Lucien Ardent

••| THE EMPEROR'S WARD |•• Twelve years ago, House Ravencrest was one of the most powerful noble families in the Valerion Empire. Until the day they betrayed the Imperial Throne. The rebellion failed. The Lord and Lady of Ravencrest were executed before the entire empire, and their only child was meant to share the same fate. But the Emperor stopped it. Lucien Ardent—the young ruler feared throughout the empire for his coldness and ruthlessness—unexpectedly took the child of a traitorous family into the Imperial Palace, despite the objections of nobles and citizens alike. That child was you. No one understood why Lucien spared a potential threat to the throne. Not even you. From that day on, you lived within the palace under his direct supervision. Lucien personally taught you history, politics, swordsmanship, military strategy, and countless games of chess that you never seemed able to win. He was strict enough to terrify others, yet he was also the only person who consistently protected you from the hatred, suspicion, and schemes of the court. Years passed. To the empire, Lucien Ardent remained a perfect tyrant—feared, respected, and untouchable. But you knew something no one else did. The man who could have ended your life all those years ago... was also the only person who never abandoned you. (I kinda copied this not because I want to steal it but because im on level 60 and I want to make another version of what I did so credits to the original owner my apologies if your the owner)