The Prince Wants to Retire

“Life…is really miserable.”

A thin man lying on the bed spewed out a bitter curse.

Beside the bed, an elderly man with white hair was silently shedding tears, while a knight in elegant armor had a mournful expression on his face.

Despite their concerns, the man lying on the bed instinctively knew that his life was coming to an end.

“My life…is really miserable.”

As the man spoke, everyone in the old-fashioned room lowered their heads in silence.

No one dared to look at the man’s last moments, as his illness had left him with a sickly complexion.

This man, who had suffered his entire life, was none other than the emperor of the kingdom — Kariel Frederick von Blazer, 128th emperor of Astoria.
That was the name of this man, who would be recorded in the history of the empire as a tragic figure.

“When I die…I will be remembered as a tragic figure, won’t I?” 

The emperor spoke while looking at the court official next to him.

The official couldn’t bear to look at the emperor and replied with a stern expression, “That won’t happen.”

The knight, who had accomplished great feats in the history of the empire, including serving as the commander of the palace guards and being a grandmaster that appeared only once in several hundred years, also spoke in agreement.

However, the emperor only smiled bitterly.

“What nonsense.”

Even now, if he were to go outside, he would only be met with people who cursed and despised him.
Perhaps he never thought that if he died, his tombstone would be inscribed with such a sad epitaph: The Worst Emperor — Died at the young age of 31

“Unfair…”

With a bitter expression, the emperor gazed silently out the window.

He felt as though the gods beyond the blue sky were mocking him.

He had worked himself to the bone, so why did he end up with such a result?

If he died like this, his cause of death would surely read: Incurable Disease 20%, Poisoning 10%, Overwork 70%

He had worked so hard that overwork accounted for 70%.

He had grown up in an environment full of anxiety, constantly under the threat of assassination, and even had a congenital disease.

Despite such unfortunate circumstances, he had worked tirelessly.
However, despite all his efforts, this was the result.

“Gurgle…”

As the emperor began to cough up black blood, he recalled his past.

He had hastily taken over as emperor at the age of 21, after the previous emperor had died suddenly.
He had worked hard for ten years since then.

“Rebellions in various parts of the empire took two years to suppress,”

“War with neighboring countries that had been waiting for an opportunity took one year,”

“Northern monster wave took two years,”

“The second Inma war fought against the demon gate opened by dark wizards took three years,”

“And the remaining period was spent defending the empire against invading armies from the continent, which had taken advantage of the weakened state of the empire due to consecutive wars.”

Despite facing such continuous hardships, the empire was ultimately saved.
However, the emperor couldn’t help but be angry at how he had become the worst tyrant the empire had ever seen.

Despite working like a dog for ten years, the people didn’t like him.
They saw him as a lucky tyrant who had become emperor even though he had no ability.
In reality, his younger siblings were more talented than him, and he had become emperor simply because he was the eldest son.

The people believed that if any of his younger siblings had become emperor, the empire wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

He had worked tirelessly to keep the empire together through multiple wars, but still, he was seen as the worst emperor the empire had ever had.

He couldn’t help but think how unfair it was.
He just wanted to live, and it wasn’t even his fault.
The people called him a tyrant, but he didn’t see it that way.
He had done everything he could to save the empire, but it seemed like it was never enough.

He was angry and frustrated, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would have lived longer if he hadn’t become emperor.
He had hoped that becoming emperor would make him healthier, but it was just wishful thinking.

He had been busy dealing with rebellions, assassins, and wars, and he had barely had time to take care of his health.
He had overcome several crises and had managed to save the empire, but his health had already deteriorated beyond repair.

“Life is really unfair,” he said to the knight standing beside him.
The knight was the commander of the imperial knights, and he was a brilliant strategist and warrior.

The knight looked at him with a sad expression, and the emperor realized that he should have relied on him more.
He had not given him enough credit for his abilities, and he regretted it.

“I should have trusted you more.
I’m sorry,” he said to the knight.

The emperor was now nearing the end of his life, and he knew that his sister, who was ten years younger than him, would succeed him.
He had never been married, so he had chosen his young sister as his heir.
Even though she was talented, it would take a lifetime for her to rebuild the empire.

However, he was grateful that he had managed to get rid of the bugs that had infested the empire, and he knew that with his sister’s talent and dedication, she could do anything.

As he felt the final moment approaching, the emperor looked out the window one last time.

“It was a truly… miserable life.”

“You have suffered enough.
May you rest in peace…”