252: The Shadow of the Empire

The Emperor's steps were extremely light, almost merging with the sound of the wind on the flagship.

As he walked, he thought.

Why go there?

That person was taking away what belonged to him. But... wasn't this exactly what he had promised personally?

That person once found everything in this world boring, including the throne of this vast Empire.

It was hard to believe, but The Emperor knew it was true.

"To be honest, I can't find the joy in living, nor can I find a reason to die," that person had told him years ago.

That person found everything he could offer boring.

"Living in mediocrity, or busily scheming," he had lounged lazily on the Imperial Throne, touching the seat that symbolized supreme power, and evaluated it indifferently.

"What's the difference in the end? Both are very boring," he said.

It was The Emperor who had used a small favor—hardly an obligation—to make a request of him, using the bond of their shared Bloodline as twins to coerce him.

"To let an Empire break free from all its predicaments and emerge from its cocoon is definitely a challenge. Try it, and you'll find the joy in it."

"It is a small dying wish of mine; are you really unwilling to grant even this?" The Emperor had pleaded with him.

This noble-blooded ghost had stayed on, indifferent to whether he stayed or left.

More than ten years.

He had managed the government during the days when The Emperor was in a coma, and had also used the title of Emperor Haoyuan to sweep through the Star Worms on the frontier.

But every time The Emperor woke up, the other would still tell him.

"Very boring."

With the Empire behind him, could it be handed over to that person? Over the years, he had become increasingly doubtful.

But he also couldn't let the Empire be controlled by his mother; she didn't have a shred of administrative ability, yet she possessed endless ambition and a lust for power.

If he was gone, his Children were still young; how could they avoid being coerced by the foolish Empress Dowager?

Rather than counting on his Twin Brother to clash with the Empress Dowager to protect his Children, it was better to stir his brother's desires so he would shoulder the responsibilities of the Empire himself.

He had thought so, until Tu Nan suddenly appeared.

She was a cat that exceeded his expectations.

She had walked all the way out of the mire. Nimble, decisive, and visionary, she had ambition but also compassion, unlike his mother.

Furthermore, he had constantly observed and tested her, because he had once thought her choice of those Male Beasts was entirely for the sake of social climbing.

But surprisingly, it wasn't.

Her love for the Children did not stem from a desire to seize power.

That kind of affection was witnessed by him; it was exactly how a pure mother should be.

What delighted him even more was her keenness and foresight in her understanding of the national situation and the future.

She was truly an unpolished jade that only needed a little buffing to radiate brilliance.

He had once evaluated Hain and Kong Jiamu in the same way, but soon, he discovered the difference.

He viewed Tu Nan differently from a simple subject.

Later, this was indeed proven.

With just a light flick of her cat's paw, he immediately lost control.

But there was nothing bad about it; he enjoyed it immensely.

But someone else thought the same as him. Not just one or two, but three or four.

There was even... The Emperor finally stood before that door.

This metal door was unremarkable, no different from the doors of other cabins on the flagship. But at this moment, it was like the open mouth of some mechanical monster, with a true reality hidden inside.

He didn't press the door handle but used his authority directly.

The lock of this door failed silently, and the door slid open slightly to reveal a crack.

A wave of warm moisture leaked out from inside, mixed with a familiar fragrance, hitting him right in the face.

That was a scent he was very familiar with. It was that bottle of perfume Tu Nan had offered; he had long since returned it to her, so every day, her body carried this cold and aggressive scent.

It wasn't very harmonious, yet it satisfied him.

The entire room seemed to be swaying and blurred. That sticky moisture pasted itself before his eyes, making his mind foggy.

As the fresh breeze from the corridor swept into the room through the crack in the door, the Female Beast, whose back was to him and who was still moving up and down, didn't notice, but the one lying there suddenly opened his eyes.

Two pairs of similar golden eyes finally met under such circumstances.

That person revealed a look of surprise, and then, squinting his eyes, he began to smile.

It was a smile of deep amusement, like a wicked boy who had just snatched away someone else’s favorite toy, full of triumph and knowing provocation.

The Emperor's chest heaved up and down, his hands were clenched tightly, and his nails had turned into sharp hooks that pierced directly into his own palms.

A stabbing pain came, and a hint of bloody scent spread out.

The movements of the two people before his eyes never stopped.

He knew that Tu Nan's body was becoming heavier by the day, and her daily movements had already begun to be affected.

So, that person's hand kindly supported Tu Nan's waist, helping her save strength amidst her dripping sweat.

The Female Beast's slender yet well-defined back swayed continuously before his eyes, her ivory-white skin shimmering with a moist glow due to the fine sweat. Her long black hair stuck to her back, swinging back in a startling arc during the movements below.

Several times, her head tilted back to the point where it almost seemed it would break; from The Emperor's angle, he could even see Tu Nan's slightly parted red lips and feel the breath she exhaled.

His body was tense, desperately suppressing the violent impulse of his Incarnation on the flagship.

That person was doing it on purpose.

Tu Nan was immersed in it; she did not see him standing behind her.

She didn't know any of this.

Did she think that was him?

And his Twin Brother, his shadow, the person he once considered the heir to the Empire, intended to thoroughly snatch away everything he had before he even died.

He saw the other's lips move slightly.

The mouth shape was saying The Emperor's own past promise.

"Forget the past, and everything of mine will eventually be yours."

He closed his eyes tightly, but his vision went black in waves.

Don't faint, not here.

Your Majesty kept digging into the wounds in his palms, using the pain to remind himself.

The blood turned from dots into lines, flowing into a small puddle on the floor.

He was finally able to stand steady, although his vision seemed to be affected, and everything was distorting.

He looked down at the floor, a black puddle; the world had completely lost its color.

Black, white.

Only these two colors ultimately remained in his eyes.

The other was merely collecting his spoils of war in advance.

The die was cast. And he regretted it.

Placing his hand on the door handle, The Emperor did not let that crack expand further.

He had two choices.

Let Tu Nan know everything, know all the ugly truths of the Imperial family, and know that his time was running out, pressing all the heavy burdens onto her.

Or let things be as they were, and let his brother continue to thoroughly impersonate him. Perhaps Tu Nan could make the other person develop a sense of responsibility for this Empire, allowing the Empire to continue moving forward steadily?

He needed to think... The Emperor could no longer stand before this door; he closed the door expressionlessly under his brother's mocking gaze.

The slight sound startled Tu Nan.

"What... was that sound?" she asked, wanting to look back.

But the person beneath her gave her no chance; with a smile and a surge of strength, this bit of doubt was forgotten by Tu Nan once again.

The Emperor walked back with heavy steps.

One step, then another.

In the incredibly bright corridor lights, he felt as if he were walking alone in the darkness.

He walked toward the silence within his heart.