting for their chance would also truly bare their fangs upwards. It might be a bit extreme, but the empire’s system could even collapse. Valkaros agonized.