The three brothers, gathered together for the first time in a long while, continued their conversation for quite some time afterward.
Though the atmosphere remained awkward and the words exchanged were few, Andronikos desperate efforts to mediate seemed to have worked, sparing them from ending the meeting on a sour note.
And as time passed, the topic of their discussion gradually drifted toward the issue Constantine found most difficult to face.
“So, do you have no intention of meeting the Empress?”
It was John who broached the subject first, speaking with a mix of guilt and shame that made his voice hesitant.
Normally, it was Constantine who would bring up such matters directly, but even he couldn’t answer right away.
He had every reason to meet her—this he admitted to himself—but it didn’t make the thought any easier to bear.
Only Andronikos expression, shifting subtly as he looked between them, showed any emotion.
After a long silence, Constantine finally spoke with great difficulty.
“…I must meet her.”
At that moment, he did not see how his brothers expressions changed.
“If that’s how you feel, then it’s enough. Just don’t hesitate when you’re standing before her—regardless of the reasons.”
“But don’t we still have much to discuss? And surely Father has words he meant to leave with us.”
“I’ll speak on it. That will suffice, won’t it, brother?”
In that strained moment, Andronikos once again stepped in.
Thanks to his words, both Constantine and John could only nod. But Johns gaze toward Constantine grew noticeably heavier.
This time, however, things were different. In this silent exchange of glances, Andronikos found no place to intervene.
All he could do was sigh quietly and step back.
As Andronikos retreated, John, sensing the change, spoke again.
“There is nothing to worry about. The Empress arranged the political marriage herself to quell the discontent of the nobles. In return, she asked me to preserve her chastity—and I agreed. I don’t know the reason for your hesitation. Perhaps I made you feel that way. But Constantine, you said yourself that you must meet her.”
The ever-present smile that once played on his lips had vanished. In its place was a heavy emotion pressing on his chest. He didn’t even know what to call it himself, and with that, he finished.
“…So why are you still here?”
Silence settled over the room. Constantine and John quietly looked at each other, while Andronikos watched without saying a word.
Though the reunion of the three brothers had turned out colder than expected, a silent understanding passed between them.
After a long moment of facing John, Constantine slowly closed his eyes, then opened them and rose to his feet.
“Your Majesty is right. Her Majesty must be deeply concerned about what lies ahead. It is only proper that I go to her myself.”
Once on his feet, Constantine walked forward without further hesitation.
And when he stepped into the corridor beyond the door, he found a young boy standing there respectfully, waiting. Behind him, the voice that had so recently scolded him called out again.
“It’s been a long time since you were in the palace. I thought it best to prepare a guide in advance. There will be no cause for worry—just follow quietly.”
“……”
By then, he was already too far from the room to see the speaker’s face. Constantine blinked a few times, then looked to the boy and said calmly,
“If His Majesty says so, then I’ll leave myself in your hands. Lead the way.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
The boy replied evenly and began walking with quiet composure. As he had when leaving the room, Constantine followed him without hesitation. The corridor was still and silent, broken only by the sound of footsteps.
Then the boy spoke, introducing himself.
“Come to think of it, this is our first meeting. I’m Georgios Sphrantzes, currently serving as a secretary.”
The sudden introduction raised Constantine’s curiosity, but the name soon stirred a sense of familiarity within him.
Back when he had wrestled with the question of claiming Achaea, he had entrusted his final decision to a man of the same name.
He vaguely recalled hearing that his descendant had inherited the post—but this was the first time they’d met face to face.
A strange emotion stirred in Constantine as he spoke heavily.
“So you are Sphrantzes.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I have served three emperors, beginning with Emperor Manuel.”
“What is it you wish to say?”
Though he looked young, holding the position of secretary surely meant he had some political sense.
And yet, to introduce himself at such a moment—Constantine could sense it wasn’t without intention.
But Sphrantzes didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he only looked up at Constantine with the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips.
It wasn’t until much later that he finally spoke.
“There is much I wish to say, but if we’re weighing matters by urgency, I suppose my words would be endlessly postponed. I see no need to say them now.”
“…Then why speak at all?”
“I only hoped that when the time comes, Your Highness will not have forgotten me. Now then—this is the place. Her Majesty awaits you.”
Before Constantine could respond, Sphrantzes finished his purpose abruptly.
They stood before a curtained doorway that moved gently in the breeze.
Constantine hadn’t even realized where they’d arrived, so preoccupied was he with Sphrantzes.
His shoulders were stiffer than usual. Sphrantzes bowed his head and said,
“I pray this is a good meeting. I’ll take my leave now.”
There was no sign that anyone had ordered him to say this. With those few words, Sphrantzes turned and disappeared down the corridor, leaving Constantine alone.
Before the curtain, Constantine took a deep breath. Then, steadying himself, he broke the silence with a clear voice.
“Your Majesty, Constantine, Prince of Morea, humbly requests an audience.”
“…Let it be granted.”
It was inevitable that the prince flinched at the sound of the other’s voice. He had lived such an intense life that many of his emotional responses had long since dulled.
The Empress Joannina’s voice had changed slightly from what he remembered.
He could not tell whether that change signaled something good or bad.
‘There’s no other way but to see for myself.’
Resolving himself, the prince stepped beyond the curtain. And the moment he turned his eyes to take in the room’s interior—He instinctively took a step back.
Not because he had seen something frightening. Not even out of guilt. It was something much more direct.
A purely physical shock had struck him head-on.
The only reason he didn’t fall was thanks to all the years he had survived on the edge of life and death as a warrior. One of the most important things in handling a weapon is lower-body balance. Having honed that skill through real combat, the prince did not disgrace himself by falling flat.
Instead, he stood there, stunned, mouth agape, unable to speak—Overwhelmed by the warm presence that had suddenly wrapped itself around him.
“You’ve gotten much sturdier since last I saw you, Your Highness.”
The voice wasn’t entirely familiar, but it wasn’t unfamiliar either.
Only when that delicate tremble touched his ears did the prince realize the position he was in.
Too much closeness for simple affection. Even if there was a reason for him to be here, wasn’t now a time to be cautious of prying eyes?And the prince was not one to hide such concerns.
“If someone were to see us like this, it could cause quite the misunderstanding.”
“That would be perfect. That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”
“Your Majesty…!”
Rather than pulling away, she burrowed in deeper, cuddling into him as if being stubborn.
The prince was completely flustered, unable to do anything, his face going pale with a strange mix of concern and quiet astonishment.
Then, with her face still buried, Joannina tilted her head slightly, revealing just her eyes as she looked up at him.
Only then did she speak again.
“Don’t worry. I prepared the curtain just so we wouldn’t be seen.”
“But the sound…”
“You saw Sphrantzes, didn’t you? He’s a clever boy. He already took care of it.”
The sheer thoroughness of her preparation left the prince speechless.
Perhaps interpreting his silence a certain way, Joannina smiled awkwardly, her cheeks flushed red, trying to hide her embarrassment. She fixed her bright eyes on him like they were capturing him entirely.
“So please… just let me hold you like this a little longer~”
Before he could even object, she hugged him tighter and buried her face in his chest.
Only then did the prince’s stiff hands slowly begin to move. All the worrying over whether she’d hurl accusations the moment they met turned out to be entirely in vain.
But… sometimes, that’s just how life is.
Telling himself that, the prince held the Empress with extreme caution, as if handling something precious.
—Meanwhile.
The room where only Andronikos and John remained was thick with gloom.
It wasn’t just because the number of people had decreased. The root cause was none other than John himself.
He was the man who now sat on the throne of a millennium-old empire, even if it was in decline. The authority and glory born of a thousand years should have surrounded him in radiance—Yet his expression showed no joy.
Andronikos knew the reason all too well.
Which is why even he couldn’t easily speak.
Frankly, it was uncomfortable.
Just having him nearby, not even going anywhere, was enough to make the air feel heavy.
In the end, unable to endure it any longer, Andronikos broke the silence.
“…Do you regret it?”
John, the Emperor, knew that the Empress Joannina’s heart was not his.
No one could confidently say that her affection for Prince Konstantinos had nothing to do with the pressure and scrutiny he had faced.
And yet, the Emperor had never treated the Empress forcefully.
To the outside eye, their marriage seemed cold—But not so cold that one could say the Emperor hadn’t made an effort.
Some might interpret this as a political tactic, But not Andronikos.
That’s why he was able to ask.
John answered immediately.
“Of course I regret it.”
“Then you should’ve just said so…”
“And what if that only pushed her further away?”
“…If that’s how you feel, then let me ask one more thing.”
Their eyes met.
A silent exchange of emotions that could not be put fully into words.
But to gain clarity, Andronikos continued.
“Will you still regret it, going forward?”
At that, John recalled countless memories.
A woman who had withstood undeserved heartbreak because of him and yet rose again.
Someone who, even after years passed, never wavered in her original belief.
A girl who had once seemed fragile but grew stronger by the day. And through her growth, she had made him feel joy, sorrow, frustration, despair—emotions he had never properly reflected on during his reckless youth.
Feelings he hadn’t even known he was capable of.
Dreams he’d dared to hold, despite knowing they would never come true.
The end result was not what he had hoped for.
So yes, he regretted it.
But if asked whether he had been wrong, He could answer with certainty that he hadn’t.
Because the Empress was not a thing to be possessed.
She was a person—one who lived by her own will.
That’s why John could meet Andronikos gaze and say, without wavering—
“Of course not.”
After hearing that answer, the two brothers didn’t speak for a while.
Only Andronikos reached out first.
John silently took his brother’s hand.
Had they ever held hands before like this?
That thought crossed both of their minds.
Even though they shared the same blood, they had ignored each other for far too long.
Realizing that made their grip all the more firm.
The man who had once been a despot looked at the one who now wore the crown and said:
“Only today have I finally seen my brother’s tears… and his smile.”
And the man who was now Emperor bowed his head before the one who had once ruled.
TL : Despot is a ruler/title for high ranking officials in the Byzantine empire and nearby nations. I should have told this 100 chapters earlier.
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