Ch.273To the Edge of the Cliff (13)

“Haaah…”

The sunset is truly red. The clouds are exquisitely distributed, creating a magnificent spectacle.

…It’s been a while since I’ve properly appreciated a sunset like this. For the past few years, I didn’t particularly care whether the sun was setting or not, but now that I’m deliberately taking the time to look at it in detail, it feels refreshingly moving.

“Are the preparations for the villa complete?”

“All finished, Your Majesty. You need only enjoy the comfortable accommodations.”

It’s called a villa in name only; it’s practically a palace.

Matching its exterior, the interior is incredibly grand, and the furniture has been carefully selected and arranged by the servants with utmost dedication, making the interior look like a scene straight out of a work of art.

…I only asked them to find a suitable place to stay. Given my status, it seems I can no longer use anything merely adequate.

“And… there was a bit of commotion at the palace.”

“Commotion?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Except for visiting your family home, you have never spent a night away from the palace. The servants simply followed your orders as they are merely your hands and feet, but the Empress and your wives…”

“Hmm… I suppose my explanation alone wasn’t sufficient.”

If I were to return to the palace now, there’s a high chance I would encounter Chloe, and if that happened, I couldn’t predict how I would react, which is why I didn’t even stop by the palace.

I merely sent a servant to convey that I would be staying at the villa tonight, but this attitude of mine must have seemed not just unexpected but utterly outlandish to my wives.

“How did they react? Did they say they would follow me?”

“Yes, the Empress was trying to find out the location of the villa where Your Majesty is staying. It seems she intended to come in person.”

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

“Of course not, Your Majesty. Your orders naturally take precedence over the Empress’s commands.”

Fortunately, I had instructed them not to reveal my whereabouts in case something like this happened.

If even one of them came to where I am, wouldn’t there be a high probability that everyone would follow? I’m staying at the villa precisely to avoid encountering Chloe, so I can’t allow that to happen.

Of course, this attitude might cause considerable resentment among my wives… but there’s nothing I can do. As Leclerc said, it’s best not to face Chloe for the time being.

[…So, why are you telling me this now? Given that you haven’t mentioned it until now, there must be another reason.]

[Facing death, many thoughts crossed my mind. I carefully considered whether I should tell Your Majesty the truth or not, and what would truly be in your best interest. I apologize for not telling you sooner. At that time… I only wanted to protect your happiness.]

Leclerc, really…

Isn’t there an old saying? That ignorance is bliss?

Judging by how conflicted I feel now that I know the truth, that proverb is quite accurate.

But… no.

I can assert that ignorance is never bliss.

If I hadn’t known Chloe’s secret, I could have certainly lived peacefully. Given that Chloe has kept this fact hidden from me until now, I probably would have lived my entire life without knowing it.

However, that would have been nothing but false days. To put it somewhat extremely, it wouldn’t be different from a self-indulgent dream.

Facing the truth and overcoming it is the only way humans can grow.

…Of course, I’m already fully grown with many proper children of my own, but still.

‘…I wish Chloe had told me herself.’

Since I learned the truth about Chloe from someone else rather than from her directly, the sense of betrayal I feel toward her is no joke.

If she had, I might have been shocked, but it wouldn’t have led to me turning away from her… ugh, this is giving me a headache.

“I should head back and rest soon. If I delay any longer, the sun will completely set.”

“I’ll prepare the carriage.”

“No, I’ll walk. It’s not that far, is it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

If I stay still, my head will be filled with strange thoughts. I need to move my body, even forcibly, to clear my mind.

……….

This won’t do. I simply cannot fall asleep.

By now I should have been fast asleep, but not only am I not drowsy, I’m completely alert. It feels like the afternoon after a good night’s sleep.

“…There are so many stars.”

So I decided to get out of bed and stargaze.

It’s just a simple act of leaning out the window and looking at the sky, but even this simple action brings a powerful sense of satisfaction.

“Sigh… I still can’t recognize any of them.”

If this place were in the same galaxy as the solar system, I could have looked for various famous constellations, but unfortunately, the night sky is filled with constellations I’ve never seen or heard of.

Well, given the existence of magic, it’s obviously not the same universe… but it still makes my heart ache.

It feels like I’ve come to a completely different world, even though I’ve lived here longer than I lived on Earth.

“…Why did you do it, Chloe?”

Looking at the night sky brings all sorts of thoughts.

Well… I can guess. She probably wanted to bestow upon me the noble title of Duke.

Above all, my siblings… honestly, how should I put it, they were quite nasty, weren’t they?

It’s one thing that they didn’t recognize me as family, but they treated me like a talking animal, subjecting me to all kinds of verbal and physical abuse daily. Chloe, being merely a maid, was less inclined to such behavior, but I, as an adopted illegitimate child, bore the hatred of all my siblings.

Having witnessed such treatment, Chloe probably didn’t feel much resistance to killing my siblings.

But… my father is a different story.

[I’m sorry. I was too late.]

[It’s understandably difficult for you to see me as your father. So you can just think of me as an uncle if you prefer. I won’t force you.]

To be honest, my feelings toward him as a father were quite thin. This being my second life, and having lived over 10 years before meeting him for the first time, it would be stranger if I did have strong paternal feelings.

But… that doesn’t mean I don’t feel gratitude toward him as a benefactor.

It was certainly difficult to live surrounded by hostile people, but didn’t he allow Chloe and me to live in abundance?

Above all, since he genuinely considered me his son, I naturally couldn’t help but feel grateful to him.

Father also readily accepted Chloe, whom my mother had adopted as a daughter… why on earth did Chloe do such a thing?

Was it really just because she wanted to give me a title—

“It was for you, brother.”

I quickly turn my head toward the familiar voice, and yellow eyes reflecting the starlight glow faintly in the darkness.

“Chloe, how did you get here…”

“I followed a servant traveling between the palace and the villa.”

Due to the shadows, nothing is visible except for the yellow eyes reflecting light.

Of course, if I concentrated, I could make out her silhouette… but I can’t.

I’m too afraid to see what expression Chloe is wearing right now.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you all this time.”

Chloe seems to have realized why I’m here. I hadn’t told anyone about what happened at Leclerc’s mansion.

“…Why did you do it?”

“…Naturally, because I didn’t want you to hate me.”

Yes, that makes sense.

Of course she wouldn’t have told me because she didn’t want me to hate her.

But that’s not what I’m asking.

“I’m not asking why you didn’t tell me, I’m asking why you killed them.”

“…It was for you, brother.”

There’s a slight hesitation, but I’m not so dull that I can’t detect that gap.

…Haha, damn it.

“You’re lying.”

I’ve been making all sorts of conjectures about why Chloe did such a thing, but now it’s clear.

Of course she had thoughts of me in mind, but Chloe didn’t massacre the family solely for my sake.

“As far as I know, Father never treated Chloe harshly. Neither did my older brothers and sisters.”

She lacked nothing.

Unlike me, who was despised as an illegitimate child, Chloe was merely a maid, so she didn’t face harassment from my siblings.

So why did Chloe…?

“…He broke his promise.”

“Promise?”

“Do you remember when we first entered Dijon Castle? Until then, you really didn’t want to enter the castle.”

Yes, I remember that.

I thought that if I entered the castle, I would end up living as a servant for the rest of my life, so I was considering just going outside and living freely with my father’s support.

“At that time, the late Duke made me an offer. If I persuaded you to enter the castle, he would let you and me live together forever.”

“…And that was the promise?”

“Yes, His Grace broke his promise to me.”

What did he break?

He didn’t chase Chloe out of the castle, and she continued to work as my personal maid—

“He married you to Ines.”

“…What?”

“He tossed aside his promise to me like an old shoe, and just used you for his political standing… that’s when I made up my mind. Of course, this wasn’t the only reason. Perhaps things started going wrong when I pushed the third son off the roof after he tried to violate me.”

—I dreamed of having a house just for the two of us.

With those final words, Chloe’s two glowing eyes disappear behind her eyelids, vanishing from beyond the shadows.

Even though Chloe is surely standing there, I can see nothing. Only pitch-black darkness remains.