Dungeon Conquest ©

Chapter 1 - A Life Drenched in Sin

Lumiere POV

Greed, pride, lust, wrath, gluttony, sloth, envy-sins are as natural as breathing. Everyone commits them, knowingly or not. No one is exempted from it. Even I, Ashron Taizer Armando Adriano XII, Emperor of the Southern Empire, am no exception. In fact, I might be worse than them, saving for the sin of lust. But I have no pride in my sins.

Born into wealth, I was the product of privilege. My father, was the Emperor of the Southern Empire, a powerful imperial who doted on me, giving me whatever I desired. My mother? Well, she was more interested in clinging to my father than nurturing me. From an early age, it was clear she didn't love me, and I couldn't help but feel the same way about her.

Everything changed when I was five. My father took my small hand in his and led me to my mother's chambers. What we found there turned my world upside down. I still remember that moment vividly-seeing her in the arms of another man. The hurt of that betrayal was sharp and painful, a feeling that would haunt me forever. That man was the Count of Villa, head of one of the richest families in the empire, and he was more than just my mother's lover.

My parents' marriage was not one born out of love. It was a political union, a strategy designed to cement the power of this empire.

My grandfather, the previous emperor, had arranged for my father to marry the daughter of the Grand Duke of Forestle, the most powerful man in the empire after the emperor himself.

It was an agreement made in order to create an unshakable foundation, to align the empire's power tighen with the wealth of Forestle.

It was a good favor, because since then, my father was already fallen deeply, foolishly in love with my mother, never even suspecting the thorns hidden beneath the beauty of the rose he so admired.

After the marriage, everything seemed perfect. My father became the emperor, and my mother, became the empress.

When I was born three years later, the entire empire celebrated my arrival. Banquets and festivals stretched for days.

It was as though I had been born under the most blessed of stars. My father was overjoyed, his love for my mother and hers reap through me.

But no one truly understands the heart of another. My father, for all his love, couldn't see what my mother was capable of.

Even when he discovered her affair, he couldn't act recklessly. The Emperor and Empress of the Southern Empire has equivalent power, and divorce was not an easy option.

Yet the true betrayal came on the coldest night of winter. I was there, only feet away, when my mother plunged a knife into my father's chest.

His life bled out before my eyes. My mother, the woman who birthed me, had become my father's murderer.

I could hardly process it. The man who had cared for me, who had taught me everything about ruling, was lay dead, slain by the woman he once loved more than himself.

My fists clenched, and fell to my knees in disbelief. As I cradled his head, his final words cut deeper than any blade,

"Taizer... Don't be blind to love, but also never hate without reason. Think carefully before you trust someone, alright?."

The words haunted me. I couldn't understand them then, but they stayed with me as the days turned into weeks, and my father's death became a memory-one I could never escape.

Soon after, the House of De Limes was blamed for the emperor's murder. A convenient scapegoat, executed without question or trial. I watched from the shadows as my mother orchestrated their downfall, her smile wicked and triumphant. But the real enemy, I knew, was the one who still walked free. My mother. The woman who raised me in name only, who thought she could kill and manipulate her way to the top without consequence.

It was then I began plotting. I had to bide my time, train, and learn. The Duke of Forestle, my maternal grandfather, took me in, raising me in his duchy while my mother ruled beside her new lover, now the Emperor in all but name. But there was something more powerful in my blood that no one could deny.

The Blessing of the Celestials.
During the ancient era of the Celestial and Demon warfare, humanity was gifted with a divine blessing-a mark of immense might, bestowed upon the imperial bloodlines. Each empire was given a unique sign, a trait that marked their rulers as descendants of divine power. The North was blessed with sapphire-blue eyes, the East with ruby-red, the West with golden-yellow eyes that gleamed like diamonds. And the South? The South had eyes that shone like emeralds.

My eyes. They were not just a symbol; they were proof. No one could deny my claim to the throne, not even my mother. The celestial and holy blessing ran through my veins, and as long as I lived, I was the only rightful heir. It was only a matter of time before I claimed what was mine.

Years passed, and my time in the duchy wasn't wasted. I trained relentlessly, fueled by the fire of vengeance. Every moment, every lesson from my grandfather was another step closer to reclaiming my birthright. Yet something gnawed at me-a sickness that sapped my strength, leaving me disoriented and weak. It was as though time slipped through my fingers, and I often found myself losing hours, sometimes days. Still, I persevered.

Then, the day of my coming-of-age ceremony arrived. I returned to the palace, standing tall as I was crowned Crown Prince, the only true successor of the Southern Empire. Despite her machinations, my mother couldn't deny my right. Not even her lover, the so-called Emperor, could challenge me. I had the blood of Roswell-the Imperial Family's blood-and that was enough.

As I stood before the court, their eyes on me, I let a small smile slip through. My mother, standing in the shadows, sneered. But I wasn't afraid. I knew what was coming next, and the day of reckoning was close.

The time for revenge was near, and I would make sure my mother paid for her betrayal with her life. Just like she had stolen my father's. The empire would bend to my will, and I would stop at nothing until every piece of her treachery was undone.

And so, I waited, the fires of wrath smoldering beneath the surface, ready to ignite when the moment was right.

"One day, mother," I whispered to myself, "you will kneel before me."

It was only a matter of time.