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The Obsessive Male Lead Is Actually Scary-Chapter 34: To Be Worthy of a Crown
Chapter 34: To Be Worthy of a Crown
The heir, Alessio Aurenfeld, was finally born to the imperial couple after thirteen long years of waiting.
It had been a difficult journey. During the tenth year of their marriage, with pressure mounting from the nobility for the Emperor to take a concubine, he finally allowed the imperial physician and the Grand Temple’s high priest to investigate together. It was a rare collaboration that produced an explanation strong enough to silence all further protests.
It had been a difficult journey. During the tenth year of their marriage, with pressure mounting from the nobility for the Emperor to take a concubine, he finally allowed the imperial physician and the Grand Temple’s high priest to investigate together. It was a rare collaboration that yielded an explanation convincing enough to ease the pressure, at least for a time.
The reason for the delayed heir, they concluded, lay with the Emperor himself.
Years of war, heavy governance, chronic fatigue, and unchecked stress had disrupted his internal balance.
His body, worn by battle and burdened by the pressures of rebuilding a fractured empire, suffered a severe hormonal imbalance that rendered conception nearly impossible.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Arthur made a decision.
He began to prioritize his health by getting proper rest, spending less time at his desk, following a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol, and receiving regular temple blessings.
It wasn’t an overnight fix. But after two full years of careful healing, his condition improved. And finally, not long after, they conceived.
With the reason now clear, and the birth of a miracle child in their arms three years later, any lingering doubts faded. The Emperor’s law had already been declared, but the child’s arrival made his choice undeniable. Even the most stubborn noblemen, though they still grumbled in private, could no longer question it.
Alessio was the very image of his father.
In Aurenfeld, it was common for imperial heirs to inherit the father’s traits. Some believed it was the will of ancient bloodlines, others said it was a lingering magical legacy woven into the ruling family’s lineage. Whatever the reason, Alessio was unmistakably Arthur’s son.
He had the rare imperial markers: hair like sunlight, soft pale gold, and striking violet eyes, a color unique only to the ruling line of Aurenfeld. No other family across the empire shared such a trait.
Because of this, Alessio had worn a glamour artifact since infancy.
Powerful, ancient, and almost impossible to detect, this artifact concealed his real appearance. Only a handful of beings in the world, such as great archmages or nullifiers, could see through such an enchantment. Not even a skilled mage could pierce it.
Only seven of these artifacts were known to exist, and three were in the possession of the Aurenfeld imperial family.
His appearance altered, Alessio was raised outside the palace, concealed behind a false identity.
Neither Arthur nor Adelia wanted to part with their son. After years of yearning and a miracle birth, the very thought of distance was painful. But they knew... they had no choice.
For the boy’s safety, Alessio was entrusted to the Slovene family, barons who had served Adelia’s family for generations with quiet loyalty. They were humble on the surface, their name barely a whisper in noble circles, but beneath the empire’s political web, they were trusted hands working directly under imperial command.
Even when Alessio visited the palace, no one batted an eye. He blended in with the Slovene children, carrying their family name and dressed plainly. After all, who would bother prying into a baron’s child?
"Alessio, my baby..." Adelia called softly, her eyes glowing with affection.
"Mom..." the boy cried, rushing into her arms and wrapping himself around her.
"My precious one..." Arthur stepped forward and drew them both into his embrace, his large arms gently circling his wife and son. His expression, always so firm before his court, softened into a warmth only his family ever saw.
Their meetings were always in secret. In hidden gardens, behind chamber doors only a trusted few could unlock. It wasn’t the life of a typical royal child, but it was theirs.
From the very beginning, Alessio was taught to be cautious. He learned to live with a sharp eye and a quiet step. His path would not be like others. He would grow up outside the golden walls of the palace. He would walk among the people. Work beside them. Learn their hardships, their stories, their pain.
All of it... to become the kind of ruler who never forgets what it means to live as one of them.
And yet, not once did Alessio ever feel abandoned or unloved.
Because the woman he called Grandmama was also by his side.
She gave him everything a child could need: comfort when he cried, firm guidance when he stumbled, and wisdom hidden beneath her everyday lessons. She wasn’t just his caretaker. She was his mentor, his shield, his first teacher. And through her, Alessio began to understand what it meant to be a leader.
He was no ordinary boy. But she never treated him like porcelain.
She let him fall, get dirty, work, sweat, and laugh.
She gave him a childhood made not of royal privilege, but of meaningful experience.
By age four, he was already helping Grandmama tend the herb garden behind the house, learning the names of every leaf and root. Not just for cooking, she said, but for healing, for surviving. She’d ruffle his hair and say, "Even an emperor needs to know what grows in his soil."
At five, he was sent out with the Slovene children to run errands in the village. It wasn’t unusual for locals to see him carrying a basket of vegetables or holding the hand of a younger child. He learned to speak with merchants, haggle at the market, and greet the elderly with proper respect.
At seven, he began real training. Sword drills in the morning, etiquette in the afternoon, and history lessons deep into the evening. It wasn’t just Aurenfeld’s history. He was taught the tales of fallen kingdoms, of tyrants who ruled with greed and how their legacies crumbled. His instructors, hand-picked by the Emperor and Grandmama, were strict but kind. They didn’t allow him to slack, because Alessio was meant for more.
At ten, he could already read and write three different scripts, recite ancient laws, and hold his own in debates even with adults. But he wasn’t only educated in books. free𝑤ebnovel.com
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