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When, how? A brief question followed, but was quickly dismissed. It wasn’t that strange for the emperor to have eyes and ears in the imperial palace.
However, the reason she couldn’t contain the anger rising despite knowing all this might be due to the terrible hypocrisy shown by the one who had turned his back on her. Evelyn, who had been unable to respond and just watched the retreating back, bit her lip and spoke.
“You know that’s all hypocrisy and deception, right?”
Crown Prince Luciel was similar to the emperor. He listened to the emperor’s words and moved with the same values. Although she had known this all along, perhaps because she had just confirmed shocking information, Evelyn couldn’t hide the deep disgust welling up inside her for a moment.
“…”
“Luciel!”
Even at the impulsively uttered word, and the name called out strongly afterward, Luciel didn’t look back. As Evelyn gritted her teeth and was about to move to follow him, it happened.
“What… are you doing?”
“We apologize, Your Highness.”
“I asked what you’re doing.”
Her steps couldn’t move forward. The knights who had followed Luciel suddenly blocked her way. Evelyn’s brow furrowed visibly at the large knights who felt almost threatening.
“We are merely following His Majesty’s orders.”
“Ha.”
A tone that seemed submissive yet strangely coercive. Because she couldn’t fail to notice this subtle difference, Evelyn’s brief sigh was full of bewilderment. Her tightly clenched fist trembled as if responding to the rising anger.
Luciel didn’t stop his advancing steps despite hearing all this noise. It was more accurate to say he thought it wasn’t worth paying attention to.
That was until something hit the back of his head.
“…”
His eyes that slowly turned around carefully assessed the situation. The crumpled paper ball that fell to the floor with a thud, Evelyn with her arm outstretched as if declaring she had thrown it, and the knights frozen like stones, at a loss for what to do.
“Did you throw this at me?”
After quietly staring at the white paper ball for a moment, his emotionless eyes turned directly to Evelyn.
“Yes. Because it’s disgusting.”
“…What?”
The forest-green eyes wavered for just a moment. Evelyn’s eyes, neither momentarily impulsive nor filled with anger, were looking at the person standing before her more rationally than ever before.
“I feel like I’m going to die of disgust. It’s hypocritical to pretend to be noble, and it’s detestable to play with people’s emotions.”
Clear sincerity was evident in her calm tone. Did he intuitively sense this? Luciel chose to stand still and listen to her words instead of turning around and leaving again. Even he, who had shown no sign of agitation in the face of directly confrontational emotions.
His unwavering expression completely crumbled at another statement heard soon after.
“Do you know who that person you’re protecting tried to kill?”
The composure he had firmly wrapped around himself cracked. Luciel’s eyes, meeting his sister’s sharp gaze that seemed capable of piercing through anything, shook aimlessly as if encountering a storm. However, this too was only for a very brief moment.
His eyes, gradually calming the confusion, once again donned the solid mask of reason. As if rebuking that the momentary agitation he had shown was merely a dream, he finally turned his back resolutely.
“It would be best for you to go back inside now, Evelyn.”
That was the end of the conversation.
Silently clicking her tongue at the one-sided rejection and the knights firmly blocking her way, Evelyn had no choice but to go back into the room, and the door was firmly shut. A wry smile crossed her lips at the situation, which was no different from being completely trapped.
For the time being, there would be no occasion to open that door herself, to leave this palace. Despite knowing this, Evelyn was by no means discouraged.
Crumpled paper brushed against her fingertips. Her calm eyes examined the numerous lines in the documents still in her hand several times, except for the one piece she had thrown at Luciel.
With both hands full of papers, Evelyn moved towards the candlestick. As she brought the papers to the flickering flame, they soon turned to ash and disappeared in her hands.
“…Don’t turn a blind eye to what you’ve done.”
Her voice, with nowhere to go, faded inside the tightly closed door.
***
“Guard the door.”
After Evelyn’s door was completely closed, Luciel turned his back on the knights guarding it and moved away.
After walking for a while, when he entered a place with few people around, a slight urgency tinged his movements, which had looked relaxed and even elegant with his back straight. The crumpled paper in his hand made a rustling noise.
“…”
Luciel knew this was the document Evelyn had been looking at until just before he barged in. Rather than causing a commotion by having someone else clear away the papers, it would be better to handle it himself.
Taking the paper himself was the result of such rational judgment. But the moment he entered a private space and shifted his gaze to the crumpled paper… he simply couldn’t take his eyes off it. It was as if all his senses were captivated.
If he had been his usual self, he would have burned this without hesitation. He wouldn’t have been plagued by the urge to check its contents.
Yet, the reason the contents of the paper kept bothering him was…
‘Do you know who that person you’re protecting tried to kill?’
It was because Evelyn’s words, that calm voice, kept ringing in his mind.
It was the first time he had heard her speak in such a voice. They weren’t close, and they had never exchanged affectionate words, but their relationship wasn’t bad either. Luciel stood still in place, repeatedly recalling the cold voice that continuously exuded gentle contempt and disgust.
It must be just passing words. It might be words recklessly uttered to provoke him.
Feeling unjustly confined suddenly, wanting to vent her anger, out of youthful rebelliousness. Various reasons popped up irregularly, but nothing straightened out his wavering thoughts.
In the end, the hand that had been fiddling with the edge of the crumpled paper several times slowly unfolded it. Between the wrinkled marks, neatly aligned black words came into view.
“…This is.”
He quietly drew in a breath.
***
“Roentio Fides, listen.”
A man unfurls a long scroll and speaks in a loud voice.
The scene gradually came into view: a middle-aged man kneeling pitifully in front, nobles murmuring as they watched him, and finally, someone sitting on a brilliant throne, watching it all with eyes like minerals.
“For daring to bring specters into the empire’s territory, toying with the lives of imperial citizens, and plotting rebellion out of vain ambition to ascend to power yourself. Considering numerous other charges omitted hereafter, even the heaviest punishment is insufficient.”
Along with the distorting vision, someone’s voice was heard clearly. It didn’t end there.
“Effective immediately, Roentio Fides is stripped of his position as Chancellor and his family name is revoked. Excluding those who have renounced their family name and entered the temple to devote themselves to the empire’s welfare, three direct ascendants and their immediate forces are judged to have participated in the rebellion and will be executed. Afterwards, their bodies-“
“How ridiculous.”
At that moment, a voice terribly cracked as if having not drunk water for a long time split the space in an instant. The man’s voice, which had been continuing without interruption, was cut off abruptly, and a suffocatingly heavy silence settled densely.
“Shall I guess what comes next? The territory and assets of the Marquis Fides family will be transferred to the empire… It seems like that’s the content.”
“…”
The expression of the man who had been proudly reading the judgment completely crumbled. It wasn’t such strange content. It was natural for the remaining assets and territory to be managed by the empire when a family that had raised rebellion was stripped of its position and family name was revoked.
Nevertheless, the man could no longer continue speaking. His expression was complex, as if a shred of conscience had caught his ankle.
“Scribe. What are you doing not continuing?”
“Ah, understood!”
Of course, with the following pressuring urge, he began to read the judgment again. The territory and assets will be transferred to the empire… Was it when that brief voice ended?
Roentio didn’t hold back the laughter bursting between his lips. Laughter that didn’t match the situation began to fill the vast interior of the palace.
“You must have had some fun, Emperor.”
That was all he said. Perhaps sensing the numerous meanings contained in those words, no one spoke, and in the silence, the Emperor just silently watched Roentio. Mineral-like sharp gazes continuously examined each other.
“…Tomorrow morning, behead the criminals in front of the imperial palace.”
The strange battle of nerves that seemed like it would continue endlessly came to an end with the Emperor’s dismissal. It was then that Roentio, raising the corner of his mouth in a sneer, spoke.
“I wonder who will be next.”
Everyone present knew that the sarcasm contained in his words was not so light.
Was it just a mutter to himself, or words directed at the Emperor who was rising and turning his back as if to dismiss the gathering? Or perhaps… a warning aimed at the other nobles watching the whole scene. Only Roentio would know the true intent of those words.
Soon, time began to flow quickly. The sun hanging in the sky set in the blink of an eye, night came suddenly, and before long, the sun rose again, filling the dark night sky with a dim light.
And then.
Thud— roll.
‘Arpel’ watched the head that fell to the floor and rolled towards him. The face of Roentio Fides, who had been bound like a criminal in the scene he had seen earlier, was there. The face of the person next to him was even quite familiar.
Riteran Fides.
A name that came out immediately, without time to recall why he knew this person or where they had met. Only after repeating that name did countless memories begin to flood into his empty mind as if by magic.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
