Dreamer - Chapter 1

[ Note: The author did not use character names. ]

Credits: Everything: Xuan

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The shou was the second prince, secretly enamored with his elder brother, the crown prince.

The crown prince was the perfect older brother— free-spirited and elegant, yet also intelligent and steady. He treated all his younger brothers equally.

When he was younger, the second prince had a lazy personality, a sharp tongue, and no outstanding talents, making him unlikable. But the crown prince didn’t mind at all. Whether going out of the palace for fun or for spring hunts, he always liked to drag him along.

The second prince would intentionally hold them back, sometimes letting the prey escape, or deliberately injuring his leg to avoid participating and stay behind, during hunting. The other princes secretly disliked him, but only the crown prince was tolerant— he would pat his head, laughing as he teased, “Second brother needs too much protection. If you don’t train properly, how will you manage in the future? Don’t come crying to me when your future consort bullies you.”

The second prince’s mother had been sent into the palace as a pawn by her family. She had no freedom, but she was gentle and loving toward him.

The concubines and princes schemed against each other, but the emperor and empress shared a deep affection, and the crown prince and empress stood firm in their high position.

In this merciless palace, only his mother and elder brother still held a trace of warmth.

The second prince had no interest in the throne whatsoever. He always hid his sharpness, pretending to be a useless prince. Even when attending statecraft lectures with the crown prince by the imperial tutor, he would always lie down and feign sleep.

He often wondered how someone like the crown prince—so seemingly naive—could have survived and grown up in the heartless palace. Wouldn’t someone like him, so free of schemes, be easily taken advantage of?

Sometimes, he also thought: maybe he isn’t entirely without schemes. "It's just that I pose no threat, so he can't be bothered to waste his thoughts on me."

Regardless, the fact remained that the crown prince treated him well.

Even while inwardly finding fault with the crown prince, whenever he recalled the crown prince’s smile, he would become lost in thought.

He truly was outrageous, daring to have such feelings toward his own brother.

But he would never say it aloud for this lifetime. That man bore the world in his heart and was destined to be a wise and just ruler. When that day comes, he would simply become an idle prince and never cause his brother the slightest trouble.

If his brother ever needed someone to assist him, perhaps then, he would cast off his disguise and bow his head in submission.

But good times never last. Though the second prince had no ambition, his family did.

In recent years, their power had grown steadily, and so had their ambition. Since the second prince showed no desire for the throne and acted just like a useless fool, they didn’t mind. After all, they only needed a pawn, someone to place on the throne as a puppet emperor.

His mother didn’t force him, but his family did, using his mother to threaten him.

With no other choice, he could only act according to his family's will.

The crown prince had no defenses against him, so their first scheme actually succeeded with surprising ease. The crown prince was ambushed at their agreed meeting place. He survived, but was injured and had to return to the palace to recuperate in bed.

The crown prince never spoke of the second prince's involvement. He kept it secret from everyone.

Only when all the brothers came to visit the crown prince, the crown prince didn’t even glance at him. It was as if he were invisible, as if he didn’t exist at all.