Chapter 635: The Empress Ascends (Almost)
A small bud of hope, but a possibility nonetheless!
Because that was one person who didn’t shiver at the mention of Xavier!
His review didn’t even include the fact that he’d endured three days’ worth of compressed training!
The golden boy before her, practically shining with a dazzling aura, didn’t complain once about how Xavier liked to limit his words to mere fragments!
And what did she think about this?
Glorious.
Oh, so glorious.
The mother of the boy who had terrorized Imperial tutors with monosyllables and icy stares wanted to declare a holiday.
Someone actually said the words "good personality," and while she hadn’t been able to raise Xavier for most of his life, the fact that someone, anyone, could see him like this... didn’t it mean she had fulfilled a lifelong goal?
Couldn’t she die in peace now, knowing that despite every hardship, her son had grown into someone who could actually be described with that phrase?
One less regret!
One less mountain on her chest!
Empress Gisella looked ready to ascend into the heavens right there in the waiting area. Her disguise couldn’t hide the way her eyes gleamed like someone seeing a miracle.
Luca tilted his head, startled. "Ma’am? Are you okay? Did I say something odd?"
The boy even extended his hand toward her, earnest and worried.
Instead of answering immediately, the Empress leaned forward, pressing her hands gently over his. Warm. Solid. Proof that he was real.
"Ah, I’m okay," she said quickly, though her voice shook. "I apologize for being emotional. It’s just that... such words give me hope. That my son might also grow up to be like that Xavier you seem to admire so much."
Her eyes misted again. "I’ve always worried. What if his charm can only be seen by family? What if no one else notices? And he’s not one to update us about things, either..." She sighed. A heavy, bone-deep sigh. The kind usually reserved for emperors facing rebellions.
"Oh my..." Luca blinked, worry painting his expression. The lady’s sigh was so weighted, it felt like she was carrying the galaxy itself.
"I-I’m not so sure about your son’s circumstances," Luca admitted carefully, "but I believe... if he surrounds himself with the right people, they’re bound to see his charms. Sometimes it just takes a while. But eventually someone will."
His golden eyes softened as he spoke, his words slow and certain. "I used to be like that, too. For a long time, I couldn’t see much good in myself. But after meeting the people I love... I learned that even I have qualities I can be proud of."
"..."
The Empress stared at him.
The disguised monarch, the Empress of Solaris, stared at this boy who looked as though he had taken her heart out, cleaned it up, and handed it back shinier than before.
Maybe that was why he could see Xavier’s charms. Because he wasn’t worried about what the rest of the world thought. Because he was only getting to know Xavier as himself.
How lucky.
How truly lucky.
Her chest ached with the thought.
And yet, it also sharpened her resolve.
If this boy was going to be so genuinely good, so guilelessly precious, then she needed to know. At the very least—
She needed to figure out what Luca’s type was.
That was her goal for today.
She may not be able to broker a deal—because really, how could she even begin? What leverage could possibly secure something like this?
But surely she could at least learn his taste, right?!
Yes. That was manageable. That was survivable.
So the Empress of Solaris, disguised as a simple attendant, steeled herself.
She tried her luck.
"You’re right," she said with a soft sigh. "I hope others can see him in the same light you do. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have been so worried if not for how useless I am when it comes to romantic advice." She rubbed the bridge of her nose with the weariness of a woman who had wrestled entire kingdoms into submission, only to be defeated by the word romance—specifically explaining romance to her very own family members.
And it was true. Entirely true. Just figuring out what to send to Luca almost got them to overturn the imperial palace. So what more, when helping their son succeed in his pursuit, when other heirs had entire families pulling strings for them? Meanwhile, her Xavier couldn’t even use his supposed advantages!
"Romantic advice?" Luca asked, tilting his head.
The Empress nodded slowly, as if confessing her greatest weakness. "Yes. It’s probably because it was different back then. Things were turbulent. People were thrown together by necessity, and they bonded by surviving side by side."
Her voice softened, almost wistful. "But now... even with mounting worries, there’s still a semblance of peace. People’s tastes may have changed. So I can’t even advise my child without fear of getting it wrong."
After all, how could she possibly explain that she had fallen in love with her husband after he took down a major pirate faction faster than she could?
"Is it really that different?" Luca asked, curiosity plain on his face. After all, he, too, was still learning about romance.
"Well," she admitted, leaning closer as though sharing a grave secret, "back then, the popular people were those with a high body count."
"..."
"..."
Somewhere, in the Imperial monitoring room, her most trusted shadows collectively twitched.
The Empress. The Empress had just said body count.
"Did... did she just say that?" whispered one horrified officer.
"She did," groaned another, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She definitely did."
"That can’t be what she meant, right? RIGHT?!"
"She probably meant bounties. Criminal kills. The number of outlaws someone had hunted down."
"But what if the prince’s beloved misinterprets it?!"
They all leaned closer to the screen.
Luca blinked. His golden eyes shone thoughtfully. Then—
He nodded.
He actually nodded.
"Yes. Of course," Luca said earnestly. "More criminals hunted must have been impressive!"
The aides in the monitoring room collapsed against their chairs in sheer disbelief.
Meanwhile, the Empress herself blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to take it so calmly.
So she ventured further.
"By any chance," she asked carefully, her heart pounding with curiosity, "as a young person of today, are you also interested in... body count?"
Luca pressed his lips together, thoughtful. Then, with that earnest way of his, he finally spoke.
"I think it’s a good thing," he said. "It means the person is strong, resourceful, and works for justice. And... more importantly, if each bounty came with a reward, then wouldn’t that also mean financial independence?"
"..."
The Empress almost dropped her disguise right there.
Financial independence?!
Her ears rang. Her fingers twitched. She was hearing this firsthand—firsthand!—from the one boy her son couldn’t seem to live without. These weren’t rumors, these weren’t reports, these were Luca’s actual thoughts falling like sacred scripture into her lap.
Her pulse raced.
She leaned in, voice deceptively calm. "So... is strength, resourcefulness, and money the most important things to you?"
Her shadows, listening from their hidden posts, nearly vibrated with anticipation. This was it. They were about to hear it—the sacred list. The chipmunk’s actual requirements. The secret key to winning his heart.
But then—
"Well..." Luca’s eyes softened.
And the collective hope of Empress Gisella and her entire covert guard force deflated like punctured balloons.
So close. Yet so far.
Because if that was all it took—strength, resourcefulness, and money—then their Xavier would already be overqualified. But Luca’s hesitation spelled something else. Something deeper.
Luca’s brows furrowed as he continued, his tone thoughtful. "Those are all good, yes. But I think... It’s better to cultivate those things for oneself. Because that’s the best way to be receptive to affection."
He glanced down, fingers fidgeting slightly. "It’s very hard to think about romance when one doesn’t feel safe."
"..."
"..."
Empress Gisella stared.
Her shadows choked in silence.
The air itself seemed to go still.
Because while other youths in the Empire were out there demanding partners who could improve their lives, the great chipmunk himself had declared something so utterly profound it nearly made her eyes water.
Cultivate those aspects for oneself. Be strong, resourceful, stable—independent first—so that when love arrives, one could accept it freely, wholly, without fear.
This boy.
This boy wasn’t just good.
He was a saint.
Her hands trembled. Her smile wavered.
Wasn’t this too much? Too glorious? Too magnificent?