It was a slow-starting morning. Cecilia left the bedroom after sending Eden, who was worried about her, to a meeting. Madame Monte looked worried, perhaps because it was the first time she had seen Cecilia crying.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
Cecilia nodded at Madame Monte's concern.
“What happened that made you cry so much? Did His Majesty say something sad?”
It was impossible to say that her father was plotting treason. Cecilia simply smiled faintly and avoided answering.
“Even if you sounded a little offended, Your Majesty, please understand. That’s what happens when you deal with children.”
Madam Monte defended Curtis, saying that she probably thought Cecilia was still just a young daughter and was giving advice. That alone was enough to understand how popular Curtis was with her people.
“Well, I wonder if he ever considered me his child.”
“Your Majesty, why are you saying that? His Excellency always...”
The one who drove her into the abyss was his father, whom she loved more than anyone else. As much as she loved him, he was terrible. To the point where she couldn't even be shaken by Madame Monte's defense.
“Don’t worry about our business. It’s already over.”
Cecilia smiled and told Madame Monte that she did not want to hear any more from her. Madame Monte closed her mouth with a worried look on her face.
“I have come to see Her Majesty the Empress.”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice called out to Cecilia.
“Would you like to go out and find out what’s going on?”
At Cecilia's request, Madame Monte hurried out. After a while, Madame Monte returned and told Cecilia that the Empress Dowager wanted to meet her.
“...”
What are you trying to say?
Cecilia blinked quietly. She had no desire to see Curtis or the Empress Dowager. However, she had to meet them at least once. She had to know what they had done and what they were going to do.
“Tell her to come to me in person, since I’m having a little trouble moving today.”
That did not mean she would go to the Empress Dowager's residence. Cecilia did not change her mind even when she saw the maid who had come to deliver the message look flustered. There was no reason for her to appear to be bowing down and going in.
“Oh, I understand.”
The maid bowed hurriedly and left. Cecilia, noticing the shock on Madame Monte's face, quietly turned away.
Soon after, the Empress Dowager sent word that she would visit the palace as if it were a final mercy.
“Look here.”
Jason kept his mouth shut the whole time, wondering what he was thinking. He must have known that he couldn't avoid responsibility even if he thought about it, since he was a criminal caught at the scene.
“Hey!”
Are you just going to die? The guard was also out of his mind. Jason kept calling out to the guards nervously.
“What, what?”
The guard stood up in surprise and turned to look at Jason. Jason, who had not washed up for a while and was even more dirty, smiled.
“Tell His Majesty the Emperor.”
“What are you talking about?”
The guard asked. He didn't think that the guy who had kept his mouth shut the whole time would confess today.
“I will tell you the story that the Emperor wanted today.”
Oh, by the way, Eden had given Jason a warning.
'If you keep your mouth shut, I'll have no choice but to torture you. Do you want that?'
Eden said so. Today was the last day of the sentence Eden had given Jason to confess. The guard, who remembered it only then, let out a loud noise.
“Instead, it has to be right now.”
“You are wasting time because you don’t want to be tortured, and you are delaying it again and again, and now you are hiding the moment to confess?”
“Go right now and tell him what I say.”
“What? How dare you... to me now.”
“I’m talking to the Emperor, not you.”
The smile on Jason's face completely disappeared. Jason's eyes rolled like a madman and he uttered each word. His hands were shaking from the drug withdrawal, but he didn't show it.
“I’m going to die just like you said. So, whether I bite my tongue and die without saying anything or I die after talking, it’s the same.”
“...”
“But you’ll be punished for not managing the prisoners properly, right?”
Jason threatened him as if he knew the guard's weakness very well. In fact, it was no different from threatening Eden, but it worked on the guard.
“I’ll see how long that long tongue will be safe.”
The guard glanced at the cell where Jason was. Then he asked his colleague guarding the entrance to watch over him and left.
“...”
Yes. Jason stared at the guard's back as he disappeared up the stairs, then twitched his ticklish mouth muscles. His mouth itched. A soft piece of paper was rolling in his palm.
<Now you can speak honestly about whatever you want.>
Rather than being reprimanded for daring to act so rashly, he was given permission to tell the truth. Considering the implications, he naturally thought they would tell him not to tell.
“Of course, even if that were true, I would have said something...”
It was finally time for him to begin the revenge he had been longing for. His true revenge could not have been something as trivial as a puppet show or something like that.
“Follow me!”
The guard came back, unlocked the door, entered the cell, bound Jason's wrists, and spoke in a gruff voice.
Jason followed him, his wrists still tied. Perhaps because he had been locked up all this time, or perhaps because it was finally time to act, the air that penetrated his lungs felt unusually refreshing.
“How can you, a sinner, talk about whether it should be done right now or not?”
Even though it was something Eden had allowed, the guard still grumbled, seemingly angry. Jason generously let his frustration flow.
“Tell His Majesty that I brought Jason Nova.”
The guard guarding the conference room looked at Jason and the guards, who were looking sullen. He then went inside the conference room for a moment, then came out and quietly opened the door. This meant that Eden had given permission.
“How can you shamelessly raise your head while you are a sinner...”
“Isn’t the pride of the nobility a pitiful sight that has been thrown away as a sin?”
The high-ranking nobles gathered in the conference hall clicked their tongues at Jason. However, Jason walked down the central aisle with great dignity.
“...”
It was natural to even glance at Curtis, who was sitting at the head table with the high-ranking nobles. Curtis, sensing the gaze directed at him, frowned with an unpleasant expression.
“See the sun at Wyatt.”
Jason shamelessly greeted Eden, who was sitting at the top of the table. Eden looked down at Jason.
“You said you would tell the truth, but not now.”
A calm voice leaked out from between slowly opened lips.
“I know you thought I was presumptuous.”
“...”
“What can you say about the puppet show that slanders the Emperor and Empress? That must be what you thought.”
Jason spoke theatrically, very comically. The faces of the nobles seated there were distorted with unpleasant emotion.
“It is clearly an act of blasphemy. I will gladly accept responsibility for it.”
“...”
“But there is a reason why I made that choice, Your Majesty.”
Jason opened his mouth calmly. Eden just stared at him without answering. It was an attitude that urged him to speak.
“I did it, and I stalled until today because today had to be the day.”
Jason opened his mouth, holding his trembling hands. It was a withdrawal symptom. Everyone looked at Jason pitifully.
“I am here today to denounce Curtis Lane.”
At that moment, Jason dropped a bomb into the conference room. An eerie silence hung over the conference room. It was an uneasy silence as if everything would shatter if even a single pin fell.
"Your Majesty."
Then, Curtis raised his hand and opened his mouth, his face unable to hide his annoyance.
“Is it really necessary to listen to the words of someone who is not in their right mind right here?”
And he pointed out Jason's condition. He also mentioned that there was no useful information to be gained from him.
“He still believes that we have harmed his family and harbors ill will toward the Duke of Lane and His Majesty.”
Curtis naturally dismissed Jason's sincerity.
“Indeed. I knew Curtis Lane would say that.”
Jason burst into laughter as he watched the scene. It was a hearty, loud laugh that caught everyone's attention.
"Your Majesty."
After a while, Jason stopped laughing and looked back at Eden.
“The person who instructed me to distribute drugs illegally was Curtis Lane.”
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
Cecilia nodded at Madame Monte's concern.
“What happened that made you cry so much? Did His Majesty say something sad?”
It was impossible to say that her father was plotting treason. Cecilia simply smiled faintly and avoided answering.
“Even if you sounded a little offended, Your Majesty, please understand. That’s what happens when you deal with children.”
Madam Monte defended Curtis, saying that she probably thought Cecilia was still just a young daughter and was giving advice. That alone was enough to understand how popular Curtis was with her people.
“Well, I wonder if he ever considered me his child.”
“Your Majesty, why are you saying that? His Excellency always...”
The one who drove her into the abyss was his father, whom she loved more than anyone else. As much as she loved him, he was terrible. To the point where she couldn't even be shaken by Madame Monte's defense.
“Don’t worry about our business. It’s already over.”
Cecilia smiled and told Madame Monte that she did not want to hear any more from her. Madame Monte closed her mouth with a worried look on her face.
“I have come to see Her Majesty the Empress.”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice called out to Cecilia.
“Would you like to go out and find out what’s going on?”
At Cecilia's request, Madame Monte hurried out. After a while, Madame Monte returned and told Cecilia that the Empress Dowager wanted to meet her.
“...”
What are you trying to say?
Cecilia blinked quietly. She had no desire to see Curtis or the Empress Dowager. However, she had to meet them at least once. She had to know what they had done and what they were going to do.
“Tell her to come to me in person, since I’m having a little trouble moving today.”
That did not mean she would go to the Empress Dowager's residence. Cecilia did not change her mind even when she saw the maid who had come to deliver the message look flustered. There was no reason for her to appear to be bowing down and going in.
“Oh, I understand.”
The maid bowed hurriedly and left. Cecilia, noticing the shock on Madame Monte's face, quietly turned away.
Soon after, the Empress Dowager sent word that she would visit the palace as if it were a final mercy.
***
“Look here.”
Jason kept his mouth shut the whole time, wondering what he was thinking. He must have known that he couldn't avoid responsibility even if he thought about it, since he was a criminal caught at the scene.
“Hey!”
Are you just going to die? The guard was also out of his mind. Jason kept calling out to the guards nervously.
“What, what?”
The guard stood up in surprise and turned to look at Jason. Jason, who had not washed up for a while and was even more dirty, smiled.
“Tell His Majesty the Emperor.”
“What are you talking about?”
The guard asked. He didn't think that the guy who had kept his mouth shut the whole time would confess today.
“I will tell you the story that the Emperor wanted today.”
Oh, by the way, Eden had given Jason a warning.
'If you keep your mouth shut, I'll have no choice but to torture you. Do you want that?'
Eden said so. Today was the last day of the sentence Eden had given Jason to confess. The guard, who remembered it only then, let out a loud noise.
“Instead, it has to be right now.”
“You are wasting time because you don’t want to be tortured, and you are delaying it again and again, and now you are hiding the moment to confess?”
The guard made a hissing sound and laughed at Jason.
“What? How dare you... to me now.”
“I’m talking to the Emperor, not you.”
The smile on Jason's face completely disappeared. Jason's eyes rolled like a madman and he uttered each word. His hands were shaking from the drug withdrawal, but he didn't show it.
“I’m going to die just like you said. So, whether I bite my tongue and die without saying anything or I die after talking, it’s the same.”
“...”
“But you’ll be punished for not managing the prisoners properly, right?”
Jason threatened him as if he knew the guard's weakness very well. In fact, it was no different from threatening Eden, but it worked on the guard.
“I’ll see how long that long tongue will be safe.”
The guard glanced at the cell where Jason was. Then he asked his colleague guarding the entrance to watch over him and left.
“...”
Yes. Jason stared at the guard's back as he disappeared up the stairs, then twitched his ticklish mouth muscles. His mouth itched. A soft piece of paper was rolling in his palm.
<Now you can speak honestly about whatever you want.>
Rather than being reprimanded for daring to act so rashly, he was given permission to tell the truth. Considering the implications, he naturally thought they would tell him not to tell.
“Of course, even if that were true, I would have said something...”
It was finally time for him to begin the revenge he had been longing for. His true revenge could not have been something as trivial as a puppet show or something like that.
“Follow me!”
The guard came back, unlocked the door, entered the cell, bound Jason's wrists, and spoke in a gruff voice.
Jason followed him, his wrists still tied. Perhaps because he had been locked up all this time, or perhaps because it was finally time to act, the air that penetrated his lungs felt unusually refreshing.
“How can you, a sinner, talk about whether it should be done right now or not?”
Even though it was something Eden had allowed, the guard still grumbled, seemingly angry. Jason generously let his frustration flow.
“Tell His Majesty that I brought Jason Nova.”
The guard guarding the conference room looked at Jason and the guards, who were looking sullen. He then went inside the conference room for a moment, then came out and quietly opened the door. This meant that Eden had given permission.
“How can you shamelessly raise your head while you are a sinner...”
“Isn’t the pride of the nobility a pitiful sight that has been thrown away as a sin?”
The high-ranking nobles gathered in the conference hall clicked their tongues at Jason. However, Jason walked down the central aisle with great dignity.
“...”
It was natural to even glance at Curtis, who was sitting at the head table with the high-ranking nobles. Curtis, sensing the gaze directed at him, frowned with an unpleasant expression.
“See the sun at Wyatt.”
Jason shamelessly greeted Eden, who was sitting at the top of the table. Eden looked down at Jason.
“You said you would tell the truth, but not now.”
A calm voice leaked out from between slowly opened lips.
“I know you thought I was presumptuous.”
“...”
“What can you say about the puppet show that slanders the Emperor and Empress? That must be what you thought.”
Jason spoke theatrically, very comically. The faces of the nobles seated there were distorted with unpleasant emotion.
“It is clearly an act of blasphemy. I will gladly accept responsibility for it.”
“...”
“But there is a reason why I made that choice, Your Majesty.”
Jason opened his mouth calmly. Eden just stared at him without answering. It was an attitude that urged him to speak.
“I did it, and I stalled until today because today had to be the day.”
Jason opened his mouth, holding his trembling hands. It was a withdrawal symptom. Everyone looked at Jason pitifully.
“I am here today to denounce Curtis Lane.”
At that moment, Jason dropped a bomb into the conference room. An eerie silence hung over the conference room. It was an uneasy silence as if everything would shatter if even a single pin fell.
"Your Majesty."
Then, Curtis raised his hand and opened his mouth, his face unable to hide his annoyance.
“Is it really necessary to listen to the words of someone who is not in their right mind right here?”
And he pointed out Jason's condition. He also mentioned that there was no useful information to be gained from him.
“He still believes that we have harmed his family and harbors ill will toward the Duke of Lane and His Majesty.”
Curtis naturally dismissed Jason's sincerity.
“Indeed. I knew Curtis Lane would say that.”
Jason burst into laughter as he watched the scene. It was a hearty, loud laugh that caught everyone's attention.
"Your Majesty."
After a while, Jason stopped laughing and looked back at Eden.
“The person who instructed me to distribute drugs illegally was Curtis Lane.”
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