Episode 106. The End of Lies
“Stop!”
The knight commander in the lead ordered as they arrived at Nixus Bridge.
The knights of the Rodwell dukedom, including Adele, all stopped their horses in unison.
“The priests of the Holy See are blocking the road.”
The knight commander went to the carriage that Isabelle was riding and reported.
She looked outside after pulling back the carriage curtain and felt nervous.
Dozens of priests in white were lined up on both sides of the Nixus Bridge.
One of them approached them. He was a young priest with a hooked nose and sharp eyes.
“You must get out of the carriage, ma’am.”
“I am Isabelle Rodwell, the former Empress of the Kalame Empire. I am on my way to greet my son, Grand Duke Rustis, who is coming here for the coronation ceremony of the Emperor.”
“It does not matter who you are, ma’am. We are simply following the instructions of the Holy See to thoroughly investigate anyone passing through here.”
“I will formally protest to the Holy See. The Emperor of Kalame...”
The priest of the beach raised his hand to stop her.
“I do not wish to use force, madam.”
“What! How dare you, priest!”
As the knight commander jumped down from his horse in anger, the priest of the beak raised a blue orb of light on his palm.
Wooooow...
As if it were a signal, the priests lined up far away, all created the same light.
Swing! Swing!
The knights and guards on this side also drew their swords fiercely, as if they could not lose.
The air was tense, like a bowstring that had been pulled back tightly.
“Should I get off the carriage?”
Isabelle eventually took a step back.
“Thank you for your cooperation, madam.”
“You are not welcome.”
The maids also began to get out of the carriage following Isabelle.
Not only that, but the knights and guards all had to get off their horses. Despite her resolve, Adele’s palms were sweaty.
It seemed that leaving Greenhill would not be as easy as she thought.
There were posters of wanted criminals posted here and there along the way. The Vatican’s top wanted criminals, Christine and Leana, and recently, her too.
It was then. One of Isabelle’s maids, who was getting off the carriage holding a black cat, turned to look at her.
A very familiar face...
‘April?’
April’s eyes widened as she recognized Adele in her male disguise.
April was talking about something with the priests.
“Don’t worry. That child is also on the run, so she won’t be able to open her mouth.”
As if she noticed Adele’s worries, Isabelle came closer and whispered.
“Why is the Princess running away?”
“She’s pregnant with Stone’s child. If she’s caught, she’ll be taken to the Vatican.”
“What happened to the women who were taken away?”
Isabelle answered bitterly.
“No one knows what happened to them. That child is no longer a Princess, so who knows what will happen to her?”
Adele’s face grew suspicious.
“But is Princess April really pregnant with Stone’s child?”
“It wasn’t me. But why would the Empress and the Emperor swap Seira and smuggle that child out of the palace? I’m going to send that child out of Greenhill to keep my promise to the dead Emperor.”
Jan chose to commit suicide to protect his family.
Isabelle couldn’t forgive him, but she was determined to keep that promise.
However, Adele thought differently.
“No, April isn’t pregnant. The wolf clan sleeps with one partner for life.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Stone was already married once.”
So he couldn’t hold April.
Then there was no reason for April to run away from Greenhill.
There was no reason to hide Adele from the priests either... As Adele and Isabelle watched tensely, April and the priests approached them.
Jennifer grabbed his sword and spoke solemnly from behind.
“Just trust me, Miss Adele.”
“I need to talk to you for a moment, ma’am.”
Fortunately, the priests had business with Isabelle, not Adele.
“The priests checked our numbers and where we were going. They didn’t mention you, Miss Adele,”
April said, approaching the tree where Adele was standing.
“Why did you help me?”
She said calmly, stroking the cat’s fur.
“Even if it weren’t for me, you would have been caught soon.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t catch easily.”
Adele answered with a haughty tone. That way, she would be less scared.
April muttered as she glanced at Adele.
“I’ve always been jealous. Even though I had everything, I couldn’t do anything, but you were always confident, even though you had nothing.”
Adele felt April’s sincerity and showed her feelings a little.
“Everyone has a timid and weak child inside them. It’s just a matter of how well you hide that child.”
April smiled bitterly.
“I’m not only timid and weak, but I’m also a useless idiot. I was just trying to help my father...”
“So you lied about being pregnant?”
“Yes. Because of that, my father ended up committing suicide. I ended up being kicked out like this without even being able to see his death.”
“Not only that, but you freed Stone and used that as an excuse to call in the Vatican.”
Adele felt a little annoyed as she watched April, who seemed about to cry at any moment.
If she had been a bad person, this kind of pity would not have been felt.
She was just a foolish woman.
However, because she was a Princess, her foolishness brought about such great misfortune. Of course, all of this was not April’s fault alone.
“However, His Majesty was much more selfish and calculating than you think. He would not have chosen to commit suicide just because of you.”
That was the best consolation Adele could give.
“I am truly hopeless to be comforted by those words.”
April muttered, wiping away her tears.
“My God! You want me to hand over all my weapons?”
Meanwhile, Isabelle, who had been talking to the priests, shouted in shock.
The priests had told her party to leave behind all their weapons.
“You cannot leave Greenhill with your weapons in your possession.”
“How can we escort them without weapons?”
“Why would you need weapons unless you are meeting Grand Duke Rustis on the battlefield?”
Isabelle glared at the hawk-nosed priest.
The Vatican was interfering excessively under the pretext of finding Christine and Leana.
In addition, the Emperor’s seat was now vacant... They had barely managed to oust the Emperor, but an unexpected fly was coveting the position.
“Please tell His Holiness the Pope. The Kalame Empire is not such an easy place.”
She glared at the priests and nodded to the Knight Commander behind her.
“Do so.”
“Damn it! Just let those things go...!”
The Knight Commander was furious once again, but he had no choice but to follow Isabelle’s orders.
“Everyone, dismount and fight!”
The Nixus Bridge was about 100 meters long.
It was a place where the large and small streams flowing around the outskirts of Greenhill met, so the water was deep and the current was fast.
Isabelle and her party put down their swords, got off their horses, and lined up to cross the bridge.
The priests compared the names of the people they had submitted with the list of names they had submitted in advance and let them pass one by one.
Finally, it was Adele’s turn to walk to the front of the bridge.
“What, you raided the Count?”
She paused at the conversation she heard behind her.
“Yes, they raided the mansion where the Count and his men were hiding. They let the Count go, but they’re going to publicly execute the people they caught.”
“Good. They followed the beast.”
Adele couldn’t move at all.
She was worried if he was hurt, and who had been caught.
They were all laughing and chatting together last night.
“Adele.”
Jennifer whispered behind her.
The priest who was interrogating her was looking at her strangely.
Barely catching her breath, Adele quickly complied with the priests’ interrogation.
“Pass!”
Fortunately, she was able to cross the bridge without difficulty.
“The captain will be fine. The guys who were captured are tight-lipped and will keep their secrets to the end.”
Jennifer, who followed her soon, reassured her.
“Publicly executing them means luring him. He’ll go there even though he knows it.”
“If they become a burden, they’ll kill themselves first.”
“Jennifer...”
Adele eventually stopped walking on the bridge.
But Jennifer kept walking, staring straight ahead.
“Don’t stop, just keep going.”
His voice was soft, but it lacked the usual cheerfulness.
Only then did Adele realize that the person who was more worried than she right now was Jennifer.
“...I’m sorry, Jennifer. Most of the prisoners must have been your members...”
Jennifer’s temples bulged as if he was suppressing his emotions. Before he knew it, his eyes were bloodshot.
“Let’s go, Adele.”
Adele squeezed Jennifer’s hand tightly and then let go.
That was all she could do for him right now.
And when the two were more than halfway across the bridge,
“The Empress’s party, stop!”
“Stop!”
The knight commander in the lead ordered as they arrived at Nixus Bridge.
The knights of the Rodwell dukedom, including Adele, all stopped their horses in unison.
“The priests of the Holy See are blocking the road.”
The knight commander went to the carriage that Isabelle was riding and reported.
She looked outside after pulling back the carriage curtain and felt nervous.
Dozens of priests in white were lined up on both sides of the Nixus Bridge.
One of them approached them. He was a young priest with a hooked nose and sharp eyes.
“You must get out of the carriage, ma’am.”
“I am Isabelle Rodwell, the former Empress of the Kalame Empire. I am on my way to greet my son, Grand Duke Rustis, who is coming here for the coronation ceremony of the Emperor.”
“It does not matter who you are, ma’am. We are simply following the instructions of the Holy See to thoroughly investigate anyone passing through here.”
“I will formally protest to the Holy See. The Emperor of Kalame...”
The priest of the beach raised his hand to stop her.
“I do not wish to use force, madam.”
“What! How dare you, priest!”
As the knight commander jumped down from his horse in anger, the priest of the beak raised a blue orb of light on his palm.
Wooooow...
As if it were a signal, the priests lined up far away, all created the same light.
Swing! Swing!
The knights and guards on this side also drew their swords fiercely, as if they could not lose.
The air was tense, like a bowstring that had been pulled back tightly.
“Should I get off the carriage?”
Isabelle eventually took a step back.
“Thank you for your cooperation, madam.”
“You are not welcome.”
The maids also began to get out of the carriage following Isabelle.
Not only that, but the knights and guards all had to get off their horses. Despite her resolve, Adele’s palms were sweaty.
It seemed that leaving Greenhill would not be as easy as she thought.
There were posters of wanted criminals posted here and there along the way. The Vatican’s top wanted criminals, Christine and Leana, and recently, her too.
It was then. One of Isabelle’s maids, who was getting off the carriage holding a black cat, turned to look at her.
A very familiar face...
‘April?’
April’s eyes widened as she recognized Adele in her male disguise.
***
April was talking about something with the priests.
“Don’t worry. That child is also on the run, so she won’t be able to open her mouth.”
As if she noticed Adele’s worries, Isabelle came closer and whispered.
“Why is the Princess running away?”
“She’s pregnant with Stone’s child. If she’s caught, she’ll be taken to the Vatican.”
“What happened to the women who were taken away?”
Isabelle answered bitterly.
“No one knows what happened to them. That child is no longer a Princess, so who knows what will happen to her?”
Adele’s face grew suspicious.
“But is Princess April really pregnant with Stone’s child?”
“It wasn’t me. But why would the Empress and the Emperor swap Seira and smuggle that child out of the palace? I’m going to send that child out of Greenhill to keep my promise to the dead Emperor.”
Jan chose to commit suicide to protect his family.
Isabelle couldn’t forgive him, but she was determined to keep that promise.
However, Adele thought differently.
“No, April isn’t pregnant. The wolf clan sleeps with one partner for life.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Stone was already married once.”
So he couldn’t hold April.
Then there was no reason for April to run away from Greenhill.
There was no reason to hide Adele from the priests either... As Adele and Isabelle watched tensely, April and the priests approached them.
Jennifer grabbed his sword and spoke solemnly from behind.
“Just trust me, Miss Adele.”
“I need to talk to you for a moment, ma’am.”
Fortunately, the priests had business with Isabelle, not Adele.
“The priests checked our numbers and where we were going. They didn’t mention you, Miss Adele,”
April said, approaching the tree where Adele was standing.
“Why did you help me?”
She said calmly, stroking the cat’s fur.
“Even if it weren’t for me, you would have been caught soon.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t catch easily.”
Adele answered with a haughty tone. That way, she would be less scared.
April muttered as she glanced at Adele.
“I’ve always been jealous. Even though I had everything, I couldn’t do anything, but you were always confident, even though you had nothing.”
Adele felt April’s sincerity and showed her feelings a little.
“Everyone has a timid and weak child inside them. It’s just a matter of how well you hide that child.”
April smiled bitterly.
“I’m not only timid and weak, but I’m also a useless idiot. I was just trying to help my father...”
“So you lied about being pregnant?”
“Yes. Because of that, my father ended up committing suicide. I ended up being kicked out like this without even being able to see his death.”
“Not only that, but you freed Stone and used that as an excuse to call in the Vatican.”
Adele felt a little annoyed as she watched April, who seemed about to cry at any moment.
If she had been a bad person, this kind of pity would not have been felt.
She was just a foolish woman.
However, because she was a Princess, her foolishness brought about such great misfortune. Of course, all of this was not April’s fault alone.
“However, His Majesty was much more selfish and calculating than you think. He would not have chosen to commit suicide just because of you.”
That was the best consolation Adele could give.
“I am truly hopeless to be comforted by those words.”
April muttered, wiping away her tears.
“My God! You want me to hand over all my weapons?”
Meanwhile, Isabelle, who had been talking to the priests, shouted in shock.
The priests had told her party to leave behind all their weapons.
“You cannot leave Greenhill with your weapons in your possession.”
“How can we escort them without weapons?”
“Why would you need weapons unless you are meeting Grand Duke Rustis on the battlefield?”
Isabelle glared at the hawk-nosed priest.
The Vatican was interfering excessively under the pretext of finding Christine and Leana.
In addition, the Emperor’s seat was now vacant... They had barely managed to oust the Emperor, but an unexpected fly was coveting the position.
“Please tell His Holiness the Pope. The Kalame Empire is not such an easy place.”
She glared at the priests and nodded to the Knight Commander behind her.
“Do so.”
“Damn it! Just let those things go...!”
The Knight Commander was furious once again, but he had no choice but to follow Isabelle’s orders.
“Everyone, dismount and fight!”
***
The Nixus Bridge was about 100 meters long.
It was a place where the large and small streams flowing around the outskirts of Greenhill met, so the water was deep and the current was fast.
Isabelle and her party put down their swords, got off their horses, and lined up to cross the bridge.
The priests compared the names of the people they had submitted with the list of names they had submitted in advance and let them pass one by one.
Finally, it was Adele’s turn to walk to the front of the bridge.
“What, you raided the Count?”
She paused at the conversation she heard behind her.
“Yes, they raided the mansion where the Count and his men were hiding. They let the Count go, but they’re going to publicly execute the people they caught.”
“Good. They followed the beast.”
Adele couldn’t move at all.
She was worried if he was hurt, and who had been caught.
They were all laughing and chatting together last night.
“Adele.”
Jennifer whispered behind her.
The priest who was interrogating her was looking at her strangely.
Barely catching her breath, Adele quickly complied with the priests’ interrogation.
“Pass!”
Fortunately, she was able to cross the bridge without difficulty.
“The captain will be fine. The guys who were captured are tight-lipped and will keep their secrets to the end.”
Jennifer, who followed her soon, reassured her.
“Publicly executing them means luring him. He’ll go there even though he knows it.”
“If they become a burden, they’ll kill themselves first.”
“Jennifer...”
Adele eventually stopped walking on the bridge.
But Jennifer kept walking, staring straight ahead.
“Don’t stop, just keep going.”
His voice was soft, but it lacked the usual cheerfulness.
Only then did Adele realize that the person who was more worried than she right now was Jennifer.
“...I’m sorry, Jennifer. Most of the prisoners must have been your members...”
Jennifer’s temples bulged as if he was suppressing his emotions. Before he knew it, his eyes were bloodshot.
“Let’s go, Adele.”
Adele squeezed Jennifer’s hand tightly and then let go.
That was all she could do for him right now.
And when the two were more than halfway across the bridge,
“The Empress’s party, stop!”
A group of priests on horseback shouted as they galloped across the bridge.
The priests immediately blocked both ends of the bridge and created threatening blue orbs of light.
On the other hand, Isabelle’s party had all their weapons stripped away.
If they were attacked here...
“What’s going on?”
Isabelle calmly stepped forward.
A young and handsome priest rode his horse toward her.
“Hello, Your Majesty, Empress Isabelle.”
“Priest Maurice.”
Isabelle’s calm expression trembled slightly.
He couldn’t have come here for nothing, as the Pope’s representative.
But just looking at his expression, it was impossible to tell what his intentions were. Maurice had a gentle yet cold aura.
“I just got a tip from the servant of the Duke of Rodwell. He says that you are hiding a fugitive.”
“There must have been some mistake. A fugitive.”
She even laughed in disbelief. As expected, the Empress wasn’t just anyone.
“We can’t do it. Until we find the fugitive, Her Majesty and her party cannot move from this bridge. Once we find him, he will be appropriately punished.”
The priests immediately blocked both ends of the bridge and created threatening blue orbs of light.
On the other hand, Isabelle’s party had all their weapons stripped away.
If they were attacked here...
“What’s going on?”
Isabelle calmly stepped forward.
A young and handsome priest rode his horse toward her.
“Hello, Your Majesty, Empress Isabelle.”
“Priest Maurice.”
Isabelle’s calm expression trembled slightly.
He couldn’t have come here for nothing, as the Pope’s representative.
But just looking at his expression, it was impossible to tell what his intentions were. Maurice had a gentle yet cold aura.
“I just got a tip from the servant of the Duke of Rodwell. He says that you are hiding a fugitive.”
“There must have been some mistake. A fugitive.”
She even laughed in disbelief. As expected, the Empress wasn’t just anyone.
“We can’t do it. Until we find the fugitive, Her Majesty and her party cannot move from this bridge. Once we find him, he will be appropriately punished.”
As soon as Maurice finished his declaration, the priests gradually closed in from both ends, leaving their balls of light floating in the air.
Jennifer whispered to Adele,
“Are you good at swimming?”
He seemed to have the same thought as her.
“It’s a little early to go swimming, but let’s try.”
The two looked down at the river below the bridge. The water was dark blue, showing how deep it was.
“That timid and weak child...”
Adele turned around at April’s voice.
She, who had come up to her without her noticing, was also staring at the river.
“If you can’t hide it, you can kill it, right?”
“What is that?”
“You said a little while ago. Everyone has a timid and weak child inside them. I don’t want to be swayed by that child anymore.”
April smiled faintly and walked past Adele and Isabelle toward the priests.
Her back looked more dignified than ever, and she looked somehow solemn.
April came in front of Maurice and greeted him slightly.
“Princess April...?”
Maurice recognized her right away. He had seen the portrait of the Princess on the desk of the dead Jan.
“It’ll be easier to talk now that you know.”
“So you ran away because you were pregnant with a wolf clan child.”
“Would you believe me if I said no? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
April put the black cat she was holding on the ground. Then she lightly climbed onto the railing of the bridge.
Her long hair rippled golden in the river wind.
“His Majesty has always said so. Fulfill your responsibilities as a Princess. I hope I will be remembered as a Princess in the end.”
The moment the wind blew again, she disappeared into the deep water.
“Then can we cross the bridge now?”
Isabelle asked, glaring at Maurice.
“You will be punished for hiding a criminal.”
“Then rescue the Princess and bring me proof that she is pregnant with the wolf clan’s child. We will deal with it then.”
After finishing her words, Isabelle turned and crossed the bridge.
Maurice and the priests could no longer stop her group.
Jennifer whispered to Adele,
“Are you good at swimming?”
He seemed to have the same thought as her.
“It’s a little early to go swimming, but let’s try.”
The two looked down at the river below the bridge. The water was dark blue, showing how deep it was.
“That timid and weak child...”
Adele turned around at April’s voice.
She, who had come up to her without her noticing, was also staring at the river.
“If you can’t hide it, you can kill it, right?”
“What is that?”
“You said a little while ago. Everyone has a timid and weak child inside them. I don’t want to be swayed by that child anymore.”
April smiled faintly and walked past Adele and Isabelle toward the priests.
Her back looked more dignified than ever, and she looked somehow solemn.
April came in front of Maurice and greeted him slightly.
“Princess April...?”
Maurice recognized her right away. He had seen the portrait of the Princess on the desk of the dead Jan.
“It’ll be easier to talk now that you know.”
“So you ran away because you were pregnant with a wolf clan child.”
“Would you believe me if I said no? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
April put the black cat she was holding on the ground. Then she lightly climbed onto the railing of the bridge.
Her long hair rippled golden in the river wind.
“His Majesty has always said so. Fulfill your responsibilities as a Princess. I hope I will be remembered as a Princess in the end.”
The moment the wind blew again, she disappeared into the deep water.
“Then can we cross the bridge now?”
Isabelle asked, glaring at Maurice.
“You will be punished for hiding a criminal.”
“Then rescue the Princess and bring me proof that she is pregnant with the wolf clan’s child. We will deal with it then.”
After finishing her words, Isabelle turned and crossed the bridge.
Maurice and the priests could no longer stop her group.
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