Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Chapter 77

“Your Lord!”

As he was about to open the door, Jed bumped into someone who ran into it.

Colin, whose neck was caught by him, stumbled and fell down.

“How come this bastard came in without knocking on the door…!”

When Jed tried to blame the stranger with an annoyed voice, a knight in silver armor and a black cloak caught his eye.

It was a familiar attire of the Astolf Knights. And there was only one knight who wandered around in the capital as far as he knew.

“We’ve got the messenger bird from Roshan.”

Iric knelt down before Kling as if he didn’t care about Jed’s words. He presented a small note to Kloud. His calm face had already turned white.

Even before he listened to Iric, Duke Kling instinctively felt the misfortune of the emperor.

The ominous spirit last night, which he briefly believed vanished, poured in terribly like a tide in time. While Kling was hesitant to ask him about the bad news, Iric continued with a miserable voice, as if he was vomiting blood, “His Majesty and Marianne went…missing…in the waterfall…”

The message that he could not properly convey struck them down like a thunderbolt.

“Missing? Did you just mention that they are missing?” Duke Lamont asked back in embarrassment.

Conrad Hall was lit up like it was daylight when the night stars were still in the sky. The top officials were urgently summoned to face the harsh reality while sleeping in the middle of the night.

Only Grand Duke Christopher, who left for Roshan with the emperor, could not attend the emergency meeting.

“That’s correct. This is the grand duke’s message brought by Roshan’s messenger bird.”

Everyone was astonished to hear that.

Kling put the small note on the table. Chief Chamberlain Earl Lesley picked up the note with his trembling hand.

“The emperor and Lady Marianne went missing at the Benoit Falls because of an unexpected accident. We’re searching for them with the maximum number of personnel. In addition, many people in the procession were injured. We’re calling for emergency assistance units. In particular, dispatch medics and transportation units immediately. For more details, please check the messenger bird scheduled for arrival the next morning…”

While he was reading the contents of the message aloud, cabinet members’ reaction changed every minute, with sighs and denials coming out the same time.

Ober was one of the members who was shocked by the accident. As if he had chewed a stone during a meal, he knitted his brows and looked at the man next to him.

“Missing at the Benoit Falls? Did they fall down there?”

“I just don’t know exactly how they are missing. We have to wait for the messenger bird.”

In response to Earl Renault’s question, Duke Kling responded with a troubled voice.

But it was far from positive.

“Can’t we figure out the cause of the accident obviously even without waiting for the messenger bird tomorrow morning? What else is there except for missing from the waterfall if they were there? Do you think was so excited about the engagement ceremony that he went to the falls to dabble in water secretly without letting Christopher know?” said Duke Hubble, clicking his tongue. Apparently, he was not embarrassed at the news that the emperor was missing with his fiancée.

Ober slowly licked his dry lips with his tongue. His ashy eyes glanced over Duke Hubble’s calm attitude.

“Duke Hubble! What you have just said is overkill in this situation where the emperor’s safety is unknown,” quipped Duke Kling.

Marquis Euclid pointed out in a loose voice, “It sounds like Duke Kling is also concerned about his daughter’s safety. I appreciate your prudence as a cabinet member, which I think is right. But too much prudence can make you look indifferent to the emperor and Marianne’s safety. I’m afraid your loyalty could be questioned by others.”

He made the remarks in a calm tone, but what he said was bitter criticism. Given the power of Duke Hubble and his influence in politics, Euclid’s criticism was significant.

“How can I stay indifferent to the emperor’s safety? Just blame me for my longevity. At this age, I can’t afford to be surprised even by big accidents. I saw two emperors pass away on my watch. Compared to that, this is good news, isn’t it? As you know, His Majesty is declared ‘missing’ at this point.”

Duke Hubble tilted his eyebrows at Euclid’s criticism as if it was ridiculous. He pronounced the word “missing” with special emphasis as if he didn’t like that word.

“Given that there were several injured in the procession, it doesn’t seem like a simple accident,”

Ober abruptly cut in, changing the topic.

He continued, “Isn’t it serious? It was a procession accompanied by Duchess Lamont, Marquise Chester and Lady Beatrice of the Euclid family. As the Grand Duke did mention the injuries of the party, there must be the wounded among them.”

As Ober’s mention was a reasonable conjecture, those in close relation with the ones mentioned looked more gloomy.

While looking around the cabinet members, Ober’s eyes met Duke Hubble’s. He found ridicule in his olive-colored eyes, which he didn’t seem to hide on purpose.

“We have to wait for the messenger bird to grasp the whole situation in detail. Wouldn’t it be more urgent to dispatch the support units first? As the grand duke requested, let’s call up the medical unit and transport company first. If we have the basics ready in advance, we can check and dispatch them as soon as the messenger bird arrives tomorrow morning.”

Earl Renault quickly rose from his seat to signal that they needed to hurry.

“Duke Kling has been ordered to take his place while he was away. He shall make the decision as soon as possible. Won’t we be in trouble if we are late? Time is more precious than gold.”

Contrary to the expectation that he would stand in the way, Duke Hubble also stood up.

He struck the floor of the hall with his cane sharply.

* * *

Chirp, chirp.

There was the chirping of a bird.

Eckart opened his eyes slowly. As he was still drowsy, he unconsciously looked around.

It was bright everywhere. The dazzling morning sun was pouring on the stone walls carved by wind and water for a thousand years. Not far away, the mixed sound of the stream and the wind swaying the branches brushed his ears.

It was indeed a peaceful morning. Had it not been for his pain, he would have believed that this moment was a scene in a dream.

As he regained consciousness and returned to reality, his numb senses also came back. First of all, his back was in pain. Thanks to the chewing anesthesia grass yesterday, he felt much better now. Feeling a little thirsty, he took a deep breath. His heart swelled and sunk when he breathed in and out. The fresh air of the forest soaked his lungs. He felt warmth on his chest as if to strike a balance with the cool air inside his lungs.

‘… Wait a moment. Warmth?’

Eckart frowned unwisely. Only then did he feel the fever over his body.

He slowly looked down.

“…”

It took less than a second for his blue-eyed drowsiness to wake up.

‘What is it? Is it a dream? Am I seeing things now?’

He tried to move his arm violently while still denying it thoroughly. Soon he felt a huge pain as if his bones were cut into two pieces by an ax. That meant he was not dreaming.

When he realized it, all of a sudden he started to have a fever as if his whole body was on fire. He felt the fever everywhere in his chocolate hair, warm breath, and arms wrapped around his waist. he had not sensed it a moment ago.

‘Oh my god…’

He clenched his teeth and tightened his left arm. When he pushed his upper body back with all his strength, he was able to widen the gap, along with the excruciating pain.

“Um…”

Marianne talked in her dream as if she was dissatisfied with the disappearance of the support on her forehead. She tossed and turned to get closer to him as much as he moved back. She hugged his waist again with her slightly loose arms and stuck to his bare chest, rubbing her cheeks on it. He could feel the soft touch of her naked body on the firm muscles of his upper abdomen. Now, he could feel it more clearly.

“Shit…”

Eckart hurriedly turned his eyes away from her, along with four-letter words in a low voice.

He was a clever man. He was smart enough to have mastered lots of books on law and ideology before the age of twelve. Before he turned fifteen, he learned all the famous tactics, administrative liturgy, history, and martial arts training manuals. Armed with such broad knowledge, it was impossible for such a genius not to understand this obvious and blatant situation.

He knew that she saved his life by sharing her body temperature with him.

“Don’t…go…”

“I’m…so…cold…”