Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Back at the Imperial Palace, Blix headed straight to the imperial archives, but they had already collapsed terribly. He opened his eyes wide in front of the archives, where only remnants were left.

‘What the hell happened here?’

Blix clicked his tongue and headed somewhere. Soon after, he arrived at Elnos’ bedroom.

Two maids were fixing Elnos’ plain black robe.

“El! Listen, El!”

“Ahhhh!”

The frightened maids screamed, surprised by the boy who suddenly came in.

Such a hassle. Elnos sighed, pulled out the sword on the table and cut the two maids’ throats.

Everything happened in an instant. From the moment when he took out his sword, until their bodies reached the floor. The sight made Blix’s green eyes bigger.

“There was no need to kill them…”

“You’ve been playing around a lot lately, so I think you’re misunderstanding something. We’re not here to play.”

The cold words made Blix feel weird. Strangely enough, he felt heartbroken to see the maids’ bodies rolling on the floor.

Why? Blix approached Elnos, wondering about the feelings he could hardly accept.

“El! I’ve found out the secrets about Count Dratius!”

It was something that Contiben and himself knew. Elnos hated hearing the same story over and over again, and even more hated being bored.

“I already know.”

“What?”

“Count Dratius tried to use a forbidden magic to stay within the three major families. He also used it to push other families out of the competition.”

No, not just that, but Blix stopped trying to talk. Just now, the image of the fallen maids overlapped with Leasis. For some reason, he had a hunch that he should not talk anymore.

At Blix’s silence, Elnos left through the door after warning him to stay still for a while. After that, a butler and servants followed in a row.

Blix, who was standing blankly, lowered his head. The floor was already covered in blood, and the old carpet had turned red.

Escaping from the bedroom, Blix went near Max’s Vice Commander’s office. He sat in a large tree nearby and looked at the movements in the office.

Fortunately, Max was sitting on the sofa alone, sighing. Blix lightly crossed the window and entered the office.

Tack.

Max’s head raised at the sound. Facing him, Blix was a little surprised. Max, who was usually upright and handsome, looked like a mess.

“Breadman, are you sick?”

Blix hurriedly stood in front of Max and stretched out his arms. Then he pulled Max’s face and looked at his ruined complexion. His eyes were swollen and he could clearly see tears on his cheeks.

Surprised, Blix realized some strange things. Come to think of it, the noisy Imperial Palace was as quiet as dead, and there were more than one or two collapsed buildings. And did he not feel the faint energy of the dragon from Elnos?

He had not noticed it because he was distracted by the truth about the Berman family that was entangled with Count Dratius.

‘No way, El. No. Leasis!

“Is Leasis all right?”

He was relieved when Max nodded. Blix sighed and muttered unknowingly. That’s a relief.

“What’s going on here?”

“No… I…”

You can’t say it? After hesitating, Blix slowly opened his lips.

“I’m hungry.”

Why am I lying? Blix could not understand. Max laughed as he looked down in embarrassment.

“Please wait a minute.”

“What?”

“Let me get you some bread.”

“Huh, uh?”

This isn’t it… Blix mumbled as he stared at Max’s back moving away from him.

*

*

*

Ashley felt more angry that Leasis had not been killed than guilty that many people had died because of her.

She went to the Emperor and cried, saying it was the last time, and started a commotion. She cried out in a spiteful voice, asking him to order Hizen to marry her even if he had to force him to.

If I don’t do this, I will never be able to get Hizen. She begged, but the Emperor shook his head silently.

“No, I can’t.”

At his words, Ashley pulled out a dagger and put it against her neck. Blood drops began to form on the sharp blade.

Sitting on the throne, the Emperor jumped up from his seat and the soldiers around him tried to approach her.

Ashley laughed like a crazy woman.

“If I can’t marry the Count-nim, I’ll die now.”

As time passed, the dagger dug into her neck and blood sprang up on the floor. The Emperor, whose face turned white, screamed at her to stop immediately.

For Ashley, seeing Hizen with another woman was scarier than death. She asked with a bright face.

“So you’re going to give me the wedding?”

*

*

*

“What a foolish woman indeed.”

Elnos burst into laughter at the news he received from Contiben. I can’t believe the Emperor is trying to marry Count Dratius because of his daughter’s suicide attempt.

Most people now knew that Count Dratius had a lover. Nevertheless, forcing him to marry was clearly ignoring his opinion, and even though the nobles on the Emperor’s side had firmly supported him despite his strange actions, they were now shaken by such decision.

Delighted by the stupid judgment of the father and daughter, Elnos headed to Nathan’s office.

There were already Hizen, Nathan and other ministers in the office. They knelt down to Elnos.

“I see Your Highness The Crown Prince.”

“Stand up. Let’s put aside this kind of greeting.”

The ministers bowed their heads with nervous faces. Among them, only Hizen and Nathan did not lose their calm.

The two stared at Elnos with cool eyes. Meanwhile, Elnos brought a chair from a corner and sat in the middle of the office.

“You’re still investigating this case, aren’t you? I’ll let you know who the culprits are.”

The ministers raised their heads at his words. Elnos raised one hand and ordered.

“Come on in.”

Black magicians tied to ropes came in with knights wearing iron armors. There were traces of torture on their faces and bodies, and some had their tongues cut off in half.

Their eyes were hidden behind black cloth, and their mouths were covered in blood and gagged.

“Shall we get started?”

At Elnos’ elegant gesture, the gags on the mouths of the black magicians were removed. They crawled on the floor trembling, and their cries for help rang out of the office.

They answered Elnos’ questions obediently. Apparently, the Emperor had used forbiden magic to gain power, and that terrible disaster had been caused by Ashley.

The knights in iron armors took out a lot of magic stones prepared in advance, and the vivid black glow in them helped convince the ministers that the words were true.

The ministers who learned the truth got upset, saying that they could not let this go.

It also included all the ministers who were reluctant toward Elnos and who had said he was a lunatic. At least he was better than the Emperor who was discussing marriage right after all this tragedy.

Subsequently, the situation went smoothly as Elnos had planned. Everyone agreed to start a rebellion and chose Elnos as the new Emperor.

Hizen and Elnos had a private meeting in the Commander’s office. Elnos, who had finished to set up his planned revenge, had a bored look rather than a relieved face.

Elnos had already been killing so much, just like one would eat a meal, that he had the same impression no matter how many people he killed. After a long time, he could not feel anymore his festering anger.

“You just stay as silent as you are now.”

It was a kind of warning. There would not be anything good if the two of them bumped into each other. If Hizen, the head of one of the three major families and the war hero, were to interfere, he would be the most dangerous opponent.

In the end, Hizen had no choice but to cooperate with him. A knight had to choose to protect rather than destroy, so he could no longer make meaningless sacrifices.

Meanwhile, at that time, Ashley’s palace was in chaos. Ashley urgently asked an informant who had traveled a long way across the border.

“What? Is that true?!”

“Yes. It is said that it was the former Count Dratius who set the mansion of the Berman family on fire.”

He recalled the conversation between Carloque and Blix that he had overheard recently. That day, he was at the inn, looking for an opportunity to kidnap Carloque.

But luckily, Blix had appeared and talked with Carloque at the entrance. Hiding himself was one of his skills, but he was able to get a really unexpected find.

The red-haired knight’s identity was the dead Baron Berman’s daughter. Furthermore, the involvement of the two families was not an accident, but a clever murder planned by the former Count Dratius.

Ashley burst into laughter at the informant’s words. If so, then the relationship between the two could never work.

In the meantime, she had even had troubles sleeping at night because of this. It was refreshing to imagine that woman’s face covered with tears.

“Well then, the Count-nim…”

At the same moment, the door of the bedroom burst open. Who is it? Ashley’s black eyes grew bigger when she turned her head, annoyed.

It was Hizen who had opened the door. She had been hoping for Hizen to come, but she could not believe that her dream came true. Ashley’s eyelashes trembled.

But it was a cold voice that entered her ears.

“Princess Ashley. You’re under arrest for violating the Imperial Laws and for mass murder.”

“…What?”

“Drag her out.”

At his command, soldiers came and grabbed Ashley’s arms. They stared at her with contempt and dragged her somewhere.

Feeling embarrassed by the sudden situation, Ashley bit the soldiers’ hands. Then she ran to Hizen and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“Count-nim, please listen to me! It’s unfair! I haven’t done anything wrong…”

“Do you know how many people died because of you?”

There was anger in his blue eyes. She had started a fire inside the Imperial Palace because of her own desires, and he could not forgive her for making people die.

The soldiers and the maids were thinking the same. Ashley, who was hesitating in front of everyone’s eyes, said in a mournful voice.

“I can’t go like this! Please listen to me!”

“Drag her out.”

“I knew about her! It’s impossible for Count-nim and her to be together! Get out of my way!”

Ashley shouted venomously at the soldiers who were holding her. But when they did not even blink an eye, she cried mournfully.

“Choose me! Count-nim! Count-nim, please! I know the truth about the fire!”

While being dragged out, Ashley continued to cry out.

“Hey, if you make me go like this, you’ll regret it! Count Dratius-nim, please!”

Hizen just looked blankly at the scene.

*

*

*

Returning from her mission, Leasis was surprised to see an unexpected guest. Hizen was leaning against the window in the dark room. His eyes were slightly closed and he seemed to be lost in thought.

Leasis closed the door, turned on the lamp and approached him. Then Hizen’s eyes slowly opened.

His dark blue eyes looked at her. In his mind, Ashley’s cry saying he would regret it kept ringing like an echo.

Hizen carefully extended his arms toward Leasis. She ran to him and hugged him as always with a happy face.

As a result, he could feel a warm breath on his chest, and her arms around his waist gave him a sense of stability. We’re together now, but why am I so nervous when we’re so close?

Leasis looked up when she felt his shoulders trembling. Hizen lowered his head slowly and kissed her on the cheek.

She stepped back at the unusually sad atmosphere. Something must have happened to Hizen. Otherwise, he would not have kissed her with such a troubled face.

Hizen took his lips off and let out a low sigh. He closed his eyes with his forehead resting on Leasis’ shoulder.

Leasis wanted to ask, but she could not open her mouth. She just reached out her hand and stroked Hizen’s trembling back, and waited for his sorrow to stop.

A long time later, a subdued voice was heard in the room.

“What if.”

Leasis, who had been soothingly stroking his wide back, slowed down. She slowly patted his back and waited for him to continue.

“What would have happened if we hadn’t met?”

“That’s not possible.”

Unlike Hizen, Leasis’ voice was filled with conviction. She kissed his straight forehead after putting his soft blond hair behind his ears.

The eyes of the two intertwined in the dark room. She smiled warmly at the cold night breeze.

“We would have met someday, somewhere.”

Leasis had prayed to God every night, before going to sleep. I want to meet Hizen and become a knight like him.

Mwah. Leasis stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Hizen held her in his arms, feeling her chest pounding greatly.

Her red hair scattered on the white sheet. Hizen looked down at Leasis, who was as beautiful as a rose blooming.

As if imprinting her, his hot lips passed on her left cheek and went down to her neck and collarbone.