“Get any confession from the criminal. I don’t care if you have to drug him, starve him, or torture him to get it.”
After meeting Curtis Lane, Eden stood there with a bashful expression. Enon looked at Eden's expression and said that he would do so.
“Investigate Jason Nova’s activities. Is there any evidence of collusion with Benia, and whether Curtis Lane provided any assistance in this regard?”
He won't let even one of them go unnoticed. Eden gritted his teeth. His anger was so strong that he couldn't stand it. It was even worse when he thought of Cecilia, who had been betrayed by her father, whom she had trusted.
The day she met the Empress Dowager, she must have known this fact. That must be why she gave up her family's honor and her father. When he realized that, his heart ached and hurt.
“And the useless investigation team...”
“Unilateral dissolution is not allowed, Your Majesty.”
“Bring him here as soon as it’s light.”
Eden left the cold words behind and turned around. While Enon nodded in agreement, Eden started walking back to the Empress's Palace. He wanted to see his poor wife.
But as he got closer to the Empress's palace, his mind became confused. What was she thinking? How much pain was she in? How sad was she? Every time he imagined her feelings, his heart sank.
"Your Majesty."
Just as Eden opened Cecilia's bedroom door, Cecilia, who had clearly been fast asleep when he came out, was sitting upright on the bed.
“Why are you up? What’s wrong?”
Eden hurried over to Cecilia and carefully touched her small face. Cecilia rubbed her face against his palm like a cat purring next to its owner.
“It’s cold outside since Your Majesty isn’t here.”
"Sorry."
It wasn't something to apologize for, but Eden apologized. Then he pulled Cecilia's body into his arms and kissed her forehead several times. It was an attitude toward something so fragile and precious that it seemed like it could break.
“Where have you been?”
Cecilia, who was quietly held in Eden’s arms, raised her head and asked. Her attitude was incomparably more gentle and friendly than before. Eden realized anew how much Cecilia had been putting up a wall against him before. And how much it had made him feel uneasy and uneasy.
“I came to see Curtis Lane. He heard a rumor that you were dead, and he wanted to find out if it was true.”
A short exclamation of “Ah” escaped her without a trace.
“I’m dead?”
Soon after, Cecilia opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked,
“Is that what you’re curious about now?”
Eden asked back as if he found it ridiculous.
“Your Majesty will decide what to do with my father.”
“...”
“Cleanly. Right?”
Cecilia's voice was full of conviction. She seemed to have guessed what decision Eden had made after meeting her father.
"Is it so."
So he had no choice but to answer honestly. There was no need to say that he had tried to give him a chance, but he had kicked it away.
“I started the rumor that you were dead. You’ll have to keep up the good work for a while.”
"Why?"
Cecilia tilted her head.
“Because Tiffany Oberon was so happy that you were going to die. She wanted you to see her alive and well on the execution grounds, and she wanted to see you vomit blood and suffer just before you died.”
Eden answered quietly. The voice he spoke in a soft voice was affectionate, and the hand that habitually clung to her hair was gentle, but there was an unbelievably cruel malice in his words. But Eden had a good reason for it.
“And this time I tried your father too.”
Cecilia blinked slowly. Even without hearing the content, she could guess Curtis’s choice and Eden’s anger.
“He abandoned me?”
So the question was also calm. It seemed like only Eden was hurt by those words.
“It’s okay. I knew it.”
Cecilia smiled faintly. Eden, who had been staring blankly at her plump face, reached out and touched Cecilia's cheek.
"...Uh."
Cecilia let out a surprised sound, only just now realizing that her cheek was wet.
“It’s okay, Cecilia.”
Eden tried to comfort Cecilia in a slightly lowered voice. However, tears began to flow endlessly, and now she could no longer see Eden in front of her.
“I will be by your side.”
Oh, oh, Cecilia burst into tears. Eden quietly hugged Cecilia and consoled her. The screams of betrayal and the lonely, sad tears were all taken away from her.
The light was slanting across the dawn sky.
The face of the Empress Dowager, who had finally emerged from the dungeon after a long time, was calm and relaxed. Eden watched her indifferently.
“What are you curious about?”
The Empress Dowager asked with a smile on her face.
“Since Cecilia died anyway, I will die too. If you have any questions, I will answer them.”
It was an attitude that she had no regrets even if she died right away. It was natural since she already believed that Cecilia was dead and a nail was driven into Eden's heart.
“Did you plan to collude with the Benia royal family and bring their army into this land?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The Empress Dowager acknowledged, gently shaking the pipe between her fingers.
“It was a painting of the Duke of Lane and the Count of Oberon’s private army opposing and driving them out, then pushing out the incompetent Emperor.”
Of course not now, the Empress Dowager giggled.
“Curtis Lane kills his son-in-law with tears in his eyes and sits on the throne of the Emperor as everyone wants.”
And she said with a face that said she was free. The Empress Dowager truly had no feelings for Curtis left.
“Of course, I didn’t know that killing his daughter was a prerequisite.”
It was a completely different story from Curtis's, who was willing to sacrifice his own children to protect her. It was a truly great love, considering that it had tormented so many people.
“Is he pitiful?”
The Empress Dowager's eyes rolled slowly. Eden stared straight into her eyes, which were as blue as jewels, but faintly sparkling with madness.
“He is also an accomplice since he knew that I killed Aster and the Emperor and turned a blind eye to it.”
The Empress Dowager's eyes curved in a curved line.
“Is there any reason to feel sorry?”
Instead, she asked a question. Eden couldn't answer. The Empress Dowager was right. Curtis was not a pitiful person as a human being.
“It would be nice if you could show him some sympathy. He was just dragged here as I was dragging him.”
After a moment, a puff of white smoke rose from her exhaled breath.
“But who would be more pitiful? My son who died without knowing anything, or your wife who got involved because of her husband and father.”
As soon as Cecilia's name was mentioned, a look of displeasure and anger began to form on Eden's face. The Empress Dowager assumed that it was an emotion that arose from Eden's tragedy and chuckled.
“How miserable would it be for her to live a life where she can’t do anything between her father and her husband? It might have been better for her to die before seeing that.”
It was nonsense. Eden's jaw clenched.
“In that sense, she should be grateful to me.”
The best thing to do at that moment was to grit his teeth and endure it if he didn't want to immediately order the woman spouting nonsense to be killed.
“I won’t let her see that. I’m so generous compared to what that woman did to me.”
Eden stood up from his seat. The Empress Dowager thought that Eden was unable to bear his anger. The laughter that was making her laugh was proof of this.
“I’m sure we’ve collected enough evidence.”
The head of the investigation team who had been standing by Eden’s side nodded while observing his expression. It was natural, since Eden had gathered all the evidence and put it into his mouth.
“In addition to the murder of the former Crown Prince and the former Emperor, I am adding more charges. Contempt of the imperial family attempted to poison the Empress and attempted treason by borrowing the force of a foreign power. This is the list you will testify about in court.”
He also felt aggrieved. It was because he thought it was for Eden's sake. It was common for blood relatives to fight in the royal family. So he did a quick investigation. It was to protect Eden's position.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Who, who would have thought that the Empress Dowager would do that!
He wanted to shout like that, but he wasn't that brainless. He didn't know what would happen if he provoked Eden, who was holding back his discomfort. So the investigation team leader bowed his head politely.
'You said I told her the Empress was dead?'
'That's right.'
'Then the Empress Dowager will be delighted. She is the one whose goal is to kill me and make Your Majesty suffer the same wounds as she did.'
But despite such a cautious attitude, Eden could read a faint look of discontent on the investigation team leader’s face. Perhaps it was fortunate that he could avoid it with this level of treatment.
'You must know that since you killed me, you will be sentenced to death. No matter what you ask, I will tell you the truth, so take me with you to the investigation team as a witness.'
The original intention of bringing them to the palace today was to punish them for their laziness in not doing their assigned tasks properly. If it weren't for Cecilia's suggestion, that would have happened.
“...”
He doesn't know. Eden still wasn't sure if it was right to leave Cecilia in the eye of the storm because of Curtis's problem. In fact, he still wanted to keep Curtis's case a secret.
But at the same time, he wanted to kill Curtis. If it was dangerous to Cecilia, if it could hurt her, he couldn't have anything near it.
He would do anything to protect the woman who could kill him in just a split second by taking her breath away. That was the kind of love it was.
After meeting Curtis Lane, Eden stood there with a bashful expression. Enon looked at Eden's expression and said that he would do so.
“Investigate Jason Nova’s activities. Is there any evidence of collusion with Benia, and whether Curtis Lane provided any assistance in this regard?”
He won't let even one of them go unnoticed. Eden gritted his teeth. His anger was so strong that he couldn't stand it. It was even worse when he thought of Cecilia, who had been betrayed by her father, whom she had trusted.
The day she met the Empress Dowager, she must have known this fact. That must be why she gave up her family's honor and her father. When he realized that, his heart ached and hurt.
“And the useless investigation team...”
“Unilateral dissolution is not allowed, Your Majesty.”
“Bring him here as soon as it’s light.”
Eden left the cold words behind and turned around. While Enon nodded in agreement, Eden started walking back to the Empress's Palace. He wanted to see his poor wife.
But as he got closer to the Empress's palace, his mind became confused. What was she thinking? How much pain was she in? How sad was she? Every time he imagined her feelings, his heart sank.
"Your Majesty."
Just as Eden opened Cecilia's bedroom door, Cecilia, who had clearly been fast asleep when he came out, was sitting upright on the bed.
“Why are you up? What’s wrong?”
Eden hurried over to Cecilia and carefully touched her small face. Cecilia rubbed her face against his palm like a cat purring next to its owner.
“It’s cold outside since Your Majesty isn’t here.”
"Sorry."
It wasn't something to apologize for, but Eden apologized. Then he pulled Cecilia's body into his arms and kissed her forehead several times. It was an attitude toward something so fragile and precious that it seemed like it could break.
“Where have you been?”
Cecilia, who was quietly held in Eden’s arms, raised her head and asked. Her attitude was incomparably more gentle and friendly than before. Eden realized anew how much Cecilia had been putting up a wall against him before. And how much it had made him feel uneasy and uneasy.
“I came to see Curtis Lane. He heard a rumor that you were dead, and he wanted to find out if it was true.”
A short exclamation of “Ah” escaped her without a trace.
“I’m dead?”
Soon after, Cecilia opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked,
“Is that what you’re curious about now?”
Eden asked back as if he found it ridiculous.
“Your Majesty will decide what to do with my father.”
“...”
“Cleanly. Right?”
Cecilia's voice was full of conviction. She seemed to have guessed what decision Eden had made after meeting her father.
"Is it so."
So he had no choice but to answer honestly. There was no need to say that he had tried to give him a chance, but he had kicked it away.
“I started the rumor that you were dead. You’ll have to keep up the good work for a while.”
"Why?"
Cecilia tilted her head.
“Because Tiffany Oberon was so happy that you were going to die. She wanted you to see her alive and well on the execution grounds, and she wanted to see you vomit blood and suffer just before you died.”
Eden answered quietly. The voice he spoke in a soft voice was affectionate, and the hand that habitually clung to her hair was gentle, but there was an unbelievably cruel malice in his words. But Eden had a good reason for it.
“And this time I tried your father too.”
Cecilia blinked slowly. Even without hearing the content, she could guess Curtis’s choice and Eden’s anger.
“He abandoned me?”
So the question was also calm. It seemed like only Eden was hurt by those words.
“It’s okay. I knew it.”
Cecilia smiled faintly. Eden, who had been staring blankly at her plump face, reached out and touched Cecilia's cheek.
"...Uh."
Cecilia let out a surprised sound, only just now realizing that her cheek was wet.
“It’s okay, Cecilia.”
Eden tried to comfort Cecilia in a slightly lowered voice. However, tears began to flow endlessly, and now she could no longer see Eden in front of her.
“I will be by your side.”
Oh, oh, Cecilia burst into tears. Eden quietly hugged Cecilia and consoled her. The screams of betrayal and the lonely, sad tears were all taken away from her.
The light was slanting across the dawn sky.
***
The face of the Empress Dowager, who had finally emerged from the dungeon after a long time, was calm and relaxed. Eden watched her indifferently.
“What are you curious about?”
The Empress Dowager asked with a smile on her face.
“Since Cecilia died anyway, I will die too. If you have any questions, I will answer them.”
It was an attitude that she had no regrets even if she died right away. It was natural since she already believed that Cecilia was dead and a nail was driven into Eden's heart.
“Did you plan to collude with the Benia royal family and bring their army into this land?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The Empress Dowager acknowledged, gently shaking the pipe between her fingers.
“It was a painting of the Duke of Lane and the Count of Oberon’s private army opposing and driving them out, then pushing out the incompetent Emperor.”
Of course not now, the Empress Dowager giggled.
“Curtis Lane kills his son-in-law with tears in his eyes and sits on the throne of the Emperor as everyone wants.”
And she said with a face that said she was free. The Empress Dowager truly had no feelings for Curtis left.
“Of course, I didn’t know that killing his daughter was a prerequisite.”
It was a completely different story from Curtis's, who was willing to sacrifice his own children to protect her. It was a truly great love, considering that it had tormented so many people.
“Is he pitiful?”
The Empress Dowager's eyes rolled slowly. Eden stared straight into her eyes, which were as blue as jewels, but faintly sparkling with madness.
“He is also an accomplice since he knew that I killed Aster and the Emperor and turned a blind eye to it.”
The Empress Dowager's eyes curved in a curved line.
“Is there any reason to feel sorry?”
Instead, she asked a question. Eden couldn't answer. The Empress Dowager was right. Curtis was not a pitiful person as a human being.
“It would be nice if you could show him some sympathy. He was just dragged here as I was dragging him.”
After a moment, a puff of white smoke rose from her exhaled breath.
“But who would be more pitiful? My son who died without knowing anything, or your wife who got involved because of her husband and father.”
As soon as Cecilia's name was mentioned, a look of displeasure and anger began to form on Eden's face. The Empress Dowager assumed that it was an emotion that arose from Eden's tragedy and chuckled.
“How miserable would it be for her to live a life where she can’t do anything between her father and her husband? It might have been better for her to die before seeing that.”
It was nonsense. Eden's jaw clenched.
“In that sense, she should be grateful to me.”
The best thing to do at that moment was to grit his teeth and endure it if he didn't want to immediately order the woman spouting nonsense to be killed.
“I won’t let her see that. I’m so generous compared to what that woman did to me.”
Eden stood up from his seat. The Empress Dowager thought that Eden was unable to bear his anger. The laughter that was making her laugh was proof of this.
“I’m sure we’ve collected enough evidence.”
The head of the investigation team who had been standing by Eden’s side nodded while observing his expression. It was natural, since Eden had gathered all the evidence and put it into his mouth.
“In addition to the murder of the former Crown Prince and the former Emperor, I am adding more charges. Contempt of the imperial family attempted to poison the Empress and attempted treason by borrowing the force of a foreign power. This is the list you will testify about in court.”
He also felt aggrieved. It was because he thought it was for Eden's sake. It was common for blood relatives to fight in the royal family. So he did a quick investigation. It was to protect Eden's position.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Who, who would have thought that the Empress Dowager would do that!
He wanted to shout like that, but he wasn't that brainless. He didn't know what would happen if he provoked Eden, who was holding back his discomfort. So the investigation team leader bowed his head politely.
'You said I told her the Empress was dead?'
'That's right.'
'Then the Empress Dowager will be delighted. She is the one whose goal is to kill me and make Your Majesty suffer the same wounds as she did.'
But despite such a cautious attitude, Eden could read a faint look of discontent on the investigation team leader’s face. Perhaps it was fortunate that he could avoid it with this level of treatment.
'You must know that since you killed me, you will be sentenced to death. No matter what you ask, I will tell you the truth, so take me with you to the investigation team as a witness.'
The original intention of bringing them to the palace today was to punish them for their laziness in not doing their assigned tasks properly. If it weren't for Cecilia's suggestion, that would have happened.
“...”
He doesn't know. Eden still wasn't sure if it was right to leave Cecilia in the eye of the storm because of Curtis's problem. In fact, he still wanted to keep Curtis's case a secret.
But at the same time, he wanted to kill Curtis. If it was dangerous to Cecilia, if it could hurt her, he couldn't have anything near it.
He would do anything to protect the woman who could kill him in just a split second by taking her breath away. That was the kind of love it was.
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