Chapter 1035: Seira’s Innermost Thoughts

War was something deeply despised by many people. It stemmed from rulers’ desire to dominate one another, yet it was ordinary people who suffered the most.

Unfortunately, that was simply the law of nature. Human beings, in the end, seemed destined to destroy one another. It was ironic, perhaps, but that was the reality.

Ever since I was a child, I had always wondered: What was the purpose of war?

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I finally realized the answer—it was nothing more than a political game. No one could stop it except humanity itself.

It was truly... heartbreaking.

***

Seira sat on the throne with her eyes closed. There wasn’t a single person around her. She was completely alone.

Silence enveloped the throne room. If it had been anyone else in her position, they might have felt frightened.

The throne room had witnessed countless events throughout history, as emperors and governments of the past had come and gone.

And now, in that quiet place, her father’s reign—that of Emperor Ragan—would soon come to an end. In just one year, the throne would belong to its next ruler.

Seira exhaled deeply before slowly opening her eyes.

The ministers who usually reported to her were nowhere to be seen.

A red carpet made of high-quality material stretched out before her, all the way to the throne room doors at the far end.

The sturdy pillars on either side were the only "presence" keeping her company.

"I fell asleep again," she muttered.

Seira couldn’t remember how many times she had fallen asleep on the throne.

Four times? Six times? Maybe more?

She didn’t know. She had completely forgotten. But she felt incredibly comfortable sleeping on the throne, whereas she usually suffered from insomnia in her bedroom.

Seira took a deep breath before standing up and walking down the steps of the throne.

She calmly surveyed her surroundings.

Long ago, she and her siblings were often summoned by their father to the throne room to hear his political decisions.

Even when they were still children, they were required to attend whenever he summoned them. Otherwise, the punishment would be severe.

Aldric, Cedric, Adalen, Zarak, and Cassian. As for the princesses, there were her, Novaria, Selena, Freya, Sharon, and Elina.

There wasn’t a huge age gap between them. She and Aldric were only two years apart, while the other siblings were also separated by only two or three years.

Back then, they didn’t harbor the resentment they did now. They joked around, cared for one another, and respected each other.

Confrontations were inevitable, but everything remained within reasonable limits.

Unfortunately, the older they got, the more they began to see their sibling bond as nothing more than an obstacle.

Those who had once been close and often played together eventually became bitter enemies, fighting over the throne.

"Power only brings destruction," she whispered, her expression growing complicated.

She stopped in her tracks and turned toward the throne behind her.

It was just an ordinary chair, yet her brothers fought over it as if it were the last piece of food in the world. And it wasn’t just them—her father’s brothers, her grandfather, and even their ancestors had done the same.

For Seira, who already sat upon it, the power so coveted by the princes was nothing more than a burden.

"When greed controls you, it’s only a matter of time before you crumble," she muttered, shaking her head as she walked out of the throne room.

***

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

The guards bowed their heads to Seira.

Seira gave them a slight nod.

"Did anyone enter His Majesty Ragan’s chambers while I was away?"

"No," one of the soldiers replied firmly. "We stood guard as you ordered. No one was allowed inside—not even the concubines."

"Good. I’ll check on him first. Please keep guarding the room."

The guards didn’t dare refuse.

As Seira entered the room, she was greeted by an eerie silence.

Her father, Ragan Lorian, lay motionless on the bed.

Seira walked over to him and stopped beside the bed, carefully examining his condition.

Her once-strong father now looked helpless. His skin was pale, and he had lost a lot of weight.

Seira reached out and gently stroked his face.

"Father, when will you wake up? Don’t you want to see who wins the throne?" she whispered softly.

Tears unconsciously streamed from the corners of her eyes.

"You know? A rebellion has broken out along the southern border. Many cities have fallen, and the casualties are in the millions. This is the greatest loss we’ve suffered since the war with the demon race a thousand years ago." Her voice trembled. "I... I’m sorry. I failed to carry out your orders."

She sobbed.

Her usual composure and resolute nature seemed to vanish in that very moment.

She was now nothing more than a little girl complaining to her father about her troubles.

"Duke Malvain sent Aldric and thousands of soldiers to quell the rebellion. But what happened? Aldric never returned, and thousands of his soldiers were slaughtered by a Celestial sorceress."

Seira’s voice grew hoarse as she spoke.

"And now, I’ve issued an emergency order. Elina, accompanied by Freya and Evalyn, is leading thirty thousand troops there. It’s been over a week since they left, so they should have reached the southern border by now. I hope they can resolve this issue before fear spreads among the people again."

She took a deep breath and regained her composure.

After pouring out her heart, she felt much more at ease.

She didn’t know whether her father had heard her or not, but she was certain he would support every decision she had made.

"I’m leaving now, Father. I hope you’ll wake up before the battle for the throne is over. That way, you can see the winner with your own eyes and officially crown them."

After saying that, she turned and walked away.

What Seira didn’t realize was that, as she left, Ragan’s fingers—which had remained still until then—suddenly twitched for a brief moment.

***

Seeing Seira leave, the soldiers immediately made way for her.

"Keep guarding His Majesty Ragan. If there are any problems, let me know immediately. Understood?"

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

Without saying another word, Seira walked away. But after taking only ten steps, her head began to throb faintly.

The next second, the throbbing intensified, causing her vision to blur.

Her body grew unsteady, and she hurriedly braced herself against the wall.

"Y-Your Majesty!?"

The soldiers were startled and rushed toward her.

"Are you okay!? Your Majesty!" they called out in panic.

But Seira didn’t answer. Her vision continued to blur as mysterious voices echoed inside her head.

"Hehehe! Thanks, Nolan!"

"Am I pretty?"

"Pfft! I know you’re teasing me, but I like it."

A strange scene unfolded in her mind. She had become someone else, and before her stood a tall, handsome man whose face she couldn’t see clearly. He smiled at her.

The man opened his mouth and spoke words that made her heart ache.

"I love you. Don’t forget me, okay?"

Bang!

It felt as though her head had been struck by a hammer. Before she could even understand what was happening, everything around her grew increasingly blurry.

Her body began to fall.

She could see the soldiers trying to call out to her, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.

’What... is happening?’

Whoosh!

A gust of wind brushed against her face, and in that instant, everything went dark.