episode_0024

Since the departure of the prince, a considerable amount of time had passed.

Yet still, Lord Bart remained seated quietly in his chamber.

The candlelight flickered on his stern face, reflecting deep-seated worries.

In the swirling darkness, the slender candles atop the golden holders seemed to mirror the noble’s state of mind.

On the other hand, the thick curtains flanked the wide-open windows as if they were oblivious to it all, gently billowing.

The prince had gone out there.

Now a supposed invalid, he leaped without hesitation.

Initially, disbelief clouded his eyes.

The third floor was certainly no small height.

Without luck, death could have been imminent, and at the very least, one or two fractures seemed unavoidable.

However, as soon as the prince went out the window, he vanished as if erased.

Prince Eos, to the lord, was a continuous astonishment.

Managing a vast organization spanning the entire continent, he had believed himself unrivaled in terms of information power.

But today, everything shattered into pieces.

Countless reports had come in about the prince’s misdeeds.

So, even today, preparations were made to immediately subdue him should he cause any disturbance.

Yet, why was it so?

Upon waking, the sharp rebuke he had hurled was instantly followed by an apology from the prince.

It was unbelievable.

It was widely known that the prince did not tolerate anger well.

No, it was more than that.

There were vivid testimonies from those who had directly suffered under him that he didn’t even attempt to contain his temper.

If he felt displeased, whether with a maid, servant, soldier, or knight, it was a social norm among the noblewomen that he would first reach for his dagger.

Even four years ago, there was an incident where he had killed over ten people who had previously shown him kindness, all within a single night.

However, the prince before his eyes seemed entirely unrelated to such facts, displaying an incredibly harmless countenance, despite deliberately uttering harsh words.

For some reason, his vacant expression did not convey even a hint of anger.

The prince he witnessed firsthand was vastly different from all the accounts he had received thus far.

Moreover, what on earth was that deep gaze that seemed to understand all of his misfortunes?

His sympathetic look was so bewildering that he almost forgot the scathing remarks he was about to spit out.

That was why he had asked if the prince truly wanted to be engaged to Elaine.

The moment his words failed him, he couldn’t think of anything else to say besides that question.

And more shocking than the situation itself was the response that came back in a solemn tone.

He was a viscount who had led a considerable portion of his life, meeting all sorts of people.

He had experienced quite a bit of deceit and betrayal.

He had witnessed the talents of those he had taken in blossom and shine, at least dozens of times.

Because of this, the viscount could pride himself.

In this world, there was no one who could understand people better than himself.

There was no need to prove it. His past footsteps were the evidence.

At some point, he no longer fell for pretenses, and the talents he placed in opportune positions inevitably showed their worth.

Now, just by looking at their eyes and expressions, he had reached a point where he could easily discern whether a person was sincere or not.

So, it was nothing short of astonishing.

There was no doubt.

The prince sincerely wanted to be engaged to Elaine.

His desperate gaze and urgent expression could never be false.

If only there was enough time, he wanted to have more conversations with him.

But the prince had hurriedly returned, promising to come back after secretly leaving the palace.

“…”

The viscount wiped his face with both hands.

It was a kind of ritual to bury the lingering questions deep in his memory.

Anyway, the most important confirmation had been made.

The prince genuinely loved Elaine.

Elaine also truly desired the prince.

Right after the emperor’s announcement, she had run ahead, leaving behind the man they were accompanying, and shouted loudly to get engaged first, so there was absolutely no room for doubt about that fact.

Finally, the time had come.

The viscount looked into a corner of the bedroom.

Still shrouded in unrevealed darkness.

A man was silently lurking there, concealed from sight.

“Gerard.”

The one who brought the fainted prince here was me.

“Speak.”

The viscount spoke, looking into the hazy light in the distance through the window.

“It’s time to start the hunt in earnest. Mobilize the troops and exterminate every lurking trash without leaving any behind.”

I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment. The plan was to wipe out every trace of Shurain’s influence that spread throughout the upper ranks and the viscount’s domain before the next dawn arrived.

It was a top priority task to regain what had been lost due to lack of strength.

Gazing at the brightening dawn in the distance, the viscount let out a bitter smile.

***

I slipped away from the viscount in the blink of an eye.

Enjoying the cool morning breeze, I swiftly made my way back to the Prince’s palace.

It felt as if I had been reborn, brimming with energy.

In the endlessly stretching sky, golden, blue, and darkness harmoniously coexisted in a gentle spectrum.

I approached the bedroom window, gradually turning red.

Glentino must have been guarding all night, so there should be no trouble.

After being imprisoned in a terrible state by Duke Gerund, I informed Glentino of Shurain Count’s atrocities.

He swore loyalty to me once again, shedding tears, and vowed to seek revenge against the Empress and Duke Shurain.

Of course, I do not trust him.

From the beginning, Glentino was someone who could betray me at any moment when his life was in danger.

However, he was still unable to forget the pain that gripped his heart.

Since the retrieval of the spirit was kept secret, he still firmly believed that his life would be taken immediately if he defied me.

So, whoever came looking for me, he would have hidden my absence at all costs, even at the risk of his life.

With that judgment,

I cautiously opened the window and entered the bedroom.

“Your Majesty…”

As soon as I entered, the scene before my eyes was far from pleasant.

Glentino was kneeling with a dazed face, and in front of him,

Astia sat on the bed, crossing her legs, sharpening a blade with a whetstone, sparks flashing.

Sunlight made her reddened hair seem somehow menacing.

“Hey, you’re here?”

The greeting tossed my way without even a glance was something one might expect from a correctional officer.

I distinctly said I was resting.

I explicitly told them not to come into the bedroom.

Yet here they were, unable to resist sneaking in.

“……”

On Astia’s face,

a fleeting smile vanished without a trace like receding waves, leaving behind an unmistakably hardened expression.

“Look at this, Your Highness. Even I, your guard, went somewhere without knowing? Do you want me dead?”

At the smile that reappeared with “Do you want me dead?”,

my body involuntarily flinched.

***

In the end, with Astia,

while changing clothes, I had no choice but to reveal some truths.

“I’ve regained the abilities of an elf.”

“I’m secretly investigating the mastermind behind the tragedy four years ago.”

That much shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, the reason I reinstated Astia as my guard was to utilize her increasingly formidable magic power as time passed.

Of course, her skills as a knight were too unique, so I never intended to use her for that purpose.

But her thoughts seemed quite different from mine.

“From now on, wherever you go, I’ll be with you. Understand?”

“……”

“Why, no answer?”

Astia had already reached a considerable level of skill.

If I set my mind to it, I could easily subdue her.

Yet, as she grabbed my collar and raised her fist, there was no way I could refuse.

The Emperor arrived around then.

No matter how much of an Emperor he was,

barging in without a word, somehow left me feeling a bit disgruntled.

However, the Emperor’s face looked odd.

He used to be flawless, but now he seemed unrecognizably disheveled.

It seemed he was still deeply immersed in his addiction.

But what was causing this unpleasant reaction?

As I looked at Astia gripping my collar, instead of rebuke, I found myself letting out a sigh of relief.

Somehow, I couldn’t suppress my sense of disappointment.

***

Until coming to the Prince’s Palace,

the Emperor must have hesitated a great deal.

The assassin who pierced her heart, perhaps even her own son, gave Weblia a foreboding feeling. For the sake of marrying a human, she had sealed her elven abilities. Before becoming empress, a deep forest scent always emanated from her. And it was the same for Eos before losing his abilities. Furthermore, the assassin who had secretly entered her bedroom and touched her ankle emitted the same scent when her heart was pierced. So perhaps, it might have been mistaken that her son was the assassin. At first, it was just a fleeting thought, a mere speculation. However, as morning approached, she was gaining more and more trust in the emperor’s heart. After the visit of the suspected assassin, her heavy heart suddenly lightened. The suffocating tightness in her throat also felt refreshingly relieved, as if the poison that had been gnawing at her body for years had finally been completely detoxified. It was at that moment that the back of her neck suddenly stiffened. It was due to the overwhelming storm of emotions that gradually turned from a plausible assumption into a convincing certainty. Perhaps her son had secretly treated her. But that couldn’t be true. Because Eos no longer had elven abilities. Even the discreetly summoned court physician was still unable to detect the stubborn poison. How could her son, who had become a pauper, have detoxified it? It was truly unbelievable. Nevertheless, despite thinking so, she kept sweating profusely. If her son had regained the elven abilities? And if he was using those abilities to detoxify her poison? Thump! Thump! Thump! Her heart pounded fiercely, much like when she had witnessed Weblia’s death. It was because she had already felt the despair of when a speculation becomes reality. The emperor tore at his hair with both hands. “No… this can’t be happening…” It was unmistakable, her heart had been pierced. Having experienced it countless times on the battlefield, she knew it all too well. If her conjecture was true, Eos would never be able to escape death. Since her heart had been pierced, he would not even make it to the prince’s palace and would have ended up as a cold corpse.

On the Emperor’s forehead, cold sweat had formed unnoticed. The worst-case scenario that kept involuntarily crossing his mind was causing beads of sweat to form incessantly. Yet, nothing could be conclusively determined. While it seemed plausible, it remained merely a possibility. Until he could see with his own eyes, everything remained unknown. He wanted desperately to go to the Crown Prince’s residence immediately to ensure his son’s safety. However, he couldn’t bring himself to take a step. He couldn’t even bring himself to send someone to check. It was because he couldn’t muster the courage to face the seemingly convincing speculation that had already crept into his mind. His hesitation lingered for a while. Eventually, as the morning sun began to devour the darkness of dawn, the Emperor finally made a decision. The reason he forcefully flung open the bedroom door was due to this very decision. Fortunately, Eos’s silver hair was brilliantly shining in the morning sunlight. His son was unharmed. “Thank goodness!” He must have silently shouted that phrase thousands of times over. His pounding heart just wouldn’t calm down. Even after Astia had left, the Emperor remained silent for a while. It was then that the rich scent of the forest wafted in. Sniff, sniff. The Emperor’s trembling eyes turned towards the black fabric peeking out from under the bed.