I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

Edmund's face wavered, letting me know that what I said came as a surprise.

He spoke to me with a calm expression, but it was easy to guess that he was now very nervous.

How could he not feel awkward in front of the one who suddenly overtook his mother and took the place of the Empress?

I wouldn’t find it strange even if he showed me hostility.

And although I was also confused, I still asked.

I should have known exactly with what heart Edmund came to this place.

"In fact, my surprise was only a fraction. I already knew that my father was waiting for someone. I have heard rumors that it is forbidden to touch the Empress's palace even with a finger,” Edmund said calmly.

"Right?"

"And thanks to the whole series of events, I found out that I now have a younger brother."

Edmund smiled awkwardly.

It was a mixture of tension and awkwardness, but Edmund didn’t hide his gaze.

I felt uncomfortable in this new unfamiliar role.

I'd rather he openly hate me.

Why all of a sudden such discomfort?

I hated their house so much that I considered options for killing Lisa, but the prince in front of me was just a boy who had not even reached the age of majority.

And I was puffed up to take away his position in favor of Carlisle.

His house is about to collapse.

And there was no guarantee that Edmund would survive.

It seemed that a heavy stone was pressing on my chest. But now everything has become irreversible.

"Thanks for these words. But I don’t think that everything will be as smooth in the future."

The first prince was a sensible child, not like his peers.

Even if he didn’t know the details of the struggle for power or aspects of power itself, he should know that the Empress and his mother have no choice but to confront each other.

I could have treated Edmund with a pretense of kindness, but I didn't want to offend him with false feelings.

The first prince's expression turned embarrassed, as if he understood what I was talking about.

But soon he only smiled.

"I understand everything. The Imperial Palace will forever be such a place. And even after such words, I know, Her Majesty isn’t a bad person."

His speech is so unlike his age.

My heart felt even harder, because I guessed what exactly this child had grown up from so soon.

And while that would be controversial, when we destroy Marquis Sios, I would like to leave Edmund alive.

Because Edmund was innocent.

Later you will hate me, but I didn't want to sacrifice the lives of children in adult fights.

"Thank you for understanding."

He blinked slowly, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Ah… Hmm, yes…" Edmund mumbled not knowing what to say,.

At this time, I heard someone approaching the table.

Carlisle appeared by the hand with the maid. Neatly dressed in a shirt and trousers, he smiled, but didn’t rush into my arms, as was usual.

After all, he noticed Edmund.

I told my son that he has an older brother.

However, I couldn’t explain in detail with him, because the circumstances of the adults were too complicated.

And to begin with, it was difficult for young Carlisle to understand the very name ‘stepbrother'.

"This boy…"

I heard Edmund murmur softly and waved to Carlisle.

"Carlisle, let's go here."

After hesitating, Carlisle let go of the maid's hand and walked over to me. I sat Carlisle in the seat next to me.

Edmund and Carlisle looked at each other as if looking for similarities between them.

"Carlisle, say hello. Mom told you last time."

Startled, Carlisle slowly moved his lips.

"Hi, I'm Carlisle."

Edmund's eyes trembled as if he were embarrassed by Carlisle's completely unmannery greeting.

"Carlisle left the palace long ago, so he wasn’t taught manners. You’ll start classes tomorrow, okay?"

"Oh yeah. Nice to meet you, Carlisle. I'm Edmund. Well… you can call me brother."

Edmund said with a smile on his lips.

But I didn't miss the vigilance in his eyes.

The sudden appearance of the second prince. In addition, a brother from another woman who has now become an Empress.

He already knows that he will have to compete with the second prince, who was firmly seated in his place.

"Then I'll call you brother!"

However, Carlisle couldn’t see the fleeting hostility in his interlocutor's eyes.

My son smiled, bribed by Edmund's courtesy.

Completely relaxed, Carlisle asked a question.

"Brother, where do you live? Far away from here?"

"Well… not that far."

"Then can I play with you?" Carlisle asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

He was already rushing to his brother's house, although only a few minutes had passed since their acquaintance.

Edmund was also embarrassed by Carlisle's eagerness.

When meeting with peers from high society, most of them led tedious conversations in which they looked for each other's weaknesses and entered into a strange war of nerves and morals.

However, this was unfamiliar to Edmund, when someone without a second thought called him to play.

"Carlisle, you're not allowed."

"No? Why?"

Carlisle looked at me with innocent eyes, as if he didn't understand anything.

"I like that I have an older brother!"

"Carlisle."

Carlisle rolled his eyes and quieted.

"It's all right, Your Majesty. Carlisle… Sometimes he can come to my palace," Edmund said with a polite smile.

But in that smile I saw a tremor.

You don't really want to get along with Carlisle. They will have to fight for the crown prince's place, and Edmund wouldn’t have fished out any benefit from rapprochement with Carlisle.

Also, I didn’t want these two to get close.

These were the two who were destined for enmity itself. It was embarrassing to want a good relationship, so I just hoped we wouldn't do all sorts of harm to each other.

Not like the deposed prince and Raymond.

"Okay. Another time… when the time is right."

When I dropped such forced politeness, Carlisle spoke up:

"Yeah!"

"Carlisle, do you like cookies? And here's another apple pie. Apples are the tastiest this season. Try it."

Edmund turned to Carlisle and spoke cheerfully, as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The next day.

Early in the morning, the carriages of the nobility arrived at the main palace one after another.

Every noble who got out of the carriage hurriedly stepped into the palace with a serious face.

The place where they arrived was nothing more than a meeting room.

After all, the annual meeting was postponed, and it didn’t happen out of the blue.

A history has struck that overturned Agrita's Empire.

The nobles who arrived at the hall were divided into groups and scratched with their tongues.

"Is it known that the second prince will be shown today?"

“It’s not just that we were all called to court.”

"This decision is criminally hasty. The second prince is still small, and it is impossible to say whether he is eligible for the Emperor."

"But a child from a true Empress. He will have more rights than the other."

"Anyway…"

"Everything will be revealed soon."

The heated debates of the nobles suddenly died down.

Marquis Paren, now Prime Minister, stood up and spoke:

"You have nothing to worry about, because His Majesty today ordered the meeting to be held because of the naming of the new prince."

Marquis Paren spoke openly, but the eyes of the nobility were keen on omissions.

"Marquis Paren."

It was now Duke Croft.

The nobles who washed the bones of the second prince shut up and coughed awkwardly.

Duke Croft, along with Marquis Paren, stood to the left and right of the main seat.

"Duke, did you know? Duke Drua will also arrive today.”

"I have heard."

The nobles who had overheard the conversation between the two exchanged surprised looks.

Duke Drua.

Now around such a name wandered as much speculation as about the family of the Emperor.

The successor, rumored to haven’t inherited black, and the deceased Duke, who encroached on the lives of the royal family.

Everyone knew that the heir had already entered the game, but the new Duke Drua was no less curious about the crowd. After all, he had never been seen in the world before.

Then a platinum-haired man blew into the meeting room.

Jeremy, dressed in a navy blue coat, was in the image of the ideal nobleman with buttons down to the neck, in contrast to his usual vagabond appearance.

Jeremy's distant look instantly captivated many nobles.

And he stopped in front of a gray-haired man, very much like Ellie.

"Nice to see you, sir, Duke Croft."

Jeremy walked over to Duke Croft and greeted him, smiling.

His soft smile hit the onlookers' nerves.

After all, Drua and Croft never even had a small talk.