Finally, Commander Max Rockefeller, upon hearing that Colonel Rotsilt had crossed the border, sat at his desk in his office, rubbing his face in anguish.
This crazy guy, this crazy bastard.
What are you doing against the Emperor of the Frogen Empire, who holds absolute power?
"Ah. Your Grace, Duchess of Rotsilt. I am ashamed. Please, please light his path from heaven and watch over him."
He bowed his head, deeply aware of the trials he would face. Noah's salute wasn't a simple gesture of respect, but a final farewell. The words he had faintly muttered as he left the commanding officer's office now became clear.
“It’s time to leave the chessboard.”
The current world war was like a giant chessboard, a political strife of monarchs trying to expand their dominion even a little further.
Everyone is a chess piece playing on the chessboard.
A faint smile suddenly appeared on the lips of the general, who had been wracked with worry and anxiety. What would His Excellency have said if he were alive? He would probably have told Vincent to let him do as he pleased.
Perhaps neither Noah nor the previous Duke would care. This is an era where citizens are rising up in revolution against monopolistic power, and the ideas of freedom and equality for rights are gaining traction.
Nobility will become nothing more than a token symbol, and the old era of royalty and the imperial family monopolizing power will soon be over. He'll somehow manage to live well, because he's no ordinary man.
He watched a bird fluttering past the dry branches outside the window. He felt a sense of relief, yet a sense of relief, as if watching a fully grown bird fly off on its own.
It was the moment when the Duke Rotsilt, who had supported the Frogen Imperial Family for many years, disappeared into the back alleys of Imperial history.
When Commander Rockefeller told him the news, Meyer III cackled like a madman.
“Oh, I really like it! He’s always relentless and crazy, so no matter where you put him, he’ll win!”
The commander who faced him was worried as he saw the Emperor rejoicing as if he was about to experience a pleasant slope.
"Your Majesty. He is a brilliant strategist and tactician, capable of shifting frontline positions and exploiting terrain to disrupt war plans. Please understand his youthful spirit. He simply intends to bring home a woman to marry..."
“I loved him very much, like a son.”
"Yes. If you give me the chance, even if it's just for the sake of my connection with the Duke of Rotsilt, a noble family, I will persuade him to come back."
The Emperor, sitting haughtily on the sofa in his white royal uniform, crossed and uncrossed his legs, tilted his head back as if he was about to fall over, and laughed.
"I feel the same way. I was lenient last time. If I let it slide again, what about the next time? Then they'll dare to challenge me. They'll try to change the system, rendering my existence and authority meaningless."
The commander, who had been wiping his face as if washing his face, sighed deeply and couldn't answer. He already knew that the Emperor secretly feared him.
The fierce eyes of the monarch known as the Brain Emperor narrowed. He issued a harsh command with a cruel, mocking sneer.
"Since you're so pleading, I'll have to have him captured alive. Considering our friendship, I'll grant him the innocent honor of dying by my hand. Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but I'm becoming quite sentimental. Isn't that a lenient sentence compared to the crime of betraying my country?"
“Your Majesty, in a war situation, it is tantamount to a great loss of life.”
"Those of the Rotsilt family, though brilliant, have always rebelled against the state. This means three generations will die at the hands of the state. Death is the ultimate threat, and it will serve as a shining example to revolutionaries who dream of the vain dreams of freedom and equality. All must act according to a single purpose. That single purpose is the state, and the state is the monarch."
News quickly spread throughout the Empire that the Duke of Frogen and a colonel in the military had betrayed his country and defected to the enemy. Various opinions arose: a challenge to the Emperor, a betrayal of Frogen, or an attempt to instigate a coup.
Although he was considered a promising young man by the world, the thought of losing everything and becoming a criminal had long since fallen out of his mind.
In fact, Noah had only one thought in mind: he had to get to Diana before it was too late.
Because the array of codes contained in the one-line text of the fairy tale writer hinted at Diana's death and its expected date.
Returning to the mansion, Celine entered the room with a staggering gait, holding her trembling hands tightly.
She sat in a teak armchair, warming her hands by the fireplace. Despite the fire, her fingertips still felt chilled.
Although she was naturally sensitive to the cold, it was also due to extreme tension and fear. The flickering firelight from the fireplace dyed Celine's green eyes a light green.
Confidential documents? What does that mean?
Diana's words, which had been spoken in a harsh tone, were something she had never heard before.
She simply suspected her of being a spy because of her suspicious relationship with the Duke, so Celine accused her and imprisoned her. Even if she were the admiral's beloved daughter, she could not steal confidential documents.
Diana was always confined to her room, only occasionally going out to meet the lieutenant colonel, so it's unlikely she'd been abducted. A maid kept a close watch on Diana's daily life, so she was well aware that she had been framed.
Celine's heart pounded loudly.
“Is there a reason you would go that far?”
The leak of the naval battle plan was clearly her father's doing. Perhaps it was something he had planned since shortly after Diana's return.
If this truth were revealed, not only would she lose everything, but her father would face execution. Diana, now that she's likely to be released thanks to the Duke's influence, would she really take such a risk?
Celine's eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened as she realized something. The realization became a certainty, and her makeup-free face turned as pale as a sheet of white paper.
The dead cannot tell the truth. Death is tantamount to a tacit admission of guilt. Her father intended to kill Diana.
Celine's pale lips trembled visibly.
“Is that right? Even at the cost of sacrificing so many people?”
This went beyond hatred and resentment. Of course, Celine didn't think her sister's treatment was normal.
Her father had always told her since she was little that her mother died because of Diana and that she shouldn't feel sorry for her, and she thought it was natural.
Only after her head grew a little bigger did she realize she was different from others, and Celine's choice was to ignore and assist. And to justify this treatment, she framed Diana and cast her as a villain.
She didn't want to shatter her firm faith in her father and her own satisfying daily life. The father she'd seen was a kind and affectionate man. To her, he was the best person she could ever have.
“There must be a compelling reason why it had to be done that way. That’s why it’s happening.”
It was unclear why Diana, who had become known to the world as the admiral's daughter, had to be killed.
Celine sat motionless before the fireplace until the quiet darkness fell. The sound of fireworks exploding from the harbor signaled the start of the New Year's celebration.
The colors of the fireworks that covered the sky came through the large, wide windows and disappeared in an instant.
That day must be today.
The roar of this war will instead bring peace. I am pure, and I am simply holding the line. A line to protect what is precious to me. I will never cross it or break it. Even if it means tragedy to some.
I'm just a good kid who listens to my dad.
In the end, she once again chose to ignore the truth and remain in a chilling silence.
I sat on the uncomfortable iron bed and didn't move.
Life in solitary confinement wasn't particularly uncomfortable. A heater was provided, along with warm bedding and proper meals.
"Miss Diana, I know it's difficult, but please bear with me for a little longer. You should be able to leave next week. I'll get you out as soon as possible."
Lieutenant Colonel Groenendaal, dressed in his military uniform, came to me, having just finished his shift, and handed me a wrapped pie, speaking to me in a friendly tone. Not having much of an appetite, I accepted the warm pie and placed it on my bed, a smile forming on my face.
"Thank you."
I asked the lieutenant colonel again.
"Why do you always help me? I'm accused of being a spy, and you, as a lieutenant colonel, could be in trouble. Is it because of the promises and attention you made earlier?"
Light filtering through the prison window illuminated the lieutenant colonel, casting a shadow on one side of his face.
"I want you to be happy. Perhaps it was my greed, my desire to fulfill my responsibility and duty, that brought you here."
He still had a guilty expression on his face. What on earth could he be so sorry about? Maybe he'd been looking at me like that from the beginning.
The visiting hour was drawing to a close. The lieutenant colonel glanced at his watch and straightened his clothes.
"The New Year's Festival starts tomorrow. There will be fireworks tonight, but I'm sorry I can't show you. The festival runs until next week, so I'd love to see you then."
I had nothing to say, so I simply nodded. The lieutenant colonel stood up, put on his coat, and smiled.
“Then I’ll come again tomorrow.”
He looked at me with eyes filled with sadness and pity, then turned around and left.
The one person who had warmly occupied a corner of the cramped cell left, leaving it feeling terribly empty. As night deepened, stars began to appear one by one outside the dimly lit window. Outside, the sounds of guards changing shifts could be heard.
"There aren't many workers today, are there? It seems like a lot of people are on vacation due to the New Year's holiday."
"It's only single people like us who have a hard time. We have to be considerate of workers with families."
“Haha, I want to get married soon.”
It was a pointless conversation.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the solid iron door, and picked up a still-warm pie. It felt like Christmas was just yesterday, but a month had already passed since I left Frogen.
I turned eighteen on January 1st, alone, and that damn family didn't even offer me a New Year's feast. I'm used to being alone, but at some point, I felt completely empty, emptied.
"Princess."
Suddenly, I heard a voice I missed, and without realizing it, I jumped up and looked around the quiet surroundings.
"Princess. It's an awkward word, but I guess you don't mind it."
It is a title that no one calls me except Noah.
Even when my original parents were alive, my grandfather, who had been my guardian, was indifferent and cold to me. Today, my chest feels tight, and I feel uncomfortable exhaling.
Even the air in this space feels thick and harsh, as if my lungs are being crushed. Unlike the time when I felt free, alone in my room, undisturbed, I now feel suffocated, trapped.
I looked up at the small window high in the dark wall. Soft moonlight streamed down like a narrow staircase.
From outside, the sound of heavy footsteps slowly approaching could be heard.
Squeak-.
The iron door to the solitary cell, seemingly impenetrable, slid open with a rusty sound. Two burly men in guard uniforms appeared as the door swung open.
They stood there, silently watching me, their faces expressionless, but as soon as their eyes met mine, I could sense their unease.
Something feels off. A keen sense of danger is warning me. It's like a long-forgotten fear is being rekindled.
My sensitive nerves were focused on them. I maintained my composure and read their emotionless gazes.
From the affluent life of modern times, I have always lived in danger, and my sharp intuition, which has a strong obsession with life, has been whispering to me softly.
'You came to kill me.'
A silence that felt like an eternity hung between the three of us. A premonition of a tragic end permeated my surroundings.
One of them nodded as if sending a silent signal and went out, and the remaining guard, standing alone, was holding a thick rope in his hand.
The guard holding the rope glanced at me and sighed with a helpless expression.
“Why do you have to be my sister’s age? I don’t like it, but I can’t help it.”
A firecracker shot out of the window, signaling the start of a fireworks display, and a whistling sound split the sky.
Soon, the deafening roar of firecrackers exploded. It was so loud that even my screams were drowned out by silence.
I want to hear your beautiful sincerity.
And I want to tell him with all my heart that what I said was a lie.
This crazy guy, this crazy bastard.
What are you doing against the Emperor of the Frogen Empire, who holds absolute power?
"Ah. Your Grace, Duchess of Rotsilt. I am ashamed. Please, please light his path from heaven and watch over him."
He bowed his head, deeply aware of the trials he would face. Noah's salute wasn't a simple gesture of respect, but a final farewell. The words he had faintly muttered as he left the commanding officer's office now became clear.
“It’s time to leave the chessboard.”
The current world war was like a giant chessboard, a political strife of monarchs trying to expand their dominion even a little further.
Everyone is a chess piece playing on the chessboard.
A faint smile suddenly appeared on the lips of the general, who had been wracked with worry and anxiety. What would His Excellency have said if he were alive? He would probably have told Vincent to let him do as he pleased.
Perhaps neither Noah nor the previous Duke would care. This is an era where citizens are rising up in revolution against monopolistic power, and the ideas of freedom and equality for rights are gaining traction.
Nobility will become nothing more than a token symbol, and the old era of royalty and the imperial family monopolizing power will soon be over. He'll somehow manage to live well, because he's no ordinary man.
He watched a bird fluttering past the dry branches outside the window. He felt a sense of relief, yet a sense of relief, as if watching a fully grown bird fly off on its own.
It was the moment when the Duke Rotsilt, who had supported the Frogen Imperial Family for many years, disappeared into the back alleys of Imperial history.
When Commander Rockefeller told him the news, Meyer III cackled like a madman.
“Oh, I really like it! He’s always relentless and crazy, so no matter where you put him, he’ll win!”
The commander who faced him was worried as he saw the Emperor rejoicing as if he was about to experience a pleasant slope.
"Your Majesty. He is a brilliant strategist and tactician, capable of shifting frontline positions and exploiting terrain to disrupt war plans. Please understand his youthful spirit. He simply intends to bring home a woman to marry..."
“I loved him very much, like a son.”
"Yes. If you give me the chance, even if it's just for the sake of my connection with the Duke of Rotsilt, a noble family, I will persuade him to come back."
The Emperor, sitting haughtily on the sofa in his white royal uniform, crossed and uncrossed his legs, tilted his head back as if he was about to fall over, and laughed.
"I feel the same way. I was lenient last time. If I let it slide again, what about the next time? Then they'll dare to challenge me. They'll try to change the system, rendering my existence and authority meaningless."
The commander, who had been wiping his face as if washing his face, sighed deeply and couldn't answer. He already knew that the Emperor secretly feared him.
The fierce eyes of the monarch known as the Brain Emperor narrowed. He issued a harsh command with a cruel, mocking sneer.
"Since you're so pleading, I'll have to have him captured alive. Considering our friendship, I'll grant him the innocent honor of dying by my hand. Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but I'm becoming quite sentimental. Isn't that a lenient sentence compared to the crime of betraying my country?"
“Your Majesty, in a war situation, it is tantamount to a great loss of life.”
"Those of the Rotsilt family, though brilliant, have always rebelled against the state. This means three generations will die at the hands of the state. Death is the ultimate threat, and it will serve as a shining example to revolutionaries who dream of the vain dreams of freedom and equality. All must act according to a single purpose. That single purpose is the state, and the state is the monarch."
News quickly spread throughout the Empire that the Duke of Frogen and a colonel in the military had betrayed his country and defected to the enemy. Various opinions arose: a challenge to the Emperor, a betrayal of Frogen, or an attempt to instigate a coup.
Although he was considered a promising young man by the world, the thought of losing everything and becoming a criminal had long since fallen out of his mind.
In fact, Noah had only one thought in mind: he had to get to Diana before it was too late.
Because the array of codes contained in the one-line text of the fairy tale writer hinted at Diana's death and its expected date.
***
Returning to the mansion, Celine entered the room with a staggering gait, holding her trembling hands tightly.
She sat in a teak armchair, warming her hands by the fireplace. Despite the fire, her fingertips still felt chilled.
Although she was naturally sensitive to the cold, it was also due to extreme tension and fear. The flickering firelight from the fireplace dyed Celine's green eyes a light green.
Confidential documents? What does that mean?
Diana's words, which had been spoken in a harsh tone, were something she had never heard before.
She simply suspected her of being a spy because of her suspicious relationship with the Duke, so Celine accused her and imprisoned her. Even if she were the admiral's beloved daughter, she could not steal confidential documents.
Diana was always confined to her room, only occasionally going out to meet the lieutenant colonel, so it's unlikely she'd been abducted. A maid kept a close watch on Diana's daily life, so she was well aware that she had been framed.
Celine's heart pounded loudly.
“Is there a reason you would go that far?”
The leak of the naval battle plan was clearly her father's doing. Perhaps it was something he had planned since shortly after Diana's return.
If this truth were revealed, not only would she lose everything, but her father would face execution. Diana, now that she's likely to be released thanks to the Duke's influence, would she really take such a risk?
Celine's eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened as she realized something. The realization became a certainty, and her makeup-free face turned as pale as a sheet of white paper.
The dead cannot tell the truth. Death is tantamount to a tacit admission of guilt. Her father intended to kill Diana.
Celine's pale lips trembled visibly.
“Is that right? Even at the cost of sacrificing so many people?”
This went beyond hatred and resentment. Of course, Celine didn't think her sister's treatment was normal.
Her father had always told her since she was little that her mother died because of Diana and that she shouldn't feel sorry for her, and she thought it was natural.
Only after her head grew a little bigger did she realize she was different from others, and Celine's choice was to ignore and assist. And to justify this treatment, she framed Diana and cast her as a villain.
She didn't want to shatter her firm faith in her father and her own satisfying daily life. The father she'd seen was a kind and affectionate man. To her, he was the best person she could ever have.
“There must be a compelling reason why it had to be done that way. That’s why it’s happening.”
It was unclear why Diana, who had become known to the world as the admiral's daughter, had to be killed.
Celine sat motionless before the fireplace until the quiet darkness fell. The sound of fireworks exploding from the harbor signaled the start of the New Year's celebration.
The colors of the fireworks that covered the sky came through the large, wide windows and disappeared in an instant.
That day must be today.
The roar of this war will instead bring peace. I am pure, and I am simply holding the line. A line to protect what is precious to me. I will never cross it or break it. Even if it means tragedy to some.
I'm just a good kid who listens to my dad.
In the end, she once again chose to ignore the truth and remain in a chilling silence.
***
I sat on the uncomfortable iron bed and didn't move.
Life in solitary confinement wasn't particularly uncomfortable. A heater was provided, along with warm bedding and proper meals.
"Miss Diana, I know it's difficult, but please bear with me for a little longer. You should be able to leave next week. I'll get you out as soon as possible."
Lieutenant Colonel Groenendaal, dressed in his military uniform, came to me, having just finished his shift, and handed me a wrapped pie, speaking to me in a friendly tone. Not having much of an appetite, I accepted the warm pie and placed it on my bed, a smile forming on my face.
"Thank you."
I asked the lieutenant colonel again.
"Why do you always help me? I'm accused of being a spy, and you, as a lieutenant colonel, could be in trouble. Is it because of the promises and attention you made earlier?"
Light filtering through the prison window illuminated the lieutenant colonel, casting a shadow on one side of his face.
"I want you to be happy. Perhaps it was my greed, my desire to fulfill my responsibility and duty, that brought you here."
He still had a guilty expression on his face. What on earth could he be so sorry about? Maybe he'd been looking at me like that from the beginning.
The visiting hour was drawing to a close. The lieutenant colonel glanced at his watch and straightened his clothes.
"The New Year's Festival starts tomorrow. There will be fireworks tonight, but I'm sorry I can't show you. The festival runs until next week, so I'd love to see you then."
I had nothing to say, so I simply nodded. The lieutenant colonel stood up, put on his coat, and smiled.
“Then I’ll come again tomorrow.”
He looked at me with eyes filled with sadness and pity, then turned around and left.
The one person who had warmly occupied a corner of the cramped cell left, leaving it feeling terribly empty. As night deepened, stars began to appear one by one outside the dimly lit window. Outside, the sounds of guards changing shifts could be heard.
"There aren't many workers today, are there? It seems like a lot of people are on vacation due to the New Year's holiday."
"It's only single people like us who have a hard time. We have to be considerate of workers with families."
“Haha, I want to get married soon.”
It was a pointless conversation.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the solid iron door, and picked up a still-warm pie. It felt like Christmas was just yesterday, but a month had already passed since I left Frogen.
I turned eighteen on January 1st, alone, and that damn family didn't even offer me a New Year's feast. I'm used to being alone, but at some point, I felt completely empty, emptied.
"Princess."
Suddenly, I heard a voice I missed, and without realizing it, I jumped up and looked around the quiet surroundings.
"Princess. It's an awkward word, but I guess you don't mind it."
It is a title that no one calls me except Noah.
Even when my original parents were alive, my grandfather, who had been my guardian, was indifferent and cold to me. Today, my chest feels tight, and I feel uncomfortable exhaling.
Even the air in this space feels thick and harsh, as if my lungs are being crushed. Unlike the time when I felt free, alone in my room, undisturbed, I now feel suffocated, trapped.
I looked up at the small window high in the dark wall. Soft moonlight streamed down like a narrow staircase.
From outside, the sound of heavy footsteps slowly approaching could be heard.
Squeak-.
The iron door to the solitary cell, seemingly impenetrable, slid open with a rusty sound. Two burly men in guard uniforms appeared as the door swung open.
They stood there, silently watching me, their faces expressionless, but as soon as their eyes met mine, I could sense their unease.
Something feels off. A keen sense of danger is warning me. It's like a long-forgotten fear is being rekindled.
My sensitive nerves were focused on them. I maintained my composure and read their emotionless gazes.
From the affluent life of modern times, I have always lived in danger, and my sharp intuition, which has a strong obsession with life, has been whispering to me softly.
'You came to kill me.'
A silence that felt like an eternity hung between the three of us. A premonition of a tragic end permeated my surroundings.
One of them nodded as if sending a silent signal and went out, and the remaining guard, standing alone, was holding a thick rope in his hand.
The guard holding the rope glanced at me and sighed with a helpless expression.
“Why do you have to be my sister’s age? I don’t like it, but I can’t help it.”
A firecracker shot out of the window, signaling the start of a fireworks display, and a whistling sound split the sky.
Soon, the deafening roar of firecrackers exploded. It was so loud that even my screams were drowned out by silence.
I want to hear your beautiful sincerity.
And I want to tell him with all my heart that what I said was a lie.
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