After moving from his original room, the former emperor clicked his tongue in pity. He said to himself, "Tsk tsk, no one would have thought of trying to assassinate the emperor when I was in power, but now look at how they dare make such an open attempt.”

Talking to myself was a habit I gained from the terrible solitude I was left in after being deposed as the emperor.

The former emperor spoke to himself, but it was not like no one had ever made an attempt on his life when he ruled. The former emperor purged so many nobles that he was openly called the Blood Emperor. As such, many people had grudges toward him besides those who coveted power.

"It’s a problem that my son is so soft-hearted.”

If things had gone as he’d initially planned, he would have shouldered all the resentment and handed over the imperial authority to his son. However, the plan was ruined by Duke Asteria, his old and supreme political enemy.

"Ha, did you say you’d pull me down because I’m someone who’d never let go of my power?" The former emperor reiterated what he heard from Duke Asteria just before being dethroned.

When he was young, they were friends for who he would have sacrificed himself, but now after growing up, Duke Asteria was an old enemy who aimed for everything he had.

The former emperor had originally thought that he knew everything about himself, but he was proven wrong. He burst into laughter lightly. "I have no choice but to admit it.”

When he stepped down as emperor, giving up absolute power, an ugly side that he didn’t even know he...