Rui narrowed his eyes.
He didn't like the fact that the Emperor had brought this matter up in the middle of a conversation.
"…Give them a normal life?" Rui growled. "That option was gone the second you exposed my identity as a prince. You just put a target on their backs!"
The Emperor heaved a sigh. "Yes, but it can be undone if you choose to become Emperor. You can still give them a good life with the powerful royal protection that you won't have access to as a prince. You can ensure that they go about their lives as normally as they did before with the power of the Kandrian Empire."
Rui stared at him intensely as he considered the proposition.
It was true that the power of the Emperor could grant them enormous protection without sacrificing their daily lives.
However, that would mean needing to become Emperor to solve a problem caused by the fact that he was revealed to be a prince.
Emperor Rael was far too intelligent and competent not to have foreseen this when he planned to disclose Rui's identity to the entire world.
"You are truly shameless," Rui glared at him. "It makes me want to flip a middle finger to the throne just to spite you."
Emperor Rael did not laugh this time. "Shame is an impediment to rulers. You will have to abandon it should you choose to ascend the throne that I will leave behind."
The Emperor closed his eyes. "The decision to save Kandria from ruin or not is entirely yours."
Rui tutted at the emotional blackmail even as Emperor Rael smirked.
Unfortunately, as much as Rui disliked it, the Emperor was right.
Rui rarely made ill-thought decisions. Most decisions he made were made after great consideration.
And if there ever was any decision to truly sit down and think about, it would be this decision. A decision that would easily be the most important decision that he had ever made in his entire life.
His eyes wandered with uncertainty as he stood, frozen in place.
"Take your time," The Emperor remarked. "You are not in a state of mind to make the decision even if you managed to consider all the many considerations needed to make a decision. Go home, spend some time with your loved ones."
The Emperor closed his eyes. "We will speak another time. This discussion comes to an end.
CLACK
The giant doors at the other end of the throne hall opened.
Rui's eyes shifted to meet those of his father one last time before he turned around, leaving wordlessly.
The Emperor heaved a heavy sigh, pulling out a locket that hung at his chest.
CLICK
It opened, revealing a picture.
A youthful, happier Rael with a beaming woman by his side.
Memories of a long-gone time rushed through his mind.
CLICK
He closed it, glancing at Sage Sayfeel. "…How do you think I did?"
"…"
"It's at times like these where you're the most useless," The Emperor scoffed.
His aged hands strained, lifting the crown from atop his head and onto his lap. "…I don't think it could have gone any better or worse, honestly."
He closed his eyes. "Any report on…?"
"…Yes, Your Majesty," Sage Sayfeel answered. "I have observed it religiously with my senses and instincts during the two years you slumbered. Based on my experience and observation, in my estimation…the Beast Domain is stirring."
Emperor Rael narrowed his eyes.
"…The Great Purge may not be too far into the future," Sage Sayfeel's voice grew grave.
Emperor Rael's demeanor grew deeply solemn and severe. "This does not bode well for human civilization."
His eyes returned to Sage Sayfeel. "I suppose you failed to accomplish the primary objective as well?"
Sage Sayfeel bowed his head apologetically. "I was unable to locate the Divine Doctor. Although we know he is in the Beast Domain. It hampered my sensory prowess too much, I am afraid."
The Emperor heaved a sigh.
The loss of Miriam also meant the loss of the Eye of Prophecy. Without that, he had come back to square one when it came to finding the Divine Doctor. The Divine Doctor had turned out to be one the most inscrutable people in existence. Not even the Silas Clan was as absurdly difficult to track as the Divine Doctor.
The only progress that he had made in that regard was that the Divine Doctor was somewhere in the Beast Domain. Aside from that, there was no other information. That was the only thing that Rael had been able to learn after years of investigation and information gathering.
The fact that a normal physical human could not just survive but also thrive in the Beast Domain was something that Emperor Rael did not understand. He chalked it up, of course, to the superhuman mind that the man was born with.
"On top of that, I do not think I will be able to compel him to come to your aid," Sage Sayfeel bowed his head. "Our investigations have revealed that not even Martial Sages are able to earn the respect of the Divine Doctor. He can only be compelled by Martial Transcendents or…'kindred souls' by his own words, allegedly. The probability that I will be able to find him and bring him back is…"
'Extremely low' was what Sage Sayfeel left unspoken.
"…So be it," Emperor Rael smiled with acceptance. "My time has come. Thanks to Miriam, I have learned to accept what cannot be changed and never lose hope no…matter.….wha..."
His eyelids grew heavy.
His vision blurred.
His consciousness dimmed, burying deep inside his mind as he entered a deep slumber once more.
"Your Majesty!" Say Sayfeel's cried as he rushed forward to support the Emperor.
The duration of consciousness was even lower than before, and it appeared that the Emperor's condition had worsened by yet another notch as he rapidly returned to deathly slumber not long after he woke out of it.
