The Second Prince

Today is the wedding day of Aria and Claudius. Many nobles attended, and they hosted a grand wedding banquet after the ceremony.

"Congratulations!" The nobles greeted them with bows.

"Tsk. I will not congratulate them," Rasheen grumbled.

"C'mon, you've been sulking since earlier. Why don't you just enjoy the food?" Napoleon said, while savoring a bite of his steak.

"Why are you not affected? You are also courting her, but she's still not marrying you," Rasheen retorted.

Napoleon leaned back, sipping his wine confidently. "Because I believe she will marry me soon. I can feel it," he declared.

Rasheen rolled his eyes in response.

"Aria loves him, let's just be happy for them," Gawain said.

The others reluctantly nodded and continued to eat.

They couldn't describe Mikhail's face; no one dared to approach him as he looked ready to devour someone.

"Tsk. I should be the one walking with her at the altar," he mumbled.

Philip, who was beside him, simply shook his head.

During the party, the Duke of the South arrived.

"Greetings to the sun of the Serolf Empire!" he bowed to the Emperor. He didn't bother to greet the newlyweds.

"Duke Wolfsbane, I didn't see you at the ceremony," the Emperor remarked.

The Duke offered a sly smile. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I've been occupied this morning."

"What could be more pressing than my niece's wedding?" the Emperor pressed, expecting an answer.

However, Duke Wolfsbane continued to smile enigmatically.

"I've brought a gift for you, Your Majesty," he finally revealed, diverting the conversation.

"For me? But this event is in honor of Aria and Claudius," the Emperor responded, his brow furrowing.

"I apologize, Your Majesty. But this is truly for you," the Duke insisted, motioning to his servant. A mysterious man entered, followed by his butler. He had white hair and red eyes.

"R-Red eyes?"

"Who is he?"

"Why does he have the same eye color as the Serolf family? Is he a relative?"

The guests murmured, bewildered. Questions and speculations rippled through the crowd. Aria and Claudius exchanged puzzled glances, while Mikhail stood up, he gritted his teeth when he saw the man.

The Emperor also turned serious. "Duke Wolfsbane, what's the meaning of this?"

The Duke boldly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, allow me to introduce your long-lost first son, Prince Izekiel Serolf!"

Gasps filled the room.

"P-Prince?"

"He's the son of the Emperor?"

The buzz grew louder.

"Greetings, father." Izekiel bowed to him.

Mikhail quickly drew his sword and pointed it to Izekiel. "How dare you come here?"

Izekiel smiled at him. "Why not? I missed you so much little brother."

"Tsss…I will kill you!" Mikhail was about to move.

"Mikhail!" the Emperor stopped him.

"But father!" Mikhail complained.

The Emperor shook his head.

They left the party to have a private talk.

"I didn't know that Mikhail had a brother?" Aria said.

"No one knows about it." Claudius replied.

The people continued to murmur.

"Does that mean the throne will be given to that man? The Duke said he's the first born."

"Now I know why the Crown Prince was so furious when he saw him."

"It's a battle for the throne."

"I still prefer the Crown Prince, we didn't even know that man."

"Is he illegitimate?"

"I feel bad for the Crown Prince."

Everyone's attention was now focused on the said long lost prince.

Aria feels worried. Mikhail and that man are not on good terms. What if the Emperor decided to give the throne to his first son?

Claudius held Aria's hand. "Everything will be all right. Perhaps it's time to end the party so you can rest."

Aria sighed, feeling the weight of the unfolding situation. "I'm sorry our celebration ended like this."

Claudius smiled warmly. "It's not your fault."

.

.

"How dare you bring this man here!" The Emperor seethed with anger. He harbored a deep loathing for Izekiel.

"But Your Majesty, he's also your son. He has every right to stay in the palace," Duke Wolfsbane argued.

The Emperor inquired, "How did you come to know him?"

"I stumbled upon him during my travels. His eyes bore the same hue as the Serolf family, leading me to believe he might be a long-lost relative. Out of compassion, I began visiting him weekly. I was perplexed by why he resided in that old mansion. Before introducing him to you, I conducted thorough research to confirm his lineage within the imperial family. What I uncovered surprised me." He covered his mouth. " He's your son, Your Majesty? I was under the impression that you were unaware, which is why I brought him here to introduce him to you. However, it seems both you and the Crown Prince already know him," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Tsk. Regardless of what you say, I will never accept him! He's a disgrace to our family!" Mikhail stormed out of the room.

Izekiel lowered his head, his fingers fidgeting nervously.

The Emperor massaged his temple, saying, "This is giving me a headache."

"Your Majesty, what is your plan? Will you compel him to return to that old mansion? The public already knows of him. If Prince Izekiel departs, they may perceive it as abandonment of your first-born son and bias towards the Crown Prince," the Duke added.

Tsk, this man.

"Fine! I will permit him to stay in the palace temporarily," the Emperor agreed, glancing at Izekiel. "We shall discuss this further tomorrow." He then turned his attention back to Duke Wolfsbane. "Thanks to you, Aria's wedding ended early. I require some rest now." He rose and departed.

The Duke smiled. "See? He is now allowing you to stay in the palace."

Izekiel responded with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Lord Wolfsbane. Thanks to you, I have finally returned here."

"But be careful with your brother. He hates you so much and might not hesitate to eliminate you for the throne."

"I'm aware of that, I will try my best to establish a closer relationship with him."

"You don't have to do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Regardless of your actions, he is unlikely to ever accept you. However, rest assured, I have devised a plan to ensure the throne belongs to you and that Mikhail vanishes from this empire."

Izekiel sighed. "Do as you wish, but I implore you not to harm Aria."

The Duke chuckled, "Still besotted with her, are you? She's now wed and has four husbands."

"She didn't love them, she told me that I'm the only one she loves!"

"There, there. I understand, I won't harm her," he assured, patting Izekiel's shoulders. "Rest now, Your Highness. I will visit you tomorrow." The Duke then turned his gaze towards Ludwig. "Take care of him."

"Of course, Your Grace," Ludwig replied with a bow.

Ludwig Adrichem, Izekiel's most trusted butler, concealed a dark secret. He was the masked assailant who had attempted to assassinate the Princess. Duke of the South, the mastermind, aimed to bring Izekiel back to the palace and replace the Crown Prince, making Izekiel the next Emperor, a puppet Emperor. Aria had uncovered his nefarious plans, and she was plotting to reveal his scheme to the Emperor. To silence her, he had ordered Ludwig to assassinate her, but she survived the accident. They did everything to kill her, but the Crown Prince is protecting her. After months of silence, they were now preparing to execute their new schemes.

.

.

...

Many years ago…

Due to the lack of an heir, the former Emperor passed the throne to his nephew, Prince Gustav Serolf. Prince Gustav, beloved by the people, was famous for his victories in wars and his charitable deeds. During his first month as Emperor, his maid, Clara, confessed her love to him, but he rejected her. Gustav was in love with the Duke's daughter, and they were preparing for their wedding.

Clara, an ambitious woman deeply in love with the Emperor, couldn't accept his rejection. She believed that bearing his heir was her destiny. One night, she resorted to using an aphrodisiac in the Emperor's wine and spent the night with him. When Gustav awoke and found her in his bed, he was furious.

"How dare you!" he shouted at her, summoning the knights and ordering them to remove Clara far from the palace, threatening her with death if she refused to leave.

Clara begged, but Gustav ignored her pleas. "If you do not leave, I will kill you!" From that day, he never saw her again, keeping the incident a secret, and soon, he married.

Clara, on hearing the news, went insane and desperately yearned to return to the palace. She discovered she was pregnant and envisioned her child as the future ruler of the empire.

"Hahaha! Because of you, I will be able to return to the palace…you will become the Crown Prince and Emperor in the future." she mused, caressing her belly.

Meanwhile, the Empress was also got pregnant, and Gustav eagerly anticipated the birth of his child, hoping for a boy to be the future Crown Prince.…the future Emperor of the empire.

After 9 months, Crimson Blades delivered news that Clara had given birth to a baby boy.

"WHAT?"

"That's what my men said." the chief replied.

The Crimson Blades guarded Clara to prevent her from returning to the palace and causing trouble.

"Tsk…this can't be!" the Empress is also about to give birth next month.

They went to see Clara, the emperor was aware of her intentions. He was determined to thwart her plans.

"Your Majesty!" Clara was so happy to see him.

SLAP!

He slapped her. "Do you think I will accept that child? I will never accept him as my son. He will never be the Prince of this empire!" That child is the son of this wicked woman. He already knows about her plans and he will not let her get what she wants.

"B-But he's your son!" Clara cried.

"Silence! I have no son with a woman like you."

"If you won't accept him, I'll reveal this to the Empress!"

"I won't allow you to do that. Behead her!" Gustav ordered.

The knights dragged Clara away and executed her. They heard the baby's cries.

"Your Majesty, what about the baby?" his knight asked.

"I don't need him, but I will let him live. Bring him to the old mansion." he ordered.

The old, isolated mansion in a deserted village became the child's new home.

"Assign three maids and some guards to ensure this child never sets foot in the palace. Anyone who allows his escape will be punished. And do not let the Empress discover any of this

"Yes, Your Majesty." all the knights bowed.

Gustav returned to the palace.

After a month, the Empress finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy. However, the Empress passed away after giving birth. It took months before Gustav could accept her loss, and he never remarried. Mikhail, the son of the Empress, was declared the Crown Prince, and the Gustav didn't bother to visit Izekiel. He had no intention of acknowledging Izekiel as his son. For him, his only son was Mikhail.

After 8 years…

Izekiel managed to escape the old mansion with the assistance of his maid and a trusted knight. However, the palace guards blocked his entry.

"But he's a Prince! He's the son of the Emperor!" his maid argued.

"Hahaha. The Emperor has only one son. Do not attempt to enter, or we will send you all to prison," the guard warned.

Mikhail, returning from his horse-riding lesson, witnessed the situation.

"What's happening here?" he asked with his typically cold demeanor.

The guards immediately bowed to him, and one said, "Your Highness, it's a minor issue, just people causing a disturbance. Please proceed inside."

Mikhail briefly glanced at Izekiel and continued into the palace.

"Is he my brother?" Izekiel questioned his maid.

"Who allowed him to escape?" Gustav finally appeared.

"Father?" Izekiel called out.

SLAP!

They were all surprised when the Emperor slapped him. He commanded the knights to capture his maid and knight. The guards were paid off to remain silent.

"Father, I'm sorry," Izekiel whimpered. They soon found themselves in the Emperor's office.

"Don't call me father, you are not my son," Gustav coldly stated, leaving Izekiel sobbing.

"I suppose I'll need to change your guards and maids to prevent this from happening again. In one week, you'll return to the old mansion, and you must never come back here again." The Emperor exited the office, leaving Izekiel in tears.

When Mikhail learned of the situation, he threw a fit.

"I will never accept him!" he yelled.

When he saw Izekiel, he pushed him to the ground. "A trash like you do not belong here. Your mother is a witch that cursed my mom. That's why she died!" he punched him many times.

Izekiel was fortunate that the maids intervened to stop Mikhail. The servants viewed him with disdain, serving him bread as his only sustenance and providing him with just water to drink, making him deeply unhappy.

While hiding in the bushes, Aria discovered him.

"Why is someone as weak as you lingering here in the palace?" she asked.

"If you want to strike me too, go ahead," he responded.

She burst into laughter.

He looked at her, puzzled.

"Haha, you're amusing. Don't worry, my enemy's enemies are my friends. Mikhail hates you, right? So, let's be friends," she suggested, offering her hand.

It was the first time someone had asked him to be their friend, and he was so happy to meet Aria. She provided him with companionship.

But a week later, it was time for him to return to the old mansion. He waited for Aria to see him off, but she never appeared. He left without saying goodbye, hopeful that they would meet again someday.

Many years passed...

Aria and Mikhail grew up as the empire's most feared Prince and Princess. They also despised each other…

Aria discovered Izekiel's location and secretly visited him, leading to an intimate relationship, despite being cousins. One day, Aria arrived at Izekiel's mansion and overheard a conversation between him and Duke Wolfsbane. Aria and Izekiel quarreled about his involvement with the Duke's schemes.

"Are you out of your mind? You're no match for Mikhail, and that Duke can't be trusted. He will only use you for power," she cautioned.

"I know, but if that's the only way to be with you, then I'll do it. I'm willing to risk my life to be with you forever," Izekiel proclaimed.

"Don't be foolish, I don't want you to become his pawn. If you don't stop, I will stop visiting you."

"No! Regardless of what you say, I won't relent. This is for our future. If I ascend to the throne, I'll make you my empress. Why are you so upset?"

"This is not just about power, Kiel. I'm warning you not to place your trust in that man."

"Why? Are you afraid that if I return to the palace, I'll pose a threat to your husbands?"

"This has nothing to do with them."

"Just admit it!"

"I will stop this plan, Kiel. I'll reveal the Duke's scheme to the Emperor." With those words, she left the mansion.

Izekiel's anger erupted, and he tossed everything in his room. "I will make sure to kill all those men around you!"

Ludwig arrived with medicine to calm him down, which Izekiel reluctantly drank, eventually drifting into sleep.

Ludwig reported Aria's intentions to the Duke, who then ordered him to eliminate her. Since that day, Aria never visited Izekiel again.