Adage’s heart dropped.

Yasmina was lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

Adage quickly approached his mother that was covered in sweat, blood dripping from the corner of her lips. His small hands lifted her mother’s head and brought her mother unto his lap. Besides the blood on her face, there were also water droplets that were slowly growing large in numbers.

The small male lead cried for the first time after his infant stage.

Yasmina felt the tears on her face. Her beautiful lashes quivered, and her eyes slightly opened. Seeing her child cry, the aching pain in her heart was more painful than the poison she accidentally drank.

She dragged her heavy arms and rested her hand on Adage’s face, trying to wipe away the tears that had already started pouring in.

Turns out he was already crying. Adage felt himself cry but wasn’t sure since all he could focus on was the dying face of his mother.

His mother coughed up more blood as she was trying to convey something to Adage. Adage asked her what she wanted to say, and using the remaining strength in her body, Yasmina uttered, ‘don’t cry…my dear Adage…’

Yasmina wanted to say more words to comfort and advice her son but even death was not kind to them. Death had already grabbed her before she could say anything else, leaving the crying child behind…

Leaving only those words, Yasmina left the world that was severely cruel to her.

Adage’s small stature trembled. He could not believe it.

He saw the palace doctor that was already at the scene covering ‘something’ with a white blanket. Adage’s mind knows what that ‘something’ is—but his heart wants to deny it. However, he could not continue to delude himself. The person under the white sheet was his mother.

His mother died...

His mind, which was always constantly running, became quiet. He could not even hear the murmur of the people outside his mother’s room, saying that he was pitiful for losing a mother at an early age. They were saying these things but behind those sympathetic facades, were disgusting faces that were laughing and mocking him and his now-dead mother.

Adage looked around the room and saw, that near the body was a broken cup with tea spilled over the floor. Her mother died of poison. One thing spawned in Adage’s empty mind.

—Turns out his mother had always been right…

Even with how much you prepare for the future, reality would always find ways to slap you in the back of your head when you least expected it.

Adage clenched his fist hard that his nails were digging through his skin, causing blood to trickle down. In front of his mother’s deceased body, Adage made an oath.

‘I swear that I will avenge you mother. I will make those people who not only killed you but also those who wronged you from the very beginning suffer so that even death would become alluring—And of course, I would not grant them what they want.’

After all, when has life given you exactly what you want for free?

…

The day Adage’s mother died, Adage learned the hard way how cruel the world really is—especially in the royal palace. He and her mother had their guard down when the other concubines and the royal siblings did not act for the last 12 years, only bullying them when they would encounter them accidentally. Adage formed a barrier around his heart as he started to actually implement himself into the palace life.

He asked the emperor to allow him to have the royal classes that his other siblings had. The emperor, who was amused at how the young boy quickly grew after his mother died, gave Adage the resources he needed to actually have a foundation needed to have an actual place in the palace—he was a ‘magnanimous’ emperor after all.

Adage didn’t think that the emperor would actually give him this many resources. Apart from a private palace tutor, he was provided with a set of servants to tend to him, a new clean room that pars to his other siblings, and he was even provided with a personal aide that could also be counted as his bodyguard. But Adage knew that these people were all under the emperor, and he actually had no legitimate people that would follow under him.

The people in the palace were also shocked by the decision of the emperor. Now all eyes were on the newly recognized prince. Adage paid them no mind and continued studying and dealing with the people who were trying to hinder him from his goals in his own creative ways.

He first started to mingle with the palace affairs, asking his tutor more about the state of the empire and looking into the matters himself. He quickly realized how dire the actual state of the empire was. He heard a little bit from his mother, but looking at it from a much larger scale perspective, it was really terrible. The empire was basically on a brink of collapse. While he was investigating, he also found something interesting. Because of how dreadful everything is, people had already started to revolt and a rebel group had already formed. The rebels had already made many ‘movements’ but none were successful. They were quickly suppressed by the palace.

The other nobles and his royal siblings may think that touching and mingling with this affair could only destabilize their positions but Adage saw this as an opportunity. An empire could not form without its people. He would follow what his mother said and become the servant of the people. He planned on taking the throne. Thus, Adage quickly made preparations for his big plans. He began to scheme. He recruited people to his side, be it by showing he was capable, or through threats. However, even the most loyal subjects serving under him he had not opened his trust to.

This is the time Keira came into this world for the first time. Keira’s identity at that time was a well-renowned knight and had not sworn loyalty to any factions of the royal family. Her family had a strong military and Keira herself was the most skilled knight in the entire empire, that’s why many of the princes and princesses were trying to get her under their wing.

Just having a powerful military force under you, would make your standing incomparable to others. Even the emperor himself wanted Keira to directly serve under him. But Keira’s original body’s owner had rejected this offer as she had also seen the debauch and crooked nature of the emperor; the emperor was infamous after all.

Although the rejection dissatisfied the emperor greatly, he could not just wipe out an entire military power that was a big pillar of the country. He even believed that if he were to truly upset this family, then revolting against the royal family would not be an impossible feat for them.

With Keira’s task, she just had to find a way to get closer to the male lead and become his sword, while also cultivating their feelings for each other. Nonetheless, Keira could not just nonchalantly bow under Adage and swore to serve under him, as it would make Adage’s walls grow even thicker and taller.

Adage does not fully trust his subordinates that’s why Keira planned to not stand under him but to stand beside him where he would fully give his trust to Keira.

When Adage was the one who first approached Keira just when she was thinking hard to approach him while not breaking character. However, his intentions were clear as day, so by the nature of Keira’s character, she could not just be directly lured by Adage’s scheme.

While Adage was trying to gain her trust and favor, Keira was inwardly doing the same, and in the end, it was Adage who lost the battle and was slowly falling for Keira’s character without himself realizing it.

When Keira saw the affection points were already in the appropriate amount, she then swore the knight’s oath, promising to use her life to help Adage achieve his goal of overthrowing the tyrant. Adage was ecstatic as he finally took a big leap toward his goal. Hence, Keira and Adage were able to build the foundation of their relationship through trust.

Adage still hadn’t completely trusted Keira despite her taking the knight oath, but this changed when Keira took a hit for him from one of the assassins that were aiming for Adage’s life, where she almost lost her life from poison.

Keira could vividly remember that at this moment, Adage who looked at Keira who was laying on a bed covered in sweat remembered the scene of her mother who died due to poison. Adage then experienced a panic attack and was hyperventilating. Keira who had already longed passed out was awoken by the nagging system saying that this was her best opportunity to grow some affection points. So Keira opened her eyes and with difficulty, said that ‘don’t cry, Adage…’

Keira wiped Adage’s tears and said that she had already promised him that she would help him ascend the throne so she would not easily die here. Adage remembered her mother’s dying words and with that—the last remaining defense on Adage’s heart came crashing down.