"Lucas, what do you think of Sylvia?"

"Excuse me?"

At the sudden question, Lucas momentarily wore a blank expression. What did he think of Sylvia?

However, the Emperor would never ask a question without intent. At the very least, it was not simply an innocent inquiry about his opinion of Sylvia. No matter what Lucas answered, it was clear that the Emperor had another agenda in mind.

If Lucas showed that he hadn’t fully grasped Sylvia’s character, the Emperor might classify him as a “useless individual.”

Well, considering that even Jaiden, who had zero sense, wasn’t treated that harshly, maybe that was an exaggeration.

"......"

So, Lucas began to contemplate his thoughts on Sylvia.

Expressionless, always polite in her speech, and quick to brush off any physical contact from Lucas. At a glance, she seemed to have a harsh personality, but there was a gentler side to her. Sylvia, in particular, had a soft spot for Alice.

It didn’t seem like it was just because they were the same age. Sylvia, oddly mature for her age, often acted as though she had stolen Alice’s rightful place. Whenever she had the opportunity to show consideration, she would, and whenever there was a chance to yield, she would do so.

Sylvia even seemed to extend this sense of having “taken” something not just to herself but to all of the Emperor’s children. Even when it was Lucas’s or Jaiden’s turn for something, if it overlapped with Alice’s, Sylvia would step in as a shield, ensuring Alice received the benefit first.

Unfortunately, Princess Alice didn’t seem to appreciate Sylvia’s intentions at all.

Just moments ago, for instance, it was Lucas’s turn to have a private audience with the Emperor after Sylvia. Lucas didn’t have anything particular to say, but the Emperor had indicated there were important matters to discuss.

Yet, Sylvia had nonchalantly allowed Alice to go in first.

If it hadn’t been Sylvia allowing Alice in, and Alice had forced her way in on her own, the Emperor would have scolded her. But the Emperor knew that Sylvia had let her through, so he didn’t blame Alice.

And Alice, perhaps unconsciously, understood this, which only made her more irritated with Sylvia.

If Sylvia really were an emotionless machine, Lucas wouldn’t have interpreted her actions as “being gentle.” He would have thought she was just acting mechanically to protect the Emperor’s only true bloodline.

But Sylvia wasn’t some emotionless, clockwork doll. She would get annoyed if Lucas or Jaiden bothered her and often fled from her brothers. Of course, the way she avoided them wasn’t just a child playing hide-and-seek but more like a professional spy concealing herself and going into hiding.

Even when they returned from the latest mission, Sylvia’s expression wasn’t cheerful. One could easily think it was because Lucas was sitting beside her, but in her hand was a newspaper with a glaring headline about a count’s assassination.

Though Lucas had seen Sylvia kill before... this assassination wasn’t an impulsive act. It was a calculated assassination that Sylvia had planned and executed herself.

"She’s... somewhat soft-hearted?"

"Ho?"

At Lucas’s evaluation, the Emperor slightly lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile.

"Is something wrong with what I said?"

The smile made Lucas uncomfortable, so he asked in his usual nonchalant tone. Although, Lucas was always laid-back, no matter who he spoke to.

"No, that’s not it. In some ways, your assessment aligns with mine."

If their thoughts had perfectly aligned, the Emperor wouldn’t have added “in some ways.”

"Is that why you’re lenient with Sylvia, Your Majesty? Because you know her personality..."

The Emperor was a cold-blooded man who would order a twelve-year-old child to assassinate a count, but at the same time, he genuinely loved his children. At least, that’s what Lucas had felt after spending his childhood and growing up with him.

If the Emperor thought Sylvia would fail, he wouldn’t have assigned her such a task in the first place.

"Perhaps."

The Emperor gave yet another ambiguous answer.

As Lucas looked up at him blankly, the Emperor asked again.

"Lucas, can you imagine yourself striking down Sylvia?"

"That—"

He was about to respond with a confident “Of course,” but then stopped himself.

"......"

And then, he seriously began to think.

Could he really strike down Sylvia?

Not on an emotional level, but purely from a skill-based perspective.

If Sylvia didn’t have a weapon, maybe it would be possible. Every time Lucas swung his sword at her, Sylvia would do her best to dodge. In terms of physical ability, Lucas had the upper hand by several moves. But then again, Sylvia was only twelve years old, so that was to be expected.

However... Lucas couldn’t imagine a moment where Sylvia wouldn’t be armed.

Since she had first been brought to this place as a child, Sylvia had always carried a gun.

Sure, there were times she wasn’t armed, like when attending important events or when she had to wear tight-fitting clothes where hiding a weapon wasn’t an option. It seemed that she wasn’t armed when relaxing either.

But even so—

For some strange reason, Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling that Sylvia would never face anyone without being fully prepared.

It wasn’t because he hadn’t seen her fight unarmed.

It was just that Lucas had this odd certainty that if he ever tried to strike Sylvia, she would always be “fully armed” and “prepared.” Maybe he would approach, ready to strike, only to find that Sylvia wasn’t there, but instead, the place was rigged with explosives, while the real Sylvia aimed an Ergensen rifle at him from a distance—something like that.

Because that’s how Sylvia had always been.

Even if he ambushed her in a place where he thought it would be impossible for her to notice, she would dodge by just half a step.

Even if Imperial Guards couldn’t detect her, Sylvia would somehow know where Lucas was.

As if she could read the future.

"Yes, I feel the same way."

The Emperor nodded, as if he knew exactly what Lucas had been thinking.

"Even if I imagined doing anything—mobilizing tens of thousands of troops to kill her—I couldn’t. For some reason, I just can’t imagine Sylvia being ‘unprepared.’ If I devised a foolproof plan to trap her, I’m certain she wouldn’t even be there. That’s the Sylvia I envision."

The Emperor leaned forward toward Lucas.

"Now, let me ask you again. Do you still think Sylvia is merely soft-hearted?"

"......"

"Perhaps. Maybe she’s holding back her true abilities and sparing everyone in the palace out of pity. Perhaps she’s showing restraint. But do you really believe that’s all there is to Sylvia?"

"Uh..."

Lucas hesitated to answer.

"The reason I gave her the order to kill the Count was because of that. I didn’t give her any information about the Count. I just told her to kill him—no reasons, no explanations, and I assigned you to monitor her. The reason I chose Count Crowfield was simple: he was the kind of person Sylvia would despise to the extreme."

Indeed, Sylvia had previously been part of an organization that “sold” orphans. If she had possessed the insight she has now, she would have never believed that place was just an orphanage.

And she wouldn’t have burned it down the way she did.

"If Sylvia weren’t an emotional being, she would have followed my orders, killed the Count, and returned. But somehow, within days, Sylvia figured out that the Count was a client of that orphanage. And then, she blew up every single carriage that followed. Do you know what that means?"

The Emperor leaned even closer toward Lucas.

"It means that Sylvia isn’t staying by my side because of any grand purpose or for the good of this nation. She’s only here because there’s something she wants to do for herself, for the moment. She’s selfish and acts according to her whims. Think about it. What if the Count had been a kind man, a loving lord of his people? What if Sylvia had ignored my order and spared him? Could we have stopped her?"

There was no way to know.

But at least, it wouldn’t have played out the way it did this time.

"Do you plan to... remove Sylvia?"

Lucas asked, and the Emperor burst into laughter. Watching the Emperor laugh, Lucas felt a wave of confusion as the Emperor finally spoke.

"No, no, Lucas. That’s a misunderstanding. In fact, it’s because of this that I find Sylvia all the more lovable. If we simply continue to cater to her whims, she’ll stay here. And she’ll bring us victory. I suppose, as a father, I’ll have to pay more attention to her from now on."