Episode 137. The Disappearance of Locard
“What are you doing?”
“You must take me to that friend.”
“Your Majesty, you mean to tell me you're just going to leave it there?”
“What are you doing?”
“You must take me to that friend.”
“Your Majesty, you mean to tell me you're just going to leave it there?”
Locard glanced at Miriam, who was sobbing, clutching her side.
“Isn’t there a maid by your side? If she were a maid, she would know how to take care of her master.”
Ryuel burst into laughter.
He spoke in Smilean.
"Indeed, the imperial lion cub is out of his mind!"
***
Locard only vaguely knew about the second lion, Marquis Drake Omalan. Marquis Omalan’s career had been quite long ago.
Drake was known for his feminine beauty, like a courtesan, and for his prowess in both literature and martial arts. He especially enjoyed music and poetry, even earned him praise as the incarnation of the god of the arts.
It was no wonder that his popularity both inside and outside the palace soared.
Locard had once heard his father say that the Marquis of Omalan was the most outstanding of the Three Messengers. Considering his father was known for being stingy with praise, it was high praise.
Then, while visiting the southern part of the empire, Drake was attacked by a band of bandits and died. The Emperor honored him by reserving the position of Second Messenger for the remainder of his reign.
That was all Locard knew.
Yet, Drake had lived on, even secretly becoming a member of the Smilean royal family. Though now dying.
Inside the cabin of the ship bound for Smilean, Ryuel offered Locard drinks as if seeking revenge. Drunk, they each chatted away in their own comforting terms.
Ryuel marveled at the "red tears" illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
"This is the flaw he was talking about."
"A flaw?"
"He had previously traveled to the south to engage in smuggling with pirates. He intended to present this necklace to the Empress as a birthday present. But on the way back, he was struck by the sword of an assassin sent by His Majesty the Emperor. If it were me, I wouldn't have killed the person who touched my wife so easily."
The room was awash in a red light scattered by the 'Red Tears'.
Locard laughed, recalling the time he had ignored this jewel at the Riley auction.
"The sword broke when it struck the jewel in his arms. He almost died because of the Empress, and his life was saved because of his heart, which he had dedicated to her."
"So he had the 'Red Tears' all this time?"
"Ha! That's right. He had carried them in his arms his entire life, waiting for the day he could offer them to the Empress again."
"But how did it get to the auction..."
Locard didn't finish his question. Drake had released the 'Red Tears' to the world as a signal of his survival. It was a longing to make his presence known to her before he died.
The Empress's infidelity? Locard's head ached.
But to Ryuel, it was just someone else's business.
“Who said Imperial men lack innocence! Look at Drake Omalan!”
As the wine poured, Ryuel’s voice grew louder, ringing in his ears. He laughed loudly and poured Locard a drink.
But Locard muttered weakly,
“But that was an affair, Prince Peylan.”
“For him, for my friend, it was his only love. Although I cannot understand.”
Locard sighed faintly.
“My friend, thinking he had no chance of surviving in the Empire, fled to the harbor and threw himself onto our sailing ship. It was the Empire’s loss and Smilean’s gain.”
“For the past twenty years, Smileqn’s trade has prospered greatly.”
“His contribution was great. But when he fell ill and lay in bed, the hardliners gained power. It was their fault for ruining trade with Aghael. Damn it!”
“I see.”
“Your wife turned that into an Empire’s gain!”
Locard sighed faintly.
“My friend, thinking he had no chance of surviving in the Empire, fled to the harbor and threw himself onto our sailing ship. It was the Empire’s loss and Smilean’s gain.”
“For the past twenty years, Smileqn’s trade has prospered greatly.”
“His contribution was great. But when he fell ill and lay in bed, the hardliners gained power. It was their fault for ruining trade with Aghael. Damn it!”
“I see.”
“Your wife turned that into an Empire’s gain!”
“Isn’t that a great businessman?”
Locard frowned, his face drained of its alcohol.
“She should stop being so greedy.”
“By the way, is my former bride doing well?”
Locard averted his gaze and coughed. When the topic of Lorisha was brought up, he countered with a story about Milliora, which was extraordinary.
“Milliora has found happiness again. Thank you for your understanding.”
“Hmph! What a sweetheart.”
Ryuel spat out in displeasure and stared at Locard. Locard could tell that he was about to say something important.
“Prince Orl has lost something very important.”
“Her Majesty the Empress brought this upon herself. His Majesty the Emperor is not one to forgive twice.”
“...”
Prince Orl's greatest resource was the unconditional support of the Empress. But now the Empress's position was in jeopardy. If the Emperor knew about this, would he forgive her?
Looking into Ryuel's eyes, Locard instinctively knew that this was the moment he had been waiting for.
"Then, will Smailean change his position? Then His Highness Grayon will consider Smailean an eternal friend."
"You have already embarrassed me by stealing my bride, and yet you are talking so well."
"I know that Prince Peylan is not the type to be swayed by such things."
Ryuel burst out laughing again at Locard's Smailean answer. He was a man who laughed a lot when he was drunk.
Orl heard the news of Locard's disappearance while feverish in his sickbed. He had not entered the Academy or the palace, and no one had seen his whereabouts for several days.
Everyone was still keeping quiet, but seeing that the illegitimate maid-in-waiting was taking the place of the Second Prince, something must have happened in the Kydel family.
However, the real problem for Orl was that the Empress had disappeared as well.
At first, he thought his mother had closed the door, enraged by the incident at Miliora.
However, as time passed, the subordinates kept making excuses about where the Empress had gone, but the Empress never showed up.
The Empress was not someone who would not show her face even once, even when her condition was this severe. Orl knew full well that he was the Empress's lifeblood.
As he worried about the Empress, his consciousness occasionally clouded by fever, his servant, Viscount Rene, stopped by.
"Your Highness, would you mind moving for a moment?"
"Viscount, can't you see what I look like?"
"That's... I'm sorry, but Kalin Ankart requests to see you."
"What is that woman doing?"
“It’s about Her Majesty’s whereabouts. Since she insists on telling only you, Your Highness...”
“Damn it. Let her in.”
Kalin bowed gracefully to Orl.
Orl and Rene heard from Kalin about the Empress’s trip south and Locard’s appearance there.
She said that at the Empress’s request, she had arranged for her to go south by sending an escort from the family’s merchants.
“Why the Empress? Why that bastard Locard!”
“Your Highness, hold still! You're still sick.”
Viscount Rene, with a perplexed expression, soaked a towel in cold water and exchanged it for the one placed on Orl’s forehead.
Kalin spoke calmly.
“Her Majesty is safely back in the palace under the protection of our Ancart merchants. So that’s not what’s important right now, Your Highness.”
“You bastard, how do you know what’s important! Didn’t you lure the Empress into such a desperate situation?”
As Orl’s eyes turned mad, Rene stepped forward.
“Hold on, Your Highness. How could this lowly child refuse Her Majesty the Empress’s request? Her Majesty had a reason for leaving the palace without us knowing.”
Locard frowned, his face drained of its alcohol.
“She should stop being so greedy.”
“By the way, is my former bride doing well?”
Locard averted his gaze and coughed. When the topic of Lorisha was brought up, he countered with a story about Milliora, which was extraordinary.
“Milliora has found happiness again. Thank you for your understanding.”
“Hmph! What a sweetheart.”
Ryuel spat out in displeasure and stared at Locard. Locard could tell that he was about to say something important.
“Prince Orl has lost something very important.”
“Her Majesty the Empress brought this upon herself. His Majesty the Emperor is not one to forgive twice.”
“...”
Prince Orl's greatest resource was the unconditional support of the Empress. But now the Empress's position was in jeopardy. If the Emperor knew about this, would he forgive her?
Looking into Ryuel's eyes, Locard instinctively knew that this was the moment he had been waiting for.
"Then, will Smailean change his position? Then His Highness Grayon will consider Smailean an eternal friend."
"You have already embarrassed me by stealing my bride, and yet you are talking so well."
"I know that Prince Peylan is not the type to be swayed by such things."
Ryuel burst out laughing again at Locard's Smailean answer. He was a man who laughed a lot when he was drunk.
***
Orl heard the news of Locard's disappearance while feverish in his sickbed. He had not entered the Academy or the palace, and no one had seen his whereabouts for several days.
Everyone was still keeping quiet, but seeing that the illegitimate maid-in-waiting was taking the place of the Second Prince, something must have happened in the Kydel family.
However, the real problem for Orl was that the Empress had disappeared as well.
At first, he thought his mother had closed the door, enraged by the incident at Miliora.
However, as time passed, the subordinates kept making excuses about where the Empress had gone, but the Empress never showed up.
The Empress was not someone who would not show her face even once, even when her condition was this severe. Orl knew full well that he was the Empress's lifeblood.
As he worried about the Empress, his consciousness occasionally clouded by fever, his servant, Viscount Rene, stopped by.
"Your Highness, would you mind moving for a moment?"
"Viscount, can't you see what I look like?"
"That's... I'm sorry, but Kalin Ankart requests to see you."
"What is that woman doing?"
“It’s about Her Majesty’s whereabouts. Since she insists on telling only you, Your Highness...”
“Damn it. Let her in.”
Kalin bowed gracefully to Orl.
Orl and Rene heard from Kalin about the Empress’s trip south and Locard’s appearance there.
She said that at the Empress’s request, she had arranged for her to go south by sending an escort from the family’s merchants.
“Why the Empress? Why that bastard Locard!”
“Your Highness, hold still! You're still sick.”
Viscount Rene, with a perplexed expression, soaked a towel in cold water and exchanged it for the one placed on Orl’s forehead.
Kalin spoke calmly.
“Her Majesty is safely back in the palace under the protection of our Ancart merchants. So that’s not what’s important right now, Your Highness.”
“You bastard, how do you know what’s important! Didn’t you lure the Empress into such a desperate situation?”
As Orl’s eyes turned mad, Rene stepped forward.
“Hold on, Your Highness. How could this lowly child refuse Her Majesty the Empress’s request? Her Majesty had a reason for leaving the palace without us knowing.”
Kalin said, unfazed by the slight.
“They say Prince Kydel has boarded the ship with the Smilean envoy. This is a golden opportunity. Your Highness, First Prince, charge him with espionage and treason.”
Orl looked at Rene with suddenly clear eyes, thinking he could capture Locard Kydel. Rene smiled brightly.
After a week of sailing, Locard met Drake Omalan at the Smailan palace.
The bedridden man, once praised as the incarnation of the “god of art,” had grown old and frail, a sign of his age.
Even his eyesight was failing, and he smiled brightly, believing his guest to be Empress Leora. However, the light in his eyes faded at the sound of the man’s voice.
“Imperial, who are you?”
“Locard, my name is Locard Kydel.”
“Ah... the Terran child?”
Locard felt a strange feeling, meeting someone who called his father by his name after a long time.
“Yes. Marquis Omalan.”
“She's here... the Empress?”
“She’s in the Empire.”
Haa, Locard held his breath involuntarily as the patient’s long exhalation seemed to drain his life away.
Drake slowly gathered his strength and opened his mouth.
“Is His Highness Orl all right?”
“What do you think might be the case?”
“I...”
With that barely escaped, he gathered his strength again. His life was exhausted, at its limit.
The last glimmer of light in the man’s eyes was not the last of his vitality, but a desperate longing for a woman.
Only then did Locard understand what Ryuel had said about ‘love.’
Drake whispered hoarsely.
"I couldn't stop watching Her Majesty the Empress. And then I realized Her Majesty was in danger..."
Locard felt a lump forming in his throat.
He still didn't know love. There was no book to name his feelings for Lorisha, and no one could teach him.
But he knew that Drake and the Empress's relationship was too destructive to be called love.
If this was love, then he and Lorisha were just strangers.
He asked in a rough voice. He wanted to know.
“They say Prince Kydel has boarded the ship with the Smilean envoy. This is a golden opportunity. Your Highness, First Prince, charge him with espionage and treason.”
Orl looked at Rene with suddenly clear eyes, thinking he could capture Locard Kydel. Rene smiled brightly.
***
After a week of sailing, Locard met Drake Omalan at the Smailan palace.
The bedridden man, once praised as the incarnation of the “god of art,” had grown old and frail, a sign of his age.
Even his eyesight was failing, and he smiled brightly, believing his guest to be Empress Leora. However, the light in his eyes faded at the sound of the man’s voice.
“Imperial, who are you?”
“Locard, my name is Locard Kydel.”
“Ah... the Terran child?”
Locard felt a strange feeling, meeting someone who called his father by his name after a long time.
“Yes. Marquis Omalan.”
“She's here... the Empress?”
“She’s in the Empire.”
Haa, Locard held his breath involuntarily as the patient’s long exhalation seemed to drain his life away.
Drake slowly gathered his strength and opened his mouth.
“Is His Highness Orl all right?”
“What do you think might be the case?”
“I...”
With that barely escaped, he gathered his strength again. His life was exhausted, at its limit.
The last glimmer of light in the man’s eyes was not the last of his vitality, but a desperate longing for a woman.
Only then did Locard understand what Ryuel had said about ‘love.’
Drake whispered hoarsely.
"I couldn't stop watching Her Majesty the Empress. And then I realized Her Majesty was in danger..."
Locard felt a lump forming in his throat.
He still didn't know love. There was no book to name his feelings for Lorisha, and no one could teach him.
But he knew that Drake and the Empress's relationship was too destructive to be called love.
If this was love, then he and Lorisha were just strangers.
He asked in a rough voice. He wanted to know.
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