Inside the imperial palace, Emperor Lameon, exhausted from his duties, was finally escorted to his room after being bathed and dressed by his servants. This was where the previous emperor and empress stayed. It was their bedroom. Spacious and airy. Huh, safe(!). The emperor's room. He had never come here since the emperor's death. Coming here felt strange.
He knew there was no notable treasure here. Honestly, the room was quite simple. Even the servants could tell where the treasure was and where it wasn't while cleaning the room. Any valuable paintings, treasure, or other valuables had probably already been taken.
Lameon looked at his hand. On his finger was a shiny, yet simple-looking, gold ring. It was the emperor's spatial ring. After the emperor died, Lameon took the ring before the pirates could steal it. The fact that, in his final moments, he had only thought about the ring still annoyed him and made him hate himself. He shook his head. There was no point in thinking about the emperor here.
He had to focus on his current problems. He hadn't been able to protect the treasure palace, but he still possessed an emperor's space ring. That meant he still had control over many treasures. Whatever was valuable in this room was now gone.
"Staying in this room was a mistake."
Lameon was the firstborn. He had spent much more time with his parents than his other siblings. He had actually been in this room many times. He had climbed into his family's bed.
Lameon frowned and pushed these thoughts from his mind as he climbed into bed. He was strong enough to go without sleep for a long time, but he knew he shouldn't. He was the emperor. He didn't have to do such a thing.
'Hmmm?'
Suddenly, he felt something touch the tip of his foot. Lameon's emotionless expression shifted with sudden discomfort. He reached out and grabbed whatever was touching his foot at the edge of the bed. The servants must not have seen that. How ridiculous! They were cleaning the emperor's room. They shouldn't have left even a speck of dust.
"A notebook—no, a diary."
It was a simple, tattered diary. It looked quite old. No matter how ordinary it appeared, we mustn't forget that it was found in the emperor's bedroom.
'This diary couldn't belong to him, could it?'
Suddenly, emotions dispelled Lameon's sleep and compelled him to read the diary.
He knew it could be a trap or a magical treasure, but he had plenty of reasons to believe the magic of the imperial palace was superior.
So, he opened the old pages and began to read.
***
I remember everything from the moment I was born. Very soon after, I learned that this was not normal. I was not a normal child. I was a sacred child. I was Laofeng, the only child, the only son of the first empress.
However, I wasn't born on Ferua 3, even though I spent most of my life there. My mother chose a different place for my birth. A small, peaceful planet. I never understood why my mother valued this place so much, despite its weak people. But I could tell that it was precious to her since she named her empire after it. She wanted me to be born there, too.
However, after I was born, she brought me back to Ferua 3. My birth marked the founding of the empire, and my mother quickly made the surrounding kingdoms and empires bow down to her. Despite their old and ancient dynasties, my mother was much more powerful. No one dared to stand up to her.
Thus, I began my life as the sole heir to the greatest empire my mother had united across the planet. I know the effort my mother put into being an ordinary mother. She still tries, but she is no ordinary person. She is a unique expert who has reached a realm beyond that of everyone else. She couldn't be an ordinary mother, and as the sole heir to the empire she built, I couldn't be an ordinary child.
At least, that's what everyone told me. But my mother never shared those thoughts. She told me that I didn't have to be a great emperor. She said she built this empire so that I could live on a peaceful planet. If it would harm me, she could easily destroy the empire.
So, I decided to ask her the question on my mind. Any other child would have asked this question with much more curiosity and innocence, but I was born different.
"So where is my father?"
I knew I should have asked where my father was instead of who he was when I asked this question. My father couldn't be around me. Even though I knew my mother was capable of giving birth on her own, I still believe that if I were solely her creation, she would have chosen to give birth outside instead of bringing me into the world. She gave birth to me because she was pregnant. I hadn't just been born from her.
She looked at me in surprise, then turned her head away, avoiding my question. But all the questions she avoided were somehow connected to my father anyway. She wouldn't answer when I asked why we didn't leave either. That answer was sufficient for me and was the reason I wanted to stay here, too.
I continued my education under my mother's watch. Some people admire how quickly I've learned. Since I haven't met many other children, I'm not sure if I'm truly talented or if they're just being kind. I will reach the Core Realm soon. My mother said that when I reach the Sage Realm, I will be able to socialize with the children of other nobles.
Maybe I can make new friends there. Friends who are my age and not old.
My mother is constantly busy. Although Uncle Wu tries to help me with my cultivation, I know he doesn't like babysitting me. He wants different jobs. Still, he's stuck working with me. It's a bit funny, I guess.
Compared to the other officials, Uncle Wu seemed overly childish, as if his mind were elsewhere. Maybe that's why they assigned him to my education.
I remember once asking him a question. He tried very hard to hide his anger.
"Uncle Wu, do you have any children?"
He suddenly stopped using the spear he had been using to train me and turned to me.
"Do I look that old?" he asked.
He didn't look old, actually. He was young and handsome. He was also quite talented. I had often heard the servants talk about his talent. Besides, he was over 100 years old. I don't understand why he wasn't married yet.
"You don't look it, but aren't you old?"
Truthfully, everyone looked old to me. But Uncle Wu seemed particularly bothered by this. He couldn't continue the lesson much longer.
"I have no children. I'm not married. But there is someone I like."
Nonsense. He wasn't my father.
Besides, there weren't many women around. I know many people admired my mother. Apparently, some took this admiration a bit too far.
My mother wasn't cold; she just looked sad and tired sometimes. She smiled when she talked to me. From what I heard from the servants, I wasn't a very cheerful child. In that case, I must have gotten this trait from my father. His cold personality must be his.
Uncle Wu might have liked my mother, but he wasn't my father.
It was the sixth year of the End of the Day Empire, one autumn evening.