Valdina District 2 Rose White Mansion.
The regency Prince's rebellion, the victory of the plains, and even while the royal palace was turned upside down by the greatest events that had ever happened in Valdina, this mansion alone remained isolated, buried in the wilderness.
The joy of victory and the cheers for the royal family that echoed through the streets did not go beyond the high walls of the mansion.
This was because the interior of the mansion, which was colorless with not a single speck of dust in its white exterior, was filled with an unprecedented darkness.
Cesare was reclining on an old-fashioned bed with an expressionless face. An eerie atmosphere, like the entrance to hell, surrounded him.
The raw ferocity of facing the oppression and limitations of someone who has reigned over the world all his life was mixed together without being refined.
The prominent jawline made him look like a well-sculpted statue.
However, everything except the face was covered in a black curse.
Around the bed were traces of blood wiped away and clots of still-dried gore.
"... It's a failure."
Terence, who had been observing his condition from the side, lowered his head with a miserable expression.
"Even the dawn's sunset... was of no use."
Even their last hope, which they had barely managed to obtain at the Valdina Palace, was dashed.
When they first got their hands on the Dawn's Droplet, they were thrilled.
They had no doubt that Cesare would finally rise again, breaking the age-old curse.
"You said you could wash it! You said you could erase it all! It was all bullshit!"
Gallo picked up the empty bottle that was rolling and threw it. The bottle shattered into pieces with a sharp crack.
He turned his back to the wall, his hands pressed against it. Tears fell and soaked the tips of his feet.
"Why, why!"
Gallo slammed his fist Into the wall.
Wouldn't it have been better if there had been no hope at all?
It was a miserable feeling of flying up to the edge of the sky and then crashing down and breaking into pieces. Terence also took off his glasses and wiped his dry face. Then he clenched his fists, which were soaked with deep fatigue.
The young man, soaked in despair, could not bear to look his friend in the eye.
"I'm sorry. Cesare. It's my fault..."
If he had tried harder, if he had surpassed his master and surpassed even the beginning, it might have saved him.
"It's unnecessary overconfidence."
Cesare rebuked him indifferently, his tone arrogant.
In this place where everything had fallen apart, only he was maintaining his composure.
The moment when even the last bastion, the Dawn's Droplet, failed and death was certain, he did not break down or go into a panic.
No, he couldn't. Because he wasn't ready to accept anything yet.
But the cold reality said it's really over now.
He forced the word death into his head so that he could neither move forward nor retreat.
'Is this it?'
Cesare looked down at his blackened hands.
The expressionless face looked as calm as unshakable water, or as dangerous as a volcano that could erupt at any moment.
The five fingers spread out repeatedly clenched and unclenched in the air as if they were grasping something.
Cesare watched in silence as the formless things he had once called dreams slipped away without a sound.
"..."
Then the sound of a bird flying away cut through the pale silence.
Cesare raised his head.
He could see Gallo standing by the window with a distorted expression on his face, stuffing something into his back pocket.
"What?"
"It's nothing, boss. There's just some dust on the window-."
With tears still streaming down his face and his eyes red, Gallo hurriedly made an excuse.
"Bring it."
Cesare snapped his long, straight fingers.
Haa. Gallo sighed, reluctantly handing over the parchment.
"A message from the home country. Valdina has demanded the Strait of El Amuz from the Empire in exchange for freeing the Claudio family."
It was the result of the Fourth Princess's attempt to rescue Samon Claudio after their meeting.
'The Princess said she would let me go so easily, but it seems she was aiming for the strait from the beginning.'
As expected, there was something else she wanted.
A small figure with sparkling green eyes flashed through his mind, and Cesare couldn't help but laugh.
But Gallo's face was still red.
The blushing face as if holding back anger, told him that the news the liver of the Facade had delivered was not all.
"The Grand Duke of Castullo has been recovered, and the Count of Kensington is dead. And..."
Gallo hesitated.
"Keep going."
"The Emperor has recovered Romagna and Alfannon."
For a moment, silence fell in the room.
Terence was also speechless. Only then did he understand why Gallo could not control his anger.
"How, how could this happen! How could His Majesty do this to you!"
Perdiccas II began to seriously attempt to oust Cesare's power.
Romagna and Alfannon are just the beginning.
Cesare could read his father's true intention to absorb all the talented people and loyal vassals that Cesare had discovered.
The well-shaped lips on the chiseled face were twisted.
"Now that Jason and Kensington are sorted out, it's my turn next."
"The Emperor shouldn't treat my boss like this. Do you think the Empire is still alive today because of you? At least if it was my father if he had suppressed and denied me his entire life, at least until the end!"
Gallo screamed, spitting out blood. His anger was building up. The years he spent with Cesare flashed before his eyes.
It is not the Emperor who has cut down countless enemies and crossed the line between life and death.
The infamous achievement that made everyone on the continent bow down before Katzen's name was not the Emperor's either.
They were all Cesare. They were the flesh and blood that his lord had chosen and cultivated.
Even if it was for Cesare's own benefit, the fact remains that the Emperor benefited the most.
Cesare shrugged.
"The Emperor doesn't care about discarded cards, so it's not something that would be unexpected."
"Who said the abandoned pattern!"
Despite Gallo's explosion, Cesare remained calm.
His cruel father's betrayal was nothing new to him. For him, the bond between blood relatives had long since faded.
"Don't worry, Gallo. Anger is too early."
A graceful hand reached out and tossed a small scroll to Gallo.
"Boss, this is a list of imperial observers."
"The Senate meeting will be held soon."
The observers were granted the privilege of the Emperor and were entitled to attend the meetings of the Senate.
After ascending the throne, Perdiccas II introduced this observer system to the Senate.
The aim was to attract new local power players by offering them the reward of being able to participate in central politics.
Thus, the twenty-three existing 'observers' became the next powerful figures in the empire, carefully selected by Perdiccas II, and a strong base of support for the Emperor.
"It's a hunt, Gallo. It won't be difficult."
The soft command that leaked out from between the lips where the tired smile had disappeared was deeper and colder than ever.
Gallo paused. He felt a sense of foreboding.
"Can I really get rid of everything?"
"Yeah, all of them."
He remembered the time when all the vassals who tried to kill Cesare were poisoned.
His boldness solidified the precarious position of the First Prince and struck fear into the minds of the people for the first time.
It remained the same even as he faced death.
"Since the Emperor reached out to me first, I too must repay him with proper filial piety until the end."
When the observers are all destroyed, the Emperor will realize.
If he tries to take anything away fr lom his best son, he has to pay a high price.
Cesare turned to Gallo.
"And when that's done. The Facade will withdraw from the Empire. Whether you stay in Valdina, go to the Holy Land, or wherever."
What?
Gallo looked up. The seal of the Facade flew above him.
"You and the Facade are free."
Unlike Terence, who was of Katzen's noble birth, Gallo was not a Katzenian. He was bound to the empire because he thoroughly followed Cesare.
"Look, boss. Are you crazy? Are you, right now-"
"Terence, you too go back to the tower."
They think this is the end of the wandering.
Terence hesitated at the words thrown out so slowly.
Go back? That wasn't the answer he expected...
"You... Are you giving up?"
It was not like Cesare. If it had been him, he would have told them to find another way. Indifferent eyes met Terence's.
"Well, should I throw a tantrum until the last moment, or would it be less showy to just wave my hand nobly?"
He's thinking about it.
But his voice was as slow as ever. No one would believe that he was on the verge of death.
Even though he was in a terrible state due to the black curse, Cesare still had an elegant appearance.
"Cesare!"
"And Alpha, when you return to the Empire, make sure to report without the Princess of BlValdina."
He turned around.
"The Princess is merely a beneficiary of the fame of her blood relatives. The one who punished the traitors and played a leading role in the victory on the plains was King Peleus."
"... My lord, are you saying that we should also hide the Princess's actions up until now?"
"Yes."
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