She couldn't breathe properly, so she tilted her head toward the sky. Her entire face was crumpled and messy.
Ines held her dead husband and screamed at the sky.
Joseph Benois, who was found in the mountains, was burned to death by her.
At that time, Ines didn't even have time to mourn her husband's death.
Unable to control some emotions bursting out from the depths of her heart, she screamed at the sky again. Her scream, which sounded like the last words of a horse before it died or like the cry of a deer that lost its young, continued for a while, echoing through the silent mountains.
It was a real mourning for her dead husband that she had done for the first time in 12 years.
Carson had a dream.
Even in his dream, he could tell that he was in the Black Forest of Lesonia. There was a beautiful lake in the forest. The dazzling scenery was captured in the watery shadow of the lake.
Then he saw a woman.
A woman in a pale green dress was walking toward the lake. She was not at all out of place, like a part of the forest.
The woman limped. But for some reason, the fact that she was limping felt perfect in and of herself. At that moment, a suffocating feeling for no reason enveloped him.
The moment he thought about the woman’s face, Carson realized that she was Ines.
And then something that should not have happened began to happen. Ines began to dive into the lake without a moment’s hesitation.
“Ines!”
He ran toward her like crazy. But in his dream, the distance did not narrow easily. When he called out again, Ines’ eyes turned to him.
“I’m sorry.”
Even in his dream, the shape of her silent mouth was apologizing out of habit.
He barely reached the lake, but Ines was already completely submerged in the water.
“Please finish your nap.”
He heard a familiar voice and turned his head to see Noah standing in the forest.
“Your Highness?”
“Huk.”
He came out of the dream just like that.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked around and quickly realized that this was no longer a forest. The scene he had just seen still lingered in his mind, but he shook his head to erase the unpleasant dream.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
“No, no.”
“You don’t look good. Shouldn’t you rest?”
“I’m just a little tired.”
Carson straightened his posture, brushing his hair back. The lords of small estates like Landhill didn’t have townhouses in the capital.
So he had no choice but to stay in the imperial guest house. Noah felt strangely moved when he saw Carson at the imperial palace after a long time.
It felt as if the wide garden beyond the window where he was sitting had met its owner.
“You said there was nothing wrong with the estate, right?”
Noah arrived at the imperial palace yesterday. The first question Carson asked Noah after a long time was the same. Yesterday, because he had arrived too late at night, he could only answer that there was nothing wrong.
As a competent aide, he gave the best answer to the question.
“I visited Lady Swenden’s house just before I came.”
He stared at Noah as if telling him to continue.
“She was reading the Bible in the backyard.”
At those words, a slow smile formed on Carson’s lips. Noah sensed the change in his master’s face. His eyes, which had been shining with curiosity and interest, had taken on a different color.
“I heard that the meeting has been postponed for another week.”
Carson nodded.
Noah arrived at the palace later than expected, having finished his research on the ‘end of the world.’ It was exactly one month after Carson left the estate.
The original date of the meeting was five days after Carson arrived at the palace. The Emperor had promised to postpone it, but Carson knew better than anyone that the imperial family would not go back on promises alone. The Emperor had not even told them that he would cancel the meeting until the day before.
In order to prepare for the meeting to proceed as scheduled, Carson prepared a document containing the agenda of the meeting, which he intended to submit to the imperial court as soon as the meeting ended the next day.
However, on the day of the meeting, the news that the Emperor had fallen ill spread widely in the imperial court.
To decide on important matters of state, the approval of more than half of the lords in the provincial manors was required. Most, if not all, of them were the Empress's men. However, he could not hold a meeting without the Emperor's illness.
Because the imperial councilor said that they could not tell how long he would lie down, the lords from the local manors had to return to their own territories.
It took time to gather the scattered people back to the palace. So the Emperor bought Carson a month.
“And you became a great lord.”
In the meantime, the Emperor allowed Landhill and Lesonia to be incorporated into Landhill.
Since the Empress had given permission, the work proceeded without delay. The Emperor stamped his seal without delaying even a day for ten days, and the certificate was immediately sent to the Edmont Temple in Sanskria. If the temple recorded Carson von Raymond as the owner of the integrated territory, a sacred promise would be made between the nation, God, and the subject. It meant that his land would be untouchable by anyone.
Later, the Empress’s nobles who learned of the situation objected, but it was already too late.
“And you will soon become the master of the highest place?”
“If you keep talking like that in the palace, you’ll soon be found dead.”
“Aren’t you surprised? That all that was done in the short time I was gone?”
Noah knew that saying more was redundant and pushed the file in front of Carson.
“I told you in the letter, but it was just as Lady Swenden said. The mountain is made of fine sand, so we can’t make a tunnel. If we had gone ahead with it, we would have suffered enormous losses.”
Carson leaned his head back and leaned deeply against his chair. Why did he smell her scent even though he had only heard her name?
“How on earth did she know that?”
“Didn’t she say she read it in a book?”
Carson chuckled. It wouldn’t be bad to believe that.
“It’s only a matter of time before the railroad construction rights fall into your hands, Prince.”
“When you come to the palace, do you naturally say Prince?”
“I’m sorry, when I come to the palace, I don’t know...”
Carson shook his head. After meeting his father, the Prince’s name that he hated to hear was no longer so shabby. He wondered if he was such a cunning person.
“And congratulations on your marriage.”
He laughed again, sullenly.
“The news is fast.”
“Aren’t you the most handsome man in the empire? There’s probably no one in the empire who doesn’t know you.”
“It’s so easy to say something so shameful. You.”
“I apologize if it offended you.”
Carson raised his eyebrows at Noah, who was saying something he didn’t mean.
“Well, it’s not like it should bother you.”
“Good choice.”
“What?”
“The Swenden Viscounts. They are a family that is more than enough to be the wife of a great estate.”
“Ridiculous.”
Even as he criticized, the smile never disappeared from his face. And just as Noah had said, the news that Carson von Raymond, who caused the most issues in the empire, was getting married stirred up the entire empire.
In the meantime, Landhill had no idea what issues were causing a stir in the estate.
Ines went to the police station with Carson’s knights. Zemern, who had lost a lot of blood, eventually passed out. The wound was not severe, but the skewer-like dagger had cut him quite deeply.
Ines lowered her head and watched Zemern being dragged away by the knights with cold eyes.
“What happened to Joseph Benois’s body?”
That was the first question Ines asked when she arrived at the police station.
“The body has been safely collected. He will probably be buried in the Hansen Cemetery.”
The Hansen Cemetery was the very grave that Ines had visited.
What would be written on his gravestone this time? For a moment, it was funny to wonder about that.
“By any chance, my parents...?”
“The Viscount and his wife Swenden are in the room next door.”
“I don’t want to see them. Absolutely not.”
“I understand. In fact, the rule is that you cannot see your family until your guilt is confirmed.”
Since she went with the knights of the Lord’s Order, the treatment she received was not bad. The captain of the police force came to interrogate her in person. Having already heard all the circumstances from the knights, he mainly only confirmed the facts with Ines.
In the past, Ines had been branded a murderer and brought to the police force. Although she was not treated harshly because of her status, she had to endure contempt and looks of contempt.
The atmosphere was completely different from then.
“Thank you.”
“The story I heard from the knights was only what happened on the mountain. However, we need to know all the circumstances of the case, so we need Young Lady’s cooperation.”
Ines nodded obediently. She had lived only for this day. Even though everything was over, it didn’t feel real at all.
When asked, she only told people what they could understand.
About her former lover Joseph and how she had found out about his affair.
But she couldn’t say anything more. Who would believe that he had faked his death to make her a murderer and eventually tried to take away her father’s title?
The same was true of Joseph’s attempt to kill her father. They said that Count Graham had instigated it, but there was no way to prove that he had been involved. There was no evidence left anyway. And he was now dead.
However, the chief constable seemed to think that the lover’s betrayal was enough of a motive for murder.
“The problem is the sophistication.”
“...”
“The fact that it was not an accident, but a premeditated crime would be very disadvantageous.”
Ines didn’t answer and stared at the windowless wall. She thought it was fortunate that Carson had left the estate. If he saw her now, even he would despise her.
“Let me confirm one more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that you received immunity in return for saving the life of a member of the royal family?”
“Yes.”
Joseph Benois, who was found in the mountains, was burned to death by her.
At that time, Ines didn't even have time to mourn her husband's death.
Unable to control some emotions bursting out from the depths of her heart, she screamed at the sky again. Her scream, which sounded like the last words of a horse before it died or like the cry of a deer that lost its young, continued for a while, echoing through the silent mountains.
It was a real mourning for her dead husband that she had done for the first time in 12 years.
***
Carson had a dream.
Even in his dream, he could tell that he was in the Black Forest of Lesonia. There was a beautiful lake in the forest. The dazzling scenery was captured in the watery shadow of the lake.
Then he saw a woman.
A woman in a pale green dress was walking toward the lake. She was not at all out of place, like a part of the forest.
The woman limped. But for some reason, the fact that she was limping felt perfect in and of herself. At that moment, a suffocating feeling for no reason enveloped him.
The moment he thought about the woman’s face, Carson realized that she was Ines.
And then something that should not have happened began to happen. Ines began to dive into the lake without a moment’s hesitation.
“Ines!”
He ran toward her like crazy. But in his dream, the distance did not narrow easily. When he called out again, Ines’ eyes turned to him.
“I’m sorry.”
Even in his dream, the shape of her silent mouth was apologizing out of habit.
He barely reached the lake, but Ines was already completely submerged in the water.
“Please finish your nap.”
He heard a familiar voice and turned his head to see Noah standing in the forest.
“Your Highness?”
“Huk.”
He came out of the dream just like that.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked around and quickly realized that this was no longer a forest. The scene he had just seen still lingered in his mind, but he shook his head to erase the unpleasant dream.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
“No, no.”
“You don’t look good. Shouldn’t you rest?”
“I’m just a little tired.”
Carson straightened his posture, brushing his hair back. The lords of small estates like Landhill didn’t have townhouses in the capital.
So he had no choice but to stay in the imperial guest house. Noah felt strangely moved when he saw Carson at the imperial palace after a long time.
It felt as if the wide garden beyond the window where he was sitting had met its owner.
“You said there was nothing wrong with the estate, right?”
Noah arrived at the imperial palace yesterday. The first question Carson asked Noah after a long time was the same. Yesterday, because he had arrived too late at night, he could only answer that there was nothing wrong.
As a competent aide, he gave the best answer to the question.
“I visited Lady Swenden’s house just before I came.”
He stared at Noah as if telling him to continue.
“She was reading the Bible in the backyard.”
At those words, a slow smile formed on Carson’s lips. Noah sensed the change in his master’s face. His eyes, which had been shining with curiosity and interest, had taken on a different color.
“I heard that the meeting has been postponed for another week.”
Carson nodded.
Noah arrived at the palace later than expected, having finished his research on the ‘end of the world.’ It was exactly one month after Carson left the estate.
The original date of the meeting was five days after Carson arrived at the palace. The Emperor had promised to postpone it, but Carson knew better than anyone that the imperial family would not go back on promises alone. The Emperor had not even told them that he would cancel the meeting until the day before.
In order to prepare for the meeting to proceed as scheduled, Carson prepared a document containing the agenda of the meeting, which he intended to submit to the imperial court as soon as the meeting ended the next day.
However, on the day of the meeting, the news that the Emperor had fallen ill spread widely in the imperial court.
To decide on important matters of state, the approval of more than half of the lords in the provincial manors was required. Most, if not all, of them were the Empress's men. However, he could not hold a meeting without the Emperor's illness.
Because the imperial councilor said that they could not tell how long he would lie down, the lords from the local manors had to return to their own territories.
It took time to gather the scattered people back to the palace. So the Emperor bought Carson a month.
“And you became a great lord.”
In the meantime, the Emperor allowed Landhill and Lesonia to be incorporated into Landhill.
Since the Empress had given permission, the work proceeded without delay. The Emperor stamped his seal without delaying even a day for ten days, and the certificate was immediately sent to the Edmont Temple in Sanskria. If the temple recorded Carson von Raymond as the owner of the integrated territory, a sacred promise would be made between the nation, God, and the subject. It meant that his land would be untouchable by anyone.
Later, the Empress’s nobles who learned of the situation objected, but it was already too late.
“And you will soon become the master of the highest place?”
“If you keep talking like that in the palace, you’ll soon be found dead.”
“Aren’t you surprised? That all that was done in the short time I was gone?”
Noah knew that saying more was redundant and pushed the file in front of Carson.
“I told you in the letter, but it was just as Lady Swenden said. The mountain is made of fine sand, so we can’t make a tunnel. If we had gone ahead with it, we would have suffered enormous losses.”
Carson leaned his head back and leaned deeply against his chair. Why did he smell her scent even though he had only heard her name?
“How on earth did she know that?”
“Didn’t she say she read it in a book?”
Carson chuckled. It wouldn’t be bad to believe that.
“It’s only a matter of time before the railroad construction rights fall into your hands, Prince.”
“When you come to the palace, do you naturally say Prince?”
“I’m sorry, when I come to the palace, I don’t know...”
Carson shook his head. After meeting his father, the Prince’s name that he hated to hear was no longer so shabby. He wondered if he was such a cunning person.
“And congratulations on your marriage.”
He laughed again, sullenly.
“The news is fast.”
“Aren’t you the most handsome man in the empire? There’s probably no one in the empire who doesn’t know you.”
“It’s so easy to say something so shameful. You.”
“I apologize if it offended you.”
Carson raised his eyebrows at Noah, who was saying something he didn’t mean.
“Well, it’s not like it should bother you.”
“Good choice.”
“What?”
“The Swenden Viscounts. They are a family that is more than enough to be the wife of a great estate.”
“Ridiculous.”
Even as he criticized, the smile never disappeared from his face. And just as Noah had said, the news that Carson von Raymond, who caused the most issues in the empire, was getting married stirred up the entire empire.
In the meantime, Landhill had no idea what issues were causing a stir in the estate.
***
Ines went to the police station with Carson’s knights. Zemern, who had lost a lot of blood, eventually passed out. The wound was not severe, but the skewer-like dagger had cut him quite deeply.
Ines lowered her head and watched Zemern being dragged away by the knights with cold eyes.
“What happened to Joseph Benois’s body?”
That was the first question Ines asked when she arrived at the police station.
“The body has been safely collected. He will probably be buried in the Hansen Cemetery.”
The Hansen Cemetery was the very grave that Ines had visited.
What would be written on his gravestone this time? For a moment, it was funny to wonder about that.
“By any chance, my parents...?”
“The Viscount and his wife Swenden are in the room next door.”
“I don’t want to see them. Absolutely not.”
“I understand. In fact, the rule is that you cannot see your family until your guilt is confirmed.”
Since she went with the knights of the Lord’s Order, the treatment she received was not bad. The captain of the police force came to interrogate her in person. Having already heard all the circumstances from the knights, he mainly only confirmed the facts with Ines.
In the past, Ines had been branded a murderer and brought to the police force. Although she was not treated harshly because of her status, she had to endure contempt and looks of contempt.
The atmosphere was completely different from then.
“Thank you.”
“The story I heard from the knights was only what happened on the mountain. However, we need to know all the circumstances of the case, so we need Young Lady’s cooperation.”
Ines nodded obediently. She had lived only for this day. Even though everything was over, it didn’t feel real at all.
When asked, she only told people what they could understand.
About her former lover Joseph and how she had found out about his affair.
But she couldn’t say anything more. Who would believe that he had faked his death to make her a murderer and eventually tried to take away her father’s title?
The same was true of Joseph’s attempt to kill her father. They said that Count Graham had instigated it, but there was no way to prove that he had been involved. There was no evidence left anyway. And he was now dead.
However, the chief constable seemed to think that the lover’s betrayal was enough of a motive for murder.
“The problem is the sophistication.”
“...”
“The fact that it was not an accident, but a premeditated crime would be very disadvantageous.”
Ines didn’t answer and stared at the windowless wall. She thought it was fortunate that Carson had left the estate. If he saw her now, even he would despise her.
“Let me confirm one more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that you received immunity in return for saving the life of a member of the royal family?”
“Yes.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment