APNSA 06

Chapter 06

 Intense Introduction (4)

“Your insight is quick, but your sense is lacking.”

The man let out a short laugh at Oliver’s words.

“I told you not to even speak that name out loud.”

Even while smiling, the pressure radiating from his body was terrifying.

Because of that, the imperial palace clerk standing in front of them was sweating heavily.

He had been standing at the main gate of the imperial palace for a while now, unsure whether to let them in or continue listening to their conversation, which made things very difficult for him.

But he could not object to the man in front of him in any way.

He was just a low-ranking clerk, while the man in front of him was a king of a nation.

The West’s Conqueror, the Wolf King, the Rebel Monarch, the Sword Emperor (Sword King), and many more titles.

There were dozens of honorifics attached to his name.

And all of them were known across the continent.

“…I apologize.”

Only after hearing his subordinate’s apology did the man finally withdraw his killing intent.

Then he smiled gently at the sweating imperial clerk.

“You’ve been kept waiting. You may announce it now.”

The clerk finally regained his senses after hearing the man’s voice.

“S-sorry. I will announce it immediately.”

The balding imperial clerk then shouted loudly.

“His Majesty, King Kaiden Ram of the Kingdom of Adamant, has arrived—!”

The young king who destroyed the great western kingdom of Lionel and swallowed dozens of surrounding nations.

Kaiden Ram, the founding king of the newly established Kingdom of Adamant, walked into the imperial palace with confident steps.

Behind him followed his aide Oliver and dozens of knights fully armed in black gauntlets.

It looked like a pack of black wolves entering the palace.

“I greet Your Majesty, Emperor of the Ventrum Empire.”

His voice was polite, but not servile.

Emperor Cavellius III looked down at the man kneeling on one knee before him.

‘Kaiden Ram, the first king of Adamant.’

The man before him was currently the most famous figure on the continent.

He was the young king who destroyed the power of the once-eternal Kingdom of Lionel and declared himself ruler of the West.

The world’s attention toward him was intense.

“Thank you for traveling such a long distance. The Empire sincerely welcomes the visit of the King of Adamant.”

At the Emperor’s gesture, Kaiden slowly stood up.

With a faint smile, he responded.

“I am the one who should thank Your Majesty for the invitation. My knights and I were exhausted after subjugating a large group of monsters nearby, so your invitation to the palace allowed us to rest properly.”

The knights of the newly founded Kingdom of Adamant were famous as experts in monster subjugation.

Not only were they skilled swordsmen, but they were also survival strategists who understood monster ecology deeply. They even accepted requests from other nations.

Like today.

“Enough thanks. It is only natural for the Empire to show hospitality to those who fulfill its requests without hesitation.”

The Emperor smiled down at Kaiden, who stood below the throne.

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“About a week at most.”

“I see. I would have liked you to stay longer, but I cannot detain a king of a nation at will.”

“My apologies.”

Kaiden showed his teeth in a grin.

“When the founding ceremony comes soon, I will try to stay as long as possible—even if Your Majesty tells me to leave immediately.”

His careless choice of words made the imperial officials in the hall gasp.

So the rumors were true—that he was a man without noble origin who seized a throne through sheer swordsmanship.

“Hahaha!”

But the Emperor seemed to like his honest attitude and burst into laughter.

“Very well. You must be tired today, so you may withdraw.”

“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”

Kaiden placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

It was such a perfect noble greeting that it was hard to believe he had just casually said “get lost” moments earlier.

“Ahh, I already want to go back to Adamant.”

Staying in a foreign imperial palace for a full week.

Oliver, Kaiden’s aide and knight of Adamant, stretched his arms.

“Still, I was surprised the Emperor treated us so kindly. I thought he would insult us at least once—something like ‘no legitimacy’ or ‘no background.’”

“If it were anyone else, maybe. But the Emperor cannot question my legitimacy.”

“Ah, right.”

Oliver scratched his temple as if remembering.

“The Emperor is the youngest son of the previous Emperor, right? He fought off all his siblings to take the throne.”

“Yes. He is still blood of the former Emperor. Even if legitimacy is unclear, he cannot call me ‘rootless.’ But he probably still thinks it.”

Just imagining that smooth, respectful face filled Kaiden with disgust.

Kaiden placed his hand on his sword hilt and walked forward without hesitation.

His tall body and long strides made it hard for Oliver to keep up.

“By the way, my lord… do you really think that woman is still alive?”

They had only met her once, over ten years ago.

And the woman Kaiden was searching for was already supposed to be dead.

“I think…”

Oliver lowered his voice with a troubled expression.

“It feels like that crazy dark mage might have scammed you, my lord.”

A necromancer who resurrects the dead.

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.

“And even if she was revived, how would we find her? She could have an entirely different appearance.”

“There is a mark on the revived.”

“That damned Ouroboros mark? Are we supposed to search every woman in the world for a snake tattoo?”

Oliver sighed and scratched his head hard.

“And haven’t you already forgotten what happened after the rumor spread that you were searching for women with that mark?”

The young, handsome, powerful king of Adamant was unmarried.

Many nobles who wanted to gain favor tried insane things—including tattooing their daughters with the Ouroboros mark.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kaiden answered calmly.

“I’ll recognize the real one at a glance.”

Prince Edwin lay in bed, unable to sleep.

He tossed and turned, thinking about what happened during the day.

“Strange.”

Today had been a very strange day.

‘Why did she help me?’

He frowned, thinking of his nanny.

The new nanny who arrived two weeks ago had a gentle face, but she was very indifferent.

Until yesterday, she never cared whether he caused trouble or acted out.

It was as if she was looking at something that had no soul.

“…Really strange.”

The person who recovered the bracelet stolen by Gale’s gang… was none other than that nanny.

Edwin looked at the bracelet loosely hanging on his wrist.

It was cheap, made of fake pearls and fake rubies—something sold on the street.

He had lost it briefly because of Gale’s gang, but it was more precious to him than anything else.

It was left to him by his nanny Emma.

• “Your Highness, please don’t cry. I truly love your smile.”

Edwin remembered Emma’s last words.

• “No matter how hard or sad things become, you must not lose your smile. That way, when true happiness comes, you can smile fully.”

She placed the bracelet in his hand as if it were her final act.

• “I will leave you with my last wish…”

Even though his vision was blurred with tears, Emma was clearly smiling.

• “You must become happy, Prince Edwin.”

Be happy.

Why do adults always leave behind impossible promises?

Edwin thought of his mother.

His mother, the Third Imperial Consort Edith, was very weak.

In Edwin’s memory, she was always lying in bed.

Because of that, they barely had time to form a bond.

And she was also very indifferent toward him.

When he was young, that neglect made him cry often.

If Emma had not filled that empty space, he might have cried forever.

Maybe that was why Edwin was not too sad even when his mother died after giving birth to his younger sister.

He only felt pity for the sister who would grow up without knowing her mother’s face.

But when the only person who stood by him left behind nothing but a bracelet and an empty promise, he cried for three days.

It felt real.

That the person who always stayed beside him had gone somewhere he could never reach again.

‘Emma is an idiot.’

Edwin bit his lip.

He knew he could never be happy, nor should he be.

A powerless prince with succession rights is not welcomed by anyone.

So he thought even his new nanny would hate him.

After all, who would want to be the nanny of a prince hated by everyone?

In reality, she had shown no interest in him until now.

‘But today was different.’

She crushed Gale’s gang in an instant and even threatened them.

Even Emma had never done something like that.

“…Really strange.”

Edwin pulled the blanket over his head.

This strange feeling in his chest was unfamiliar.

It didn’t feel bad… just unfamiliar