No. 012: The Unlucky Fool

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Chapter 12

With the emperor's permission, the Eldest Princess arrived quickly. Led by a palace attendant, she went straight to Xuanyang Hall.

The Eldest Princess looked unwell. Excitement, resentment, and something close to madness mingled on her face; beneath her flushed cheeks lay a pallor, and a dark, bluish shadow lingered under her eyes.

When she saw that the attendant had brought her to Xuanyang Hall, her expression darkened further.

She was the eldest princess of the Amber Dynasty. How exalted was her status? Yet every time she wanted to enter the palace to see the emperor, she had to send a request and wait to be summoned. In all her years, she had visited Xuanyang Hall only a handful of times. Luo Mingxi, meanwhile, could come and go freely through the palace—even Xuanyang Hall. What a difference in treatment.

Before, she had only thought the emperor spoiled Luo Mingxi too much. She could still explain it as his affection for her daughter, shown for her sake.

But now she knew Luo Mingxi was not her daughter at all. What right did Luo Mingxi have to enjoy any of this, to enjoy everything that should have belonged to her real daughter?

She had to tell the emperor the truth, set right what had been turned upside down, and restore things to their proper course. She would reclaim every honor that belonged to her real daughter.

As for Luo Mingxi, that bastard from who knew where, keeping her far away from the princess, her family, and the imperial capital would already be the greatest mercy she could show.

The Eldest Princess strode into Xuanyang Hall with her chin held high, only to shiver when a cold draft swept through its vast interior. The few times she had come here had left her with no fond memories. The hall was too large and too cold. The ruler of the dynasty, seated high above, was too distant. She felt no warmth or closeness here, only a profound helplessness.

Yet in this very place, where every emperor of the Amber Dynasty handled affairs of state, Luo Mingxi could stand openly at the emperor's side, proud and radiant, smiling as she watched her.

An obscure jealousy stirred in the eldest princess's heart, one she could hardly put into words. Yes, she envied Luo Mingxi.

Her daughter—at least, Luo Mingxi had been her daughter for twenty years—lived with such freedom and vitality, in a way the eldest princess never had. Luo Mingxi looked more like what a princess of this dynasty ought to be. How could she not admire her? How could she not envy her?

It was laughable, really. Back then, she had even wondered whether she had failed somehow over the years. Little by little, admiration had turned to jealousy, and she had struggled with it ever since.

Over those years, she had occasionally blamed herself for neglecting Luo Mingxi. But every time she tried to draw closer, she would see that face, which looked nothing like hers, and that personality, which was nothing like hers either. She simply could not feel close to her.

She had tormented herself again and again, as though trapped in a pitch-black maze with no way out.

Only now did she realize how absurd that struggle had been. Luo Mingxi was not her child. That was why she had been so hard to grow close to since childhood, and why she resembled the eldest princess in no way at all.

Everything had an explanation now.

"Your Majesty..." The Eldest Princess had barely begun her greeting when she saw the emperor's imposing face. Grief suddenly welled up inside her, along with all the wrongs she felt she had suffered. "Your Majesty, please give me justice!"

With that, she burst into tears.

The emperor: "..."

He had known it.

His younger sister never thought to visit him when nothing was wrong. Only when she needed his help or wanted him to settle something for her would she come running—and she would cry first. Even after weeping as though her heart and liver had been torn apart, she might still fail to explain what had happened.

Resting his head on his hand, the emperor watched the Eldest Princess sob piteously. He had plenty of experience with this. There was nothing to do but wait until she finished crying.

His head aching, the emperor glanced up and caught Luo Mingxi's half-smile. Oh? There's something going on here.

Meeting his complicated gaze, Luo Mingxi smiled until her eyes curved, then gave a shrug in imitation of his helpless manner.

The eldest princess happened to look up just then. There was Luo Mingxi, paying her no mind at all. She was crying like this, yet Luo Mingxi, as her daughter, had not even come over to ask what was wrong. Cold-hearted and unfeeling, without the slightest mother-daughter affection. Of course she was not her real daughter. She should never have expected anything from her.

That one look seemed to fill the Eldest Princess with boundless strength. An astonishing light blazed in her eyes. She forgot to cry; never before had she felt such courage surge through her entire body.

"Your Majesty! She—Luo Mingxi—is not my daughter at all! My real daughter is someone else! She has no right to stand here. There isn't a drop of royal blood in her veins. Her surname isn't Luo, and she doesn't deserve to bear it!"

Luo Mingxi had thought she was prepared. But hearing the eldest princess say it all without a trace of restraint—hearing how she regarded Luo Mingxi as a thorn in her eye, with nothing but hatred and anger and not a shred of pity—made her pupils tremble. She could not remain as calm as she had imagined.

When the eldest princess said she did not deserve the surname Luo, Luo Mingxi's expression changed completely.

The emperor barely managed to keep his composure. He did not know where the Eldest Princess had heard this rumor, but she looked so overcome with emotion that it seemed only a matter of time before she...