Chapter 2: Grim Reality
The Third Prince was born with silvery white hair, a rare and revered trait in the Vareldis royal bloodline. It was a symbol of pure inheritance, a sign that he had perfectly inherited the strength of their ancestors-The Blessing of Moon Goddess passed down in Royal Family of Vareldis. Those born with it were destined to become powerful warriors, natural leaders who could wield the empire's might with ease.
And then there was the Fourth Prince, Drake—born just a day later.
He, too, had white hair, but unlike Fenric's, it was duller, lacking the same brilliance. A subtle, yet undeniable difference. And that difference was enough.
It was enough to plant the seeds of jealousy.
Drake's mother, Empress Balina, refused to accept that her son was second to another. In her eyes, only her child deserved to be the empire's greatest warrior, the future ruler.
Thus, her plot began.
If the Third Prince's natural talent was a threat, she would erase it before it could bloom.
She would ensure that, by the time he reached adulthood, Fenric would be nothing but a sickly, forgotten prince—one whose only fate was to die and become the stepping stone for her son.
No one tried to protect him—even though they knew.
It wasn't ignorance. It wasn't a lack of awareness. It was simply indifference.
The Third Prince was the son of the deceased Second Empress, a woman who had died shortly after giving birth to him. And unlike the other empresses, who hailed from powerful noble families, his mother came from a mere baron family—a house so insignificant that it barely held any influence in the empire. It was her captivating beauty that even made her Emperor's Wife-other than it she had nothing.