BGFV 134

Chapter 134

“You kids are going to catch a cold out there.”
Just then, the door opened, and Lasie looked out at her children, who were spending time on the terrace.
“It’s already getting dark. Come inside now.”
“Yes, Mother.”

The two of them obediently came inside. As they entered, they noticed Acid sitting in the room.

“Father? What brings you here?”
“…Is it that strange for me to be here?”
“Well… not really.”
“It’s just that you usually prefer socializing with others.”

They were surprised when Acid first suggested a family trip. But even after arriving, he spent most of his time with other nobles, which made the children think, “Typical.”

Now, sitting on the sofa in silence, things felt awkward. If it were just the three of them without Acid, they could have chatted freely.
Gabriel and Lasie weren’t talkative to begin with, so their silence was expected. But not Chloe. Feeling uncomfortable, Chloe stood up.

“I think I’ll head to my room—”
“Chloe, sit down.”

Lasie stopped her. Since their mother’s words were absolute, Chloe reluctantly sat back down.

“We have something important to talk about.”

Gabriel and Chloe tilted their heads, surprised to see their usually cheerful mother looking serious—and their father looking grim.

Then a thought crossed their minds.

“No way…”
“Have you finally made a decision?”

Seeing the hope on their faces, Acid looked even more troubled. He opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated. Lasie frowned.

“Darling? We just talked about this earlier, remember?”
“…Right.”

While Gabriel and Chloe were on the terrace, Lasie and Acid had a deep conversation and made a big decision. Now Lasie decided to speak first.

“Your father has agreed to join our side.”

Hearing it from her directly, both Gabriel and Chloe were visibly surprised.

“Wow! Finally…!”
“Now we can really begin. Father, you made the right choice.”

Acid looked at them with a complicated expression.

“…Is this really the only way?”

His words instantly dampened the mood. Chloe, who had just cheered, slowly lowered her raised arms and stared at him in disappointment.

“Father, what are you so hesitant about?”

Her tone showed she genuinely didn’t understand.

“Is it because you don’t want to abandon Sylvester? Or because the idea of becoming Emperor is too heavy?”

Normally, Lasie would’ve stepped in by now, but she stayed quiet.

“Aren’t you even a little upset? You ruled this empire for 15 years, even if only as a regent. Isn’t it unfair that all your hard work gets handed over to someone else just because the ‘true heir’ exists?”

“Chloe, that’s the natural—”
“It’s not natural! At least not to me!”

Acid flinched at her raised voice.

“You built this empire, but Sylvester gets to take it all! He took you from us, and now he’s taking your legacy too! That’s ridiculous!”

“Chloe.”

Gabriel gently warned her, sensing she was going too far. Chloe took a deep breath, calming herself.

“…You’ve felt that way all this time?”

Acid looked shocked. Chloe was already regretting what she said when Acid added:

“Took me away…? You two are my only children.”

Chloe paused. She thought Acid was shocked by her ambition for the throne—but that wasn’t it.

“Right. We are your only children.”

Then Gabriel spoke.

“But Father, have you ever truly acted like a parent to us?”

Acid went silent, caught by Gabriel’s cold, emotionless gaze.

“You became regent when I was only seven. Chloe was five. I still remember clearly. You never had time for us. But you always made time for Sylvester.”

“Gabriel, that’s—”
“You pitied him. After all, his mother died giving birth, and the late Emperor didn’t love him. He grew up alone. You couldn’t just leave him like that, because you have a kind heart.”

But love and time are limited.

“So you turned away from us. Chloe and I have no memories of spending warm, happy times with you.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We’re old enough to understand now. But if you choose him over us again… then we might never forgive you.”

Acid’s heart sank when he saw their expression—an expression of no longer expecting much from him.

“I did this…”

When he took on the burden of raising Sylvester, it was all he could handle. He thought Lasie could take care of the family. He assumed his children understood.

But he was wrong. His absence had already left cracks in the family. Those cracks gave rise to ambition.

‘So they all wanted the throne, too…’

He thought only Lasie desired power. But now he saw that both children did, too.

And maybe…

“Father, let’s be honest. Would you rather give everything you’ve built to your nephew, or to me?”

“……”

Recently, Acid had realized he didn’t want to hand things over to Sylvester.
He had promised to step down when Sylvester turned 15, but kept making excuses.
The idea of Gabriel taking over sounded more appealing now.

So…

“…It wasn’t an easy decision. But I won’t go back on it. I’ve made up my mind.”

He accepted Lasie’s proposal.

‘They were going to go through with it, even without me. If I refused, I’d have to report my own family… or watch them die. I can’t allow that.’

His wavering resolve had vanished. Years of regency gave him an emperor-like aura. Seeing this, Chloe and Gabriel smiled.
Lasie also smiled elegantly, rose from her seat, walked to Acid, caressed his cheek, and kissed him.

“You’ve made the right decision, dear. I was afraid you might turn against us.”

“…But this won’t be easy. Rebellion shakes a country’s very foundation.”

“Of course. We don’t plan to rush in recklessly.”

“Do you already have a plan?”

“We’ve gathered many supporters. Now we just wait for the right moment.”

“The right moment, huh…”

Acid stroked his beard, deep in thought.

“If we strike suddenly, there’ll be backlash.”
“Yes, especially from the pro-Emperor nobles…”
“No, I mean from the people.”

Gabriel paused.

“Never ignore public opinion. Even with good policies, they’ll hate you for overthrowing a rightful ruler.”

“So we need justification for the coup.”

Lasie hit the nail on the head, and Acid nodded.

“Sylvester is popular. His birth story draws sympathy. And unlike the last Emperor, he’s tried to care for the people.”

“Thanks to your efforts, of course.”

Acid gave a bitter smile.

“So what do we do?”

“Create a scandal. But if it looks too fake, the pro-Emperor faction will catch on—especially Count Oklin. He’s sharp.”

Gabriel and Chloe racked their brains.

“There is a weak point—the refugees.”

Acid’s eyes widened at Lasie’s idea.

“…Of course.”

“Refugees were Sylvester’s first major project. A lot of people were against it from the start.”

“Even now, many dislike accepting refugees. We just have to use that.”

“But isn’t the war ending soon? The refugees will go home. And Count Oklin and Lady Frost are managing them well.”

“No need to find a problem.”
“What?”
“We can make one. The groundwork is already done.”

As Lasie explained, the family’s eyes widened. Gabriel especially was shocked—how far ahead had his mother planned?

“But that’ll cause a lot of damage. And if you’re talking about ‘that thing’ from abroad… how will you get it in without being caught? It might cause even bigger problems.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. As for how…”

Knock knock—
Suddenly, a knock came from the door. The family instantly went quiet, staring at it.

Acid glanced around and spoke.

“Who is it?”
“This is Count Humphrey, Your Grace. I hope you’re resting well?”

Realizing it was their host, Acid invited him in.

Then, Marlus entered with a smile.

“Oh dear, looks like I interrupted a lovely family moment. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, we’re enjoying our stay. Thank you for inviting us.”
“It’s our honor to have you, truly!”

As he bowed, Marlus kept glancing at Lasie, hoping to get back into her good graces. Lasie saw right through him.

“Count Humphrey.”
“Yes, Duchess!”

“Your hotel, the views, the food—everything in Sunset Vale was perfect. I can’t believe I didn’t appreciate your talents sooner. That’s why I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything, my lady! Just say the word!”

Excitement filled Marlus’s face. And Lasie’s eyes curled like a snake, ready to strike.