“If the Russell Dukes become the masters of the royal family through this opportunity, there will be no need for Priestesses in the future.”
That was it. Only then did Aaron fully understand the sudden order given by the Duke of Russell.
Duke Russell was planning to achieve his dream as quickly as possible in an aggressive manner, unlike his previous passive approach. He thought that once he took the throne, he could just deal with Amelia, who was no longer useful to him.
“I’m tired of all the experimenting, killing, and toiling to keep it a secret. It’s time to really end it.”
He was right. Then the Priestess's secret and her descendants would no longer matter. The secret that had been kept for 200 years would quietly sink beneath the surface.
“And if the owner of the throne changes, wouldn’t it be possible to avenge my father?”
"...Yes."
The Duke of Russell suddenly brought up Aaron's father.
“Then your poor, dead father will dance in the afterlife.”
So Aaron naturally recalled the day he had held the Duke of Russell's hand.
In Aaron's memories, his father was a very affectionate man to his only son, but at the same time, he was also a weak-hearted and anxious man.
"Father!"
“I told you not to show up so suddenly!”
He was surprised by the sudden appearance of people, and he had never seen anyone walking in front of him with a backpack on their back. Aaron, who had no way of knowing about his father's trauma, since his mother had died of puerperal fever after giving birth to him, always found his overreactions strange.
“Again, they’re trying to kill me again!”
It was when he was about ten years old that he began to understand him. His father had a fit, saying that someone was trying to kill him. And indeed, shortly afterwards, he was hit by a carriage and killed.
“Are you Aaron?”
Right after his father died, someone came to find Aaron, who was left alone. For some unknown reason, he was the one who tried to kill Aaron. The current Duke of Russell saved Aaron from being killed.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Thank goodness it’s not too late.”
“...”
“It’s a shame about your father. He was a particularly neurotic person, so you might think he died suddenly one day, but he wasn’t like that from the beginning.”
The Duke of Russell patted Aaron's head as if he felt sorry for him being left alone.
“This time too, in fact...”
The Duke of Russell opened his mouth meaningfully, but his words trailed off.
“No. That’s not something I should say to a young kid.”
“What are you talking about?”
It was Aaron who caught him. The moment the Duke of Russell was about to take his hand off his head, Aaron grabbed his sleeve and asked him a question.
“...the Emperor killed your father.”
The Duke of Russell hesitated for a moment and then answered thus.
“How do you know that?”
“This is the letter from the Emperor that your father showed me.”
The Duke of Russell continued to speak calmly despite Aaron's doubts and showed Aaron the evidence.
The content of the letter was vicious. The Emperor hurled harsh insults and curses at Aaron's father. He told him to take his son and go into exile in a foreign country immediately, or go to the remote countryside and live in hiding. If he did not do as he was told and became a threat to himself and his child, both Aaron and his father would have their balls cut off.
But Aaron did not go to the countryside or go into exile in a foreign country.
“Your father was sober that day, not even drinking. But does it make sense that he was hit by a carriage and died three days after receiving this letter?”
The Duke of Russell asked. Aaron couldn't answer. His small hands were just trembling as he held the letter.
“Besides, the owner of that carriage was a former royal coachman. Your father’s death occurred after his sudden dismissal.”
“Why, for what reason? Why would the Emperor...”
Aaron stammered his question. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out why his father had to die at the hands of the Emperor.
“Your father was the illegitimate son of the former Emperor. That’s why his life was always threatened by the current Emperor.”
The Duke of Russell had even cleared up Aaron's last question. He said that the Emperor had always viewed Aaron's father as a thorn in his side, fearing that he might be a threat to him. And as is the case with people in high positions, he had tried to kill him several times.
“Even the coachman will only get a simple fine, even though he killed a man.”
The Emperor had finally succeeded in murdering his half-brother.
“The Emperor has many eyes and ears beyond the walls of this mansion.”
Only then did Aaron realize why the Duke of Russell had been able to save him from death at that dramatic moment: just as the Emperor was watching Aaron, the Duke of Russell was watching Aaron too.
“That’s why I came to pick you up. If you were left alone without parents, they would do anything to get rid of you.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t we live first?”
The Duke of Russell extended his hand first. The young boy nodded in fear.
That night, a huge fire broke out in the house where Aaron lived. Everything was completely burned down, and the fire was so big that not even the bones of the boy who had been living alone in the house and had lost his parents could be found. This was also the Emperor's arrangement. The burning mansion and the Emperor's knights who wandered around and disappeared were proof of this.
It was an unbearable tragedy and anger for the boy who had lost his family and was left alone. Aaron, who had been watching the whole scene, threw away all his doubts and took the Duke of Russell's hand.
“Please let me get revenge.”
The Duke of Russell nodded silently. And to protect Aaron's life, he adopted him into the cadet branch of the Skipper family.
That's how he lived.
The memories of the flames still flickering before his eyes and the blazing fire of his childhood were vivid. Aaron barely managed to survive with the help of the Duke of Russell and lived until now. So there was no reason to ignore his life of achieving his goal and completing his revenge.
“Don’t kill the child the Emperor took away, yet. Let the Priestess continue to stay in the palace under the pretext of caring for the child.”
"All right."
He did think of Amelia's face, who would not live longer than her originally set lifespan. However, she was destined to die when her usefulness was over, so it was only a matter of whether she died a little early or late. That pitiful face was not something he cared about.
"Who?"
Ivan asked. Rodan dryly recounted the story of Aaron, the High Priest, visiting the palace.
“What is the reason?”
Ivan put down the pen he was holding and leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms, which made him look quite arrogant.
“He must have come to see the Priestess.”
He was the one who held the secrets of the temple. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he must have been worried that if he brought Amelia into the palace, word might get out. It was something that could be figured out without having to think about it too much.
“Shall we attach someone?”
Ivan shook his head in response to Rodan's question.
“But before you even think about anything else, you should prepare yourself.”
“You said to prepare...”
Rodan raised his voice slightly, trailing off. It was clearly a question.
“A delegation from Reed will arrive soon. Arrange for the Priestess to appear before them at the shrine.”
“You want to show me a Priestess at a diplomatic event?”
The royal family of Escliffe had been working hard to prevent the Priestesses from gaining political power. Ivan, who was openly against the royal family, was a person who was reluctant to speak out.
But suddenly? Rodan opened his mouth as if he couldn't understand. Ivan watched the scene and then laughed for a moment.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not trying to give you strength.”
And Rodan's thoughts were easily dismissed.
“Of course, I should tell the temple that it is to make up for the unpleasant incident that occurred between Reed and the temple in the past and to restore relations.”
The temple probably wouldn't refuse. Maybe they thought they were being cautious because of the oracle they had received before. Ivan and Amelia were seemingly on good terms, so they wouldn't have thought they would talk nonsense right then and there.
“But the Priestess will reveal her truth on the spot.”
Amelia will tell everyone that she is just a normal human who grows old and dies. She was only forced to have sex in the temple and give birth to children, and then continue her lineage.
He wondered what the temple officials would do if the truth were revealed in a public place where everyone was present. They couldn't say that the Priestess they pretended to worship was crazy.
“The sacred legend and the great noble power that supported it collapsed, and a new imperial family was established in its place.”
It was thrilling just to think about it. Ivan had a satisfied look on his face, as if what he had set out to do had already been achieved.
“Would the Priestess agree to that?”
“She will. She said she would help me the last time we met.”
“When did you last meet? When...”
“I went to meet her through the underground passage.”
Rodan let out a low sigh. Each palace had an underground passageway in case of emergency. He didn't realize that Ivan had gone that far to meet Amelia. They weren't secret lovers.
“Then what do you plan to do with the Priestess in the future?”
Rodan asked. Ivan's eyes swept across the air meaninglessly. He remembered the tender affection she had felt for him.
Previous Next
That was it. Only then did Aaron fully understand the sudden order given by the Duke of Russell.
Duke Russell was planning to achieve his dream as quickly as possible in an aggressive manner, unlike his previous passive approach. He thought that once he took the throne, he could just deal with Amelia, who was no longer useful to him.
“I’m tired of all the experimenting, killing, and toiling to keep it a secret. It’s time to really end it.”
He was right. Then the Priestess's secret and her descendants would no longer matter. The secret that had been kept for 200 years would quietly sink beneath the surface.
“And if the owner of the throne changes, wouldn’t it be possible to avenge my father?”
"...Yes."
The Duke of Russell suddenly brought up Aaron's father.
“Then your poor, dead father will dance in the afterlife.”
So Aaron naturally recalled the day he had held the Duke of Russell's hand.
In Aaron's memories, his father was a very affectionate man to his only son, but at the same time, he was also a weak-hearted and anxious man.
"Father!"
“I told you not to show up so suddenly!”
He was surprised by the sudden appearance of people, and he had never seen anyone walking in front of him with a backpack on their back. Aaron, who had no way of knowing about his father's trauma, since his mother had died of puerperal fever after giving birth to him, always found his overreactions strange.
“Again, they’re trying to kill me again!”
It was when he was about ten years old that he began to understand him. His father had a fit, saying that someone was trying to kill him. And indeed, shortly afterwards, he was hit by a carriage and killed.
“Are you Aaron?”
Right after his father died, someone came to find Aaron, who was left alone. For some unknown reason, he was the one who tried to kill Aaron. The current Duke of Russell saved Aaron from being killed.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Thank goodness it’s not too late.”
“...”
“It’s a shame about your father. He was a particularly neurotic person, so you might think he died suddenly one day, but he wasn’t like that from the beginning.”
The Duke of Russell patted Aaron's head as if he felt sorry for him being left alone.
“This time too, in fact...”
The Duke of Russell opened his mouth meaningfully, but his words trailed off.
“No. That’s not something I should say to a young kid.”
“What are you talking about?”
It was Aaron who caught him. The moment the Duke of Russell was about to take his hand off his head, Aaron grabbed his sleeve and asked him a question.
“...the Emperor killed your father.”
The Duke of Russell hesitated for a moment and then answered thus.
“How do you know that?”
“This is the letter from the Emperor that your father showed me.”
The Duke of Russell continued to speak calmly despite Aaron's doubts and showed Aaron the evidence.
The content of the letter was vicious. The Emperor hurled harsh insults and curses at Aaron's father. He told him to take his son and go into exile in a foreign country immediately, or go to the remote countryside and live in hiding. If he did not do as he was told and became a threat to himself and his child, both Aaron and his father would have their balls cut off.
But Aaron did not go to the countryside or go into exile in a foreign country.
“Your father was sober that day, not even drinking. But does it make sense that he was hit by a carriage and died three days after receiving this letter?”
The Duke of Russell asked. Aaron couldn't answer. His small hands were just trembling as he held the letter.
“Besides, the owner of that carriage was a former royal coachman. Your father’s death occurred after his sudden dismissal.”
“Why, for what reason? Why would the Emperor...”
Aaron stammered his question. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out why his father had to die at the hands of the Emperor.
“Your father was the illegitimate son of the former Emperor. That’s why his life was always threatened by the current Emperor.”
The Duke of Russell had even cleared up Aaron's last question. He said that the Emperor had always viewed Aaron's father as a thorn in his side, fearing that he might be a threat to him. And as is the case with people in high positions, he had tried to kill him several times.
“Even the coachman will only get a simple fine, even though he killed a man.”
The Emperor had finally succeeded in murdering his half-brother.
“The Emperor has many eyes and ears beyond the walls of this mansion.”
Only then did Aaron realize why the Duke of Russell had been able to save him from death at that dramatic moment: just as the Emperor was watching Aaron, the Duke of Russell was watching Aaron too.
“That’s why I came to pick you up. If you were left alone without parents, they would do anything to get rid of you.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t we live first?”
The Duke of Russell extended his hand first. The young boy nodded in fear.
That night, a huge fire broke out in the house where Aaron lived. Everything was completely burned down, and the fire was so big that not even the bones of the boy who had been living alone in the house and had lost his parents could be found. This was also the Emperor's arrangement. The burning mansion and the Emperor's knights who wandered around and disappeared were proof of this.
It was an unbearable tragedy and anger for the boy who had lost his family and was left alone. Aaron, who had been watching the whole scene, threw away all his doubts and took the Duke of Russell's hand.
“Please let me get revenge.”
The Duke of Russell nodded silently. And to protect Aaron's life, he adopted him into the cadet branch of the Skipper family.
That's how he lived.
The memories of the flames still flickering before his eyes and the blazing fire of his childhood were vivid. Aaron barely managed to survive with the help of the Duke of Russell and lived until now. So there was no reason to ignore his life of achieving his goal and completing his revenge.
“Don’t kill the child the Emperor took away, yet. Let the Priestess continue to stay in the palace under the pretext of caring for the child.”
"All right."
He did think of Amelia's face, who would not live longer than her originally set lifespan. However, she was destined to die when her usefulness was over, so it was only a matter of whether she died a little early or late. That pitiful face was not something he cared about.
***
"Who?"
Ivan asked. Rodan dryly recounted the story of Aaron, the High Priest, visiting the palace.
“What is the reason?”
Ivan put down the pen he was holding and leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms, which made him look quite arrogant.
“He must have come to see the Priestess.”
He was the one who held the secrets of the temple. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he must have been worried that if he brought Amelia into the palace, word might get out. It was something that could be figured out without having to think about it too much.
“Shall we attach someone?”
“Leave it alone. Don't give away that your eyes are there, because they'll probably ask you if it's just the two of you.”
“But before you even think about anything else, you should prepare yourself.”
“You said to prepare...”
Rodan raised his voice slightly, trailing off. It was clearly a question.
“A delegation from Reed will arrive soon. Arrange for the Priestess to appear before them at the shrine.”
“You want to show me a Priestess at a diplomatic event?”
The royal family of Escliffe had been working hard to prevent the Priestesses from gaining political power. Ivan, who was openly against the royal family, was a person who was reluctant to speak out.
But suddenly? Rodan opened his mouth as if he couldn't understand. Ivan watched the scene and then laughed for a moment.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not trying to give you strength.”
And Rodan's thoughts were easily dismissed.
“Of course, I should tell the temple that it is to make up for the unpleasant incident that occurred between Reed and the temple in the past and to restore relations.”
The temple probably wouldn't refuse. Maybe they thought they were being cautious because of the oracle they had received before. Ivan and Amelia were seemingly on good terms, so they wouldn't have thought they would talk nonsense right then and there.
“But the Priestess will reveal her truth on the spot.”
Amelia will tell everyone that she is just a normal human who grows old and dies. She was only forced to have sex in the temple and give birth to children, and then continue her lineage.
He wondered what the temple officials would do if the truth were revealed in a public place where everyone was present. They couldn't say that the Priestess they pretended to worship was crazy.
“The sacred legend and the great noble power that supported it collapsed, and a new imperial family was established in its place.”
It was thrilling just to think about it. Ivan had a satisfied look on his face, as if what he had set out to do had already been achieved.
“Would the Priestess agree to that?”
“She will. She said she would help me the last time we met.”
“When did you last meet? When...”
“I went to meet her through the underground passage.”
Rodan let out a low sigh. Each palace had an underground passageway in case of emergency. He didn't realize that Ivan had gone that far to meet Amelia. They weren't secret lovers.
“Then what do you plan to do with the Priestess in the future?”
Rodan asked. Ivan's eyes swept across the air meaninglessly. He remembered the tender affection she had felt for him.
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