“Those Roaquin bastards have made a move?”
“Yes. They are acting as though they are moving under His Highness’s orders.”
“To use them so shamelessly despite knowing full well how much I despise those barbarians — my dear younger brother, you truly are wicked.”
“It seems Roaquin is Your Majesty’s—
Thwack—!
The pen flew wildly and grazed Pelsion’s cheek.
Blood trickled from the wound left by the pen tip, yet Pelsion stood there silently, simply bowing his head.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty. In my foolishness, I made a mistake.”
“It’s not a mere mistake; it’s a wrongdoing.”
Zerpheus growled low, and Pelsion bowed his head even more.
Pelsion had forgotten, since it hadn’t come up in a long time, but Zerpheus became unusually sensitive whenever Roaquin was mentioned.
To him, Roaquin was no different from the enemy who had given him his flaw.
“I apologise.”
“A mere verbal apology means nothing.”
Zerpheus barely composed his expression and sighed.
Even when he tried to stay calm, just hearing the term for those barbarians made his anger flare — even in his sleep.
The imperial family went to great lengths to preserve the lineage of black hair and golden eyes, yet Roaquin managed to carry on the green-eyed bloodline all the same.
It would have been better if that inferior race had vanished as soon as possible.
“Back then, Cabelenus shouldn’t have stopped.”
“...”
“He shouldn’t have stopped at Neustein; he should have wiped out all of Roaquin.”
“...”
“Truly, that woman was a hindrance in every way. Because she got involved, Cabelenus’s advance came to a halt, and those vermin set foot on imperial land again.”
Zerpheus roughly slammed the table.
Neustein and all the previous nations were nothing more than stepping stones to annihilate Roaquin.
But in Neustein, there was Alicia, and she had stopped Cabelenus dead in his tracks.
“If only that woman hadn’t existed, my plan would already be complete. Mistaking her for a mere fleeting amusement and not cutting off her head on the spot has truly become my deepest regret.”
“That is uncharacteristic of Your Majesty.”
"What is characteristic of me?"
“You don’t regret it, do you?”
“Regret… It’s not entirely wrong. Even if I could turn back time, I would still be sitting here.”
Zerpheus’s lips twisted.
“Pelsion.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Just because that slave woman has made my work harder doesn’t mean my goal has changed. I will seize the entire continent and, in the end, become the master of everything.”
He would achieve what even the so-called great emperors before him could not.
A smile, long absent, finally spread across Zerpheus’s face.
“People say I’m nothing. They say I’m the one who took Cabelenus’s place, that I’m full of flaws.”
“...”
“But no one ever saw who I really am. No matter what effort I make or what results I achieve, it’s all been meaningless.”
Even he didn’t want these green eyes.
Just like his half-brother, he wished to be born with brilliant golden eyes as the legitimate heir.
But from the moment he was born, he was branded with the mark of a defective product.
“Cabelenus is foolish. He has no idea how extraordinary what he possesses truly is.”
“That’s the arrogance of the privileged.”
“Exactly. It’s the arrogance of the privileged — so much so that he would stain his own blood. Even at his age, he’s still far too naive.”
If he had just stayed quiet, he could have naturally become the master of everything.
Zerpheus leaned back, sneering mockingly.
Cabelenus had crossed too many lines to be gently guided by his older brother’s virtue.
“How about the High Priest?”
“The temple has reported that all preparations are complete. It seems they will soon begin in earnest the task promised to Your Majesty.”
“Good. They’re used to this sort of thing, so it should be finished quickly. With the fire Cabelenus started, combined with the one the High Priest added, the flames will burn fiercely.”
The corners of Zerpheus’s mouth lifted.
The High Priest’s audacity in calmly bringing up his old schemes right before him was detestable, yet he couldn’t help feeling a certain thrill.
"Once the rumours that the old man spreads take hold, my younger brother will be in a rather difficult position. The ideal of the perfect successor will bind him, making him follow in our father’s footsteps."
“If fortune turns against him, he could go utterly mad.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Whether he goes mad or not, he’ll still refuse to follow my will. Better to make him lose his reason and tighten the leash — wouldn’t that make him easier to control?”
‘After all, I alone am the true master of this continent.’
Zerpheus chuckled leisurely.
"If it is Your Majesty’s will, I will have the soldiers prepared to act immediately, depending on the circumstances."
“Make sure to have plenty of dogs in desperate condition. They’re going to die anyway, so we might as well put them to good use.”
"Yes. Understood."
“Ah, and I suppose it’s about time to start mass-producing those shackled soldiers.”
“By ‘shackled soldiers,’ do you mean you want soldiers infused with the blood of monsters?”
"When Cabelenus becomes emperor, it will be difficult to send him into battle, so we should prepare a substitute. The research is almost at its final stage now, isn’t it?"
At first, there were many imperfections, but the current shackles have been optimised through numerous experiments to achieve the best results.
For now, it only allowed one to forcibly draw power at the cost of their life, but one day it would be possible to create warriors as strong as Cabelenus.
“Pelsion, if you wish to have your wrongdoing forgiven, bring me a flawless army. And with that, use it to destroy everything that stands in my way.”
'Of course, the first thing to be brought before me is that slave woman’s head.'
Zerpheus nodded with arrogance.
Under the lights, his gleaming eyes brimmed with a feverish excitement — whether it was madness or passion, no one could tell.
・・・・・
Alicia stared at the firmly closed door for a long time.
Since Michael would be inside, she should knock, but she found it hard to bring herself to do it.
If she met James, the conversation they had left unfinished would naturally come up, but she was cautious, unsure whether she should bring it up or let it be.
She must have been staring at the door for who knows how long when she heard the doorknob turn.
“...”
“...”
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. I was about to knock on the door, but you opened it first, so I was caught off guard.”
If she didn’t at least make a clumsy excuse, she had nothing to say.
Alicia gave an embarrassed smile.
She genuinely didn’t want her relationship with James to deteriorate.
James was one of the few people Alicia was close to.
It was hard to even imagine the relationship she had built up until now collapsing in an instant.
“Michael fell asleep earlier. I guess drawing really wore him out. I lost count of how many times he redid his sketch today.”
"It seems like Michael was bothering you."
"I’m just sparing a little time, that’s all."
“Still, I feel bad. I wonder if I’ve taken up your time because of Michael and me.”
“No, I enjoyed it too. Lately, I’ve been on edge while planning my new project, so spending time like this is actually nice.”
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved…”
Alicia parted her lips as if to speak, then finally closed them again.
Since James didn’t bring it up first, she felt even more cautious about her stance.
“Ah, and just to let you know, I’ll be focusing on my painting for the time being.”
Noticing Alicia’s reaction, James took the initiative and spoke first.
“I should start getting back to my main work soon.”
“…Are you really okay with that?”
‘What if I’m not okay? Then what will you do?’
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, James couldn’t say anything.
No matter what situation arose, he remained the same.
He was still afraid of losing what he had.
"I can’t keep staying here forever, you know."
“You can stay as long as you want. Of course, the opposite is also possible.”
"If I leave, it’ll just be you and Michael left here."
James clenched his fist.
"You don’t have to worry. That person has changed a lot now."
"You never know when he might suddenly change. That’s the kind of person he is."
"That might be true. But even so, he’s the most suitable person to protect Michael. And…"
Alicia took a deep breath and then slowly spoke again.
"To be honest, you’re not entirely wrong. Just as you said, even while I was hurt, I kept waiting for that person, and I kept missing him."
“...”
“I’m not sure that my desire to stay here is solely for Michael’s sake.”
Alicia lowered her head weakly, fidgeting with her fingers.
“I… still have lingering feelings.”
“Lingering feelings?”
"I always thought I could give my life for Michael without reservation…"
"..."
"But now, I want to live."
It was a faint voice, as if it could fade away at any moment.
James was about to say something, but seeing Alicia’s trembling shoulders, he swallowed his words.
“He’s that kind of person for me. He always was, and still is. Somehow, in one way or another, he makes me want to live.”
“...”
“So, I’m really okay. You don’t need to worry anymore. There’s no need to waste your life because of me.”
“…How can you say you’re fine when you don’t even know what I'm worried about?”
James clenched his teeth tightly.
The woman with the forlorn smile looked pitiful, but to him, that expression felt colder than any dagger.
“Do you know? You’ve always told me you were fine. No matter what happened, you’d say it was all right, not to worry, not to go this far.”
"James."
“It must have been your way of showing consideration. You were keeping your boundaries, in your own way. But I withered under that consideration, helpless and restless in front of the line you drew.”
James let out a hollow laugh.
If only she had been selfish, he could have at least resented her.
But even in this situation, Alicia was genuinely worried about him.
The fact made him feel disgusted, unbearably so.
“You know what? You’re always starving for affection. That’s why you’re so easily swayed by even the slightest kindness from others — and why you’re drawn to someone who can give you unconditional love.”
“...”
“But that’s not normal.”
In his mind, he knew he shouldn’t be like this.
But he couldn’t stop the words full of malice from spilling out.
He wanted to inflict a wound, even if just a little.
By any means, he wanted to hurt the woman who had turned her back, leaving him alone in such a pitiful state.
He knew it wasn’t her fault, but if not her, he didn’t know who else to blame.
“What you’re doing isn’t love — it’s just craving affection from others. How could you even know what love is when you see your own son that way?”
“...”
Where did this anger stem from?
Alicia tightly shut her eyes as she watched James spew his rage at her, his eyes blazing red.
“Grand Duke of Schwarhan will find a woman who suits his status, and he won’t accept Michael as his son.”
“... ”
“You’d end up in much the same position as my sister. That’s what nobles and commoners ultimately amount to."
“…I suppose that’s what you want to believe.”
“What?”
“Believe what you want to believe. I’ll do the same.”
Alicia clasped her hands tightly.
Her eyes were bloodshot as she forced back her tears.
・・・・・
No matter how she tried to pretend she was okay, it was useless.
She wasn’t okay at all.
She was used to being hurt and knew exactly how to respond to strike back at those who wounded her.
But even so, the wounds still hurt.
If it had been someone from whom she expected nothing, it might not have hurt. But because she believed she had built a strong bond and maintained a good relationship, the wound felt all the deeper.
Alicia bit her lip tightly and sank down in front of her door.
Her eyes stung, but with a sleeping child in the room, she couldn’t bring herself to cry out loud.
“...Alicia?”
It was then.
A familiar voice sounded from above.
Alicia looked up blankly.
Though backlit and mostly shrouded in shadow, his golden eyes shone brilliantly like the sun.
“Why… are you here like this? No, wait—your face…”
Cabelenus couldn’t continue speaking and immediately bent down.
He met Alicia’s gaze and, with a careful touch, examined her face.
Alicia’s eyes, reddened from holding back tears, glistened with moisture.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Did something happen?”
A hint of anger laced the voice that came through clenched teeth.
Instead of answering, Alicia reached out and embraced Cabelenus’s neck.
The tears she had tried to hold back burst out in an instant at the warmth of another person.
Cabelenus watched Alicia, who wept silently with her face buried in his shoulder, and then immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.
Holding her like that, he rose to his feet and strode forward.
He knew exactly what he had to do for the woman, who couldn’t even cry properly for fear the child might hear.
Cabelenus tightened his hold around Alicia in his arms.
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