"Well, well — the Emperor has put on quite a grand reception for us. Looks like we're in serious trouble this time, Rulu." C.C. remarked, though her expression was completely relaxed as she said it — not a trace of tension, as if the whole affair had nothing to do with her and she were merely a bystander.
"Hmph. We'll see who's in trouble. I'd like to see what game he thinks he's playing." Rulu said in a low voice. He neither fled nor made any threatening gesture toward the others in the hall. He stood where he was, surveying the room with a cold, contemptuous gaze. The guards in the hall seemed to have been given some instruction beforehand — seeing that Rulu made no move, they held their positions as well. Both sides simply stared at each other, and no one made the first move.
The standoff lasted for some time, until suddenly a steady, measured set of footsteps echoed from the depths of the hall. At the sound, everyone turned to look. A man in a purple-and-gold robe, appearing to be around forty, emerged slowly from the inner hall accompanied by two male attendants.
The man had a fair complexion and silver-grey hair. He was of medium build — neither heavy nor lean — and his face bore no expression. He looked at no one as he made his way deliberately toward the raised dais at the far end of the hall, where he took his seat in an ornate chair.
At his appearance, everyone in the hall fell silent at once. They lowered their heads, bent their knees, and dropped to a half-kneel, their expressions turning solemn. The hall, which had been murmuring with noise just moments before, went instantly and completely quiet.
"It's you — the Sanctuary's Emperor. You've finally shown yourself!" Rulu's body trembled involuntarily. He furrowed his brow and fixed the man on the dais with a gaze full of fury mixed with hatred.
"You dare stand before His Majesty without kneeling?!" One of the Emperor's attendants barked at Rulu in an imperious tone. Rulu didn't move an inch, as if he hadn't heard a word, his angry eyes still locked on the silver-haired man seated on the throne.
"How dare you show such disrespect to His Majesty — seize him!" The attendant waved his arm and shouted. The soldiers in the hall immediately raised their weapons and moved to surround Rulu — but at that moment, the Emperor spoke in a composed voice: "Stand down. Everyone else, rise."
The guards who had been about to act on Rulu withdrew to their posts, and the others who had been half-kneeling rose one by one. They stood upright, eyes forward, occasionally stealing a sideways glance at Rulu and C.C. — but not a single one dared so much as a peek at the Sanctuary's Emperor on his dais.
"It's been a long time, Louis. You haven't changed much at all — if anything, you look younger than before. None of your children look quite as young as you do, heh heh..." C.C. smiled with a wry, teasing grin as she addressed the Emperor on his dais.
The people in the hall were visibly shaken. They stared at C.C. in disbelief, unable to fathom that anyone would dare to address the Emperor by name and speak to him with such biting mockery.
What surprised them even more, however, was that the Emperor did not show the slightest anger upon hearing C.C.'s words. Instead, a faint smile of genuine pleasure crossed his face. "C.C., seeing you truly makes me glad," he said in an even tone. "I was just worrying about how to bring you back — and here you've returned on your own. What's more, you've brought me a gift. I really ought to thank you, heh heh..."
C.C.'s brow furrowed slightly and she replied with mild displeasure: "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come back by choice — someone forced my hand."
"In that case, it seems I should be thanking the young man beside you..." The Emperor smiled with an inscrutable expression and shifted his gaze to Rulu. He studied him for about ten seconds, then spoke in a gentle voice: "Rulu, my child — look how you've grown. Have you nothing to say to your own father?"
A stir rippled through the crowd. Unable to contain themselves, people leaned toward each other and whispered: "Did His Majesty just say this spy is his child?"
"His Majesty called him Rulu... ah, now I remember — many years ago, there was indeed a young prince in our Sanctuary by that name. Could this young man really be that prince?"
"I remember too. If I recall correctly, some incident caused that prince Rulu to lose his title and status, and he was eventually expelled from the Sanctuary. Coming back like this, he must have an agenda — most likely revenge for what happened back then. What befell Princess Meiyu is proof enough of that."
"I wonder how His Majesty intends to deal with him. He did secretly infiltrate the Sanctuary and deliberately harm Princess Meiyu — serious crimes. But after all, he is His Majesty's child just as we are. His Majesty probably won't punish him too severely."
The crowd whispered on, casting various looks at Rulu.
"Silence. Keep order." The Emperor's attendant called out sharply, and the murmuring in the hall gradually died down.
Rulu stared at the Emperor with a complicated expression and said nothing for a long moment. Seeing that Rulu remained silent, the Emperor spoke again in his unhurried voice: "What's the matter, Rulu? You've come all the way back to the Sanctuary — have you nothing to say to your own father?"
At that, Rulu finally spoke. In a low, clear voice, he said: "From the moment you abandoned me, you stopped being my father. I have nothing to say to you."
"Is that so?" The Emperor gave a faint smile and replied calmly: "And yet I have thought of you often over these years. After all, you are the most gifted of all my children. Seeing you again — I am genuinely glad."
Rulu blinked, then fixed the Emperor with a look of pure hatred. "Save your false sentiment. If you had truly cared about me, you would never have abandoned me in the first place — nor would you have stood by without lifting a finger while my mother and sister were killed."
At those words, the Emperor fell silent for a brief moment, then spoke: "I had no wish to see that happen. You should not place the blame for that entirely on others — nor should you direct your resentment at me because of it."
Rulu let out a cold laugh. "So you're saying it was my mother's and sister's fault — and mine? That they deserved to be killed?"
The Emperor's face was expressionless. "In a certain sense, your words are not wrong. I will not deny it."
"You... you bastard..." Rulu's teeth clenched and his whole body began to shake uncontrollably. He was too furious to speak for a long moment.