"Before I get started about what I went through, I'll give you a little background on the situation before my birth," Jason says as he begins his story.
It all started the day before the Emperor's marriage to the Empress.
"Let me start with a brief introduction on how the Emperor's eye is passed down", Jason says.
The Emperor's eye isn't immortal and will eventually run out of power given time. When the power becomes depleted down to a certain level, it then gets reborn into the next generation that has the same bloodline.
If there are no children then the power will die with the current user. If there is one child then the child will inherit the power. If there are two children, one of the two will inherit the power. If there are three children, one of the three will inherit the power. It continues down the line like that.
My mother was the most powerful female mage in the empire at the time and she was very adept at politics. The Emperor was also very powerful in the military and received many military accomplishments. Everyone in the empire believed the two would make a perfect couple and once they were linked in marriage, the two big factions behind them would be united and bring peace to the empire.
They also planned to have only one child and groom him to be the perfect emperor who had the backing of both the military and the major politicians.
"So that child...", Selena starts to say
Jason paused a bit and looked directly at Selena. "I was that child," he said softly. "Their plan was well set-up and if it worked, I could also imagined a great future for the empire, even if I wasn't the person involved".
"But despite how everything was lined up for me perfectly by my parents, because of that woman, I still lost everything".
Selena heard the pain in his voice and felt her heart hurt. She reaches out and squeezes his hand softly.
Jason smiles and then continues his story.
Now we come back to the day before the wedding. This was one of the few days where the emperor got very drunk while excited about his marriage the next day. After drinking himself to the point of almost knocking out. One of the palace maids came forward and offered to bring him back to his room.
Duke Zenat and the others had no reason to refuse since the palace maids were in charge of duties like this.
Official uniforms for Palace maids were changed by the current emperor to hide a lot of the face. He did this to diminish the effect that personal beauty has on promotions and other people. It was a good rule and it was put into place a long time ago. After the rule was made, the maids focused on physical and technical training. Palace maids became as strong as an adult male and the ones working directly in the personal palace of the emperor or the empress were as strong as professional soldiers.
I mention this because no one was aware of how she looked at the time but after I investigated, this is what I found out.
Jason then brought out a piece of paper and then inserted some mana into it. Two pictures showed up. one on the left and the other on the right.
The left is my mother and the right is that maid.
Selena looked at the picture and her eyes bulged. They looked incredibly similar. If you don't pay attention very carefully, you might even believe they were twins.
Nobody but her and the hiring manager was aware of how she looked yet she personally came up and offered to take the drunk emperor back into his room the night before he married my mother who looks almost identical to her. This is far too suspicious, I'm sure she saw a good opportunity and took the chance.
She was just a commoner but due to working at the palace, I'm sure she was aware of how the emperor's eyes worked. It's not a big secret and it's actually something to be proud of.
If she succeeds, she will have a 50% chance to change her life completely and soar to the top from a commoner to a woman who gave birth to the future emperor.
Selena was frozen in place. "You don't mean..., She actually wanted to..." She couldn't finish her sentence but Jason understood what she wanted to say.
There are no personal maids among the palace maids, they all rotate. They are also as strong as professionally trained soldiers, no dead-drunk person can take advantage of them.
I'm sure after she took the emperor back to his room, she finally showed off her looks which are almost identical to my mother's. With how drunk the emperor was, it would be impossible to tell that it wasn't her.
The emperor was not only an extremely powerful man but he was also quite dedicated to the empire and the future of the royal family. Having a fling with a maid is certainly not possible under normal circumstances but when he is in a state of drunkness where his power is severely reduced and his cognition is impaired as well, this becomes the only chance for her to take advantage.
Jason didn't say it clearly but it was obvious what this palace maid wanted to do. A wave of disgust hit Selena as she tried to digest the information and focus on Jason's next words.
She really was a scheming woman. I would never have found out if I didn't investigate and discovered that she not only looked like the emperor's wife but she was also the one who offered to take the drunk emperor back into his room. All the pieces naturally fell into place after that.
The atmosphere became solemn and silent for a while. Selena and Jason basked in the silence and then Jason continued the story.
The next day, my mother married the emperor and they had their wedding night.
Nine months later, I was born and the whole empire rejoiced in the fact that I would grow up to become the perfect emperor. Backed by my mother's faction, backed by the military, will possess the emperor's eye, and is trained in all sorts of aristocratic skills. They were prepared for a bright future and a new age for the empire.
But little did everyone know that at that same time, another baby was born slightly earlier...
Selena's face turned solemn, she already guessed it in her heart but it turns out Lance's mother might really be that maid...
After seeing the reaction on Selena's face, he said "You have noticed it yourself, right? That Lance hasn't used any magic yet?
Selena was a bit confused at his words but then thought back carefully and realized that she never has seen Lance use magic.
"His maid mother naturally could not pass down any noble magic bloodline to him and the emperor's magic bloodline takes the form of the emperor's eye so that's the only form of magic that he has access to" Jason explains.
Even if there was slight doubt about Jason's story, everything adds up if Lance can't use magic. His mother was really that maid...
"Everything in this world is in a certain perspective. I'm sure my dear brother regards that woman as his greatest treasure since in his eyes, she was his only pillar and foundation. But due to her greed, she completely trampled on my future and threw the internal politics of our empire into chaos"
"I have nothing but hatred for that woman," Jason says as he clenches his fingers into a fist.
Selena looked at him silently and then remembered something about Lance's mother and her face became somewhat complicated. She knows that from what Jason said, Lance's mother may not be the best person but she was unsure how to feel after knowing her ending and the pain it brought Lance.
"Was Jason and the Empress behind everything?" She starts to think to herself but is interrupted by Jason's next words.
"Now I can get into my own life experience," he says as he begins.
As far as I could remember, I was always surrounded by many people who adored the royal family. I was like the jewel of the empire and the most promising talent. Everyone flattered me everywhere I went and my mother and the emperor doted on me heavily. I lived a life free of any struggles. Jason says as the look on his eyes turns quite soft.
Selena couldn't believe she could see the man, with usually very cold eyes, have such warmth in his eyes. This must be a very fond memory for him, she silently thought to herself.
The year I turned five, my mother rushed into my room excitedly and said she found me a fiancée. She said it was the daughter of her best friend and that she was destined to grow up to be a great woman.
Looking back at what my mother said, She was quite right. Jason says as he looks at Selena with some hotness in his eyes.
Selena blushed after hearing the words of this mother-in-law she hadn't met yet. This also confirms that her mother was indeed linked to the empress.
My mother then explained that she had to argue with the emperor to get this engagement certified and they promised to keep it a secret. The exchange gifts, as I told you earlier, were the duke title for the Jobaine household and your mother's research notes.
Even at the age of 5, I was well aware of magic and what it was. It was deemed to be the most optimal to practice offensive magic around 15 years since once you take 5 years to master it, you will be in a prime position to go out and hone your skills instead of letting it deteriorate over time by not having frequent experience.
My mother explained that, unlike offensive magic, this magic actually takes far more time to master so I could start looking at it now and see if it could get my interest.
I had nothing else to do so I started reading your mother's notes and it brought me into a whole new world. Everything I hear about magic was tailored towards offensive magic but your mother had thoughts that were far more novel and open-minded. I started to become lost in your mother's research and practiced it all the time.
The years went by without anything too drastic happening. I kept practicing my mother's magic, watching my mother taking care of the internal affairs of the empire and having private conversations with the emperor.
As he said that last part of his sentence, Selena could see his mood fluctuate and his tone becomes a bit complicated. She also noticed that, unlike Lance, Jason has never called the emperor father. She thought maybe it was due to respect or some agreed rule within the imperial family but now she is thinking that the situation might be far more complicated.
"What did you guys talk about?" Selena asked softly.
Jason looked at her and then replied.
"Just things about the emperor's eye, the emperor, political factions, and other political things," Jason said emotionless.
"I'm sure he was just doing his job as the emperor by preparing the heir for the tricky politics he would face in the future.
Selena knew Jason was deliberately downplaying the emperor and this further confirmed her guess that he probably lost all familial affection for him. Remembering how happy Lance was when he talked about the same emperor, she could sort of guess what would happen. However, she patiently waits for Jason to continue.
My life has been going on like that for a few more years. I never suffered any grievances, I had a great time studying your mother's magic, and I learned a lot from my mother and the emperor as well.
Then eventually, the Emperor's eye on the emperor was getting noticeably weaker. The palace was excited however because that meant a new user for the emperor's eye would be born and it would come down to me. This caused the people around me to flatter me even more. After experiencing almost 10 years of happiness and love, I believe that my 10th birthday banquet might end up as my favorite one yet. But little did I know, that it would become the biggest turning point and the worst day of my life.
Banquet? Those words sounded familiar and she remembered Lance mentioning his mother bringing him to a banquet... Was that on Jason's birthday? She asked to herself in complete shock. Her body became completely cold as she imagined just how it would feel to have a child with the emperor's eye being brought in on the birthday of the child who was "Supposed" to have it.
She then started to realize just how much things can change when you look at it from another perspective.
Jason continues.
"On my 10th birthday banquet, almost everyone in the palace was there. They were all excited about their future emperor and wanted to score some points with me before I grew up completely. I had almost no enemies because I was supported and backed by too many people. I truly felt like this life I had was so majestic and I vowed to become an emperor that will make everyone feel that it was worth it to support me for so long" Jason smiled bitterly.
Right when I made that wish, the door opened and that woman came in. She claimed that her son had the emperor's eye and asked the emperor to give them justice.
Everyone thought she was crazy because if her son had the emperor's eye, that would mean the emperor had a secret son outside of his marriage and that was extremely taboo for the royal family, especially for someone with a great reputation like the emperor.
The Emperor calmed things down and slowly approached the woman, he then put his hand on the boy's shoulder. After a while, he muttered something which seemed to approve of what that woman said and then gave a signal to dismiss the banquet hall. I was not even sure how I got back into my room. I was completely stunned.
Ever since I was young, everyone always told me I would get the eyes because I was his only son. My mother also was so shocked at this secret child that she nearly passed out. From that day, their relationship was forever strained. If it wasn't for taking care of the empire as the empress, my mother would've left the marriage a long time ago.
Even in a daze, I could also see that the looks of the same people who used to flatter meant to turn a bit cold. It's like they saw my value completely disappear. The emperor's attitude also confirmed their suspicions that the future may not go the way it originally intended.
My own birthday, a day that I should feel the warmth of the people around me, instead turned into an execution block that killed off my future.
Selena was silent and small tears flew down her eyes. She could not believe he went through such a thing. She already heard a little bit about it from Lance but to live this kind of life where everything is lost and it was due to something that was completely out of your control, it's just too terrible. No matter what Jason did, the ending was already guaranteed, the eyes would never belong to him as soon as Lance's mother snuck into the Emperor's room. At this point, Selena did not have any good feelings for Lance's mother at all. She feels so sorry for Jason, if everything worked out well, no one would be unhappy and the situation in the palace would be the best it has ever been.
Jason saw the tears on Selena's cheek and slowly wiped them away. "It's okay, I'm here now, right? At least I made it this far" he said softly.
Jason then continued.
was stuck in my room for a while. I kept thinking about how my identity as the prince and the future emperor, which was previously unshakeable, now completely disappeared. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't possibly see a way I could reach the heights that were previously expected of me. That new brother of mine already won the approval of the emperor and the people backing him will naturally protect him. I hoped that maybe the familial affection the emperor had for me and my mother would make him help us but he is an emperor first before anything else, even if we were to die in front of his face if it was for the good of the empire, I'm sure he wouldn't care., Jason said with bitterness in his voice.
I tried to think positively but even if I forced myself onto the throne, it would never be stable and my legitimacy would always be questioned. I was once proud of my princely identity but only then did I realize that without this identity, I am completely worthless in the eyes of everyone. This identity is a double-edged sword that could bring me extreme happiness and extreme despair.
Even my mother, who always loved me, had a look of disappointment that she couldn't hide. I know my mother well, it's not that she was disappointed in me but because I was not chosen, that forced my mother and me to either be killed in the future or live a short career in the palace.
If I became an emperor, my mother would be the empress dowager, this would cement her as a political figure that can go down in history. But if my brother gets the throne, would he ever let my mother go? Jason asked rhetorically.
She would probably be the first person he kills. Even though she believed at the time that the emperor was playing with maids behind her back, she still stuck through the marriage despite her pride all to better take care of the empire. She even supported your mother, who most people looked down on, just because in her eyes, she saw a genius who could help transform our empire.
But because of me, she will either be killed or forced out of the palace early by that dear brother of mine. He said with a lot of self-blame.
Selena quickly grabbed his hand again, "Jason, it's not your fault. People can't choose their destinies, That's the harsh reality of this world but that does not mean that your actual destiny is worse than the ones people expected of you before. Maybe you will end up doing far better things now, you shouldn't give up" Selena says with tenderness in her voice.
Jason looks at her with a look of gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, you saved me once again, I knew I wasn't wrong about you," Jason says.
"What do you mean? I just met you today" Selena asked curiously.
Jason smiled and didn't answer but instead, continued his story.
As I was sinking deeper and deeper into depression, realizing that the meaning of my life as a prince meant nothing now, I felt a huge sense of loss. My eyes then darted across my room and noticed your mother's research notes tucked into the corner. It slowly dawned to me, that there is someone out there that I am engaged to. We were engaged not because I am a prince or from the royal family but because our mothers were very good friends. Even if my father was not the emperor, we still would've been engaged. It was then I realized that I had other important identities other than being a prince and even if I was not the prince or the future emperor, there was still a woman out there waiting for me.
It was like having a sudden light illuminate your way from the darkness, I realized that this was not the end of the road for me. Everyone else may have given up on me because I failed as a prince but I haven't yet failed as a fiancé. I knew that once it was discovered that you were my fiancé, you might suffer from the pain of being associated with me. From that day on, I vowed to become someone worthy of you and become someone who can protect you.
Selena heard these words and her whole body went numb. So many different feelings arose from her heart. There was too much to take in. Never could she have imagined that she meant so much to this person in front of her. She couldn't even guess how Jason would've turned out if he didn't have something to rely on and understood that everyone he knew disliked or was disappointed with him for not being chosen. Lance at least has many people on his side, Jason, however...
She looked over at this man and her heart trembled a bit more, to think he did all this for me and because of me. He became so outstanding to be worthy of me. She asked in her head. She really isn't all that much but to hear such sweet words come out of a princely and dashing man like Jason, it left her eyes blurred with happiness.
She grabbed Jason's hand and said, "Jason, thank you for making it this far, and thank you for surviving until now. You make me so proud to call myself your fiancée and we will get through all obstacles together" Selena said these words with her true heart.
Jason heard these words and his eyes slowly turn moist. Before he could wipe his eyes, Selena embraces his head to her body and lets him vent his emotions out without worrying about how she would see him. Selena understood that there were some things proud men like Jason refused to do in front of the girl they like but she didn't want to be a woman who only recieves care.
The couple enjoyed slowly basking in the romantic atmosphere as the night sky continued to shine.