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‘Mother, why does this character have a brighter hat than the others ?’ Alberu’s brown eyes zeroed on the picture book his Mother had been reading him.
‘Oh… you mean the crown ? It’s because he’s the King, little Sun.’ She patiently replied, resuming her soft movement on her son’s brown strands.
Alberu squinted at the character’s face. He couldn’t recognize him, but…
‘Like Father…’ Alberu had heard his Mother and Auntie use the word ‘King’ before to qualify his Father.
Alberu hadn't met him yet. He couldn’t know if he too had a hat-crown…
‘Yes. Like your Father.’
Alberu had been too young to notice the hint of sadness tainting his Mother's voice. He just nodded, his eyes still full of curiosity as he was turning the pages in hope of seeing the King again, but bigger. So he could see his face.
So he could know what his Father looked like.
But there it was already near the end.
So Alberu did not find what he wanted, and reluctantly handed it back to his Mother. She chuckled at his pouty expression, and wrapped her arms around his little body to bring him into a warm embrace.
She probably misunderstood the source of Alberu's frustration, her sole reply coming out after a while.
‘You will have this crown one day.’
‘Really ?’ Alberu’s voice sounded even more curious now, but also a bit excited. His Mother nodded fondly.
‘Yes, little Sun. You will be a King too one day.’
Kings were proud, renowned and rumored to be as bright as the Sun.
Kings were great heroes, ideally well-liked by their people and shielding their land from any sort of attack.
Kings were the finality of Alberu’s children books. The ones his Mother used to read him, the ones his Mother’s soft voice lulled him to sleep with.
Kings were proud, renowned and rumored to be as bright as the Sun. But Alberu had spent his teenage years hiding, infamous and carrying the heritage of his ancestors, beings that could only walk freely under the Darkness of the Moon.
Kings were great heroes, ideally well-liked by their people and shielding their land from any sort of attack. But Alberu had been fifteen and a coward hiding in a ruined palace, unknown of the people and unable to shield even himself.
Kings were the finality of Alberu’s children books. The ones his Mother used to read him, the ones he had tried hard to catch on the words of as his Mother’s soft voice was lulling to sleep.
The ones Alberu had burnt after her death.
His Mother was no more, and those tales had long since rotted in Alberu’s mind.
His Father was the King of this place.
He was definitely prideful, but not renowned for anything else than his idleness, and was certainly not rumored to be as bright as the Sun.
His Father was not a hero. He was not even a good person - and Alberu certainly wasn’t one either. His Father wasn’t able to shield the Kingdom, and didn’t seem preoccupied by this either. Alberu’s royal Father didn’t seem preoccupied by much most of the time.
But his Father was not the finality of the Roan Kingdom's history.
Because it was going to be him. He would be the one putting a stop to this frozen period that had thrived under Zed Crossman's rules.
Alberu was not as reasonable as the former rulers. He was proud now. And would never be satisfied with an average piece of land. His people deserved more. This Kingdom deserved more. To be acknowledged as the most powerful territory of the continent. To rise to the rank of Empire.
And only he could bring a solution to this problem only he seemed to see. For now.
Alberu would not become a King. He would become Roan's first Emperor.
Kings were proud, renowned and rumored to be as bright as the Sun. But Alberu had long since outshined all the stars, and was supported by the beam of the Moon in his course.
Kings were great heroes, ideally well-liked by their people and shielding their land from any sort of attack. But after the war, Alberu had been recognized as one of the heroes of their Kingdom, he had the full support of its people, and had protected them for the long, two years of fights against the White Star.
Kings were the finality of Alberu’s children books. Alberu would put an end to this Kingdom’s history, and start a new one as an Empire this time.
Alberu didn’t want to be a King, he felt like he had spent his time as the Crown Prince behaving like one.
Alberu wanted to become an Emperor.
The Mogoru Empire probably had children's books about them, but Alberu was now old enough not to care about the criteria they gave.
Alberu was not a good person like the heroes of those books. But he would be a good ruler.
This hope had lingered in his heart his entire life, and today more than any other one, he could feel it swell in his chest.
It did not stop as he was watching his reflection in the gilded mirror, as attendants helped him in the coronation garments.
Heavy, grand and majestic. Those were bulky, but he guessed it was just for a day.
He stared at his dyed golden hair. Soon, a Crown would adorn them, and the weight on his shoulders would move to the top of his head.
Alberu was prepared.
“You look straight out of a fairy tale, Your Highness.”
Alberu sighed, without any grace or form of patience that a King was to have. He couldn’t help it. Not when the familiar voice lacked its usual teasing whenever it was spewing bullshit like this.
“Why, thank you, Young Master Silver Shield.” He gave his Dongsaeng a bright smile through the reflection of the mirror. He caught on the subtle twitch of Cale's eyes. Heh. “Is there something up ?”
“Such a grim assumption, Your Highness. Can't I just come to witness my Hyung-nim’s last moments as the Crown Prince ?”
‘Now you make it sound like I'm dying, bastard.’
Alberu did not say this out loud. His smile tensed up a little, and he could feel his tone sweetening.
“Ahah, I can’t help but be a little concerned over details today.” This man had a knack at getting on his nerves, even today. And the worst part was probably that Alberu had gotten used to this easily. “Of course my beloved Dongsaeng is always welcome in my room.”
‘The room of the next Emperor. You could at least knock.’ Saying this would have been pointless, so he kept this consideration to himself. There was no way this disrespectful noble would bother playing proper now. Even if this day was special enough to demand it from him.
Cale Henituse hardly considered pleasing anyone just for the sake of it. And Alberu might be an exception, it did not make him afford knocks before barging in the royal chambers.
At least Cale had used the door this time.
“You’re worrying a lot.” Cale pointed out calmly. It wasn’t a reproach, just a mere consideration. Alberu indeed was very tense today. And it mixed rather funnily with pent-up frustration, lack of sleep and excitation. He felt like running a hand through his hair, the familiar move stuck and burning in his palm today. It wouldn’t be fair for the maid that had spent about two hours making sure his hairstyle was flawless. So he just sighed loudly instead.
He couldn’t help it.
“Indeed. I have to admit I'll be relieved when the ceremony is done.” Alberu easily admitted, turning to Cale as the domestics were finished adjusting the Imperial cape on his shoulder. It looked like the one he was wearing as the Crown Prince, but the velvet was of a darker shade of red, and it was definitely heavier than the aforementioned attire.
He addressed the attendants with a grateful nod, and they all exited the room promptly.
When his gaze returned on the retired Commander, his lips curled up when he saw the man’s gaze sizing him up.
“mmh ?”
“Nothing.” Cale walked closer, his gloved fingers sliding under the fur collar of the cape to find Alberu's necklace. He ignored Alberu’s inquisitive look - of course he did - and followed the chain up to the fastener. It opened under Cale’s familiar and skilled touch, and he cautiously took the artifact off. The dye of Alberu’s eyes was already starting to fade away when he narrowed them.
“What do you think you’re doing now ?” He half-heartedly chided, reaching out to get the jewel back. But Cale simply took a hold of the hand the future Emperor was stretching out his way. Alberu huffed.
“I’m handing it back soon. Be patient, Hyung-nim.” Cale answered with his usual, unnerving composure.
‘What does this punk even have in mind now ?’ Cale was well aware of Alberu’s need to appear under this disguise. At least for today, for just a bit more.
Even if the dark elves and other races with the darkness attribute were getting more and more accepted since the end of the war, Alberu deemed it still unsafe to take off his disguise in front of everyone right now. He wasn’t sure it was something he wanted either. Not now.
His teenage self would have loved to ascend to the throne in his true form, just to see his foes’ faces crumple in anger.
But the adult version knew better. Revenge led many to doom, and childish dreams couldn’t be achieved that easily.
This one, he shall let go off in order to fulfill the others.
Alberu had wished to live long enough to rise to the throne.
Alberu had always wished to become a very good King, like the ones of his children's books. One that would make his people feel safe and protected, one that would have enough power to shield everyone he held dear from any harm.
Alberu had always wished to become someone his Mother could be proud of.
And many years later, he was still there, almost sitting on his Father’s throne already.
Alberu had become a Crown Prince, overshadowing the Kings of his children’s books; and was on the verge of becoming an Emperor. He was standing there, alone in his chambers with the person who made all this possible.
Alberu had almost burnt himself reaching for the Sun, but he was still standing. Flanked by strong and loyal allies he could count on. It was a luxury his teenage self would have never dreamt of. To learn to rely on people again… Alberu wanted to reveal himself to them first, before displaying his true self in front of the eyes of the world.
For the first time in his life, Alberu could postpone something all he wanted.
He was the only one that could decide what he wanted. Truly wanted.
And right now, he really wanted to punch Cale Henituse’s composed expression. And kissed it away. But this disrespectful Dongsaeng of his didn’t give him enough time to do so. Of course he didn’t.
Cale Henituse's lips landed on the silk of Alberu’s glove. And the royal’s chest swelled, almost painfully. The seriousness on Cale’s face as he was kissing Alberu’s hand took the Prince’s breath away.
The softness of the kiss disappeared when he moved his mouth away.
“If I am to pledge allegiance to you today, might as well do it while you look like this.” Cale casually said, acting as if he hadn’t just stolen any form of composure away from his future ruler. Alberu’s ears felt a bit too hot, but he didn’t retrieve his hand. “And I also wanted to be the first one to do it.”
“You really… ahh, you’re driving me nuts.”
“Don’t go crazy, Hyung. The Empire will need you sane.” Alberu huffed when Cale’s matter of fact words reached his ears. This man…
Whose fault was that if Alberu felt like he was going crazy, every single day since the one he had met Cale Henituse.
Yet, he couldn’t feel irritated. Not today.
He glanced at the mirror behind him, his eyes trailing down his standing form. Alberu would have at least seen himself in this attire under his true form. He hoped it would be good enough to soothe his teenage self’s discontentment.
Shaking his head, his gaze drifted back to Cale. The retired Commander’s fingers were busy prodding the fabric of his new cape with an approving expression.
“I prefer this one. It looks more comfortable.”
Oh, absolutely not.
“Cale Henituse, you’re not stealing my imperial cape from me to nap.” He sternly uttered, but already knew they were meaningless words. The kids would probably play with it as well. What could he say ? It wasn’t Alberu’s fault if they were as cheeky as their Father.
And he didn’t feel like refusing them anything anyway.
Surprisingly, he did not mind the lack of respect when it came to a very narrow, hand-picked group of people. Because they did not mean to disregard his royal title, nor demean Alberu’s status. It was their way to make him feel at home.
And it worked surprisingly well.
“This is a very serious accusation you hold against me, your Highness. I’m wounded.” Cale’s deadpan tone did not impress Alberu the slightest; he rested his forehead against the other’s.
“You never gave me any reason not to be suspicious of you when it comes to this.” He pointed out.
“This what ?” Cale innocently looked up, and the corner of Alberu’s lips tilted up. He shook his head. He tilted his head down, feeling the retired Commander’s breath against his mouth. Cale lifted his head slightly…
Someone knocked at the door.
They shared a surprised glance, and then reluctantly let go of each other’s hands. Yet, Alberu did not rush to put his necklace back on.
He could feel a familiar presence in the hallway.
“Come in.”
“Sorry to disturb you boys, Alberu, we’re leaving for the Sun Palace in-....” His Aunt’s voice trailed off when she saw him stand next to the mirror. Her eyes wavered a little, and she quietly strode to him. Tasha’s lips were still parted as she observed him longer. Her eyes lingered on each detail of the attire, from the golden adornments on his sleeves to the pearls on his collar. Her brown eyes then returned on his face. She reached out and two warm hands cupped the future Emperor’s cheek.
“You’re beautiful, Alberu.” The slight crack in her voice made Alberu’s chest ache.
“Thank you, Auntie.” He softly answered, his smile broadening when he saw the discreet veil of tears covering Tasha’s eyes. Alberu had a hard time recalling the last time he had seen his Aunt cry after his Mother’s passing.
His arms wrapped around her shoulder, and he brought her closer. He immediately felt a pair of hands holding onto his cape, and his Aunt smiling against his shoulder.
“She would be so proud of you. As much as I am right now.”
Alberu’s shoulder relaxed in Tasha’s hold, and he took a shaky breath. Deep down he knew it was true. He hoped it would remain the same for the time of his rule.
Kings were the finality of Alberu’s children books.
But on this day, a new page was turning - for the Empire, for him and for his people.
On this day, they were making history.
And this was just the beginning of their Legend.
It was just the beginning of Alberu’s new life.
And it looked as bright as the big gems adorning his shining crown.