episode_0147

In truth, Ernst had not been pleased with his lord’s recent behavior.

‘As long as there is Yeong-ae, isn’t that all that matters? It’s not like the household members are unaware of living and dying for Yeong-ae alone.’

Just letting go of the eldest son of Beaurn was already a cause for concern.

The more hostages, the better. Ernst couldn’t understand Julian’s behavior of dropping the chess piece he held in his hand.

But it wasn’t just that caught his eye.

In the turbulent political situation, his lord was just idly passing time somewhere with a distracted expression.

Using the aristocrats he had in hand to capture the nobles, or alternatively, exterminate all the aristocrats as per the initial agreement.

After visiting the imperial palace once to converse with the princess and being holed up in the Balati Ducal Manor like his father since then.

‘Has his passion cooled off since killing the emperor?’

But there was no room for such thoughts at the moment.

“The way to the imperial palace has been cleared.”

The messenger’s report injected vigor into Ernst’s clenched fist.

Ernst bit down hard on his lower lip.

He tried to suppress his emotions as usual, but right now his face was filled with confusion.

The movements of the Western Army were faster than he had expected.

Surely, all information coming and going to the capital would have been completely blocked.

Could there have been a spy among us…?

A small sigh escaped through his parched lips.

Once the Western Army entered the capital, the tide had already turned in their favor. It was clear that the defense forces in the current capital alone would not be able to handle the Western Army.

However, the dark eyes of determination did not belong to someone who foresaw defeat.

There was no chance of victory, but they would not passively accept defeat.

After all, they had not prepared for rebellion with the intention of living comfortably.

“Concentrate the remaining defense forces at the gates of the imperial palace. Delay the entry into the palace as much as possible.”

Even though the situation was dire, Ernst’s voice showed no hint of emotion. The captain of the imperial palace guard who stood beside him asked Ernst.

“Where are you planning to go, sir?”

He was different from Ernst.

If this rebellion was for his own revenge, for Ernst, it was a bet he had placed his life on.

When he heard the news that the emperor had been truly killed, he had thought that he would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with those noble lords who had succeeded in their gamble.

He had thought that for sure.

But now that the situation had turned out like this.

The captain of the guard waited for Ernst’s answer with a pitiful look in his eyes.

“I will head to the Baekhap Palace.”

“To Lady… Dominique?”

“The remaining move is that alone, so we must delay as much time as possible.”

The captain of the guard nodded at Ernst’s words. He seemed to have gained courage from the word ‘remaining move.’

However, the thoughts of the captain of the guard and Ernst were completely different.

Even if they couldn’t obtain Galatea, the original goal still had to be achieved.

As Ernst sprinted down the orderly path, his shadows followed closely behind him.

#

The Western Army that entered the capital immediately headed towards the imperial palace.

Having entrusted Eleanor’s rescue to Dimitri, who had joined them at the entrance of the capital, Barcarolle and Albrice were commanding the battle at the entrance of the imperial palace, not at the Balati Ducal Manor.

Of course, in the hearts of the two men, Eleanor was undoubtedly their top priority. They had rushed to the imperial palace, not as dukes of Balati, but to save Eleanor.

However, their minds were slightly different from their hearts.

In case there are any remaining royalists, there may be attempts by rebel forces to pressure the empress or the prince to capture the regular army.

At this moment, in front of the gates of the royal palace.

Seunggi leaned towards the Western Army.

The battlefield itself looked chaotic. The fatigue of the battle that had continued from the entrance of the capital city was weighing heavily on the Western Army. However, the soldiers falling to the ground were not from the Western Army, but rather the defending forces of the capital.

Since the capital of Lutes had turned into a fortress, the sounds of soldiers’ cries filled the air for the first time.

In the midst of the chaos, the old man with gray hair cautiously called his son, who was not accustomed to battle.

“Albriss.”

“Yes, father.”

“I will clear a path for you. Lead the knights and charge into the palace. Secure the princess and the national seal first.”

Albriss, who had been caught up in the heightened atmosphere of the battlefield, regained some composure at his father’s calm voice.

“The next heir to the throne of Galatea should be the princess. And since the emperor is dead, it will be difficult for the rightful heir to ascend to the throne, so it is necessary to secure the national seal for legitimacy.”

Albriss nodded at his father’s words. Under the intense autumn sunlight, his blond hair fluttered up and down. Looking at the gauntlet he held, his blue eyes hardened with determination.

“Everett!”

“Yes, sir!”

At the command of Overt, the leader of the Golden Lion Knights who had been leading the charge, Everett approached and saluted.

“My eldest son has always been stuck in front of a desk, so I entrust him to you.”

“More than that, sir. I am more concerned about you than the young master.”

“Haha. I haven’t rusted enough to be a cause for concern for you.”

At the leader’s words, Overt chuckled and drew his shamshir from his waist.

Although the silk blade elegantly curved was undoubtedly the weapon of the heretics, to the old man who had lived his whole life on the battlefield, it was good enough.

Finally, Overt raised the sword high into the sky.

“Charge! Break through to the palace!”

In response to the roaring command of the Golden Lion Knights, the soldiers of the West answered with a battle cry.

“Uwaaaa!”

“Charge!”

And as he watched his father leap into the distance through the soldiers, Albriss shook his head in disbelief.

“I really can’t stop him.”

He said so, but his hand holding the longsword was trembling. Although he had grown up in the capital, he was still a man of Beorn.

Ernst’s family was originally a prestigious noble family in the south. Although not as powerful as the Beorn in the west, they were a family that could voice their opinions within the south.

However, his family, like putting the empress and Duke Edmund as conspirators, ended up being labeled as rebels by the emperor.

After the mysterious death of the former empress, who was close to the south, the emperor used his family as an example to quell the spreading discontent.

The only one who survived the cruel purge was the young Ernst. With the help of his parents, Ernst managed to escape the emperor’s grasp and could only watch from afar as his relatives climbed the scaffold.

The beginning of revenge started from that moment.

The young Ernst vowed to dedicate his life entirely to revenge, and now he was finally reaching the end.

“So, where is the princess and the national seal?”

With an emotionless face, Ernst looked down at the kneeling Dominic on the marble floor.

“You said you didn’t know!”

End.

Her sharp, piercing voice resonates throughout the chamber. Lying sprawled on the floor, her golden eyes flashing, she glares at the emaciated man before her.

Unlike Yulrian, Ernst’s goal was the collapse of the Galatea royal family.

He didn’t just dream of avenging his mother like his lord did; he wanted to destroy Galatea itself, the very entity that had brought ruin to his lineage.

For that purpose, it was just as important to eliminate the Galatea bloodline as it was to seize the royal emblem, the symbol of the royal family.

Even if the Galatea bloodline were to be severed immediately, the Verbreitz, their collateral family in a distant land, would still remain.

However, the location of the royal emblem was a secret known only to the royal family and the royal emblem keeper.

The imperial emblem keeper naturally commuted to and from the Valatie Palace, where the emperor, not the empress, resided, and had already departed this world by the wrathful blade of Yulrian on the night of the rebellion.

The situation for the imprisoned prince and empress in the underground dungeon had already taken a turn for the worse, as someone had been sent to deal with them. By now, both of them were likely dead.

Surely, it would have been easier for Ernst to handle the princess than the prince, but Yulrian’s anger was directed not only at the emperor but also at the empress, so there was no choice.

If he had known this would happen, he should have left the prince and empress, who listened well, and taken Yulrian away.

Clang-

In an instant, Ernst’s thin hand reached for the noble princess’s body. Her cheek turned away with a sharp, echoing sound.

Dominique, with a bewildered expression, gently touches the reddening cheek.

Ernst approaches the princess, crouches down, and continues to gaze at her with emotionless eyes.

“I won’t say it twice. Where is the royal emblem stored?”

“I would rather take my own life than reveal it to you.”

At Dominique’s threatening tone, Ernst’s hand moves towards her head once again.

“What are you doing right now?”

At the man’s voice filling the chamber, Ernst’s eyes shift towards the far end of the chamber.