Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Elnos abandoned all the old and unnecessary institutions and opened a new one with key ministers. Everything was done after going through a suitable procedure rather than proceeding arbitrarily.

Ashley was locked in a dungeon, only waiting for the day of her trial. She earnestly asked the guard to let her meet Hizen, but he refused to listen to her.

But half out of her mind, Ashley said something strange to the guard. If he did not bring Hizen, she would reveal the truth about Leasis to the judges, so he should take care of it.

He could usually see through the bluff of the prisoners, but something was suspicious to pass it lightly. Eventually, a guard who was acquainted with Max informed him of it.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll go there myself.”

Hizen headed to the dungeon alone, leaving Max worried. He chose to go because he had also some things bothering him on his mind.

Creak.

Ashley, who was crouching on the floor, raised her head at the sound of the prison door opening. She opened her mouth when she saw a blond man who did not match the dirty prison.

She hurriedly raised her stiff body, grabbed the iron bars and screamed.

“G-get me out of here right now! Count-nim! This is someone’s setup!”

“Princess Ashley. You’re a sinner waiting for trial now.”

His blue eyes were as cold as ice. Even after going to prison, Ashley was lying, not reflecting on herself.

Even with her status, her sins had to be strictly judged. He continued with a harsh voice.

“You still have a long way to go to pay for your actions. Reflect on your sins sincerely and repent.”

“Do you… do you know… how much I love you!”

“Your love. I never wanted it.”

Desperate, Ashley grabbed the iron bars and slumped to the floor. She murmured as she looked at a centipede crawling next to her.

“It’s unfair… that you… that you’re so handsome?”

When she had first seen Hizen a few years ago, she had fallen in love at first sight. She had made every effort to win his heart.

She wanted to show him her sincerity. Even if other people pointed fingers at her, Hizen should not.

She was worried that he would get hurt when he went on a mission, and she could not even count the times when she had spent the night thinking about what she could do for him.

Ashley glared at him while giving strength to her eyes, as if her veins were going to burst.

“Your family! Your father! You’ve done more dirty work than I did! Who should be here in prison?”

Hizen faced her silently. The wrong doings of Calibaut, his father and the former Count, were something he recognized.

As an apology for that, some of Count Dratius’ wealth had already been distributed among the victims, and further action were considered by Nathan and some administrative officials.

It was the best thing to do because they could not bring out a dead person from their grave to punish them. Hizen had also learned the truth only recently, but he had been vaguely aware of it since he became the Count.

Hizen’s expression became bitter. That was why he did not let go of the sword even after his father’s death. He went to war as a symbol of atonement.

He forced himself to wield the sword that he hated so much in order to save people. Ironically, the sword seemed to be fated to be tied to his life.

“I’ll get going if you’re done talking.”

“Leasis!”

As Hizen turned around, Ashley shouted like she was having a seizure. She could not possibly die alone. At least she wanted to see blood and tears falling from that pretentious man.

“She can never be with you! I, Ashley von Berba, am the only that can be by your side!”

Hizen walked forward, ignoring her. But soon after, he heard an unbelievable story.

“Your father set Baron Berman’s mansion on fire! Do you think that woman will stay still even after she finds out?!”

“That… what do you mean?”

Hizen turned back and approached the iron bars. As his eyes shone blue, Ashley faltered and stepped back.

“Explain what you’re saying.”

“… I heard it! Leasis, that woman is your dead fiancee!”

Ashley continued to shout viciously.

“Your father set Baron Berman’s mansion on fire to protect his position among the three families! He used sleep magic and killed everyone in the mansion!”

Ashley took a deep breath and said mournfully.

“The runaway butler of Baron Berman confessed. Please believe me, and now give up on her. Count-nim, please choose me!”

Calorque. A young man with a gentle face came into his mind. A respectable man smiling next to Baron Berman.

That kind of person set the fire? No way. Hizen burst into laughter and shook his head. This was definitely a lie. It could not be true.

‘My father… killed everyone? Those good people of Baron Berman? Is there any evidence? No, Leasis was alive?’

Various thoughts got entangled in his head and he was about to go crazy. Hizen could not breathe properly and grabbed his neck with his hand.

“Ugh…”

“C-Count-nim?”

As Hizen staggered, Ashley was surprised and called his name. However, he only heard a buzzing noise in his hears.

The image of Leasis as a child and her current appearance overlapped. He had tried so hard to ignore the resemblance, shaking his head in denial.

He had tried to deny it. Her genius swordsmanship, the effort she made to improve, her bright smile. Everything looked alike, but he had eventually denied and suppressed these thoughts.

But now they were the same person. Hizen looked up, muttering that his hasty judgment was stupid.

The look in his eyes was so frightening that Ashley stepped back.

“Calorque… where is he now?”

Ashley hesitated and told him what she had heard from the informant. Hizen immediately left the prison and hurriedly took a secret passage of the Imperial Palace to reach a hidden magic circle. Max shouted and kept calling him, but he could not hear anything.

But it was Blix who stopped him. Blix shook his head as he blocked the access to the magic circle with both arms.

“Don’t go. Ignore what she said.”

Blix had a complex face. Now he realized why he had lied and was now blocking Hizen.

It was all because of Leasis. He could not bear to see her crying or struggling after learning the cruel truth.

Hizen’s face became colder and colder. He pulled out a sword and aimed it at Blix. If he did not get out of the way right now, he was about to cut him.

“Get out of the way.”

“No.”

Hizen’s sword shone with a white flash, and time stopped. Hizen passed Blix and stood on the magic circle.

Frozen, Blix clenched his teeth and shouted inside.

‘What are you going to do now? You can’t change anything!

But Hizen could not stop anymore. It was hard to believe that the woman he had been forced to bury in his heart, was the same person as the one he now loved.

A spell came out of his dry throat, and Hizen’s figure disappeared in an instant. Blix clenched his teeth as the time returned to normal.

“Damn…”

Then, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. As he turned his head, he saw Elnos looking at him with a strange face.

*

*

*

The first heavy rain in four years turned the capital into a sea. Merchants closed their businesses while swearing, and so did the neighboring buildings.

Calorque tried to lock the door on the first floor. But one last customer entered the inn. He was an exceptionally tall man, completely soaked by the rain.

Water was heavily dripping from the man’s blond hair and black jacket. While Calorque locked a window, his son stood in front of the customer.

“I’m sorry! We’re full, business is over for today!”

But the man did not respond. With all the windows locked, Calorque headed toward the door but stopped walking.

The child who used to come to his waist was all grown up. His young appearance had already changed to a strong man.

Calorque’s face turned white. He had been nervous after the boy’s visit the other day, but he had tried to forget it because nothing had happened. But Count Dratius came himself. With trembling lips, Calorque called his name after a decade.

“Master Hizen…”

“Send your son up.”

Calorque’s son shook his head at the low voice. Last time he had been in danger like this, but this time his father might get hurt.

Calorque’s son stood in front of his father as if to protect him. Then Hizen slowly bent over and stroked the boy’s hair.

His fingers, which seemed to be cold, were very hot. The boy looked up in surprise, but Hizen suddenly said.

“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt your father.”

“I promise.”

Calorque also pushed his son’s back, telling him to go. The boy looked alternately between Calorque and Hizen and quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor.

“Please sit down.”

At Calorque’s suggestion, Hizen slowly sat down on a chair. The two sitting face to face looked at each other and stayed silent.

It was Calorque who broke the silence first. He lowered his eyes to the ground and opened his heavy lips.

“I’m sorry.”

“Calorque.”

Hizen’s voice was horribly feeble, and his eyes sank. What he needed now was not an apology but the truth.

“Leasis… No. Father… My father…”

His nervousness rose, and his eyes darkened. Hizen held back the discomfort and asked.

“My father… used you to… set fire… to Baron Berman’s mansion?”

As Calorque remained silent, Hizen’s heart burned. No, please say no. Hizen opened his lips because he could not bear it anymore.

“Really… is that true?”

“I have sinned to die.”

Calorque’s tears fell on the brown table. Looking at the table, Hizen’s face became desolate.

It could not have been. Surely he had seen the bodies burned by the fire of Baron Berman’s mansion that day. There was definitely a young girl’s body, too.

“The body… It was the body of a maid who looked like Young Lady Leasis. The Baron-nim risked his life to save Young Lady Leasis…”

“Wait… wait a minute.”

Hizen mumbled with one hand on his forehead. But his shoulders were slightly trembling.

He had the image in his head of a maid who was cleaning a room. A girl of Leasis’ age who was especially shy and could not look at him.

“So Leasis is alive and… the body I saw that day… was the body of a maid?”

His blue eyes shook greatly.