CHAPTER 2072  WHERE IS MY CROWN?

Rui gazed at his father deeply for a moment.

And then he began.

He began narrating a tale that began seven years ago on the fateful day his father unveiled his true identity to the entire world.

He disclosed everything.

From the very start.

What happened. How he felt. What he thought. And ultimately, what he decided to do.

"…And so I decided that I would not forsake my Martial Path for the throne." His tone grew fierce. "Not now. Not ever. Yet, at the same time, I did not wish to allow the empire to become ravaged by war. A war that would undoubtedly subsume the long lives that my family had cultivated in Kandria. After all the pain that I had put them through from my seven-year exile, I could not bring myself to do that to them."

His father gazed at him silently with melancholic eyes.

"…And so I decided that I would undo the very thing that had caused this mess in the first place," Rui continued as his tone grew heavier. "I would undo the very source of all of this mess. If I could just get your illness healed…"

His father silently listened as Rui bore his heart out for the first time without leaving out even the slightest detail.

He listened as Rui talked about how he built his own faction from nothing, elevating it to the most powerful political faction in the Kandrian Empire.

He listened as his son described his battle with the Gatekeeper, and his victory against the elder Senior and against his brothers, truly attaining everything he needed to claim the throne and all of Kandria for himself.

Yet, it couldn't move Rui.

His father listened as he began his search for the Divine Doctor, approaching the Beggar Sage, the Silas Clan, and the Adventurer's Guild.

His eyes widened as his son described how he managed to reel in the Silas Clan into the Kandrian Empire.

His gaze softened as Rui described his voyage in the Beast Domain.

The Valley of Prisms.

The Forest of Fear.

The Garden of Salvation and the Elder Tree and the suffering he endured to obtain the power of the Tree of Life.

The Mellow and the Mellow Dungeon.

The Divine Doctor.

His breakthrough to the Master Realm.

Yet, as much as Rui tried, he was unable to bring himself to divulge the matter of his soul. He was unable to bring himself to disclose the identity crisis he had suffered in the Mellow at the revelations.

It was too personal.

Too close to the heart.

Too close to the soul.

"And after collecting the alien flora lifeform, we left the dungeon, the Beast Domain, and returned home," Rui explained. "Sage Sayfeel collected us the moment we returned and had the Divine Doctor heal you immediately after. It's been five days since then. And here you are…"

A deep silence settled in the room once Rui finished his long tale.

STEP…

The Emperor of Harmony stood.

He stood for the first time in a long time.

Yet, his gaze was fixed on his son.

His golden eyes were melancholic.

He had needed to exert herculean self-control to suppress his outburst when Rui talked about the Elder Tree intelligence network, the Divine Doctor agreements, the Mellow Dungeon, and the alien flora lifeform.

Each of these was of enormous significance.

They were priceless assets.

Yet, his keen and sharp observation told him that there was more.

His son was hiding something.

Whatever it was, it was deeply personal and had impacted him more than everything had.

It had brought suffering.

Suffering that he had endured as a price for healing his father.

PAT

Rui's eyes widened as his father pulled him into a tender embrace.

"It's over, Rui." His voice was warm and powerful. "I am here."

He let Rui go, directing a deep gaze into his eyes. "Thank you."

His rich, deep voice was as grateful as it was sincere.

"I had thought my fate was sealed."

His tone grew heavier.

"I had thought my life was over."

He closed his eyes. "I had thought dying with regrets was the only possibility, but you…"

A warm smile appeared on the face of the Emperor of Harmony.

"You have shown me that your mother was right. One must never abandon hope, no matter what. I had thought I knew what that meant, but now I understand what she was trying to tell me."

Rui stirred at his words. (C) content.

"Only now do I understand what she was telling me." Emperor Rael closed his eyes. "Hope must never be abandoned. No matter what."

He opened his eyes, gazing at his son with profound eyes. "I hope you never forget."

Rui met his gaze silently.

"I don't know what plagues your heart," Emperor Rael continued. "But I hope that you overcome it. I hope I can help you, just as you have realized my hope."

Rui nodded silently.

"We have much to speak about." Emperor Rael calmly informed him. "But this is neither the time nor the place. Now that I have returned, I bear the responsibility of the Kandrian Empire. It is one that I cannot let be any longer. The Empire has suffered from a power vacuum and leadership for a long, long time. Its foundation has cracked, and the harmony that I have cultivated over centuries is surely eroding. Do you understand, my son?"

Rui nodded slowly. "…You are the Emperor of Kandria. The Empire needs you. It needs you more than ever. You don't need to worry about me, Father. I'm not a child that requires pampering. I have issues, but…"

He gazed at his hands, clenching them into fists.

"…I can handle them."

He needed it to handle it by himself.

His gaze returned to his father, his eyes filled with confidence.

"Do what you must."

A gentle smile emerged on the Emperor's face. "Then, I shall do exactly that. Now then…"

He glanced at Sage Sayfeel.

"Where is my crown?"

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