LIGHTNOVELONLINE Interlude: The Reformist Emperor (Part 2)
“Gnng…what time is it?” I asked as I rose from my bed, my body creaking and aching.
“It is eight in the morning your majesty” A young man’s voice answered me as I opened my eyes
“Ah. Gerard…open the curtain slowly please” I told him as I watched him walk towards the curtain on the far right of the room
Gerard was my personal butler, he used to be a Varangian Guard but after an injury had left his right leg unusable and unhealable, he chopped it off and offered to be my butler, something that I accepted without much reservation. He sports short spiky hair colored silver with a very handsome face and build with a few scars here and there. I tried introducing him to a certain Grand Duchess I know once but he was rejected flat. Even after a few months of him trying to win her over, he was rejected every single time.
“So, where are my sons Gerard?” I asked him as the blinds opened and the sunlight poured into the room.
“His Royal Highness is currently in the Cathedral with the next successor of the Pope. from what the rest of the Varangians were able to gather, they have gotten closer for some time after the graduation” Gerard answered me
“Ha? When did those two get so close” I felt annoyed as I rose from the bed and walked over to the dresser
“I do not know Your Majesty…is it that concerning for you?” Gerard asked as he began cleaning up the room, starting off by making my bed.
As I stared into the mirror, I looked into my old face. Having had to deal with very stressful situations in a span of a few short years in between, my dashing looks are very strong body have been replaced with a worn and wrinkly face, and a frail body that constantly aches. I’m not even over fifty yet and here I am.
“Haa…for fucks sake” I mutter to myself as my eyes wander to a portrait of Illyria on the wall, the picture had her holding my oldest son and crown prince to the empire, someone who used to be my pride and joy but now the very object of the old system I had tried so hard to banish…my son Visnet.
I close my eyes as I think back on the events and things that had led to this point.
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I remember I was only thirty when Gregorits had invited me over to his place, Pamela had been pregnant for some time and it had slipped my mind that she had given birth. When we went there I saw the little child, her name was Ophelia as she was named after Pamela’s mother. I remember feeling so happy as I saw Gregorits and Pamela visibly overjoyed at the little girl they had brought into the world, and stirring a feeling inside me that I wanted something like that too with Illyria.
I remember as the celebration was going on, Gregorits and I were on the balcony of his newly built manor, the two of us sharing a drink.
“Gaius my brother” He told me as he took another sip
“If something were to ever happen to me and Pamela, leaving our little girl all alone. I want you to take care of her” He continued as he held onto my shoulder and looked me dead serious in the eyes
“Don’t say something like that Rits, you will manifest it” I joked but I noticed he was being serious
“I mean it Gaius, I want to make sure that if something were to happen to us, you would be there to raise and give her a home. The same thing that Father and I had done for you. Also, don’t involve her in politics, I wouldn’t want my daughter to deal with all that bullshit” Gregorits stated as he looked as serious as ever
“Right. I will, don’t you worry about that” I replied as I knew I owed the person who had become my brother that much. In fact, I owed the Erstad’s much more than I thought of at the moment thinking about it now.
They took me in, fed me, clothed me, and gave me a roof over my head. Treated me well and taught me how to live and rule like a proper ruler, I basically owed them my life at that point. So swearing I would help them and their daughter in their time of need was something I needed to do and would do.
“I will protect you and your family with my life Rits, you can count on that” I told him as I hugged him tight
“Thanks Gaius, thank you so much” He replied as he returned my hug
Unfortunately, that would be the last time I would speak with him. The business of both of our jobs meant that we could hardly spend time in each other’s company, with our wives doing most of the meetings between our two houses. When Visnet was born, me and Illyria invited them to celebrate but unfortunately, Gregorits and Pamela got sick, so sick in fact that the entire duchy was on lockdown which was a shame. When I tried to visit them, Illyria stopped me and told me that her informants had picked up that there was an assassination plot going down in the capital and that they were waiting for me to leave to strike. And so there I stayed, inside the imperial capital working with my agents in trying to root out the would-be assassins, oh how I wished I had just left so that we would have gotten it over with.
A few years later, I received word that the Erstad manor had burnt down and that Gregorits and Pamela had died, leaving their daughter Ophelia alone. This could not have come at a worse time since Illyria was pregnant at the time and the day the letter arrived, Illyria had given birth to the twins Marwick and Nerwick. But unfortunately, despite her very healthy life and body, Illyria could not handle twins being born, resulting in her death.
I remember the last thing she told me was to always love our children but to ensure that they would go down the right path in life…if she saw me now and the state of our family she would be fuming at my failures.
Her death had shattered me, to the point where I had spent weeks alone trying to cope, forgetting about my responsibilities and the children I was supposed to care for. The one who brought me out of it was Visnet as he tried to comfort me one night as I was crying. The sight of my own son trying to comfort me made me realize that I had abandoned my duties and thus it helped me bounce back from the attitude I had before, still not ready to let go but knowing that I had to for the sake of everyone. It also visibly aged me, my hair went from black to a very prominent whitish silver.
After a few months of me spending time with my children, I left one day to the Erstad Duchy, determined to fulfill the promise I had made to Gregorits all those years ago. And when I got there, I was surprised.
When I arrived at the outskirts of the duchy, there was a large traffic jam of wagons and carts filled with people and goods. Since I was traveling incognito, I and my guards moved along with the rest of the common folk, and when I finally arrived at one of the towns, my sight was filled with something peculiar.
Standing on a box in the middle of the town square, I saw a child, the child was giving out orders to the merchants and townsfolk who were moving their wagons around and out of the town. Alongside the child was a single kitsune mair and she kept scanning the crowd before them in a protective predatory mode, I recognized her as the head maid of the manor, her name was Percy.
But as I continued to look at the little girl, I felt a pang of regret as I remembered that I basically failed Gregortis when I told him I would protect him and his family, and the sight of his only child, working at such a young age just to keep her authority as a noble broke me and reminded me that I truly had failed.
After witnessing that, I made my way to the manor, waiting patiently for the little girl to arrive back home. I had hoped by this time the manor would have at least been repaired, but to my dismay, all I saw was a still burnt-out husk of a home, the sight shoving more regret and sadness down my gullet as I came face to face with what was practically the grave of the family that had taken me in and raised me. But instead of running away again in shame and regret, I steeled myself, determined to fulfill the task that I had come to do.
And thankfully, my waiting was rewarded. It was late at night when a carriage came back to the manor, me and my guards emerged from the broken and burnt-out corners of the manor and approached it, waiting for those inside it to disembark. The first thing that came out of the carriage was Percy holding up a sword, vigilant and very wary of the people who were just standing outside the ruins of the manor. But after I removed my hood and revealed myself, she quickly eased off and allowed someone else inside the carriage to come down.
I steeled myself as I saw a young girl older than Visnet by three years step out, her black hair a perfect color match to Pamela’s and the cute looks reminiscent of Gregorits old baby photos.
Kneeling on one knee I extended a hand out to her
“Hello Ophelia. I am Emperor Gaius I, I am here to see you” I told her with a smile that I could feel was about to turn into a sob
“Hello…your majesty…why are you here for me?” Ophelia asked with a tilted head
“I was a friend of your father, I swore that if anything were to happen to them, I would be here for you” I told her with an honest expression
“Really?”
{!}
At the mention of her parents, I saw tears streaming down the young girl's cheeks, and instinctively I held her close, I do not know why but I simply stayed silent as the young girl bawled her eyes and emotions out. Something I had prepared for since I knew this type of sadness she was feeling.
After a few hours of that, me and Ophelia had a discussion, I told her that I would do my best to support her in her endeavors. Ensuring that no noble would set foot inside the duchy without my or her permission. Also I promised to keep her out of politics and live a life she wanted, as thats what Gregortis had wanted and something I wanted as well, since I saw the younger me in her when I became parentless.
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Opening my eyes, I felt water down my cheeks. Using my right hand, I wiped them away and stared at the hand
“Huh…to think reminiscing would be this painful” I muttered under my breath as I looked back up at the mirror
{!}
CATCH!
Quickly turning around, I caught the blade that was coming down on me. My body trembling as I was holding back Gerard from inserting that damnable thing into my neck.
“Why!” I grunted as I struggled to keep the blade from getting a clean shot
“Well, your sons told me they would finally grant me my wish of restoring my missing limb Your Majesty if I made sure you died. Plus, I didn’t really like being the personal butler of an old codger like you” Gerard hissed back as he kicked my leg causing me to lose balance.
Falling to the right, I quickly grabbed the blinds and raised them up to me, the thickness of the curtain blunting the knife thrust straight at me. I then countered by stomping on his left foot before landing a left hook across his face, sending him stumbling back a few feet. My breathing was already ragged and I could not summon up the magical energy inside me to do anything. I stared him down with an angry glare as I felt so much rage and anger at his betrayal.
“Huh…for an old man on the brink of death, it seems that you are still able to put up a fight” Gerard mused as he felt his jaw,
“I still got some fight in me you traitorous bastard” I hissed back as I raised my aching arms
“Heh, then you will die tired then Your Majesty” Gerard smirked as he lunged at me, knife raised high
SHIK!
{!}
“Gagh!”
But before he could reach me, an invisible object had cut him in half, his lower and top stopping right before me. His blood soaked the red carpet.
Looking over at the window, I let out a smirk as I saw a supposedly banished young lady sitting on the window sill. A smile on her face as she looked at me
“Ophelia. What are you doing here?” I asked with ragged breath as I sat down on the couch, rubbing my forehead.
“Can a daughter not visit her aging father?” she fired back as she hopped off the window sill and sat across from me, still smiling
“With what you’ve been accused of doing? I believe not” I joked as I chuckled and looked at her
“So, how did you get back here? I thought you were chucked into a portal and ended up somewhere else?” I asked as I leaned forward
“Oh I did, but that ring I gave you for your birthday last year, I imbued it with magical runes that allowed me to sense if you were in danger, it would teleport me straight to you, no matter where I am” she answered with an air of confidence
“Ah. I see, and here I thought you gave me a normal golden ring” I joke as I look at the ring on my right pinky finger.
“They’re getting bolder you know” I lament as I let out a sigh and lean back on the couch
“I can see that, able to convince a Varangian Guard to kill you? They must have something up their sleeves”
“Do you plan on stopping them now that you’re back?” I asked as I looked her in the eyes
“I do. But now is not the time, I am in the process of building my own empire at the moment on another continent so that’s why” she quickly replied
“Ah. so it seems the empire will die with me no?”
“Your version of it yes…Visnet and the other two will most likely turn this place back to what it was before you and my father’s reforms” Ophelia commented as she eased back into her chair, crossing her legs.
“A racist quagmire that was oppressive and warmongering…fuck” I let out an agitated cuss as I covered my face with my hands
“Do you plan on going back to them now that you're back?” I added as I looked back at her
Ophelia simply shook her head with a depressed expression, causing me to do the same
“How many years do you have left?” she asked me as we locked eyes again
“This is the final year…once your plan succeeds then I will only have a month left to live…” I told her with a resigned expression, seeing that she had an unchanging one as she nodded.
VWOOOOM
HUMMMMMM
Standing up, she began making her way back to the window sill, holding up her hand she summoned a large blackish portal that gave an ominous humming sound as it swirled around in place.
We locked eyes once again and I could see some tears in hers
“Thank you for everything…Father, I love you” She spoke to me, fighting through her tears
“And thank you Ophelia, for being the child I had hoped you would become. I love you too” I replied with a smile,
She then quickly gave me a tight hug that I returned and I saw her disappear into the portal. Watching the portal close sent a sense of relief down my spine. Looking over at the corpse, I sighed as I forgot to ask if she could have at least cleaned it up before she left.
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A few hours had passed and now it was midday, sitting in the throne room I stared down my son, Visnet. I always wondered why he turned out the way he did despite my best efforts to shower him and his brothers in love. But after some investigating and a vision from Ophelia when she was younger that I had discarded, I now know for a fact it had to do with him finding the old journals and books of grandfather and father I had ordered burnt, but somehow ended up in the secret library of the palace. My pride and joy would send this empire back to a time of stagnation and pure hatred for everyone who was not under their thumb…something I had hoped would never happen.
“It seems your alive and well father” Visnet smiled as he spoke to me
“Indeed, it seems that Gerard has been taking good care of me all this time” I replied as I met his cocky eyes with my unmoving expression
‘Traitorous murderer’ I thought to myself
“Well, I have come here today to ask you something father”
“Oh? What is it?”
“May I suggest placing Baron Rubix to-”
“I told you before no!” I cut him off as I knew where this was going
“Father! You cannot be serious! That duchy has no noble to rule it and the people there are granted autonomy! I feel like sooner or later they will lose sight of who has granted them such freedoms, wouldn’t you agree?!” he shouted at me as I saw his fists clench
“I still do not understand why would you do such a thing Father, Why have no noble picked up where the vile Erstads left off?”
“Silence boy! The Erstads have done much for the empire, more than you will ever realize. And if you cannot see that then I do not see any point in continuing this discussion!”
“But father! I-”
“Silence!” I roared
“I had already told you that I am doing this out of honoring a request by the late father of Ophelia Erstad. I owe them that much. I not you but I will appoint the noble whom I see fit in ruling that place. Ideally, someone who is not in your pocket already” I added as I rose from my seat and walked down to him
“Do I make myself clear?!”
“Crystal father” he replied as he looked up at me in anger
“Good, now be a good son and run along” I told him before I walked back up to the throne
Sitting down I looked at him with unforgiving eyes, I knew that he was already set on this path and that I would not have enough time to stop it. Instead, I was going to cause so much trouble and pain in the next few months, such as sowing the seeds of revolution in the lower classes who were non-human as Visnet’s newly implemented policies marginalized them, making back door deals with my neighbors to ensure that fleeing refugees would be reintegrated as their own citizens and basically lighting fires for people to plan revolts and the like, with all of them bound to me. So that when I die, the fires of civil unrest and revolution take this nation with it. I also wanted to make sure that Ophelia’s plan to allow her duchy to escape would be completed as I saw it was the best way for a good amount of people to escape and live somewhere not on this continent.
“And Visnet. If I die, the Empire dies with me. It would be wise for you to remember that”
“Of course…father” he hissed as he walked out of the throne room, my body on the verge of giving out and aching all over again.
As I watched him leave, I felt my heart sink and my soul feel a huge sense of guilt and regret as I had failed to protect him and his brothers from going down their path, but what was done was done. He had chosen his path and I, mine. I feel like a quote from one of my favorite books about a ruler in an undersea kingdom where the king tells the protagonist who is a revolutionary set on taking the nation this very line that sums up my resolve
“You try to seize my empire. Time that I destroy it”
A/N: Hellos! so here is the final part of the Interlude of Gaius, since class is starting again, a new term. the releases will be slower than usual unless I finish them fast enough. so expect that. also, let me know what you think in the comments about the chapter. and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!