Episode 155. For Cedric, There's Only You
Cedric's face, worried about his family until the very end, flashed before his eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, gathering momentum, spoke softly.
"For Cedric... there's only you, Baku."
The Grand Duke's soft voice pierced his heart.
"Cedric will never be able to close his eyes in peace."
As soon as the Grand Duke finished speaking, Baku's mind flashed with the image of Cedric's final moments.
Cedric couldn't close his eyes until the very moment of his death. He breathed his last breath with his eyes wide open.
As this image flashed before him, Baku's breath caught in his throat.
At Cedric's final moments... he felt a strange sense of resentment.
The Grand Duke's words echoed endlessly over Cedric's visions.
The Grand Duke's words, that he was the only one left to his deceased master, tugged at Baku's heart.
As daylight began to break, Grand Duke Artaeum released Baku.
He released Baku at the site where Cedric's body had been found, and Neruan and the Grand Duke hid together, watching him.
Baku collapsed weakly, fell to his knees, and curled up on the ground.
He collapsed into the dirt, sobbing, and then let out a scream.
It was a strange, beast-like roar. However, Baku's voice was tinged with pathos.
Baku's sobs, pouring out his anger, began to subside.
Grand Duke Artaeum's voice lingered in his mind.
"Don't let Cedric go like this. Don't you feel sorry for your master, who died innocently?"
"Cedric... has only you, Baku. Cedric will never be able to close his eyes in peace."
Baku's eyes, staring blankly into space, took on a tragic tone. He sobbed softly and muttered to himself,
"Master's final will... I'm truly sorry I couldn't keep it."
He had never disobeyed Cedric's orders.
No matter how unethical they might have been, he carried out every task without question.
There were many moments when he couldn't understand why he had to do something, but because it was his master's order, he didn't quibble.
However, his final order was difficult to obey.
He felt sorry for his master, who had met a terrible death, and... he was disgusted with the shameless criminal.
This time, he would follow his convictions.
Cedric, for him alone.
Neruan, watching from afar, couldn't hide his worry.
"Your Highness, can you let him go like this?"
It seemed to him that the Grand Duke had let Baku go too easily.
'He was someone I worked so hard to capture.'
Taking charge of Cedric's affairs, he possessed exceptional martial arts skills, befitting a man of his stature, and was also adept at concealing his presence.
Timing played a significant role in Neruan's capture of Baku.
Capturing someone who had lost his will to live was remarkably easy.
"It's okay. His loyalty was directed solely to Cedric, not to the Count of Wence."
His loyalty was directed solely to Cedric.
To Baku, Cedric was the only thing that mattered, not to the Count of Wence.
At the Grand Duke's significant words, Neruan stared silently at him. For some reason, the Grand Duke's seemingly insignificant words sounded believable.
Early in the morning,
Rose, as the Grand Duke's fiancée, had requested an audience with the Emperor. She'd been rebuffed every time, but today, she was finally able to meet the Emperor alone.
The Emperor tilted his head crookedly as he looked at Rose.
Despite her aura, Rose didn't seem intimidated at all.
In fact, she seemed remarkably relaxed.
It was a stark contrast to their first meeting.
Even then, she had glared at him and spoken clearly, but he had clearly sensed the fear hidden within.
But not today.
She seemed strangely confident, like someone with a strong sense of trust.
How could such boldness emerge from such a fragile body, so fragile it seemed like it could break at a touch?
Rose, who had previously felt so repulsive, felt a strange curiosity.
"How old are you this year?"
Rose frowned at the Emperor's sudden question about her age.
"Why are you suddenly bringing it up?"
Was he trying to divert the conversation?
The Emperor's manner of speaking was irritating. However, there was no room for argument here.
“I'm the same age as the Princess.”
The Emperor’s expression hardened again at the mention of Princess Diana.
After receiving Julius’s proposal, Diana left the Empire. She had headed to the Kingdom of Mederion with Julius.
The Emperor still held that incident in his esteem.
Far from benefiting the Empire by marrying Henry, she had tarnished the royal family’s reputation with her premarital pregnancy.
He no longer treated Diana as his own daughter.
“You are so clueless. To mention Diana in front of me.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor’s anger softened slightly at Rose’s apology.
“Very well,”
The Emperor replied briefly, then continued.
“You are still very young. I worry about your fate as a widow at such a young age.”
Rose’s hand, which had been fiddling with her teacup, paused.
Rose looked up at the Emperor and smiled faintly.
“I’m not a widow, since I’m not married to the Grand Duke yet.”
Rose said her piece, clearly and firmly, then added,
“And the Grand Duke won’t die. He’s innocent.”
The Emperor scoffed at Rose’s words and ran a hand through his hair.
A few days later, my nephew was destined to die.
I’ll make it so.
But what confidence did Rose have that the Grand Duke wouldn’t die? Rose looked downright ridiculous in the Emperor’s eyes.
The Emperor clasped his hands together and leaned forward. Then, he got to the point.
“The Empress is already over forty.”
He gave Rose a mysterious look.
Rose felt a strange discomfort at the Emperor’s gaze, which swept her up and down.
“We still don’t have children. It seems there’s something wrong with the Empress. We’ve been married for over ten years, but we still haven’t had a child.”
Diana’s biological mother had been dead for a long time. The current Empress had remarried the Emperor, and the couple hadn't had a child for a long time, so rumors were rife that she was infertile.
'What? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?'
For a moment, an ominous feeling crossed Rose's mind. She frowned, hoping it wasn't what she thought.
"A young woman like you would be perfect for having a child."
"I think Your Majesty is already longing for a grandchild."
The Emperor stood up as soon as Rose finished speaking.
He walked over to the sofa where Rose was sitting and forcibly lifted her face.
"Don't you have any idea? Or are you just pretending not to know?"
His mean eyes scanned Rose's face.
The Emperor let out a snicker and spoke softly.
"How presumptuous of you to pretend not to know what I'm talking about."
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Come into my government."
Finally, the words Rose had expected spilled from the Emperor's lips.
Why was the Emperor suddenly acting like this? Was he trying to humiliate her?
Rose's smile vanished.
“After all, as a divorced woman, you have nowhere else to go. I'll personally take you in—you whom Lucas held in such high regard.”
"You're joking too much, Your Majesty."
"Have my child, and I'll guarantee your safety for life. I'll also support your current projects without any regrets, so it's not a bad deal, is it?"
"How dare you joke like that when I'm the same age as the Princess. I'm sorry, but it's unpleasant, Your Majesty."
Cedric's face, worried about his family until the very end, flashed before his eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, gathering momentum, spoke softly.
"For Cedric... there's only you, Baku."
The Grand Duke's soft voice pierced his heart.
"Cedric will never be able to close his eyes in peace."
As soon as the Grand Duke finished speaking, Baku's mind flashed with the image of Cedric's final moments.
Cedric couldn't close his eyes until the very moment of his death. He breathed his last breath with his eyes wide open.
As this image flashed before him, Baku's breath caught in his throat.
At Cedric's final moments... he felt a strange sense of resentment.
The Grand Duke's words echoed endlessly over Cedric's visions.
The Grand Duke's words, that he was the only one left to his deceased master, tugged at Baku's heart.
As daylight began to break, Grand Duke Artaeum released Baku.
He released Baku at the site where Cedric's body had been found, and Neruan and the Grand Duke hid together, watching him.
Baku collapsed weakly, fell to his knees, and curled up on the ground.
He collapsed into the dirt, sobbing, and then let out a scream.
It was a strange, beast-like roar. However, Baku's voice was tinged with pathos.
Baku's sobs, pouring out his anger, began to subside.
Grand Duke Artaeum's voice lingered in his mind.
"Don't let Cedric go like this. Don't you feel sorry for your master, who died innocently?"
"Cedric... has only you, Baku. Cedric will never be able to close his eyes in peace."
Baku's eyes, staring blankly into space, took on a tragic tone. He sobbed softly and muttered to himself,
"Master's final will... I'm truly sorry I couldn't keep it."
He had never disobeyed Cedric's orders.
No matter how unethical they might have been, he carried out every task without question.
There were many moments when he couldn't understand why he had to do something, but because it was his master's order, he didn't quibble.
However, his final order was difficult to obey.
He felt sorry for his master, who had met a terrible death, and... he was disgusted with the shameless criminal.
This time, he would follow his convictions.
Cedric, for him alone.
Neruan, watching from afar, couldn't hide his worry.
"Your Highness, can you let him go like this?"
It seemed to him that the Grand Duke had let Baku go too easily.
'He was someone I worked so hard to capture.'
Taking charge of Cedric's affairs, he possessed exceptional martial arts skills, befitting a man of his stature, and was also adept at concealing his presence.
Timing played a significant role in Neruan's capture of Baku.
Capturing someone who had lost his will to live was remarkably easy.
"It's okay. His loyalty was directed solely to Cedric, not to the Count of Wence."
His loyalty was directed solely to Cedric.
To Baku, Cedric was the only thing that mattered, not to the Count of Wence.
At the Grand Duke's significant words, Neruan stared silently at him. For some reason, the Grand Duke's seemingly insignificant words sounded believable.
***
Early in the morning,
Rose, as the Grand Duke's fiancée, had requested an audience with the Emperor. She'd been rebuffed every time, but today, she was finally able to meet the Emperor alone.
"My persistence paid off."
Rose's expression, having achieved her first goal, looked quite relieved. Rose and the Emperor sat facing each other in the reception room. Perhaps fed up with Rose's agonizingly languid appearance, the Emperor's expression seemed quite weary. The Emperor, his eyes cold, gazed at Rose.
"Have some."
He quirked a corner of his mouth and spoke softly.
"Yes, thank you."
Rose smiled and lifted her teacup. The Emperor leaned his arm aside and stared at Rose with an arrogant gaze. To have come to him alone, without fear? She was truly a bold woman.
Rose took a sip of tea, swallowed it, and set her cup down with a clatter.
"What brings you here?"
"I have an urgent request, and I have come to you despite the inconvenience."
"I suppose you have come to me about my beloved nephew, Lucas."
"As expected of someone who rules an empire, you possess remarkable insight."
Rose smiled with her eyes as she spoke.
The Emperor met Rose's eyes and smiled, then suddenly took on a cold expression.
"There's nothing I can do about Lucas."
The Emperor seemed to have no intention of hiding his wry sneer.
"I've done my best for my beloved nephew, but this matter cannot be undone. Even if you are royalty, killing a noble is unforgivable."
"The Grand Duke did not kill Cedric."
"What do you know? The investigation has already been concluded."
"I heard that the investigation was not conducted properly."
Rose's words made the Emperor burst out in anger.
"Are you saying that my subjects committed a mistake?"
The thunderous roar was loud enough to make Rose's hair flutter in the still air.
"That is not what I am saying, Your Majesty."
Not negligence, but clear intent.
Rose lowered her eyes and forcefully swallowed the words rising to her throat.
The Emperor, who had been grumbling, leaned back against the chair and took a deep breath.
Rose smiled with her eyes as she spoke.
The Emperor met Rose's eyes and smiled, then suddenly took on a cold expression.
"There's nothing I can do about Lucas."
The Emperor seemed to have no intention of hiding his wry sneer.
"I've done my best for my beloved nephew, but this matter cannot be undone. Even if you are royalty, killing a noble is unforgivable."
"The Grand Duke did not kill Cedric."
"What do you know? The investigation has already been concluded."
"I heard that the investigation was not conducted properly."
Rose's words made the Emperor burst out in anger.
"Are you saying that my subjects committed a mistake?"
The thunderous roar was loud enough to make Rose's hair flutter in the still air.
"That is not what I am saying, Your Majesty."
Not negligence, but clear intent.
Rose lowered her eyes and forcefully swallowed the words rising to her throat.
The Emperor, who had been grumbling, leaned back against the chair and took a deep breath.
The Emperor tilted his head crookedly as he looked at Rose.
Despite her aura, Rose didn't seem intimidated at all.
In fact, she seemed remarkably relaxed.
It was a stark contrast to their first meeting.
Even then, she had glared at him and spoken clearly, but he had clearly sensed the fear hidden within.
But not today.
She seemed strangely confident, like someone with a strong sense of trust.
How could such boldness emerge from such a fragile body, so fragile it seemed like it could break at a touch?
Rose, who had previously felt so repulsive, felt a strange curiosity.
"How old are you this year?"
Rose frowned at the Emperor's sudden question about her age.
"Why are you suddenly bringing it up?"
Was he trying to divert the conversation?
The Emperor's manner of speaking was irritating. However, there was no room for argument here.
“I'm the same age as the Princess.”
The Emperor’s expression hardened again at the mention of Princess Diana.
After receiving Julius’s proposal, Diana left the Empire. She had headed to the Kingdom of Mederion with Julius.
The Emperor still held that incident in his esteem.
Far from benefiting the Empire by marrying Henry, she had tarnished the royal family’s reputation with her premarital pregnancy.
He no longer treated Diana as his own daughter.
“You are so clueless. To mention Diana in front of me.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor’s anger softened slightly at Rose’s apology.
“Very well,”
The Emperor replied briefly, then continued.
“You are still very young. I worry about your fate as a widow at such a young age.”
Rose’s hand, which had been fiddling with her teacup, paused.
Rose looked up at the Emperor and smiled faintly.
“I’m not a widow, since I’m not married to the Grand Duke yet.”
Rose said her piece, clearly and firmly, then added,
“And the Grand Duke won’t die. He’s innocent.”
The Emperor scoffed at Rose’s words and ran a hand through his hair.
A few days later, my nephew was destined to die.
I’ll make it so.
But what confidence did Rose have that the Grand Duke wouldn’t die? Rose looked downright ridiculous in the Emperor’s eyes.
The Emperor clasped his hands together and leaned forward. Then, he got to the point.
“The Empress is already over forty.”
He gave Rose a mysterious look.
Rose felt a strange discomfort at the Emperor’s gaze, which swept her up and down.
“We still don’t have children. It seems there’s something wrong with the Empress. We’ve been married for over ten years, but we still haven’t had a child.”
Diana’s biological mother had been dead for a long time. The current Empress had remarried the Emperor, and the couple hadn't had a child for a long time, so rumors were rife that she was infertile.
'What? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?'
For a moment, an ominous feeling crossed Rose's mind. She frowned, hoping it wasn't what she thought.
"A young woman like you would be perfect for having a child."
"I think Your Majesty is already longing for a grandchild."
The Emperor stood up as soon as Rose finished speaking.
He walked over to the sofa where Rose was sitting and forcibly lifted her face.
"Don't you have any idea? Or are you just pretending not to know?"
His mean eyes scanned Rose's face.
The Emperor let out a snicker and spoke softly.
"How presumptuous of you to pretend not to know what I'm talking about."
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Come into my government."
Finally, the words Rose had expected spilled from the Emperor's lips.
Why was the Emperor suddenly acting like this? Was he trying to humiliate her?
Rose's smile vanished.
“After all, as a divorced woman, you have nowhere else to go. I'll personally take you in—you whom Lucas held in such high regard.”
"You're joking too much, Your Majesty."
"Have my child, and I'll guarantee your safety for life. I'll also support your current projects without any regrets, so it's not a bad deal, is it?"
"How dare you joke like that when I'm the same age as the Princess. I'm sorry, but it's unpleasant, Your Majesty."
"!"
How dare you say something unpleasant in front of me?
The Emperor was furious, but Rose's impertinent demeanor made him chuckle. Ironically, Rose's demeanor only served to further provoke the Emperor.
"You're the first person to say something like that to me."
Rose couldn't hide her embarrassment as she met the Emperor's gaze.
It wasn't so much that he was angry, but that he was intrigued by her rude remark.
'What? You're the first woman I've ever met. Why are you saying such outdated things?'
Rose felt the hairs on her body stand on end.
Hearing those words, something even a male protagonist in a novel would be unfamiliar with hearing, from the old Emperor.
It was utterly unpleasant.
"I feel bad."
No, you weren't like that at first. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden today?
Rose's impertinent demeanor was the same since their first meeting, and it was the same now.
But the Emperor wasn't.
The day he first met Rose, the Emperor's nerves were on edge because his plans had been disrupted.
Having failed to frame the Grand Duke for Diana's poisoning, he had no time to turn his gaze to women.
However, today was not the day.
Unlike that day, when tension and sensitivity were at their peak, he was in a very relaxed state.
If only the Grand Duke died, he could have preserved his imperial power.
And the Grand Duke would die soon.
Thanks to this, the Emperor had peace of mind.
When he calmed down, it was true that Rose had caught his eye.
However, he had another reason: the urge to steal his nephew's woman.
He still hated his brother for stealing his woman.
The Emperor, who projected his brother onto the Grand Duke, impulsively coveted Rose.
If he could exact revenge, even if it meant a single generation, he would.
Rose pushed the Emperor's hand away and stood up.
Then, she thrust the documents she had prepared before the Emperor's eyes.
"Play a game with me. If you defeat me, I will carefully consider Your Majesty's proposal."
Her plan had deviated slightly from the original, but she felt a strange sense of ease as things began to work out.
Rose's eyes twinkled, hoping that her intuition wasn't mistaken.
How dare you say something unpleasant in front of me?
The Emperor was furious, but Rose's impertinent demeanor made him chuckle. Ironically, Rose's demeanor only served to further provoke the Emperor.
"You're the first person to say something like that to me."
Rose couldn't hide her embarrassment as she met the Emperor's gaze.
It wasn't so much that he was angry, but that he was intrigued by her rude remark.
'What? You're the first woman I've ever met. Why are you saying such outdated things?'
Rose felt the hairs on her body stand on end.
Hearing those words, something even a male protagonist in a novel would be unfamiliar with hearing, from the old Emperor.
It was utterly unpleasant.
"I feel bad."
No, you weren't like that at first. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden today?
Rose's impertinent demeanor was the same since their first meeting, and it was the same now.
But the Emperor wasn't.
The day he first met Rose, the Emperor's nerves were on edge because his plans had been disrupted.
Having failed to frame the Grand Duke for Diana's poisoning, he had no time to turn his gaze to women.
However, today was not the day.
Unlike that day, when tension and sensitivity were at their peak, he was in a very relaxed state.
If only the Grand Duke died, he could have preserved his imperial power.
And the Grand Duke would die soon.
Thanks to this, the Emperor had peace of mind.
When he calmed down, it was true that Rose had caught his eye.
However, he had another reason: the urge to steal his nephew's woman.
He still hated his brother for stealing his woman.
The Emperor, who projected his brother onto the Grand Duke, impulsively coveted Rose.
If he could exact revenge, even if it meant a single generation, he would.
Rose pushed the Emperor's hand away and stood up.
Then, she thrust the documents she had prepared before the Emperor's eyes.
"Play a game with me. If you defeat me, I will carefully consider Your Majesty's proposal."
Her plan had deviated slightly from the original, but she felt a strange sense of ease as things began to work out.
Rose's eyes twinkled, hoping that her intuition wasn't mistaken.
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