The most splendid birthday party of all time for the Emperor.
After that last day, the atmosphere in the capital became like a sheet of thin ice.
On the day that Noevian Trovica, who was a criminal, entered the palace at the mercy of the Emperor, he attempted to kill his master, the Crown Prince. Rumors spread that he preserved the bodies of the victims of the missing women incident, which were evidence of his crimes, under the Crown Prince's palace to curse the Crown Prince who could not protect him.
Rumors are truly changeable and scary things, and the bad rumors about Noevian spread in an instant.
Noevian Trovica, who covets corpses.
Adrienne Piretta, whom he fell in love with at first sight, was famous for her glass body, so the rumor that he had waited for her to die and preserved her body shocked the noble society.
If the imperial court had not ordered him to keep quiet while investigating, this rumor would have spread beyond the capital to the entire empire.
And the protagonist of the birthday party was struck by lightning in the dry sky.
Emperor Julius was in the audience room, receiving the body of Baroness Kuroseda brought by Rhodnes, and was collapsing.
“All other bodies will be compared to the portraits of the victims of the previous missing persons cases and sent home.”
The Emperor, who had lost his mind, did not respond.
Rhodnes was also slightly absent-minded, so Vincenzo, who was next to him, read the rest of the report.
Rhodnes, who had been silent, immediately made an excuse when the report about Adrienne came out.
“Let me tell you in detail the testimony of the guard who was guarding His Highness the Crown Prince’s bedroom. Countess Acacia went into the bedroom saying she had an urgent message related to the Grand Duke, and soon after, the Grand Duke came to see His Highness the Crown Prince. So the Countess was also a victim, just at the scene.”
“How many times have you heard that story? That Countess had a prior engagement with you, so she asked you to come? I already had a feeling.”
The Emperor’s face was pale.
“Are you sure it was Noevian who stabbed Bardenaldo?”
“...Yes.”
The wrinkled corners of his mouth were distorted painfully.
“Killing Baroness Kuroseda..."
Rhodnes’s mouth, which had been answering repeatedly, closed.
The Emperor, who had been staring at Baroness Kuroseda’s glass coffin as if nailed to the glass, turned his head toward Rhodnes with a gleam in his eyes.
“Is it Noevian, as rumored? Or... Bardenaldo?”
“...”
Sometimes silence can replace all answers.
The Emperor stumbled for a moment.
Rhodnes watched him calmly without supporting him.
Emperor Julius, upon hearing the news yesterday, became furious and barged into the bedroom of the Crown Princess’s Palace. However, upon seeing the portrait of Empress Letina hanging at the entrance, he froze as if struck by lightning and then turned back.
If Baroness Kuroseda had been kidnapped and murdered by Crown Prince Bardenaldo...
The Emperor lay face down on the glass coffin, took a long time to catch his breath, and then staggered to regain his balance.
“Roan.”
“Yes.”
“...I understand that you mean that it was the work of Noevian Trovica.”
The Emperor’s intention was clear.
He intended to use Noevian ‘Trovica’ to cover up Bardenaldo ‘Ronta’s’ faults.
“Your brother’s crazy actions have already been sufficiently punished by your uncle’s swordsmanship.”
“...”
“I just saw it. You’ve been watching Bardenaldo all along, so you should know. It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment.”
“...”
“What an asshole. What a... a...”
“Isn’t that the Crown Prince’s aide, Countess Acacia?”
“No. No, that woman is Ad, Adrienne...!”
Bardenaldo writhed his body, unable to move properly.
At the same time as if he was in pain, he pressed hard on his chest, which had been bandaged several times, and cried out in pain.
“Adrienne, Adrienne Pireta...”
“...”
Empress Grace briefly pulled away and shook her head at me, who was silent.
The sight of someone who had barely survived calling the name of the dead person and trembling in fear was not very pleasant.
“I came here after hearing that I could look in now... My son is still not feeling well. Please understand, Madam. I think he is confusing you with the dead Grand Duchess because your hair is blond.”
“I understand.”
Bardenaldo, who looked slightly dazed, began to tremble as soon as I looked away from him and met his eyes after finishing my answer.
I smiled affectionately at him.
“I am your aide, so I will stay until Her Highness the Crown Princess eats, Your Majesty.”
“Will you?”
Grace, who had been afraid of the Crown Prince from the beginning, was delighted, as she was reluctant to spend any longer with the Crown Prince in that state.
Epero, who had been watching us from afar, escorted Empress Grace again. Then, as if he had something to say to me, he opened his mouth and eventually left the room. Only after the bedroom door was completely closed did I pull a nearby chair and sit down by the bed.
Bardenaldo squirmed away from me, even though he had nowhere to run.
“You, ghost... ghost... it’s definitely a ghost. Go away.”
“I’ll be there to testify soon.”
The swaying red hair suddenly stopped moving.
“After finding out the secret of Noevian Trovica, I realized that Baroness Kuroseda and his secret were related. So I went to the bedroom in the middle of the night to report to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Bardenaldo’s eyes, which had been unable to take their eyes off the lips from which my voice was coming out, changed from fear to question as if it was strange that I was moving alive.
“The basement of the Crown Prince’s palace is actually a space that His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t even know existed, and all of the corpses that Grand Duke Noevian Trovica had hidden in his mansion to curse the Crown Prince were brought through a secret passage.”
“Wh, what are you, trying to say...”
“The Emperor was deeply concerned about the Baroness, so I went to the Crown Prince’s palace because I felt urgent. And Noevian Trovica, who was worried that I would reveal the secret to the Crown Prince, chased after me, and eventually tried to kill the Crown Prince who found out the truth, as well as me.”
The trembling of his chapped lips suddenly stopped. The Crown Prince stopped trembling and stared at me as I spoke calmly.
“If Prince Rhodnes hadn’t come, I would have died. It was all Noevian Trovica’s doing, and Crown Prince Bardenaldo was just a victim.”
“...”
“...What if I testify like this?”
A subtle wave of agitation rippled across the Crown Prince’s normally calm face.
“...What do you want?”
Even if I were a ghost or a devil, his eyes looked like he would sell his soul if only his wrongdoings were not revealed.
I barely managed to smoothly raise the corners of my lips that were about to distort due to the surging contempt.
“The truth.”
Even though I said what I wanted, the eyes that didn’t understand what I meant searched my expression.
This monster didn’t think that he might die. And I was happy about that.
“Adrienne Piretta would turn back if she knew.”
To a monster, in a monster’s own way.
Could a monster that didn’t care about the suffering of others have such a clear demand?
“Everything underground belongs to the Saint of Ronta, Crown Prince Bardenaldo.”
“!”
“If you don’t want that to come out of my mouth, tell me straight.”
And there was no greater threat.
The monster’s expression, foreshadowing the revelation, wavered and twisted like a burning candle right before it went out.
Beneath his disheveled clothes, Bardenaldo’s face, flushed from the nape of his neck to the tips of his ears, did not look angry at the thought of revealing his secret.
“Poor Adrienne Piretta.”
The corners of his lips, rising slightly, were torn long and thin like a demon who had been granted permission to scratch and kill me.
“Adrienne Piretta, who died without knowing that she was destined to become the Crown Prince’s mistress.”
I held my hand tightly, wanting to press my cheek against it.
“That kind of thing...”
The eyes that were looking at me while lying down were now shining as if they were underground, even on the surface.
“...Did you think that I planned it without your father’s consent?”
The dying devil chewed and spat out each word with the sole intention of paying back the hell I had given him with another hell.
“...What?”
“If you found out, would you just turn away? You would want to go find your father, Duke Piretta, and strangle him right away.”
The one standing on the brink of death was Bardenaldo, and I was the one who came back from the dead.
“Will you still listen, Aunt?”
A part of my reason suddenly snapped at the unexpected name. Why is it that I find it difficult to breathe?
After that last day, the atmosphere in the capital became like a sheet of thin ice.
On the day that Noevian Trovica, who was a criminal, entered the palace at the mercy of the Emperor, he attempted to kill his master, the Crown Prince. Rumors spread that he preserved the bodies of the victims of the missing women incident, which were evidence of his crimes, under the Crown Prince's palace to curse the Crown Prince who could not protect him.
Rumors are truly changeable and scary things, and the bad rumors about Noevian spread in an instant.
Noevian Trovica, who covets corpses.
Adrienne Piretta, whom he fell in love with at first sight, was famous for her glass body, so the rumor that he had waited for her to die and preserved her body shocked the noble society.
If the imperial court had not ordered him to keep quiet while investigating, this rumor would have spread beyond the capital to the entire empire.
And the protagonist of the birthday party was struck by lightning in the dry sky.
Emperor Julius was in the audience room, receiving the body of Baroness Kuroseda brought by Rhodnes, and was collapsing.
“All other bodies will be compared to the portraits of the victims of the previous missing persons cases and sent home.”
The Emperor, who had lost his mind, did not respond.
Rhodnes was also slightly absent-minded, so Vincenzo, who was next to him, read the rest of the report.
Rhodnes, who had been silent, immediately made an excuse when the report about Adrienne came out.
“Let me tell you in detail the testimony of the guard who was guarding His Highness the Crown Prince’s bedroom. Countess Acacia went into the bedroom saying she had an urgent message related to the Grand Duke, and soon after, the Grand Duke came to see His Highness the Crown Prince. So the Countess was also a victim, just at the scene.”
“How many times have you heard that story? That Countess had a prior engagement with you, so she asked you to come? I already had a feeling.”
The Emperor’s face was pale.
“Are you sure it was Noevian who stabbed Bardenaldo?”
“...Yes.”
The wrinkled corners of his mouth were distorted painfully.
“Killing Baroness Kuroseda..."
Rhodnes’s mouth, which had been answering repeatedly, closed.
The Emperor, who had been staring at Baroness Kuroseda’s glass coffin as if nailed to the glass, turned his head toward Rhodnes with a gleam in his eyes.
“Is it Noevian, as rumored? Or... Bardenaldo?”
“...”
Sometimes silence can replace all answers.
The Emperor stumbled for a moment.
Rhodnes watched him calmly without supporting him.
Emperor Julius, upon hearing the news yesterday, became furious and barged into the bedroom of the Crown Princess’s Palace. However, upon seeing the portrait of Empress Letina hanging at the entrance, he froze as if struck by lightning and then turned back.
If Baroness Kuroseda had been kidnapped and murdered by Crown Prince Bardenaldo...
The Emperor lay face down on the glass coffin, took a long time to catch his breath, and then staggered to regain his balance.
“Roan.”
“Yes.”
“...I understand that you mean that it was the work of Noevian Trovica.”
The Emperor’s intention was clear.
He intended to use Noevian ‘Trovica’ to cover up Bardenaldo ‘Ronta’s’ faults.
“Your brother’s crazy actions have already been sufficiently punished by your uncle’s swordsmanship.”
“...”
“I just saw it. You’ve been watching Bardenaldo all along, so you should know. It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment.”
“...”
“What an asshole. What a... a...”
Upon seeing Baroness Kuroseda’s body, the Emperor hit his chest and sank to the ground, feeling frustrated.
“No matter how crazy that bastard was. In any case, he was your brother and my son. If the Lord takes him away... Could I send him on his last journey in disgrace?”
Ah.
What desperate fatherly love is this.
If Noevian Trovica, who had devoted his life to the Emperor, had heard this, it would have made him beat his chest and curse.
“Think of your dead mother. If even Bardenaldo cannot become the light of Letina, how will my poor Letina be known to future generations?”
He meant that Rhodnes was the darkness of Letina, and if history records that Bardenaldo followed the ominous Rhodnes, there would be no glory in Letina’s death.
Rhodnes looked at the Emperor praying while embracing the coffin of Baroness Kuroseda.
Julius’s face, immersed in sorrow, seemed to gradually move away from him, becoming a dot. The face of his father praying, not even realizing that he had revealed the true feelings that he had kept buried in his heart, felt unfamiliar.
The splendid and comfortable palace. His family loved him, no matter what others thought.
How many illusions have I lived through?
When the illusions he was standing on were shattered, Rhodnes fell endlessly downward.
And he barely managed to hold back the sorrow that was bursting out.
After watching his father sobbing for a long time, Rhodnes left the audience room without saying a word.
The dark shadows followed his silent steps and stretched out in the hallway, then disappeared immediately.
Crown Prince Bardenaldo was in serious condition.
The wound on his back that I had stabbed was quite deep, but it was not fatal.
Since I had stabbed him with my own body that had returned, I did not have enough strength, and since it was not a vital point, it was a wound that would heal sufficiently if they stopped the bleeding and took care of his body.
However, the chest that Noevian had stabbed was serious, and the amount of bleeding was considerable, since it was close to a vital point, Bardenaldo fainted several times from the excruciating pain while pulling out the dagger.
All the palace doctors were called out to examine him, but most of them shook their heads.
All kinds of rare medicines were prepared and poured into his mouth, so the best they could do was pray for a miracle.
While Rodnes went to report the general situation, I stood by the Crown Prince’s side.
Since they could not put him in the bedroom of the chaotic Crown Prince’s palace, I only received emergency treatment and Bardenaldo was transferred to the nearby villa.
Bardenaldo’s face, with his eyes closed, seemed calm as if the events of the previous night were a nightmare, and at first glance, he looked like an angel.
Click.
“No matter how crazy that bastard was. In any case, he was your brother and my son. If the Lord takes him away... Could I send him on his last journey in disgrace?”
Ah.
What desperate fatherly love is this.
If Noevian Trovica, who had devoted his life to the Emperor, had heard this, it would have made him beat his chest and curse.
“Think of your dead mother. If even Bardenaldo cannot become the light of Letina, how will my poor Letina be known to future generations?”
He meant that Rhodnes was the darkness of Letina, and if history records that Bardenaldo followed the ominous Rhodnes, there would be no glory in Letina’s death.
Rhodnes looked at the Emperor praying while embracing the coffin of Baroness Kuroseda.
Julius’s face, immersed in sorrow, seemed to gradually move away from him, becoming a dot. The face of his father praying, not even realizing that he had revealed the true feelings that he had kept buried in his heart, felt unfamiliar.
The splendid and comfortable palace. His family loved him, no matter what others thought.
How many illusions have I lived through?
When the illusions he was standing on were shattered, Rhodnes fell endlessly downward.
And he barely managed to hold back the sorrow that was bursting out.
After watching his father sobbing for a long time, Rhodnes left the audience room without saying a word.
The dark shadows followed his silent steps and stretched out in the hallway, then disappeared immediately.
***
Crown Prince Bardenaldo was in serious condition.
The wound on his back that I had stabbed was quite deep, but it was not fatal.
Since I had stabbed him with my own body that had returned, I did not have enough strength, and since it was not a vital point, it was a wound that would heal sufficiently if they stopped the bleeding and took care of his body.
However, the chest that Noevian had stabbed was serious, and the amount of bleeding was considerable, since it was close to a vital point, Bardenaldo fainted several times from the excruciating pain while pulling out the dagger.
All the palace doctors were called out to examine him, but most of them shook their heads.
All kinds of rare medicines were prepared and poured into his mouth, so the best they could do was pray for a miracle.
While Rodnes went to report the general situation, I stood by the Crown Prince’s side.
Since they could not put him in the bedroom of the chaotic Crown Prince’s palace, I only received emergency treatment and Bardenaldo was transferred to the nearby villa.
Bardenaldo’s face, with his eyes closed, seemed calm as if the events of the previous night were a nightmare, and at first glance, he looked like an angel.
Click.
I heard the sound of the bedroom door carefully opening.
“Your Majesty!”
“Shh.”
The one who came in, escorted by Ephero, was Empress Grace.
She looked surprised for a moment at the sight of me, a blonde, and then walked over silently to look into Bardenaldo’s face, fearing that he might wake up.
Ephero stopped at the door and did not come any closer. His face looked somewhat bewildered.
“I heard about the Crown Prince's condition on the way here, but where did the Crown Princess go and is Madam guarding this place?”
“I immediately informed Her Highness, but she has not yet...”
As I trailed off, Grace’s expression, which had been lowering her voice, also became clouded.
She pursed her lips and thought for a moment before patting my shoulder as if to encourage me.
At that moment,
“Huh, huff!”
The Crown Prince, who had just come to his senses, burst out in surprise at seeing me.
Empress Grace hurriedly turned to him.
“Crown prince. Are you awake?”
“That woman, that woman, why is she...?”
“Your Majesty!”
“Shh.”
The one who came in, escorted by Ephero, was Empress Grace.
She looked surprised for a moment at the sight of me, a blonde, and then walked over silently to look into Bardenaldo’s face, fearing that he might wake up.
Ephero stopped at the door and did not come any closer. His face looked somewhat bewildered.
“I heard about the Crown Prince's condition on the way here, but where did the Crown Princess go and is Madam guarding this place?”
“I immediately informed Her Highness, but she has not yet...”
As I trailed off, Grace’s expression, which had been lowering her voice, also became clouded.
She pursed her lips and thought for a moment before patting my shoulder as if to encourage me.
At that moment,
“Huh, huff!”
The Crown Prince, who had just come to his senses, burst out in surprise at seeing me.
Empress Grace hurriedly turned to him.
“Crown prince. Are you awake?”
“That woman, that woman, why is she...?”
“Isn’t that the Crown Prince’s aide, Countess Acacia?”
“No. No, that woman is Ad, Adrienne...!”
Bardenaldo writhed his body, unable to move properly.
At the same time as if he was in pain, he pressed hard on his chest, which had been bandaged several times, and cried out in pain.
“Adrienne, Adrienne Pireta...”
“...”
Empress Grace briefly pulled away and shook her head at me, who was silent.
The sight of someone who had barely survived calling the name of the dead person and trembling in fear was not very pleasant.
“I came here after hearing that I could look in now... My son is still not feeling well. Please understand, Madam. I think he is confusing you with the dead Grand Duchess because your hair is blond.”
“I understand.”
Bardenaldo, who looked slightly dazed, began to tremble as soon as I looked away from him and met his eyes after finishing my answer.
I smiled affectionately at him.
“I am your aide, so I will stay until Her Highness the Crown Princess eats, Your Majesty.”
“Will you?”
Grace, who had been afraid of the Crown Prince from the beginning, was delighted, as she was reluctant to spend any longer with the Crown Prince in that state.
Epero, who had been watching us from afar, escorted Empress Grace again. Then, as if he had something to say to me, he opened his mouth and eventually left the room. Only after the bedroom door was completely closed did I pull a nearby chair and sit down by the bed.
Bardenaldo squirmed away from me, even though he had nowhere to run.
“You, ghost... ghost... it’s definitely a ghost. Go away.”
“I’ll be there to testify soon.”
The swaying red hair suddenly stopped moving.
“After finding out the secret of Noevian Trovica, I realized that Baroness Kuroseda and his secret were related. So I went to the bedroom in the middle of the night to report to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Bardenaldo’s eyes, which had been unable to take their eyes off the lips from which my voice was coming out, changed from fear to question as if it was strange that I was moving alive.
“The basement of the Crown Prince’s palace is actually a space that His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t even know existed, and all of the corpses that Grand Duke Noevian Trovica had hidden in his mansion to curse the Crown Prince were brought through a secret passage.”
“Wh, what are you, trying to say...”
“The Emperor was deeply concerned about the Baroness, so I went to the Crown Prince’s palace because I felt urgent. And Noevian Trovica, who was worried that I would reveal the secret to the Crown Prince, chased after me, and eventually tried to kill the Crown Prince who found out the truth, as well as me.”
The trembling of his chapped lips suddenly stopped. The Crown Prince stopped trembling and stared at me as I spoke calmly.
“If Prince Rhodnes hadn’t come, I would have died. It was all Noevian Trovica’s doing, and Crown Prince Bardenaldo was just a victim.”
“...”
“...What if I testify like this?”
A subtle wave of agitation rippled across the Crown Prince’s normally calm face.
“...What do you want?”
Even if I were a ghost or a devil, his eyes looked like he would sell his soul if only his wrongdoings were not revealed.
I barely managed to smoothly raise the corners of my lips that were about to distort due to the surging contempt.
“The truth.”
Even though I said what I wanted, the eyes that didn’t understand what I meant searched my expression.
This monster didn’t think that he might die. And I was happy about that.
“Adrienne Piretta would turn back if she knew.”
To a monster, in a monster’s own way.
Could a monster that didn’t care about the suffering of others have such a clear demand?
“Everything underground belongs to the Saint of Ronta, Crown Prince Bardenaldo.”
“!”
“If you don’t want that to come out of my mouth, tell me straight.”
And there was no greater threat.
The monster’s expression, foreshadowing the revelation, wavered and twisted like a burning candle right before it went out.
Beneath his disheveled clothes, Bardenaldo’s face, flushed from the nape of his neck to the tips of his ears, did not look angry at the thought of revealing his secret.
“Poor Adrienne Piretta.”
The corners of his lips, rising slightly, were torn long and thin like a demon who had been granted permission to scratch and kill me.
“Adrienne Piretta, who died without knowing that she was destined to become the Crown Prince’s mistress.”
I held my hand tightly, wanting to press my cheek against it.
“That kind of thing...”
The eyes that were looking at me while lying down were now shining as if they were underground, even on the surface.
“...Did you think that I planned it without your father’s consent?”
The dying devil chewed and spat out each word with the sole intention of paying back the hell I had given him with another hell.
“...What?”
“If you found out, would you just turn away? You would want to go find your father, Duke Piretta, and strangle him right away.”
The one standing on the brink of death was Bardenaldo, and I was the one who came back from the dead.
“Will you still listen, Aunt?”
A part of my reason suddenly snapped at the unexpected name. Why is it that I find it difficult to breathe?
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