RAMHM - Chapter 111 < Our Enemy >

Doris Castagna lay wide awake in her sunless bedroom.

From dawn, requests for an audience from the western nobles as well as the Crown Prince's faction nobles lined up, but they were all rejected.

A quiet and splendid space.

Doris lit a candle like incense and looked at the Imperial Daily News that someone had brought her in at dawn.

[The death of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Bardenaldo, the Saint of Ronta]

[Again, Her Highness the Crown Princess faints from shock]

Doris, who was reading the headlines on the front page of the newspaper, ended up burning down an entire page with a single, weak candle.

Through the small flames that instantly engulfed the yellow paper, memories of yesterday shimmered like illusions.

***

“Adrienne, bring Adrienne! Adrienne...!”

“...”

A face as flawless as white marble.

Crown Prince Bardenaldo, stained with heterogeneous red blood, had an evil beauty that was too precious to be seen alone.

“Doris. Doris, bring Adrienne! Not you! Adrienne!”

The sight of a husband whose eyes turn bloodshot and who feels as if his world is going to crumble if he misses the woman who just left.

Doris stared at the squirming figure for a long time.

“Can’t you hear me? You’re not a ghost, are you? You’re Adrienne Piretta? Bring me here! Bring me before my eyes!”

Crack-!

Bardenaldo, who was shaking violently, finally vomited out a large clot of blood. His hand, frantically searching for a handkerchief, waved the air pitifully, but no one handed him a handkerchief.

“Why are you looking for a dead person?”

“She’s not dead! Damn it! Adrienne Piretta is not dead! Cough! Kekeke!”

Doris's eyebrows, which had been cold and still, became increasingly furrowed as Bardenaldo's coughing grew rougher.

“...She’s not dead?”

“She’s not dead! She’s dead! She came back to life! Damn it! If she’s a ghost, there’s no way she’s doing that. Bring her here!”

“That crazy guy.”

Doris laughed heartily at the dog barking mixed with the coughing.

"She's dead."

“Doris, Doris, you stupid bitch!”

“You kept looking for that girl that day. I killed her a long time ago.”

“Cough! Cough cough!”

“How did she not die? I received a report on how she died as if I saw her every breath as she passed into the afterlife.”

“Whew, ugh, ugh!”

One step. Another step.

Doris, who had been smiling like a beautiful but lifeless flower, finally moved when Bardenaldo began to tear at her breasts.

“‘Adrienne is mine.’ That was the day I heard those words in my sleep.”

Doris, who was briefly reminiscing about the past, smiled as if she had stepped onto a lake covered in ice.

“Julius Ronta. Noevian Ronta. Bardenaldo Ronta... Rhodnes Ronta.”

Doris walked slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“All the men of the Royal House of Ronta are driven mad by the ghosts of the dead. Julius Ronta cannot forget Empress Letina and takes a mistress who resembles her. And you, Archduke and  Rhodnes.”

“Roan...”

As she watched the Crown Prince react to the name Rhodnes, Doris picked up a white pillow next to her.

“Did you think I’d be jealous that you liked Adrienne Piretta?”

Long fingers squeezed the wrinkle-free pillow.

“A weak and unskilled person like you is not fit to be by the side of Doris Castagna, the future Crown Princess.”

"This...!"

“From the beginning, I liked Rhodnes, not you, you idiot.”

Doris' slender arms stretched forward, and Bardenaldo's body, which was spitting out blood as he sat up as if folding his body, fell backward at the touch of her hand.

Just like the night she had taken medicine and drunkenness and attacked him, Doris immediately climbed onto Bardenaldo's body.

The wound from the tightly wrapped bandage burst and blood began to spurt out from his chest and mouth.

Doris thought it was just like the ruby ​​rose that Blie Acacia had been wearing.

“Die for me, Bardenaldo.”

“No... Ugh... No, don’t...!”

“When you die, Rhodnes will become Emperor.”

Rather than being told to die, Bardenaldo's eyes widened in reaction to the words that Rhodnes would become Emperor.

For a moment, his face distorted like a child whose candy had been taken away.

Doris covered Bardenaldo's face with the white pillow she was holding and pressed it against him.

“Ugh-. Ugh. Ugh!”

In a huge bathtub, the sound of dirty impurities clumping together and preventing the water from draining properly could be heard from people's mouths.

“You are the unfortunate Crown Prince who died at the hands of your uncle...”

“Keeeeek- ugh-.”

“And the new Crown Prince Rhodnes... and the only replacement in place of his poor older brother.”

“Ouch, ok!!”

“History will record us in the exact opposite way.”

There was a loud gurgling sound as blood and breath simultaneously went down his throat.

And then the body that had been squirming roughly and gushing blood stopped moving as if it was sinking under the bed.

Boom-!

The sky, which had been cloudy all afternoon, gave way to heavy rain and thunder in the early evening instead of moonlight.

***

Instead of the deceased Crown Prince, Empress Grace, and Rhodnes presided over the funeral.

Almost all the nobles, including the capital, rushed to the palace all night long as they heard the sad news the night before and attended the funeral held in front of the Crown Prince's Palace, but it was incredibly simple and quiet for a funeral for the Crown Prince.

Quite unusually, the Crown Prince's body was not even placed in a glass coffin, and the funeral was announced to be over today.

Considering that Bardenaldo was the Crown Prince, it was a very unconventional decision.

Originally, the direct imperial family and their spouses were required to hold a 100-day funeral, but the direct imperial family only referred to the imperial family members who won the competition for the throne.

The defeated royal family called being able to hold a 100-day funeral a 'privilege'.

Because the victims of fratricide who met a miserable end could not even receive such a funeral.

Showing off the glorious corpses that returned from the battlefield and the corpses of those who lived a noble life and died was an act of pride for the Ronta royal family.

So, the body of Crown Prince Bardenaldo, who was killed by his uncle, could not be taken out, and it was a miserable funeral in the strictest sense because it was not a glorious death.

Although he was the son who had been asked to protect the honor of the final journey, Emperor Julius could not reveal the face of the successor who had been killed by his uncle for 100 days, so he accepted the Empress's proposal.

He also did not want to continue seeing the body of his son who had passed away before his father.

I stared at the still, still Rhodnes.

He stood before the coffin of the Crown Prince, accompanied by the imperial couple.

When our eyes met, I tried to force a smile but failed and looked down, unable to bear to meet his gaze.

We were kissing in the pouring rain, lusting after each other as if we were going to devour each other when we were suddenly awakened by a scream coming from the direction of the Crown Prince's Palace.

No, actually, it was only after Neil, who had come to find Rhodnes after hearing the screams, delivered the bad news that we dropped our bodies.

My cheeks were soaked with something that I couldn't tell if it was rain or tears, and Rhodnes quickly wrapped my wet body in her cloak and left the tunnel.

Although he was standing far away, Neil's face turned bright red, so he must have seen us kissing absentmindedly.

I briefly emerged from my memories of dawn and looked at Rhodes again.

The burning desire was momentarily suppressed, and the eyes that hid their wildness were deeply sunken, making it difficult to guess what they were thinking.

At that moment, there was a commotion at the entrance to the restaurant.

Doris, who had become haggard overnight, finally appeared, supported by Noura.

People closed their eyes or looked down at the floor to avoid receiving sympathetic looks.

Doris, who seemed to be on the verge of collapse, met my eyes before she even reached the Crown Prince's coffin.

“!”

A threatening light flashed across Doris' green eyes, enough to make the hairs on my ears stand on end.

But it was only for a moment, so I thought it might be an illusion.

In a space where the sounds of the High Priest's prayers and the organ for silent prayers resonated softly, Doris paid her respects to the imperial couple and then stood beside Rhodnes, shedding tears as if she were nothing.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask since yesterday.”

“...”

As the hymns praising the Lord began to ring out loud, Ephero, who was next to me with Victor, whispered so that only I could hear.

“Was His Highness the Crown Prince your enemy?”

"...No."

I answered, staring at Bardenaldo's coffin.

“They were our enemies.”

“...”

“So what? Are you ready to be my friend now?”

As one song ended, another one began. I glanced over and saw that Ephero was clearly hesitating about what to say.

“...What do I get if I become your friend?”

“What do you want to gain?”

I snorted, lowering the corners of my mouth as if I was afraid someone might see me.

“Do you think we have to gain something together to be friends?”

“...”

“A true friend is...”

I finished answering, staring at Doris, who was sobbing with her face buried in her handkerchief.

“...Aren’t we friends who can eliminate enemies together?”

Ephero seemed to ponder the meaning of my words for a moment, then looked at Empress Grace, who looked visibly exhausted.

The Empress must be worried since she has already sent off six Princes to funerals like this.

I held his arm tightly as if comforting him, and then let go.

Ephero, who was startled, stared blankly at the arm that had been caught, then swallowed dryly as if making up his mind.

“I still don’t really know what’s what...”

I looked away from him and stared straight ahead. Ephero leaned closer to me and whispered from behind.

“If I become your enemy, I know I might be the next person to be at the funeral.”

It was a remark aimed at Bardenaldo, who, despite being the Crown Prince, was given a hasty funeral without even being placed in a glass coffin.

Ever since I saw him yesterday, Ephero seemed to be shocked by the Crown Prince's sudden death.

If Bardenaldo is not there, it means that the situation of 'remaining in Ronta' that he so desperately wanted could continue.

I raised one corner of my mouth as if to show off my skills as I watched Ephero, who couldn't take his eyes off me.

Ephero seemed to remember my words that I would let him stay in Ronta, and his face looked as if he had seen hope at his brother's funeral.

***

Beginning with the Emperor, who eventually disappeared complaining of a headache before sunset, even the royal family members who lived far away headed to the villa, and out of courtesy, all the remaining members also left.

Countless eyes gazed at Rhodnes, who was quietly gazing at the Crown Prince's coffin, then turned away.

Some people were busy discussing the future succession structure, while others were mentally drawing up a list of tea party invitations to spread rumors about the various conspiracy theories surrounding the Crown Prince.

Adrienne also quietly left with Ephero and his party.

Rhodnes's gaze, which had been directed toward the coffin lid, followed Adrienne's back as she left the funeral hall, and when she disappeared from sight, he turned to the adjutants who had remained by his side.

Vincenzo and Neil quietly stayed by his side.

The attendants who had been observing the situation and the priests who had been praying for Crown Prince Bardenaldo all night also left the funeral hall for a moment.

The adjutants looked at each other to see if they should step aside for a moment to make way for Rhodnes, then took a step forward.

And at that moment.

“Vincenzo.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The voice of Rhodnes, who had not said a word throughout the funeral, suddenly fell in front of Vincenzo.

Rhodnes' gaze still lingered somewhere above the coffin.

“What do we do now?”

"...Yes?"

The answer crawled out of Neil instead of Vincenzo.

It was a reflexive response when Rhodnes, who was supposed to be using them, suddenly asked what to do.

“Now that my brother has passed away, there is no need for you to be by my side.”

Have you become mad?

Neil raised his eyebrows and tried to choose his words to respond to his master who was confronted with the death of his half-brother. At first, he thought Rhodnes was just venting his anger.

“...Vincenzo?”

Even when he calls, there is no answer.

Until he saw Vincenzo frozen in place, just as he had taken a step forward as if time had stopped.

“I know you were my brother’s eyes and ears.”

Even as he spoke words that Neil had never heard of before, Rhodnes still did not spare them a glance.

“Now that the real master is dead, it’s up to you to decide what to do next.”

Dump.

Vincenzo collapsed to his knees on the spot. Rhodnes' gaze finally shifted from the coffin to the entrance of the funeral hall. They were still not in sight.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, that is... when, when did it start...”

Neil was dumbfounded by this absurd situation and just gaped.

“...from the beginning.”

As Vincenzo asked with a pale, tired face, Rhodnes' voice, who was already several steps ahead, dropped to a low tone.

“From the moment you volunteered to be my adjutant. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

The back of the retreating Rhodnes was as strong and broad as ever, but it looked strangely lonely.

Neil unconsciously reached out his hand toward his lord and then looked at Vincenzo, who had a blank expression on his face.

He was crying.

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