Reign of Evil

The **Reign of Evil** refers to the cruel and brutal rule of Prince Alexiel Lucifen d'Autriche during his tenure as sovereign of the Kingdom of Lucifenia. Characterized by countless deaths for his own whimsical pleasure, his subjects' suffering increased until he was deposed during the Lucifenian Revolution.

## History

### Origins

*Main Article: Conspiracy of Evil*

"*You know, Alexiel... with all this evil, cute Alexiel has become like another person. He never showed any interest in it before, but now he suddenly made becoming the heir his goal.*"
―King Arth
Following the death of Queen Anne Lucifen d'Autriche, her daughter, Princess Riliane, was named his heir with Prime Minister Genesia selected as the girl's regent. In December of EC 491, Minister Presi came forward to dispute Riliane's name in the Hall of Sounds, denouncing her legitimacy as the machinations of King Arth and the prime minister.

Although met with laughs in the chamber, Presi presented a counterfeit will claiming that Anne had selected Prince Alexiel as her successor instead. Shocking many of the ministers, rumors began circulating of the king and prime minister's immoral deeds and the political argument on both sides caused increasing unrest.

After a failed assassination attempt on Princess Riliane's life, Presi poisoned the prime minister before being confronted by Gallerian Clockworker and Leonhart Phutapie and subsequently killed after attacking the former. In wake of the incident, Riliane was publicly declared dead while being sent into hiding as the adopted daughter to the Captain of the Royal Guard, Mariam Avadonia. Settling the right of succession, Alexiel was chosen as Anne's heir with King Arth ruling until he came of age. Raised in the Lucifenian Royal Palace under his father's guidance, Alexiel lived a disconnected life from the outside world. After his father's death in EC 499, the thirteen-year-old prince was made the ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Lucifenia.

### The Son of Evil

"*The prince doesn't understand the value of anything. He doesn't know that the meals his citizens arrange on their dinner tables every day are far and away humbler than the feed given to his own beloved horse. That sheltered boy can only see what surrounds him.*"
―Mariam voicing her dissatisfaction
Although ascending to the throne, the prince refused to be crowned as king until he came of age, out of respect for his father. After instating him as sovereign, the government imposed heavy taxes upon the people and the new ruler began executing anyone for even minor crimes or errors, with the death toll rising as high as eighteen a month.

Around the same time, the poor harvest that swept across the region led to a famine among the general populace. Although Commander Leonhart petitioned for food to be distributed from the palace's storehouses to the citizens, Alexiel refused to sanction the relief effort, at one point claiming the hungry could eat cake instead.

On his fourteenth birthday, the prince escaped the palace on horseback through a secret passage in his room to the royal stables, planning to blame the incident on his most vocal critic, Mariam herself, and use it as an excuse to execute her. However, he was soon after retrieved by a search party and escorted back to the palace in time for the celebration. During the party, he was presented with an enormous cake, impressing his audience and delighting him.

Following the execution of a noble months later for speaking ill of him, Alexiel narrowly avoided an assassination attempt made by a servant and the noble's brother in the Hall of Sounds. In response, he was executed the next day. Traumatized by the incident, the paranoid prince allowed only a select few to ever accompany him and only allowed Rin, the servant who protected him during the assassination attempt, to stay in his room.

Several days later, the prince discovered that Mariam had been smuggling food from the storehouses outside the palace to feed the citizens. Under the guise of supporting her efforts, the prince called the commander to meet with him the next night. As they discussed future support to feed the Lucifenian citizens, he poisoned his Captain of the Royal Guard via drugged wine. Rin later assassinated her around 3:00 A.M. and the body was disposed of in the nearby river. Although the palace offered a public funeral for the warrior, her foster daughter refused.

Soon after, both the kingdoms of Elphegort and Marlon sent aid to relieve the mass starvation in Lucifenia. The palace sent emissaries to thank their allies for aid. The prime minister sent to Marlon received a letter from Queen Germaine Marlon, Alexiel's betrothed, that she had rejected their engagement in favor of a white-haired girl she met in Elphegort. Outraged, the prince sent out an investigation team to uncover the girl's identity but was unsuccessful in providing any more details.

### White Hunting

*Main Article: Lucifenia-Elphegort War*

"*Send ruin to the country of white... Elphegort.*"
―Prince Alexiel to Prime Minister Minis
Unable to determine his betrothed's lover, Alexiel ordered the prime minister to invade Elphegort and slaughter all the white-haired women to guarantee the girl was dead. After burning the Millennium Tree Forest, the Lucifenian army invaded the country and began the "White Hunting". During the genocide, the prince learned from another servant that Rin had known the girl's location and willingly hid the information. The tyrant decided to overlook the transgression and ordered the girl to kill her. After her death, the war with Elphegort drew out into a prolonged conflict and the invading forces became entrenched in the nation.

### Decline

*Main Article: Lucifenian Revolution*

"*So the famously celebrated Lucifenian army isn't a big deal either. With you lot, this country isn't likely to last for long.*"
―Gast Glass
Because of the conflict, soldiers and guards were sparse and domestic protection drastically decreased. During one of the palace's balls, an assassination attempt was made on Prime Minister Minis in the Hall of Mirrors, severely injuring him. In response, the ministers debated the correct course of action with the troop shortage.

To strengthen the garrison, the government hired the Glass Mercenaries and allowed its recognized leader, Gast Glass to reside in the palace. The mercenaries soon caused mayhem in the country, pillaging the streets and defiling the women. In the midst of the civil unrest, riots broke in retaliation at Rolled and Rollam. The mercenaries and soldiers stationed there dealt with the fighting while the soldiers stationed in Elphegort were recalled to reinforce them.

As the weeks passed, the revolutionaries gained the upper hand and emergency recalls from different stations were subdued. Faced with the rage of the citizens approaching Lucifenian, many ministers and servants fled from the palace. Towards the end of the year, the resistance army invaded the Heavenly Yard and broke into the royal palace.

Protected by only the royal guard, the prince retired to his room, accompanied by his servant Rin. During the fighting, Alexiel swapped clothes with the chamberlain and escaped via his room's secret passage whilst Rin masqueraded as him. The "prince" was then captured in the Hall of Mirrors while the disguised Alexiel fled, ending The Son of Evil's reign of terror.

### Aftermath

"*After the revolution, the resistance kept fightin' against Queen Marlon when she announced she was absorbin' Lucifenia.*"
―Chartette Langley
With Prince Alexiel deposed and the capital of Lucifenian captured, the Resistance and its benefactors held a peace meeting five days later in the Hall of Sounds of the royal palace. At the meeting, Queen Germaine spoke as a representative of Marlon and declared the nation's occupation of Lucifenia to guide the rebuilding new government. Despite protests, the attendees agreed to the proposal and concluding that Alexiel would be publicly executed to appease the people. On December 26th, the "prince" was executed in Milanais Square in front of a tumultuous crowd.

Within the year, Lucifenia was incorporated as part of Marlon's territories and was faced with rekindled opposition by the members of the Resistance. The fugitive prince eventually collapsed at a nearby port town along the coastline before being found by a nun, who took him into the nearby Held Monastery. Changing his name, the former monarch lived out the rest of his days in solitude as a priest. The revolution resulted in the fall of a tyrant, a resentful Elphegort, and a weakened Lucifenia in preparation for Marlon rule.

## Civilian Perception

"*I'm one to talk as an ex-general, but to be frank Lucifenia's way more bizarre now than it was when it had a prince.*"
―Former Retasan commander, Riliane Mouchet
The vast majority of Lucifenia's citizens opposed Prince Alexiel's reign and were heavily critical of his actions. Due to the mass poverty and starvation, the prince became known as "The Son of Evil" among the population and his refusal to attend to their needs further enraged them.

Although public sentiments remained supportive of his rule, a vast majority of ministers were dissatisfied with the child's tyranny and privately voiced their objections to his commands. However, because of foreign aid to relieve the food shortage across the Kingdom, the population was briefly eased.

However, the ensuing White Hunting rekindled mass opposition and the war with Elphegort became increasingly unpopular. The nobility largely took advantage of Alexiel's policies to support heavy taxation of the populace, especially the merchants, fueling dissatisfaction with his policies to the point of supporting Keel Freezis and the Lucifenian Resistance. Because of its strength, the Kingdom's neighbors were cautious of Alexiel's policies and rumors spread quickly of his cruelty across Evillious.

To help the people, relief was sent to help feed the hungry and curb Alexiel's merciless aggression towards Lucifenia's politicians. Even so, he was considered awful even abroad, with many foreign aristocrats who witnessed the prince's lavish lifestyle despite the people's suffering using his infamous moniker as well. Although never confirmed, it was widely accepted that Mariam Avadonia's assassination was Alexiel's doing, largely due to their poor relations with one another. Following the White Hunting, Elphegort's citizens became vengeful towards Lucifenian soldiers and were openly spiteful of Alexiel.

The disdain towards the prince lasted centuries, characterized in history similarly to his actual portrayal at the time. Although the reality of the events were later written down by Yukina Freezis, history never brought to light what transpired and disregarded Yukina's writings as fictitious. Alexiel's flight from the palace was credited to Rin due to his disguise, and the servant was portrayed as a very disloyal person in spite of being the prince's closest ally. However, the tragic tale described by Yukina became widely popular in the 10th century EC, although still unaccepted as a credible view of history.

## Trivia

### Conceptualization and Origin

* Alexiel's reign is likely inspired by Ancien Régime of the Kingdom of France, characterised by heavy taxation, political suppression and persecution, and tyranny due to absolute monarchy.
* Fittingly, the Kingdom of Lucifenia is inspired by France, while Alexiel himself is inspired by Marie Antoinette.

### Curiosities

* Tragically, the achievements of King Arth and Queen Anne that took decades would be undone by their child in only two years.

## Appearances

* That Queen was Born from Mud (indirect mention in PV)
* The Son of Evil (first appearance)
* The Servant of Evil
* Tree Maiden ~Millennium Wiegenlied~
* Regret Message (indirect mention only)
* The Daughter of Green
* Handbeat Clocktower (appears in PV)
* Reach For The Stars ~The Letter He Kept Waiting For~ (indirect mention only)
* The Muzzle of Michelle (appears in PV)
* Heartbeat Clocktower (appears in PV)
* Seven Crimes and Punishments (alternate timeline)
* Re birthday (song) (indirect mention in 2020 PV)
* Genesis Girl Gretel
* South North Story (appears in PV; non-canon appearance)
* The Son of Evil: Clôture of Evil
* The Son of Evil: Wiegenlied of White
* The Son of Evil: Praeludium of Yellow (indirect mention only)
* The Son of Evil: Praefacio of Red (mentioned only)
* Deadly Sins of Evil: Gift from the Prince who Brought Sleep (mentioned only)
* Deadly Sins of Evil: Fifth Pierrot (mentioned only)
* Deadly Sins of Evil: Master of the Heavenly Yard (indirect mention only)
* Entr'acte of Evil: The Son of Evil Worldguide
* Epic of Evil: The Son of Evil Fanbook
* The Son of Evil Schedule Book 2013
* Waltz of Evil: The Deadly Sins of Evil Guidebook
* The Adventure of Two Girls
* The Son of Evil: Novelette of Green
* The Son of Evil: Illustration Story
* Evil Food Eater Marlon: Setsubun (indirect mention only)
* The Son of Evil: The Doll Festival (non-canon appearance)
* The Son of Evil: Graduation (non-canon appearance)
* Seven Crimes and Punishments (story) (alternate timeline; mentioned only)
* Outlaw & Lychgate (mentioned only)
* His Reason
* Aku Musu (non-canon appearance)
* The Servant of Evil ~Opera Buffa!~ (non-canon appearance)
* Deadly Sins of Evil (manga) (non-canon appearance)
* The Son of Evil (manga)
* Evils Theater
* Prelude to Forest
* The Son of Evil ~Gemini of Charm~ Vocal and Soundtrack
* Evils Forest
* Evils Kingdom
* Evils Court
* Four Melodies of Evil ~The Son of Evil Novel Music Collection~
* The Muzzle of Michelle (album) (mentioned only)
* Seven Crimes and Punishments (album)
* Clockwork Lullaby (album)
* Evils Extra