“It's been a while, my lady. I didn’t get to greet you properly last time, did I?”
"Sir Claude."
"I'm glad you are safe."
Gazeff gave a faint smile.
Alicia hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head.
She was glad to see a familiar face after such a long time, but guilt came before anything else.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
"Madame Morco. By any chance..."
Alicia trailed off.
Given the circumstances, she assumed they hadn’t spared Madame Morco, but still held onto a faint hope.
Since Veloa, whom she thought was dead, was actually alive, she wished the same for Madame Morco.
“My aunt preferred alcohol over flowers while she was alive.”
"Ah…"
“She was the type who could easily finish a whole bottle of Zille on her own. If you’re going to visit, I recommend picking a good bottle.”
“…So, she has passed away after all.”
A dejected sigh slipped from Alicia’s lips.
“We scattered her ashes on Mount Penjan. My aunt always said that when she died, she wanted her ashes scattered on the highest peak in Schwarhan. She said she’d keep meddling in Schwarhan even after death.”
“...”
“It’s such a typical thought of my aunt.”
Gazeff gave a light smile and glanced at Alicia.
Though her head was bowed and her face was obscured, Alicia’s body trembled slightly.
She was crying.
Gazeff hesitated for a moment, then cautiously spoke.
“My lady, it’s okay to cry out loud.”
Alicia bit her lip tightly and shook her head.
Madame Morco’s death was because of her.
She didn’t even deserve to mourn her.
“My lady, it’s not your fault.”
“She ended up that way while trying to protect me.”
Alicia clenched the hem of her dress tightly.
The tears that had welled up were already soaking into the ground below.
“If my aunt were still alive, she would have said it’s a relief that the young lady is safe."
“...”
“More than anything, the one who caused her death was someone else.”
For a moment, Gazeff’s eyes flashed sharply.
"Sir Claude..."
"When determining who’s at fault, we say the person who hit was wrong, not the one who got hit."
“…Don’t you resent me, Sir Claude?”
“To be honest, if I said I didn’t resent you at all over my aunt’s death, that would be a lie. My aunt was like a mother to me.”
“...”
“However, I don’t think that’s what my aunt would’ve wanted.”
“...”
“She wasn’t killed — she chose death herself. At least, that’s how I see it. She met an honourable death as a knight protecting her master, just as she wished.”
Alicia raised her head.
There was no resentment on Gazeff’s face — only a smile.
“My aunt would want to be remembered that way.”
“Do you really think Madame Morco would’ve wanted that?”
“Well, the dead can’t speak, so in the end, this is just me putting noble-sounding words to it. But the woman I knew — she was that kind of person. She valued her beliefs more than her own life.”
“...”
“What kind of person was she to you, my lady? Do you think she’d want you to blame yourself?”
Gazeff offered a handkerchief as he asked.
Alicia couldn’t bring herself to take the handkerchief. She just stared at it, then slowly shook her head.
“…She wasn’t that kind of person.”
"I think so, too."
“Rather, she was a good person. Strong, kind-hearted...”
“With a bit of a stubborn streak.”
Gazeff gave a small chuckle.
Alicia, a little awkwardly, smiled along with him.
“But one thing’s certain — my aunt truly cared for you, my lady. If she could see you safe like this, she’d be genuinely happy.”
Gazeff offered the handkerchief to Alicia once more.
“You’re right. I think she would be.”
This time, Alicia accepted the handkerchief.
As Gazeff watched her wipe away her tears, he cautiously spoke again.
“The young master’s eyes resemble His Highness’s.”
“...They do?”
“Yes. It’s not noticeable now because of the baby fat, but as he grows and his features sharpen, I think he’ll look more and more like His Highness. Though he’s smaller than kids his age, his build is strong, so he might grow just as tall.”
It wasn’t obvious because of the child’s rounded features, but looking closely at Michael’s face, traces of Cabelenus were visible.
“His Highness never noticed.”
“That’s because His Highness is not the type to observe people closely, and above all, His Highness had absolute confidence.”
“Because of the black hair and golden eyes?”
“Yes. Black hair and golden eyes. They’re distinctive traits of the current imperial bloodline.”
Gazeff subtly glanced toward where Cabelenus was.
The man who never cared about his wounds was now receiving treatment just because of a single word from Alicia.
That alone showed how much Alicia meant to Cabelenus.
“Honestly, eight years ago, I couldn’t understand why His Highness tried to harm the young master. That’s why I followed my aunt’s words. But…”
“But?”
“Now, even though I know it wasn’t the right choice, I can understand why. Maybe if I had lived His Highness’s life, I would’ve done the same.”
Gazeff gave an awkward smile.
He, too, once thought of Cabelenus as simply a strong man.
Because to him, Cabelenus was an incredible man who made the impossible possible.
But Gazeff had no idea what had happened for that remarkable man to become who he was.
“To be honest, I hope you will continue to stay by His Highness’s side, my lady.”
"Don't say that. After all, the only reason I’m staying by His Highness’s side is so that I can protect my child.”
“Even so, that’s fine.”
“…It’s fine?”
"Just your presence alone will be enough for His Highness to keep living."
"What do you mean when you say His Highness lives because of me?"
Gazeff hesitated for a moment under the steady gaze, looking up at him.
If he spoke carelessly, he might end up ruining their relationship instead.
But even so, he couldn’t just stand by and watch.
Cabelenus wasn’t someone who spoke about himself first.
If Gazeff stayed silent, it was clear that Cabelenus would never say anything to Alicia.
Gazeff had been assisting Cabelenus ever since he came to Schwarhan, but it was only in the last eight years that he had come to fully understand his past.
"Eight years ago, when my lady disappeared like that, His Highness had a difficult time. At that time, he thought you were dead."
"I just..."
"You must have been trying to protect the young master. You probably didn't even know that your body was found."
"My body was found?"
"It was Princess Christie’s ability. She wasn't just a mage — she was a necromancer. She possessed the power to control the dead."
Gazeff frowned as he recalled Veloa.
Far from being called the most beautiful woman on the continent, her face was now disfigured to the point that it was beyond normal standards — it was grotesque.
It was hard to find any trace of her former beauty.
"I've never heard of the power to manipulate the dead."
"It's actually forbidden magic. A rare talent. The reason the emperor spared the princess was because of that talent."
During the process of uncovering Zerpheus's spies, including Shizuna, parts of his scheme were revealed.
From the beginning, Zerpheus had intended to exploit Veloa completely and then cast her aside.
Circle mages were considered rare, but the Imperial family had more than enough mages of that calibre.
The reason he changed his plans and spared Veloa was because of her talent as a necromancer.
Zerpheus had a habit of exploiting anyone thoroughly once he deemed them useful.
Just as he had done with Cabelenus.
"Upon examining Princess Christie's condition, we found a special magic engraved on her."
"A special magic?"
"It’s a magic we refer to as a 'shackle'."
“That’s not really a name you’d use for magic…”
"It's not officially registered magic. It consists of various magical bindings like sacred rites and incantations, so it can't really be considered pure magic."
Gazeff propped his chin on his hand and let out a deep sigh.
He already knew that Zerpheus was conducting experiments to revive the shackles, but he didn't expect him to modify them.
He couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of power the shackle, different from Cabelenus’s, might possess.
"Who made something like that? The Emperor?"
"The shackle was originally created by the late Emperor."
"If it's the late Emperor..."
“His Highness’s father.”
“...”
Alicia instinctively furrowed her brow.
It was more than just a feeling; the word 'shackle' itself sounded deeply unpleasant.
After all, shackles were tools of control by nature.
"The late Emperor created the shackle in order to overthrow His Highness."
Gazeff paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"Why would he do such a thing..."
"The throne originally belonged to His Highness."
"His Highness was supposed to be emperor?"
It was her first time hearing such a story.
Alicia furrowed her brow.
"In the Empire, only one spouse is legally recognised, and only children born between the spouses are acknowledged. That’s why children born out of wedlock do not have any rights."
“But the current Emperor…”
"Yes. The current Emperor was born out of wedlock. He is the offspring of a dancer from another country and even has green eyes instead of the golden eyes. He was not the rightful heir."
Zerpheus was full of flaws, so no one had expected him to succeed the throne until he was proclaimed as crown prince.
Nevertheless, the late Emperor made Zerpheus the emperor.
"...Why did he do that?"
"Please ask His Highness directly about what happened after that."
“...”
“What I’m about to say might sound like I’m defending His Highness. And, honestly, I do have those feelings to some extent.”
Gazeff once again put a smile on his lips.
Alicia couldn’t bring herself to smile along with him and instead tightly clenched the innocent handkerchief.
"Just because someone has a past doesn't mean their mistakes are forgiven."
"However, you can understand him a little."
“...”
“My lady, His Highness had originally intended to die following you.”
"What do you mean?”
Alicia unconsciously let out a breath.
Even though she heard it clearly with both ears, she couldn’t comprehend what Gazeff had just said.
“The only reason His Highness did not follow you in death was to seek revenge, and once that was complete, he surely would have ended his life.”
“...”
"And even if His Highness hadn’t met my lady, it would have been the same. His Highness lacked a purpose in life and has merely persevered until now to fulfil an old promise.”
Gazeff turned his head.
At some point, Cabelenus, who had finished his treatment, was approaching their way.
・・・・・
"What did you talk about?"
"We just spoke about this and that."
Alicia smiled awkwardly and avoided Cabelenus's gaze.
Gazeff left her with a lot of questions, but she couldn't dare ask Cabelenus about it.
"You have tears in your eyes even though you just talked."
"That’s because we spoke about Madame Morco..."
"Is that why you cried?"
Cabelenus unconsciously stretched out his hand, but frowned when he noticed Alicia flinch.
He wanted to wipe away her tears, but when he saw her startled face, he couldn’t move his hand.
He was now in a position where he had to watch his step.
He had to avoid doing anything, even the smallest thing, that might upset Alicia.
After carefully watching Alicia for a long time, Cabelenus couldn’t muster the courage and slowly withdrew his hesitant hand.
"…Have all the wounds been treated?"
"The physician said they'd heal right away. They weren’t serious wounds to begin with.”
Cabelenus pointed to the bandaged thigh with his chin.
In the mind of the man striving to appear as unfazed as possible, the words of the physician, who was horrified at seeing him wounded after so many years, had long since faded away.
"It’s fortunate that the wounds aren’t serious."
“So, you’re worried about me after all?”
“…Don’t do that again.”
She couldn’t understand what he was so proud of, smiling like that.
Deep wrinkles formed on Alicia’s forehead, but Cabelenus's smile only widened.
In the end, the very fact that she worried meant she still cared.
"I'm glad that you worry about me."
“...”
At Alicia's frosty gaze, Cabelenus subtly turned his head.
No matter how many times he saw them, he could never get used to her hostile gaze.
“…In just a little while, the portal to Schwarhan will be ready. I came to let you know.”
“What is the portal?”
"It's a magical transport device developed exclusively in Schwarhan."
"So, is it thanks to the portal that the troops could come?"
"Exactly. We pre-installed the gate entrance as a precaution. It’s a spare, so it doesn’t last very long, but it’s enough for one more trip."
Cabelenus forced himself to pull out words that wouldn’t come naturally, making an effort to continue the conversation.
He hated explaining things and dragging out conversations with pointless chatter, but even so, he wanted to talk with Alicia like this.
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