The Holy Kingdom of Anaretia

The elderly Emperor ruled the Holy Kingdom of Anaretia with wisdom and strength, and under his reign, the kingdom flourished. However, he was not a man of family. He had an Empress and a concubine. The Empress gave birth to the firstborn son, Lance di Anaretia, and eight years later, the concubine gave birth to the second son.

Lance received a harsh upbringing, carrying his mother’s ambitions as a tool for power, while his father saw in him an ideal heir. He grew cold, rational, resolute, and unyielding. He never hated his fate, but he despised his mother, who had never truly been a mother to him.

On the other hand, the younger brother was entirely different. Fragile, soft, much like his mother, he wasn’t forced into a strict education, yet his intelligence was sharp. He grew up isolated with his mother in a separate palace, where she showered him with love as though he were her only treasure. The two brothers met only a handful of times, but the younger brother could never bring himself to look up to Lance. He feared him. Lance, meanwhile, saw him as little more than a faint shadow. The Empress whispered poison into her son’s ears, urging him to hate his brother, but Lance, being colder than the wind, could not bring himself to feel hatred.

Then, as if fate had already decided, the concubine died of poisoning. Everyone knew who was responsible, but there was no proof. The younger son was left in shock, unable to speak for a long time. He remained alone in his cold chambers, with even the servants showing no interest in offering him solace. Yet, he never complained; he was content with whatever was given to him.

Years passed. Lance became Emperor at the age of 27 after his father’s death. The younger brother, prepared to relinquish his title and live as a commoner—just as the Empress had wanted.

But Lance had different plans.

He stood before his brother, his gaze as sharp as stone, his words as unyielding as a blade: "You will stay by my side until death, brother..."