Prologue

The Valorian Empire, stretching across a quarter of the Forland continent, is the largest empire and humanity's main stronghold against the invasion of the Demons. Although mankind has a common enemy, humans will never escape greed. Wars between brothers, wars between kingdoms, even trying to rebel against the empire that is seen as the greatest stronghold.

Led by Emperor Leonel Von Valoria, who is the 8th generation emperor, famous as the best emperor of the previous generation for his ability to lead the empire through the most difficult times after losing the previous emperor while guarding the border, in addition to his leadership he is also famous for having an extraordinary talent in the art of the sword that people know him as the "Strongest Emperor of All Time".

As the emperor was now in his later years, Leonel had to have a successor if he wanted to continue his legacy, so he had a wife and a concubine to ensure the continuation of his empire that he had built in such a way. Despite being a concubine, the emperor never discriminated against anyone who was his vassal, hence the house of Valoria had various races other than humans on duty.

In the family tree, the wife's children would have Von as their middle name, and would take the surname Valoria to signify that they were the children of the imperial queen, while the concubine's children would carry the name Van, as well as the surname Giesen, the family name of Isabelle Giesen. Such a lineage has been passed down for generations, with the emperor always having two mates. 

However, there was a difference of opinion from the nobles who held positions in the Valorian government, where some of them argued that the naming of Von and Van had its own meaning, where Von was used for the son of the first wife because of his position from the Archduke family which was quite influential in the empire. The concubine, on the other hand, was from an obscure Baron family who lived far enough away from the imperial capital to have little influence, hence the name for the concubine's son.

So if you make a genealogy, the emperor was the head of the family, the first wife was Anna Von Valoria, the second wife was Isabelle Giesen, the first son of Anna was Ragan Von Valoria which made him the eldest, the first son of Isabelle was Krasimir Van Giesen, Anna's first daughter Maria Von Valoria, Isabelle's second son Hann Van Giesen, Isabelle's first daughter Yelena Van Giesen, and finally Anna's second son Azur Von Valoria. So the total children of the emperor were 6 with 3 from Anna and 3 from Isabelle.

And I, was Hann, Hann Van Giesen, the 3rd prince of the Valoria Empire, the second son of Isabelle Giesen, and known as the 'worst' prince compared to the other princes. Such as Ragani, whose fighting prowess allowed him to lead the imperial army, Kras, whose charisma and good looks allowed him to serve as a minister in the empire, and Azur, who was only 5 years old, had already been named a genius because of his intelligence.

…

I, on the other hand, have nothing to show for it, other than my appearance which is quite charming thanks to the genes of the Emperor and my mother.

Although all of the Emperor's children had stunning looks, I took special features from both of them. My hair that glistens golden like the strands of the sun is a direct inheritance from my father, the Emperor. My delicate and enchanting face, with its charming fine lines and deep, mysterious eyes, is a gift from my mother, the most graceful woman in the Empire.

My body is tall and well-built, but my movements are gentle, instilled from childhood. The sad eyes I inherited from my mother exude a mixture of tenderness and strength, often making it difficult for others to truly understand what is going on in my mind. 

At least that's what I want to show everyone.

As the 3rd prince in the hierarchical order of succession to the Emperor, it would be hard for me to have many supporters, especially with me being known as the 'Worst Prince'. Never mind supporters, my daily life is characterised by bullying after bullying from my older siblings.

But behind all that, there was a reason why I became like that. It all goes back to when I was with one of the people who will always be closest to me, my grandfather. He told me to be less conspicuous and live quietly, make a new family, and be kind to your people. Only he knew my true ability as a leader, because he was the one who taught me the important things and mistakes he made when he was emperor, so many things to digest at that time, but I still had to follow his words and continue to learn. 

Until, one day he had to leave for the last time, and I was forced to continue his mandate, and continue to be the worst prince in this empire.