He looked as the last rays of the sun evinced the beautiful kingdom below—white cliffs, soaring birds, enthusiastic citizens, rising buildings, and cheerful expressions on people’s faces.

A steady breeze from the east touched his hair, skin, and royal mantle as he glanced at the kingdom with a sober gaze,

When an empire prospers, which emperor would not have a look of pride on his face? The older man felt the same, yet his heart felt empty.

Closing his eyes, he took a sigh and reminded himself, “The sole thing that gives me some feeling of relief is looking at this view.”

In the dark, he returned from the sundeck to his chamber,

On his way, many guards attended him.

“Greetings to the emperor.”

“Greetings to the emperor.”

“Greetings to the emperor.”

Clack!

The gates slowly opened,

As he strolled forward, he could see the throne getting bigger and bigger.

‘The Accursed Throne’—he called it.

The very throne he dedicated his life to,

The very throne for which he sacrificed his freedom.

The very throne he got with his blood and sweat.

The very throne that allowed him to experience various pleasures in this world.

The very throne he admired, craved and worshipped.

The very throne he hated sincerely,

While ascending the stairs to reach the throne, he was reminded of the hardships he faced to reach this point. But it also reminded him of the pleasures he savoured along the way,

“The journey of life, no matter how cruel, one has no choice but to walk on it. The journey of life, no matter how delightful, one has to end it one day,” such thoughts came from deep in his heart as he mounted to the throne.

Nostalgic feelings flooded through his mind as he sat on the throne. But not of the times when he sat there and ruled but of the times when his father briefed him about the values of the throne.

He still remembered his father’s words, “What you see in front is nothing but a junk of metal. But while lying there, many kings ruled this nation, many came and went. Regrettably, the responsibilities of ruling burden's my shoulders right now, but one day, you shall inherit those burdens. I believe when the time comes, you will realize the true significance of the throne,”

That day he had looked at the throne with glistening eyes. Until he recalled the demeanor of cruel reality, so, with tearful eyes, he’d asked, “How could I ever be a monarch? I am not strong like my brothers. My bones are fragile like glass that could shatter any moment. I do not even know if I will even survive,” While patting his head, his father had responded, “Fear not, you will live, you will survive, and someday you will rise.”

His father’s words became the truth. He survived and ruled, but at what cost?

Unlike his brothers, he could not perform martial arts. He lived in a world where strong survived.

To be born as a prince was his fortune—had he been born anywhere else, he would not have survived as his bones were weaker than a normal man. He was sickly; he should have died before the age of 15, but his father saved his life using unorthodox methods. Still, he could not use martial arts. Thus, remained a weakling,

His father adored him the most, so he wanted to make him the king while his two powerful brothers would be assigned to protect him. Those were his intentions, but ideal dreams often never come true.

In the beginning, the brothers lived like a proper family. He had a well-made relationship with his brothers. Maybe it was because they did not consider him a threat. Well, who knows?

The phrase, time changes a person, could not have been more accurate.

The tragedies he faced because of the changes still ached his heart when he thought about it.

“My Lord,” one councillor spoke.

He regained his senses and thought, ‘What is the use of thinking back now?’ With a sharp tone, he commanded, “You may speak.”

“The siege in Castrar has ended, the drought in the west lands has started to lessen. My lord, the empire now prospers every day, much better than before. All these years of effort are finally paying off. There have been no signs of war. Now, is the age of peace. The people are satisfied, so are the nobles and royals.”

With a blank stare, he replied, “I see, anything else.”

“Most of the princes have broken through their bottleneck and are now advancing to higher realms. We should celebrate this occasion.”

While relaxing his muscles and taking a sigh, he said, “Yes, hold a celebration, let them enjoy their youth.”

“Yes, my lord, they will be pleased to see you.”

With a light smile on his face, “I won’t be attending. It will leave a foul taste in their mouths if they see their weak father attending their celebration.”

“No, my lord, that’s not how they feel.”

His expression changed, “Humph, you may all leave.”

Unable to deny the king, they all left.

The king slowly walked towards his chamber.

In his room, there was a statue of a bodhisattva.

He made a prayer,

Whenever his heart would waver, he would come here and pray,

Later, he went towards his bed and rested.

He closed his eyes and whispered to himself, “Oh, what a life I lived, what a life I lived.” A drop of tear fell from one of his eyes,

Slowly his breathing stopped.

The king finally passed away after living for near 200 years.