Chapter 87

I thought I would never use it, so I tried to keep it blank forever. 

However, Alexis belatedly came up with what to write in the will.

After finding a quill and dipping the nib into ink, he wrote Peter’s name as the executor of the will.

[After death, take the Walten name and bury me in the North. If at that time, Kathleen’s resting place has been found in Carmine, bury me below it, but a little further away, if not]

The quick-moving quill stopped for a moment. 

If they still haven’t found her body by then…… I will have to pay the price.

Alexis finished the sentence.

[Burn my body and bury my ashes under the road to Carmine. Do not build a grave, and let all who come in and out step on it.]

Next, he wrote about Luci. It was about taking care of the child’s illness and asking for his safety as his relative.

[If you do, then Walten’s military, property, and titles will be returned to Your Majesty.]

Kathleen did not want Luci to be given the name Walten, so she wouldn’t want him to inherit the Grand Duke title either.

When Luci grows up, regardless of his wishes, he can become a threat to Peter’s throne. So it was better to offer the Walten title to the emperor. Then Peter will be able to take better care of Luci.

In the first place, the reason he accepted the Duchy was to make the Emperor and Empress pay for their sins, so there would be no need to maintain it anymore.

And right at the time when he was writing the details about the titles and territories…

“Your Highness, there’s an urgent report!”

An hurried voice came from beyond the door. It was odd. When it comes to military affairs, it was directly handled by the emperor, but he’s saying it’s urgent.

Contemplating if he would listen, Alexis changed his mind, and set the quill down.

“Come in.”

As soon as the permission came, Viscount Rylent, who had left to inspect the territory, came rushing in. There was no special mention in the report he received today, but if it had been posted in such a hurry, it must have been unusual.

“What’s going on?”

“First of all, I apologize for not completing the inspection. I was on my way to the Herport Estate, when I got an urgent message about Hopewell being in the South.”

“Hopewell?”

Alexis’ complexion changed. He joined hands with the Empress Dowager and escaped, but his whereabouts were still unknown. After handing over the right to command the Meyer army to Peter, the Imperial Army searched all over the remote areas, but they could not find a clue.

“People who had been helped by his charity works hid him so he was able to run away with his whereabouts hidden until now. I heard from the wanderers who had stayed in Herport until recently that his final destination was the South.”

“If it’s the South, is he going to the front lines?”

“Probably so.”

The situation in the South, where the uprising was so severe it could be called a rebellion, was over, but the situation in the southernmost part was still not very good. This was because the major forces that opposed Trivellian had gathered there and were yet to disband. If they and Hopewell work together, the problem would escalate.

‘If more immigrant forces unite with Meyer’s high-ranking nobles…’

The unrest will get out of control once the Southern forces scattered throughout Trivellian see this and start colluding with the local nobles.

“What is the movement in the Imperial Palace?”

“There is none. His Majesty doesn’t seem to know yet. Shall we send someone?”

Alexis thought for a moment.

“Is there a reason for Hopewell to come out?”

“There is, but I’m not sure yet…….”

Viscount Rylent, who hesitated and could not answer easily, had a dark expression. It was clear that the hand Count Hopewell has was not something simple.

“Don’t you need to know what it is to come up with a countermeasure?”

“It’s an absurd rumor to even say, but…… That is, the legitimacy of His Majesty the Emperor must be fully re-verified.”

“Re-verified? What are they saying all of a sudden?”

Although the line has ended, the only daughter of Marquis Conroy, one of Meyer’s higher ranking nobles, ascended as empress and gave birth to Peter. So, in terms of legitimacy, Peter was a ruler who could not be touched by anyone.

Viscount Rylent explained with a puzzled expression.

“Count Hopewell is claiming that His Majesty’s gender is that of a female.”

“What?”

Alexis frowned at the unexpected report. He was wondering what the cause of the rebellion was, he never thought he would come up with such a ridiculous rumor at best.

But as soon as he heard those words, memories started to pass by slowly.

From the young prince who admired and followed him when he was very young, to the crown prince who continued to seek ways to break his engagements.

– Surprisingly, my sister-in-law and I have quite a lot of similarities.

When he looked back on the things that he had considered insignificant, it all started to make sense.

First of all, Alexis cleared out the branches of his thoughts and spoke to Viscount Rylent.

“First, divide the shadow in two and send it to the South and Count Schenberg. Gather information about the situation first. After that, it will not be too late to inform the Imperial Palace.”

“I understand.”

“And bring the High Priest of Delafos. I have a question for him about the founding oracle.”

“Yes. I will.”

Viscount Rylent quickly left. After binding and sealing the completed will, Alexis called Emily.

“Master, you called for me?”

“I have something to entrust to you.”

He handed over the will. Seeing the seal, Emily’s eyes widened.

“M-Master…….”

“It is a will. Keep it safe and hand it over to His Majesty in case of emergency. It will save Luci’s life.”

Emily nodded her head with a confused look.

Alexis watched as she carefully took the will in her arms. He believed that Emily would not betray him. Emily was the only maid that Kathleen relied on until her last moments.

It was fortunate that Luci had someone besides Peter who could stand by his side.

He stood up, looking out the window as Viscount Rylent rushed out.

“Take care of the child while I am away.”

I was supposed to read you a book but I broke my promise again.

Alexis swallowed the bitterness. Thinking that maybe this might not be a bad choice for the child.

***

“Uncle, is this how you do it?”

Kathleen held up a piece of ice delicately formed in the shape of a flower with two hands and showed it to Cassiel. Cassiel, who was looking for and organizing Juliana’s records for Kathleen, saw it and smiled brightly.

“That’s right. You’ve already improved so much! That’s great.”

“It wasn’t too difficult because mother kept detailed records of her training.”

A soft smile formed on her lips at the generous praise.

“You don’t have to be humble. You have far more abilities than Juliana.”

Cassiel patted her head and showed her some more of the records he had found.

“Look at this. Your flower has a much smoother curve than Juliana’s, and the width of the ice is thinner. Perhaps, you’ll be able to do something like this soon.”

“Can I even do such elaborate work?”

What he showed her was a decoration made by weaving ice crystals as thin as thread. It was a difficult project that her mother succeeded in only once.

“Of course. All you have to do is try. Are you not a child of Usmund?”

Her uncle’s encouragement warmed a corner of Kathleen’s heart. At the same time, she felt a little awkward as she had just recently started to think positively about her abilities. She had been accused of being cursed since she was little, partly because she didn’t know how to put her abilities to good use until she left for Osole.

However, unlike her ability which was somewhat rough and powerful, her mother Juliana’s powers were delicate, soft, and beautiful. She usually used ice crystals for crafts and ornaments.

Therefore she was never accused of possessing cursed powers. She didn’t even have the strength to escape from Count Winston.

Kathleen, like her mother, was practicing to develop her artistic side. She thought that she would be able to value herself a little better by refining her natural abilities and using them in many ways. Such efforts have been quite fruitful.

“You can start by freezing the surface thinly along the leaves and stems of fresh flowers.”

“I’ll try. Can I use this flower here?”

“Take your time, Kelly. This is enough for today.”

“No, I want to keep going.”

Despite Cassiel’s dissuasion, Kathleen continued to practice until late in the evening.

After repeated failures, she managed to cover only the surface of the petals with ice.

“Kelly.”

“Joseph?”

Looking behind her as she heard Joseph’s voice rather than Cassiel’s, Kathleen was startled. Before she knew it, her uncle had already left, and Joseph was standing there with a basket.

“So suddenly, what’s the matter?”

“It’s dinner time. Cassiel was very worried, so I came here.”

As he approached, he gave her a stern look as if telling her to come and sit down. Kathleen reluctantly set the flowers down and went to the sofa.

“I brought food, so eat.”

Joseph placed the basket on the table and took out the food inside. Freshly baked bread with a delicious smell, soup that was still warm, and a simple beef dish cut into bite-size pieces stir-fried with vegetables and sauce.

“You’ve really improved your skills? Did you make this yourself?”

“Of course. I studied cooking while Kelly practiced her freezing skills. I’m glad that it seems to suit your taste.”

The food tasted great, but she was starting to worry whether it would be okay to let a priest cook without continuing his own training.

“Thank you. But, Joseph, don’t focus too much on cooking. If you train a little more, you will be able to have a healing power comparable to that of the High Priest. It is a waste to stop here.”

“It is better not to use it. If I had to use that ability, wouldn’t it mean that someone around me got hurt? There are physicians here anyway.”

“But your abilities are better than physicians’. Not just a wound or a disease, you can even cure people who have been exposed to dr*gs or poison for a long time…….”

Kathleen, who inadvertently mentioned Alexis, suddenly paused. She thought she had forgotten. It seemed to have been ingrained too deep unconsciously.

“Don’t worry. Healing power does not disappear just because it has not been used for a while. I will make sure to heal Luci.”

But Joseph gently accepted her words and covered up her mistake. Seeing him referring to only Luci, not Alexis, broke her heart.

“I haven’t forgotten Luci. Even if it is difficult right now, I will definitely bring him here and let him grow up with Kelly.”

“I’m grateful that you still remember Luci. But… Can we?”

Kathleen smiled bitterly and forced a piece of bread to chew. The bread that passed down her throat left a prickly sensation in her mouth as if she had swallowed sand.

“My uncle doesn’t want to take risks for the child. Luci is outside of Carmine after all.”

Because he loved and missed his younger sister Juliana, he also embraced and cherished Kathleen, a member of the Winston family who had kidnapped his people. He admitted that his thoughts of the blood of a winter fairy being a traitor had been a misunderstanding.

But that didn’t mean that his hate for the empire disappeared. Luci, who was born to Grand Duke Walten, a high-ranking nobleman of the Empire, was no exception.

***