THY KINGDOM COME ; wmmp

UNMATCHED INTELLIGENCE.

Thy Kingdom Come
seven — unmatched intelligence

TWO YEARS passed like it was nothing. Cyrus was seven now and able to lessen the forced smiles he was showing his father. He even used the excuse that the Crown Prince must stand proud and unfazed, therefore as a child, he should already start behaving as one.

Claude accepted it quite easily and Cyrus couldn't be more than happy that he finally got to show a part of his true self. He didn't hate Claude, a little at least, because the Emperor seemed to accept his children, no matter how they act.

It made him feel a sense of relief.

It was the thing that his parents from his previous life forgot to make him feel. Acceptance. He didn't experience that since his parents always wanted him to be smart and strong, always reminding him that if he could still reach for something higher, then aim higher.

They never made him feel accepted just for who he was. They always wanted more.

For the people at the Imperial Palace, they saw Cyrus' changed of behavior as normal. Ever since he was a baby, he was already quiet and didn't express his emotions much. They saw this as a way of how he resembled his father, which exactly wasn't true because Cyrus was just like that.

Either way, it all worked out.

"How's training?" asked Claude as Cyrus entered the room. He already started swordsmanship training two months ago. His father didn't want to since he was too young, but he insisted on learning early.

"It went well. Former Knight Tharion is a great teacher," Cyrus sat on the chair and reached for his father's cup of tea. 'and a jerk.'

After two years, Cyrus finally realized why the Cyrus in the novel hated the nobles so much and even cried in his room.

Some of the nobles in the Empire believed that Cyrus wasn't accepted as the Crown Prince, hence why the Emperor gave him another name and forbid anyone to call him Emrys. They also believed that Athanasia was the one who got accepted as the heir of the throne, since her name wasn't changed.

'They belittled Cyrus to the point that he got scared of meeting nobles.' The Prince in the novel was described to fear attending banquets. But the author never revealed the reason why.

Now, Cyrus understood why.

The Prince was afraid of the judging eyes and fake smiles that everyone threw at him. Everyone didn't accept him as the Crown Prince and when Jennette came, Athanasia as the heir of the throne was also out of their minds. They were sure that Jennette was going to become the Empress.

"Don't strain yourself too much, Cyrus," Claude reminded after telling the maids to bring out refreshment for the Prince. "You still have plenty of time before you become the Emperor, take it easy."

"Yes, Father," replied the boy.

"Back then, you used to call me Papa," said Claude, looking at his son with a blank face.

'And what am I supposed to do about that?'

"I told you, Father. I have to be strict and proper, I'm the heir," he let out a heavy sigh, tired of Claude disagreeing with his actions. "Still unofficial though," he muttered.

Athanasia can act childish and enjoy her life, even if it means pretending to be the cute daughter in front of Claude. But Cyrus couldn't do that because he knew he needed to have power. A power strong enough that will help him when he's in need and can protect his sister.

The Cyrus in the novel was described as powerless, despite being the Crown Prince. He was strong but he had no one to help him. One can't simply win a battle alone.