HDOVAML Chapter 122

<Chapter 122>

***

 

What did she just say?

Did she even realize how absurd her proposal was?

Khalid, who had been doubting his own ears, soon found himself staring into the brilliant silver eyes that met his gaze without a single tremor. And in that moment, he understood—she was entirely serious.

“That’s nonsense…”

“Why do you dismiss it so quickly?”

At Khalid’s strained words, Rose questioned him as if she genuinely could not see the flaw in her suggestion.

“Is it not obvious? The ruler of Nisha must be an Einar. From our most ancient ancestors, it has always been so!”

No matter how much they called each other brothers, they were never truly equals.

Overcome with emotion, Khalid clenched his jaw tightly, glaring at the woman who remained infuriatingly calm.

Only the descendants of Einar could ascend the throne.

Annushka, the bloodline of seers, existed to grant prophetic wisdom. Ilkai, the warrior lineage, existed to wield the sword in Nisha’s defense. Each had a distinct purpose, passed down without deviation for generations.

Thus, the words spoken by this fallen princess were nothing more than an empty, delusional provocation.

“…Do not spout reckless words simply because your situation is dire.”

Khalid barely managed to suppress his turmoil as he flatly rejected Rose’s proposition.

“You are truly shackled by outdated principles.”

The fallen princess rebuked him in a voice as cold as her appearance.

“The people of Nisha will never accept a ruler who is not of the Einar bloodline.”

Khalid averted his gaze, unable to meet the piercing eyes that seemed to see straight through him.

“I have heard of your renown.”

A faint sigh ghosted past her lips.

“And yet, the current king of Nisha is so blinded by conquest that he neglects the well-being of his own people and the foundation of his nation.”

“…Once all is settled, His Majesty will also turn his attention to governance.”

Even as Khalid uttered this defense, the cruel nature of King Orhan Einar surfaced in his mind, but he chose silence over acknowledgment.

“I wonder. After all, even the very legend your kingdom was built upon seems fundamentally unjust to me.”

Rose spoke with composed certainty.

“Einar ascended the throne simply because he was the eldest. Outwardly, he preached brotherhood, granting his siblings royal status—but in reality, he exploited his sister’s prophetic abilities and turned his younger brother into a mere weapon for war.”¹So Annushka was a female… I will note that down.

“That was… all for the sake of the kingdom.”

“And have you never considered that even your belief in that might have been nothing more than indoctrination?”

“…!”

The moment she spoke those words, the light in Khalid’s pale eyes flickered.

He was left defenseless against a thought he had never dared entertain before.

“For the supposed prosperity of the kingdom, Einar himself never bore any sacrifice. The descendants of Annushka spent their lives stripped of their own futures, dying with only their visions of tomorrow. The descendants of Ilkai were doomed to roam battlefields at the command of their king. And yet, the Einars lived comfortably within their kingdom, indulging in luxury and peace.”

Her even-toned words sent ripples through his heart, and at last, she spoke her final judgment.

“But you… you accepted misfortune without question, believing that it was your rightful burden for the sake of your brother. Even as an outsider, I can see how deeply unfair this is. Have you never felt the same?”

 

***

 

That couldn’t be true.

And yet…

Even as a child, he had always harbored doubts about his fate.

‘Khalid. You are not meant to live as a person, but as a sword.’

‘Just as I have done, just as your ancestors have left their marks upon history, you must dedicate your entire existence to the glory and survival of Nisha.’

The Crescent Arc of the Black Moon—the blade that led the charge, annihilating the enemy.

Beneath the weight of that unyielding fate, personal emotions and individual convictions were never allowed.

‘…I understand, Father.’

But in truth, Khalid had never wanted to accept his duty.

He despised the act of taking lives.

He found his family’s tradition of surrendering to the darkness they all loathed, only to deflect their suffering onto others, to be utterly repugnant.

Each time he stood before the Einar king, the one who perpetuated all this tragedy, he gripped his sword, only to release it in silence.

And yet, because they shared the same bloodline, because they were bound by their ancestor’s legacy…

 

***

 

He understood their hidden suffering, the burden of sin they were forced to bear, more deeply than anyone.

And that was precisely why he could not bring himself to sever the king’s head and shatter this unending cycle of transgressions.

“…What does shame accomplish? Even if I drown in guilt forever, tearing myself apart from the inside out, what good would it do?”

Overcome with frustration, Khalid lashed out at the woman before him, one who had committed no crime.

“Under the name of brotherhood, bound by shared blood… how could I possibly raise my hand against my own kin?”

Ah.

What a feeble, foolish man he was.

Shedding empty tears beneath the weight of a cruel tragedy, unable to make any decision, doomed to wander through an endless night.

“…Yes. You are weak.”

The fallen princess cast her chilling words down at the crumbling prince of a foreign kingdom.

“And so, to avoid facing that shame, you wrapped yourself in the mask of courtesy while quietly devouring your own soul.”

All his vulnerabilities were laid bare, stripped away without mercy.

Khalid could no longer hide behind any deception.

“Yet instead of despising you, I was willing to give you a chance… And still, you refuse to yield.”

Her voice, each word like a dagger, ended with a quiet sigh.

Khalid hesitated before looking up.

Ironically, his eyes were filled with tears—not the cold, lifeless gray they had once been.

“Do you want to continue living like this? Trapped by guilt, bound in place, unable to move forward or back?”

Under the same sky where they had first met, the crescent moon rising in the darkness, he gazed at her with luminous eyes.

“…I,”

“Then allow me to offer you a compromise.”

As he struggled to speak, Rose softened her voice.

“I never intended to demand the complete extermination of the Einar bloodline. But I did believe the current king had to die. However… I will step back.”

She altered those words and smiled—a quiet, knowing smile, reminiscent of cold, rippling waters.

“You will take the throne. The Einar family will be spared, but they will be exiled, never to rule again.”

“Surely, even someone as weak as you can accept that?”

Her whisper followed, low and certain.

“For the sake of the greater good.”

And so, the final passage of an ancient prophecy stirred from its long silence and opened its eyes.

 

***

 

“When will Khalid finally return?”

The impatient king of Ilkai demanded, his voice edged with frustration.

The grand minister bowed deeply before responding.

“The princesses of the Dryas Kingdom are under heavy protection. His Highness must be facing great difficulty.”

“An Ilkai’s duty is to accomplish what he is commanded!”

But all that came in response was an arrogant, dismissive snarl.

“…My apologies, Your Majesty.”

Suppressing his frustration, the minister lowered his head again.

How easy it would be to suggest that if the king was so anxious, he should take matters into his own hands instead of overburdening the prince.

“It is infuriating. There isn’t a single man in this court who can do his job properly.”

Muttering in rage, Orhan Einar stormed toward his throne.

“The Spirit King of the Darkness is being uncharacteristically patient, but who knows when His grace will run out? I alone am left to shoulder the burden of Nisha’s future, sleepless with worry.”

“…”

“Enough! Leave me! There is no point in summoning you fools when you are of no use to me.”

With a deep bow, the minister retreated soundlessly from the audience chamber.

“What are we to do, Your Excellency? I fear for Prince Khalid…what if he faces punishment?”

The gathered ministers anxiously whispered their concerns.

The grand minister stroked his long, white beard, his expression dark with unease.

“All we can do is pray that the great Ilkai, who ascended to the heavens, will watch over his descendant.”

“…I loathe to even speak such blasphemy aloud, but I can endure it no longer. He is nothing but a ruthless king who does nothing but issue commands to His Highness… It should have been Prince Khalid, not Orhan, who was born as Einar’s heir.”

“You must not say such things!”

A young official, unable to contain his resentment, blurted out the words in a hushed voice.

At his remark, the grand minister’s face turned ashen, and he whispered urgently.