Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

The Crown Prince had arrived. As soon as he arrived, Berthas’ servants couldn’t help but sigh as he looked for alcohol.

“Should I take such a thing as the Crown Prince?”

“Your words have gone too far, Sir Hector.”

“Doesn’t the Duke think the same way as me?”

“Those who only think and those who speak are different.”

“What is different?”

“Is the one who thought of rebellion the same as the one who put it into practice?”

“I made a mistake.”

Sir Hector lowered his words. Though other than Hector, Berthas’ other men were thinking the same thing. Those who were not pro imperial to be treated as the royal family ascended the throne and became the Crown Prince.

“Is it really not possible now?”

“I renounced the right to the throne. You know, too.”

Berthas spoke as he brought back a famous story from the past. Hector couldn’t speak any more as his tone was brimming with bitterness.

Thinking it would be better to change the topic, he opened his mouth again.

“What about that woman? Will she go with you?”

“She has disappeared.”

“What…?”

Hector’s voice grew louder in surprise. He shrugged and hurriedly whispered to Berthas as the Crown Prince glanced at him.

“She disappeared?”

“Yes.”

“No, why?”

“I don’t know either.”

He really didn’t know. Even though he continued to ponder, Berthas couldn’t figure out why.

“Is it because I asked for her name…?”

Hector asked back with a puzzled expression at Berthas’ murmuring.

“…Her name?”

“I asked for her name and she refused.”

“No, is she the daughter of a traitor?”

“It’s a mystery.”

He met her in the Larchen Empire, so she couldn’t be a traitor’s daughter.

Etort, a port city, was a place where various people came and went, but criminals were not allowed to go in and out. The Larchen Empire only allowed those who were confirmed through thorough checkpoints to enter. In case of violation and the offender sneaks in, it ends in execution. Death penalty upon discovery.

“I don’t think she’s a criminal.”

“I know, so it’s even weirder. She’s not a criminal, so why run away?”

“I know. Why?”

Hector sighed and shook his head.

“No way…”

“What?”

“The reason you couldn’t work at night…”

“Don’t speak nonsense!”

When Hector started to speak, he struck him in the back. He faltered as Berthas told him not to talk nonsense.

“What will you do with the one who has disappeared?”

“I have to find her.”

“Yes. Just give u—excuse me?”

“I must find her.”

“Are you crazy, Your Excellency? You know you have to go to the capital of the Larchen Empire right now, right, with that stupid Crown Prince?”

“I have to ask for a favor.”

“Where are you going! Your Excellency…!”

Although Hector’s kept calling, Berthas didn’t care and continued to move his steps.

“What’s going on here?”

“I’m here for a request, Faylos.”

“Request?”

“To find someone.”

“…Someone?”

He could see Faylos gazing at him with a strange expression, but Berthas didn’t care.

“A woman.”

“A woman?”

“Help me find her. Faylos.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you say this. What kind of woman is she?”

Berthas thought for a moment.

…What kind of woman was she? He knew nothing. All he knew was that she was a noble and had red hair and blue eyes… Was it water-colored eyes? Judging by the use of her court etiquette, she could be a member of the royal family of a small country.

Other than that, he didn’t know anything about the woman.

Faylos stared at him, who was telling the story with gloomy eyes. After talking for a while, Berthas felt his gaze and asked him.

“Why?”

“What would you do if she disappeared because she didn’t want to see you anymore?”

“I still want to find her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know about that either.”

“Finding someone who doesn’t want to see you is a lack of consideration for the other person.”

“I know.”

“Are you still trying to find her?”

“Yes.”

“…Even if your heart will struggle that way?”

When Faylos said so, Berthas looked at him.

“You know something.”

“There is nothing I do not know about this port city.”

“Then, do you know who she is?”

“I know, but I can’t answer.”

“You can’t answer?”

“Yes.”

He wondered about what Faylos said. There were only two pieces of information that the guild leader of the information guild did not sell — when it came to information about the Imperial Family of this country and an existence that should not be touched.

When he thought of her water-colored eyes, he had no way of believing that she was the Imperial Family of this country.

“Who the hell is she?”

“Who knows.”

When he asked again, Faylos only wore a questionable smile.

“Is she from the Larchen Empire?”

“That’s right.”

“Then…”

“I can only tell you this far. It’s not okay to say more than that.”

“No that’s…”

‘…Who is she?’

Although the woman left without leaving a name, Berthas were confident that he would find that woman. That was why since she disappeared, he hadn’t looked for her. He believed too much. While he thought Faylos would have known her true identity, he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t tell him.

“I believed in you…”

“Still can’t.”

“I see.”

Faylos replied as he set down a cup of hot tea in front of the disappointed Berthas.

“By the way, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other but you’re asking me to find someone. Yesterday, you had a subordinate send me a letter.”

“Oh, sorry about that. It’s urgent.”

“Well. It was urgent.”

“I couldn’t help it.”

As Berthas was shaking his head, Faylos persisted while tapping the table with his fingertips, “Aren’t you planning on ascending the throne, Berthas?”

“Me…?”

“You.”

“No.”

At the immediate answer, Faylos asked him again.

“Why?”

“It’s meaningless to me.”

“Meaningless…?”

“You know what I was thinking when I was kicked to the battlefield at the age of ten?”

“I don’t know.”

“I will never come back to this country again.”

“The sword of Hillenton Empire think like that?”

“Even now, that thought has not changed.”

“Isn’t that too aggressive to say?”

“Because that Empire is going to ruin.”

“…What?”

“The Empire would go down in ruins.”

At Berthas’ words, Farlos smiled.

“Well then, really…”

“There is nothing left of the Empire.”

“What you’re doing, do your men know?”

“No.”

“What do they…”

“They go their way and I go my way.”

“Then, you’ll die!”

At that, Faylos shouted at him. Still, Berthas smiled faintly without blinking an eye at his loud voice as he opened his mouth.

“It doesn’t matter if I die. I already died when I was ten.”

“Dream of revenge is enough! Isn’t it too precious to give up life like that?!”

“You don’t know what it means to give up the right to the throne.”

“No, I know.”

“No. You don’t know.”

At the age of ten, he gave up the right to succession.

Growing up as a prince, he had only one decision when he gave up on everything — he would leave this country. Though Berthas were praised as the sword that protects the empire now, it didn’t matter if the people of the Empire, who learned the truth later, would curse at him.

He still couldn’t forget.

When he was ten years old, he had to abandon his pride at that age and his love for his empire. The feeling of loss when he falls into the battlefield with no one to protect him. None of his deceased father’s servants reached out to help.

‘…The only help I got was her.’

A little girl.

She was the only one who helped him. However, now that even the life or death of the child was unclear, what remained of him was a desire for revenge… only that.

He could never forgive.

The Empire, its people, and its subjects who abandoned him… He would take revenge on them all. For him, the collapse of the empire was necessary. So, Berthas did not shy away from the wars of conquest that continued to expand his territory.

The Hillenton Empire was overloaded with managing the already expanded territory. Corruption was taking place everywhere, out of the reach of the emperor. Berthas, who witnessed it, also closed his eyes.

…One conclusion. They were on the road to ruin.

If there were nothing to gain from this trade deal, Hillenton would naturally go down the road to destruction.

‘It was surprising that the Emperor sent the Crown Prince instead…’

As they were people who were drunk with power and lost their minds, the mistake they made this time would be pretty big. How to calm this situation? No one knew.

‘I wish they had invaded the Larchen Empire.’

If they did, he would be willing to lose. Berthas thought that he would not fight properly while continuing the small local war. He would desert the dying soldiers and send the knights who wanted to flee to Larchen to Larchen.

Then, he himself would surrender.

Since his Duchy was on the border with the Larchen Empire, he even drew a sketch of his intention to take the people of the Duchy to enter the Larchen Empire.

‘As long as you do what you want…’

Then, his revenge will end safely.

“You’re a scary man.”

Berthas smiled and nodded his head at Faylos’ words.

“You’re lucky you know it now, Faylos.”

—

Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎

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