Episode 83. You Will Be My Home
Christine, who had come right up to Jan’s nose, lowered her voice and whispered.
“But did you know, Jan? The wolf clan sleeps with one partner for their entire lives.”
“...!”
Jan’s eyes widened in an instant.
Stone had already been married.
So does that mean April’s pregnancy was a lie?
Christine clicked his tongue and stepped back.
“It seems like the Princess is being used by that man. Of course, I hope only the Princess was used, Your Majesty.”
“...Really?”
Instead of answering, Christine grabbed the epaulets on both of his shoulders.
Knock. Knock.
“Zimmer.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Zimmer quickly approached, he handed over the epaulets he had taken off his shoulders.
“Please return them to His Majesty.”
Zimmer looked a little surprised, but politely held them out to Jan. In his hand was a gold tasseled epaulet with the imperial emblem engraved on it. It was the epaulet that the Emperor had personally given him when he was commissioned as captain of the guard.
“What now...!”
“I’ll return to my territory now. I’m no longer having fun playing noble. I’ll take out the luggage from the Marvel Palace as soon as I’m done.”
Then, as if he had remembered something, he added.
“By the way, and don’t forget, the national bonds are due soon. Then.”
He bowed his head politely and turned around.
Only then did Jan feel a shock as if he had been hit in the head with something.
That’s right.
The national bonds were due soon. During the long war, the national treasury had been emptied. They had filled it by issuing national bonds and lending money to the Federal Central Bank.
And Christine owned the largest share in the Federal Central Bank.
At that time, Jan thought the economy would improve quickly after the war ended. However, there were many unexpected financial expenditures, and the noble council was opposing every proposal to raise taxes.
Damn noble council!
Damn beasts!
***
Jan did not let the servants and guards follow him.
He was on his way to see Stone alone. Stone was still being held in the isolation facility in the Black Castle, just before being sent to prison.
Occasionally, those who recognized the Emperor would hurriedly bow their heads. However, they quickly passed by, knowing that he was alone and had no one to accompany him.
Step, step.
The quiet sound of footsteps echoed through the long corridor.
It was late afternoon when the sun was setting. The red sun seen through the corridor window stretched its shadow and cast it on the wall.
At that moment, Jan smelled a familiar scent. The scent of a luxurious perfume that did not fit in this place was the same as the one April often used.
Could it be?
Even as he stopped walking, the shadow that had formed around the corner grew longer and longer.
Jan quickly hid behind a pillar without knowing why.
Soon, he saw a person coming out of the corner.
April!
Even though it was as expected, Jan's heart was pounding.
Moreover, the child kept stroking her disheveled hair and straightening her rumpled dress hem. Her two eyes sparkled secretly, and her cheeks were rosy, giving off a strangely erotic feeling.
The innocent daughter he knew was no longer there.
Jan wanted to run out and break April’s arm and cut Stone’s throat right away.
Were the doctor’s words true?
But what did Christine mean?
***
Clank!
As the iron door opened,
“You’re here, Your Majesty.”
Stone bowed deeply and politely, as if he had already known he would come. That made Jan feel like he was being ridiculed.
A shameless beast who had just humiliated his daughter!
Jan barely swallowed the anger that was rising in his throat and said,
“Marquis Oswald, why did you do such a thing?”
“What are you saying, Your Majesty?”
Stone tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“Why did you slaughter so many people so brutally?”
“Is that really all you want to ask, Your Majesty?”
At that moment, Jan felt a sting. The eyes of the bastard looking at him were somehow familiar. They resembled Christine’s, who seemed to pierce through people’s hearts.
However, Jan braced himself so as not to fall for the bastard’s trick.
“If you’re going to threaten me by taking my daughter hostage, then get out of here! I know that you’re a member of the wolf clan, and that wolf clans mate with one person for life.”
“Did the Count say so?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
However, Stone nodded as if he had heard the answer.
“As expected, he's a wolf clan. I can see how well he knows about the wolf clan.”
“Shut up, Stone! You’ll be executed soon!”
“Oh, dear Princess, she's going to have a child without a father.”
Finally, in anger, Jan grabbed Stone by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
Boom!
“You, bastard! How dare you insult my daughter!”
However, Stone, who was grabbed by the collar, only laughed unpleasantly. It seemed as if he enjoyed seeing the other person get angry.
“Your Majesty, you must have seen April leaving earlier. We are already deeply in love.”
“Shut up! I know she’ll be fooled by that wicked tongue!”
However, Stone calmly pulled Jan’s hand away from his collar.
He didn’t use much force, but Jan couldn’t resist at all. He realized it instinctively. There was a difference in strength between an adult and a child.
“Yes. Let’s say I’m a wolf clan like the Count said. But even if I’m a wolf clan, wouldn’t it be possible to have a new companion after about 10 years since my companion died? It’s the natural order of all species to reproduce.”
Jan was confused.
Who on earth was right?
Was April really pregnant with his child?
“And isn’t the more important question right now who killed the former Emperor?”
Jan looked up in surprise.
“What?”
“The Rodwell dukedom said it was the Silver Wolf’s doing, but if that wolf is the Count... then you must be the one behind it, Your Majesty?”
“...!”
When Jan’s face turned pale, Stone laughed heartily.
“As expected! I’m quite perceptive, Your Majesty.”
If this keeps up, Jan is going to be dragged around by him forever.
“Let them go to hell and babble about their nonsense. You will be executed soon, and April will be sent to a convent. I will punish the murderers who harm my people and my country according to the law. There are no exceptions to this law!”
Jan said with a serious face and the dignity of an emperor.
But it didn’t seem to have much effect on Stone.
“What do you gain by killing me, Your Majesty?”
“What?”
“Just listen to me for a moment. You can decide later.”
Stone smiled sweetly and approached Jan.
A sly shadow loomed over Jan’s head.
***
“Captain, are you really quitting like this?”
“Please reconsider!”
The guards came rushing in as Christine was organizing his papers in his office.
He had just given the officers a brief explanation of the situation and greeted them, but they all looked incredulous.
He had contributed more than anyone else to catching the Greenhill serial killer. It was unexpected news when everyone expected him to be crowned Marquis soon.
“It was an honor to be with you.”
With that, Christine left the door without saying any more goodbyes.
Zimmer followed him, carrying a box of documents and belongings.
He had no regrets.
He already had everything he wanted. Now, he was going to devote all his energy to protecting what was precious to him.
Christine’s steps stopped as he left the main palace.
The wind carried Adele’s scent.
She should be in her mansion with Mia by now.
Could it be that she had entered the palace again?
As he went down the stairs, he found Adele standing near the fountain in the garden.
She looked like an apricot blossom in her light pink bonnet and dress under the apricot tree that was just beginning to bloom.
“Chris.”
Adele smiled faintly when she found him, too.
“I thought you were still at home?”
Adele glared at him coldly.
“What are you talking about? Where you are is my home.”
Then he gently linked arms with Christine.
“Have you forgotten? No matter what anyone says, you and I are a pair. Like shoes or gloves.”
“Ha!”
Christine laughed softly, as if he were astonished.
However, the words that Adele might have said casually resonated deeply in his heart.
Where you are is my home...
It was the same for him.
Even on countless battlefields, he sometimes got confused as to whether it was her he had missed or the house she had lived in.
However, the moment he saw her, he realized.
What he had missed was the time he had spent with Adele.
She was soon to be his home.
“But your shoulder straps...”
“Oh, this? I decided to quit the guards.”
He looked down at his empty shoulders as if he had stopped playing, and said casually.
“...Why?”
However, Adele’s expression darkened. These days, rumors of discord between the Emperor and him were being circulated frequently. Judging from the fact that he had suddenly quit the guards, there must have been some major trouble between them.
The reason must have been Stone.
Adele was worried that Christine would suffer some kind of trouble if things continued like this. After all, the other party was the Emperor.
However, Christine, who guessed what she was worried about, smiled sweetly.
“I’m so busy that I don’t have time to love my fiancée.”
“I'm loved enough now.”
“I want to express it with my body rather than my heart.”
When he whispered slyly, Adele looked around in embarrassment.
“I told you not to talk about that outside!”
He looked at Adele, who was whispering and scolding her, and felt rather dumbfounded.
“What? Don’t you remember the confession you made yesterday?”
“Confession?”
“You said you were jealous of other women looking at me. You said you were crazy with jealousy when the Princess and I got engaged... Ugh!”
Adele quickly covered his mouth.
“When did I... Don’t make up stories!”
Christine playfully stepped back and removed her hand.
“What, if you said stories, why are you blushing?”
“It’s because it’s hot. I thought it would be cold and wore thick clothes.”
Adele fanned herself with a cold face.
“Oh, really? Anyway, how blatant your drunken talk was. I didn’t know your pretty head was filled with such dirty thoughts...”
“Stop, just stop!”
When Adele rushed in again to cover his mouth, Christine ran away with a mischievous face and teased her.
Shhh!
In an instant, the water from the fountain gushed out powerfully, and the two of them laughed happily together.
Just as he was leaving Stone, Jan’s steps stopped.
He saw Christine and Adele running around the garden like playful children in the distance.
The guy had quit the guard and was laughing so happily, wondering what was so good about it.
Jan’s heart was twisted at the sight.
‘I feel like my head is going to burst. You...!’
He had once thought of him as a great, loyal servant.
It was so reassuring to have him as his subordinate.
In every battle he fought in the name of the Emperor, he always won, and his glory was the Emperor’s glory. Being his lord was also his greatest pride.
So he gave him everything without holding back. He gave him land and mines if he wanted. He made a commoner with nothing into a nobleman, and even tried to give him his beloved daughter...
But now he saw that the guy had only used him to take what he needed.
He had no idea that the mine that used to produce scraps of coal contained such enormous diamonds and rare minerals.
If only the mine were in his hands, he wouldn’t have suffered such financial difficulties.
‘You sly bastard. Now that you’ve gotten everything you want, you’re going to let go of me? But that won’t do. If you leave, you should give up what you have, too.’
“Just listen to what I have to say. You can decide later.”
“Speak.”
“If you kill me, you’ll lose April, but if you kill that bastard, everything he has will be yours, Your Majesty. The wealth, the glory... I will make it happen for you. I am Your Majesty’s son-in-law.”
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