Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Theodor’s entire body radiated with such brilliance that it was nearly blinding. A pure white mana circled him, coating his skin like a protective barrier.
Even the royal family members seated at the head table were staring at him in stunned silence.
Theodor quietly looked down at his own glowing form.
Was this the awakening he had longed for so desperately?
And yet, something felt off. This didn’t resemble the awakening described in the countless books and research materials he had studied. Rosalyn, too, watched the radiant light surrounding Theodor with a shocked expression.
Typically, during an awakening, mana emerged as a soft mist around the body and gradually faded.
But this intense, blinding release of mana was a rare phenomenon that only occurred in the rare case of what was known as a Hyper Awakening.
Hyper Awakening is a state that transcends ordinary awakening.
It was a phenomenon where mana infused with the strongest Essence burst forth in overwhelming power.
In royal history, Hyper Awakenings had only been achieved by a few of the founding ancestors, whose unparalleled strength had once felled ancient monsters and led to the empire’s creation.
Yet, such power came at a price: Difficult to achieve, and if not fully assimilated, the aftermath could be catastrophic.
In the original novel, Hyper Awakening had only been mentioned briefly, only as the power with which the founding royals defeated monsters and established the empire.
‘So that’s why he was such an unusual case?’
Theodor’s awakening in the novel hadn’t looked like this.
Most likely, due to his frail body, his Hyper Awakening never fully manifested. Instead, he suffered from mana overload and a terminal condition as side effects.
He was only ever portrayed as a pitiful wreck, obsessively clinging to Annie. Even Rosalyn, who had read the original work, never imagined he possessed such power.
‘Could that twisted obsession with Annie have been a result of this, too?’
It was said that if a Hyper Awakening wasn’t properly integrated, the immense power could devour the wielder’s mind. Now, Rosalyn could only gaze blankly at him. The mana storm caused by the awakening was beginning to subside.
And with it, the brilliance that had obscured his face faded, revealing a completely changed Theodor. No longer did he carry the aura of helplessness and despair, even his presence now was cold and unshakable.
Theodor turned his head toward the head table and looked directly at his father, Victor. Victor remained frozen, staring in disbelief. Beside him, Kyle’s face twisted in shock.
Theodor slowly began walking toward them.
Victor’s voice trembled as he asked, “You… could it really be…”
He was too flustered to finish his sentence. Theodor offered no reply, just a quiet nod as he looked his father straight in the eye.
The man who had once seemed so massive and terrifying now appeared utterly insignificant.
“Theodor…”
The moment Victor spoke his name, Theodor’s expression hardened. Ever since the day he had been cast aside, Victor had never once uttered his name.
He remembered every word like a blade hurled at him throughout his childhood.
[“You are no child of mine.”]
Did his father know how much that one line had tormented him?
The revenge he had dreamed of day after day surged vividly within him now. Theodor’s heterochromatic eyes gleamed with fury and disdain.
“Don’t speak my name.”
His voice was cold as ice.
“You are no father of mine.”
The fierce, overwhelming energy radiating from Theodor’s body silenced Victor. He couldn’t speak.
Was this truly his son?
Unconsciously, the emperor’s sturdy frame began to tremble. Theodor turned next to Kyle, who stared back in horror. He looked down at him with a frosty glare and said sharply,
“Kyle, I suggest you choose a different gift.”
His gaze shifted to the royal sword in Kyle’s hand.
“And you’ll need a different one from your father too.”
It was the truth.
As the firstborn who had now awakened, Theodor was the rightful heir to the throne. That had been the ironclad law of the empire for generations.
Kyle’s face twisted in protest.
“This is insane! What the hell is going on…?!”
Theodor shot him a sharp glare, and Kyle immediately fell silent. The grip on the sword in his hand weakened. Theodor bent down to pick up the sword that had fallen and drew it from its sheath, towering over Kyle.
Every face in the banquet hall turned pale.
Kyle looked on as though he might faint at any moment.
With trembling hands, Theodor raised the sword and swung it.
Slash! Slash!
The banners hanging next to the banquet pillar, emblazoned with Kyle’s grand portrait and the imperial crest, were shredded and fell to the marble floor.
A few nearby nobles screamed in alarm, but Theodor continued slashing until the banner lay in tatters. Then he sheathed the sword and stepped closer to Kyle, who looked utterly shattered. Bending down, he whispered threateningly.
“… Touch Rosalyn again, and you’ll end up just like that.”
Kyle trembled violently, unable to respond. Something warm and wet began seeping down his pants. Ignoring him, Theodor turned back to Victor.
“Move my mother’s grave. Immediately.”
Victor could only nod, speechless. With the sword still at his side, Theodor raised his gaze and swept his eyes coldly across the nobles in the hall.
Just moments ago, they had whispered behind his back and mocked him. Now, none of them dared meet his eyes.
So, this is the power of awakening.
The change in how they treated him felt laughable and oddly satisfying. And he no longer wished to remain here. He had done what needed to be done. There was somewhere else he had to go.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Theodor fastened the sword at his waist and walked toward Rosalyn.
“Let’s go.”
Still dazed, Rosalyn obeyed without resistance. Together, they left the banquet hall. As they passed, the crowd parted before them like the Red Sea.
Once outside, they crossed the palace halls and exited through the main gates. Theodor turned to Rosalyn.
“Will you come with me for a moment?”
She nodded, and he led her across the royal gardens. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to the palace’s underground tomb.
“Your Highness, this is…”
“…When I awakened, the first person I wanted to tell was my mother.”
His voice wavered slightly. He descended the steps with Rosalyn. It was dark, but they walked slowly,and steadily.
Soon, they arrived at his mother’s grave. A simple, small white headstone stood at the center.
He gently laid the royal sword before it.
Then, without a word, he bowed his head and stood in silence.
Drip. Drip.
Tears began falling onto the white headstone.
Rosalyn recalled a scene she had once read in the original novel. It was Theodor, sitting alone on the cold stone floor after his mother’s death, crying endlessly as he waited for someone who would never return.
How many tears has he shed here over the years?
She quietly watched the headstone and Theodor beside it. Eventually, he sank to his knees before the grave and began to sob aloud.
“Hheeukk…”
His cries echoed through the still tomb, just as described in the novel. Overwhelmed by emotion, Rosalyn reached out and held his hand. Theodor clutched her hand tightly, continuing to cry for a long while.
***
‘So this is how it all ends.’
Rosalyn was packing her things in the annex where she had been staying.
Now that Theodor had awakened, there was no longer any need for him to return to the Siphoc villa. Anton and the servants would soon move his belongings to the palace.
But Rosalyn had to leave. Her remaining things were still at the Mage Tower.
‘What now?’
With Theodor’s successful awakening, her mission was complete. He would now stay at the palace as the official crown prince.
And no one, noble or royal, would dare oppose someone who had achieved a Hyper Awakening.
However, because Victor had neglected him for so long, Theodor had never learned the things a prince needed to know. Therefore, he would be incredibly busy from now on.
In fact, in the days following his awakening, he hadn’t come to see Rosalyn at all. He missed their daily stretches and workouts, and he wasn’t in his room when she checked.
She sorted through the papers on the table.
They were the training plans she had created for him after administering the elixir. But with his abrupt awakening, they were no longer necessary.
‘Still, in the end, I survived just as I hoped, didn’t I?’
She thought she’d feel overjoyed at completing her mission but instead, she felt an odd emptiness. She placed the schedule into her bag and calmly began planning what came next.
‘I guess I’ll have to return to the Mage Tower.’
As an apprentice mage, she had no real alternatives. The tower stood on the western border of the empire, five days’ travel by carriage from Siphoc.
The thought of returning made her nostalgic for her days in the villa.
Teaching Anton stretches, building snowmen with Theodor in the garden, the brown cat whose wounds she treated…
‘I wonder how that cat is doing.’
She’d completely forgotten since leaving the palace. Was it still getting fed?
Once Anton and the staff left, the cat would be all alone which saddened her.
‘Maybe I could take the cat with me when I leave for the tower.’
She decided she would, if possible, and finished packing. Then she sat down, took out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. It was time to write her resignation letter.
She would leave her position as awakening tutor and return to the Mage Tower. With a soft sigh, she began to write, one word at a time.
As the ink flowed, so did memories of her time with Theodor. While he was eating breakfast, training, building snowmen, and all that had happened at the palace…
Looking back now, it all felt like a dream. Or it was truly a dream.
Maybe tomorrow she’d wake up, go to work at the gym, train her clients, then come home and read her favorite R-rated romance web novels.
She smiled faintly and touched her lips. The memory of the kiss during Theodor’s awakening burned vividly in her mind.
‘No, it wasn’t a dream. It was real.’
But so too was the reality that her role, as the side character and apprentice mage Rosalyn, had come to an end. She placed the completed resignation letter in an envelope and folded the flap neatly.
Tucking the envelope into her robe, she stood and made her way to Theodor’s room.
(TN: Ugh, the kiss from the previous chapter and the sassiness of Theodor in this chapter was chef’s kiss, I must say. I was so satisfied when I read his words 💋 Go, go, go Theo!)
