Prologue. My Younger Brother Killed the Emperor and Came to See Me.
It was a sunny spring day.
Laviel has been standing by the window of the Oval Office since morning. Staring at her long pink hair, standing in an undisturbed posture, Countess Sutton’s butler swallowed a dry cough for no reason.
Looking out of the window with an impatient gaze, Laviel looked back at her butler and asked again the question she just asked a little while ago.
“Did you still not hear from Eddy?”
“Yes, Countess. Not yet…”
“Where the hell is he at a time like this?”
Laviel turned her head to face the window again as she worried about her brother – Eddy who has not been seen for days. She had never been agitated in anything, but she couldn’t be calm today.
Last night, the Seven Hills Empire’s Philland was overturned. Rumors said that unidentified soldiers had executed the last Emperor of Haldair Family, who had been abusing and tyrannizing the palace, and swallowed Philland.
(T/N: Philland is the name of a place. I’m assuming, it was the capital.)
Like most of the people in the continent did, Laviel locked the doors of the mansion and kept an eye on the situation. It was her decision as the head of Sutton Family to not move forward until they knew who took over the palace and the Seven Hills Empire.
And, in this mess, she couldn’t tell where her younger brother Eddy had gone, so she was very nervous.
That child. She raised him with love, but he runs away from home at a time like this?
Just come back, you’re grounded for a year, you rascal.
Laviel was grinding her teeth when suddenly, a servant rushed into the Oval Office and shouted with a trembling voice.
“C-Countess! Soldiers! The soldiers are surrounding the county!”
“What?”
Laviel’s green eyes shook as she turned around. Soldiers at a time when the Imperial Palace was overturned. It was not a good sign for anyone to hear.
“I’ll go out, Countess. It’s better for you to escape just in case.”
The butler, who has been assisting Count Sutton for many years, spoke in a solemn voice.
Laviel shook her head as she looked at the butler’s face full of loyalty and worry. She refused his offer and went to the front door without any hesitation.
The soldiers in black uniforms surrounded the mansion and had already reached the front door. Between the soldiers, lined up on both sides of the long road leading from the porch to the main entrance, a man riding a black horse slowly approached.
The butler, who followed Laviel with a white, tired face, checked the man’s face and rubbed his eyes. On the top of the black horse, a boyish young man with a wide smile on his face looked at Laviel and raised the corners of his mouth.
“Ha…”
Laviel laughed in amazement, and the man on the horse – the mastermind of the rebellion who cut the emperor’s throat last night, Edwin Sutton waved his hand with a wide smile.1
“Sis~ter~”
He jumped off the horse and ran towards Laviel. His pink hair, which resembled his sister’s, fluttered at every cheerful step. Similarly, the green eyes of the same color as Laviel were not visible because of his broad smile.
The younger brother, who she had been worried all along, seemed to be well and in good shape so she was relieved. However, she was so worried to the point she was both angry and dumbfounded at the sight of all these soldiers.
When Laviel couldn’t react because she didn’t know what to do first, Edwin kneeled in front of her. With his right arm on his chest, he showed a gesture that should be only given to the emperor and looked up at Laviel. His left hand held something that was not supposed to be here.
“Sister, I brought you a present that suited you.”
“Don’t tell me…The gift isn’t the one in your hand, right?”
“Why not? This belongs to you now, sister.”
Edwin, with a proud face, held out a large gold crown adorned with splendid jewels. It was the crown used by the Emperor of the Seven Hills Empire. It was exactly what was above the head of the last Emperor of the Imperial Family just until yesterday.
“Are you…”
“Hm? What?”
“Were you the crazy guy who caused the rebellion?”
Laviel grabbed Edwin, who is spinning the emperor’s crown. She knew this guy would get into an accident someday, but she never imagined this kind of major accident.
Treason, treason!
Edwin smiled very brightly as Laviel swayed and stumbled.
“You said you wanted to be an emperor, didn’t you?”
“When did I!”
“Don’t you remember the winter two years ago? You said you’d do well if you were an emperor.”
She doesn’t remember what happened two years ago, but since the family was rejuvenated, there must have been a day or two where she saw the emperor’s epitaph. She would have muttered complaints dozens of times more.
“How could I say that!”
“I asked you back then. Sister, do you want to be an emperor? Then sister laughed and said, yeah, I’ll do it if you give me a chance, and now I did?”
Laviel’s hand, which was shaking Edwin back and forth, suddenly lost strength.
Edwin snatched the falling hand and kissed the back of it. He then placed the emperor’s crown on his beloved sister’s head.1
He smiled brightly, as if he had all the world, looking at the crown glistening on top of her pink hair. He turned triumphantly and shouted at the soldiers.
“Now! Return to the Imperial Palace! Escort the new Emperor!”
“Yes!”
Buried by the loud answer of the soldiers, no one could hear Laviel’s mutterings.
“Hey…you crazy bastard…”2
Edwin ran down the stairs with a visibly excited gait. He opened the door of the Imperial carriage which is as splendid as the emperor’s crown and gestured to Laviel.
“Come on, sister! Everyone’s waiting for you!”
Laviel barely managed to hold back to shout at him, tie him to bed, and nail him to the door. Although Edwin was pointed out as the best beauty in Philland, he was still her lovely younger brother. She wondered if she raised him wrong.1
Laviel carefully held the emperor’s crown with her trembling hands for it not to fall and gave a long sigh. She then raised her head and walked towards Edwin, who is smiling widely and beckoning at her.
The spilled water has to be collected.
(T/N: I believe Laviel said this about her being emperor, and she needed to clean the mess. However, the spilled water pertains to an irreversible point. She still thinks she can undo this situation, hence, it being collected.)
Under the sultry spring sunlight, Edwin marveled at Laviel descending the stairs wearing her dignified look, as always.
No one can beat her to the throne. He was sure of that. In fact, it didn’t matter if someone can. He can just get rid of it. From the moment that Laviel joked she wanted to become emperor, the beautiful crown existed just for his sister.1
With Edwin on a black horse in front, Laviel and the Countess Sutton’s family entered the Imperial Palace. The palace officials, who stayed up all night to wipe out the bloodstains of last night, lined up in front of the Imperial Palace. They were afraid of Edwin, who was running like a demon, and of Laviel, whom Edwin had brought as emperor.
They were the ones who killed the former emperor and took over the empire. There were raging rumors that he would kill all the court officials for serving the previous monarch.
Receiving Edwin’s escort, Laviel stepped down from the carriage with a light step. Laviel looked up at the palace and wore an expressionless face. She walked calmly, and the court ladies followed her with nervousness.
When the new emperor, who took over the blood-stained throne, was asked what to do first, Laviel headed towards the Emperor’s office which had been neglected for quite some time.
“Grand Chamberlain.”
With a clear voice, the grand chamberlain answered beside her.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Looking down upon the trembling servant with an indifferent glance, Laviel commanded.
“Tell the administrators of the emperor to bring all the documents that can determine the state of the Imperial finances and Imperial administration.”
At the unexpected command, the grand chamberlain looked at the new emperor with a stupid face. But, when he heard Edwin clicked his tongue, he was startled and ran out of the room.
Laviel, who was observing the office, called the butler from Sutton County.
“Butler.”
“Yes, Countess. Ah no, Your Majesty.”
Undaunted by the unfamiliar title, Laviel pointed her chin towards Edwin who was laughing softly beside her.
“Tie him to that desk so he won’t get into trouble.”5
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hence, the Seven Hills empire welcomed the new emperor.
The reign of Laviel Sutton, the first Emperor of Sutton family, began.