On the day the delegation returned to the Eastern Continent, the farewell ceremony was modest. This was due to the tragic incident that had occurred the night before.
Palleta, in shackles, was the first to be put on the departing ship.
I stood in a quiet place, away from the crowd, watching the scene.
After the brief ceremony, Gallota approached me.
“Thanks to the Princess, I’m returning to the Eastern Continent with a great gift.”
He took out the pendant from his pocket and opened the lid. No sound came out.
“As the Princess said, all the recordings seem to have been erased. I no longer hear anything. It was wise to reveal it yesterday as you advised.”
Gallota whispered as he stepped closer to me, “How can I ever repay you?”
“If you want to repay me, then never appear before me again for the rest of your life.”
I smiled sweetly and stepped back.
Gallota appeared somewhat hurt.
“Even though I got what I wanted. I’m burdened with regret that I won’t be able to marry the Princess.”
I ignored his comment and asked, “Where is Lord Mahach? I would like to meet him before he departs.”
“As soon as the ceremony ended, he went to that corner to pray alone. He should be praying for the new Crown Prince, rather than the deceased one.”
A sneer appeared on Gallota’s face. He acted as if the throne was already in his grasp.
I went to the place Gallota had indicated. Brantley quietly followed behind me.
“…Your Highness, though I’ve found your murderer, I feel no joy. I only wish to see you again.”
In a secluded corner of the harbor, Mahach was prostrating on the ground, sobbing. I waited quietly until he finished his long prayer.
When Mahach finished praying and noticed me, he was startled, “How long have you been here, Your Highness? Did you wait until I finished praying?”
“Yes.”
“You must have been bored waiting…”
As Mahach tried to stand up, he staggered due to kneeling for a long time.
When I helped him up, Mahach choked up, “When this old man finished praying and staggered, His Highness would always help me up like this…”
“Lord Mahach…”
“I will never see him again. From now on, this old man will only witness the wretched sight of Gallota waging war over the throne with the Third Prince.”
“You don’t need to see that.”
I whispered softly, taking out a pendant from my pocket.
It was the same design as the one given to Gallota. But this was the real one.
Last night, while the people from the Eastern Continent and Gallota were busy restraining the frenzied Palleta, Brantley swapped the real pendant with a fake one.
‘The reason no sound came from Gallota’s pendant was that it was a fake.’
The idea that the recording would be deleted over time was a lie. It was to make Gallota think there was no longer any use for the pendant after using it in Berg, so he would let his guard down.
‘Also to make the swapping easier for us.’
The real one was here. In my hand.
“W-Why is this?”
Recognizing the pendant, Mahach widened his eyes in shock.
Instead of answering, I opened the pendant.
“Confess quickly. You also contributed to the Crown Prince’s death, didn’t you?”
“…I was born just an hour later than the Crown Prince. But the Emperor only cherished his firstborn and named him the heir. It was unfair! I couldn’t let someone born just an hour before me take the throne!”
It was a conversation between Gallota and me, on the day I was kidnapped.
The pendant, a sacred relic, recorded our conversation. Since it recorded and judged the truths of lies, it was meant to judge Gallota’s words as well.
Mahach’s face became as dry and stiff as old wood.
“If I can bring down the Fourth Prince too, the Emperor will have no choice but to pass the throne to me. The Third Prince is already slowly dying from poison disguised as medicine given by his nanny. Hahaha…”
Galota’s sinister laughter emanated from the pendant.
“These scum…,” Mahach cried out in agony. His eyes, bloodshot with rage, were crimson red.
I placed the pendant into Mahach’s thin hand.
“Take this to the Eastern Continent and inform the Emperor that the Second and Fourth Princes conspired to kill the Crown Prince. And save the dying Third Prince.”
Mahach grasped the pendant with his trembling hand.
“Although I found the culprit, His Highness appeared in my dream last night, weeping. Now I can truly avenge him. Thank you, thank you, Princess. How can I ever repay this grace…”
“Go back and convince the Emperor of the Eastern Continent to maintain good relations with Berg. That’s all I wish for.”
Mahach burst into tears. Seeing him cry like a child, I felt pity and comforted him until he calmed down.
Afterward, we parted ways and returned to the farewell ceremony as if nothing had happened.
As Mahach boarded the ship, his face was bright. It was an expression I had never seen before. Perhaps due to the burden lifted from his chest.
Gallota, ignorant of everything, waved arrogantly as they departed. He didn’t hesitate to wink at me.
“Madman.”
Brantley gripped his sword tightly and muttered.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t behead him myself.”
“As soon as he returns to the Eastern Continent, he’ll realize that what awaits him is not the throne but the guillotine.”
Brantley seemed somewhat comforted by my words.
“It’s really over now. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Not yet.”
Brantley’s voice was filled with menace.
“The Duke of Eisen and the Saint are still around.”
***
In a spacious and luxurious mansion, in a room as opulent as the royal palace, the Duke of Eisen was sleeping.
This was a new mansion built after making a fortune from investing in the Glory Flowers.
The Duke was snoring loudly. Lately, his nights were filled with blissful sleep.
Everything was going smoothly. He was earning money, more than he could count. The factions aligned with the temple were all busy currying favor with him.
The only annoyance was Princess Hanelope.
The fact that he couldn’t send her off as part of the marriage alliance still irked him.
He planned to spread the rumor that with the marriage alliance, there would be a re-importing of the flowers from the Eastern Continent. That would have increased the value of the flowers even more.
There were already voices suggesting that the price of Morning Glory was overinflated. To silence the skeptics, the rumor of re-export to the Eastern Continent was needed, but it was unfortunate.
Yenna was more upset than the Duke.
Crack!
The Duke of Eizen, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start. The sound of heavy rain hitting the window was loud.
“It was just thunder.”
The Duke muttered irritably, wiping his eyes with his hand.
“I woke up for nothing…”
The moment he removed his hand from his face, a flash of lightning illuminated his surroundings. At the same time, the Duke saw someone standing in the lightning’s glow reflected in his eyes.
A tall man, drenched in rain, was standing by the window, glaring at the Duke with cold, silver eyes.
“W-Who… Who are you…”
Crack!
Thunder struck again.
“Eeek!”
The Duke instinctively closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, he almost fainted. The intruder was right in front of his bed.
“Is there anyone outside?” The Duke cried out in panic, trying to ring a bell.
A dagger flew and embedded itself near the Duke’s hand.
“Ahhh!”
“If you call for help, you and that person both will die.”
“…!”
Despite his body trembling in fear, the Duke felt a strange sense of familiarity.
“Y-You…”
At that moment, another flash of lightning illuminated the room. The intruder’s face, hidden in the darkness, was clearly visible to the Duke.
Jet-black hair like the night sky, silver eyes reflecting the moonlight, and an unbelievably handsome face.
Though he had grown and his features had matured, it was unmistakable.
“B-Brantley?”
The intruder, no, Brantley, smiled coldly as soon as he heard his father’s call. The Duke felt as if his heart would freeze.
“How, how are you here…!”
“Are you asking how I’m alive when you clearly saw me fall off the cliff?”
“I saw you fall to your death!”
Brantley chuckled and bent down to look the Duke directly in the eye. The terrified eyes of the Duke wavered like a candle in the wind.
“Yes, I died then. Now I’ve come back to take you to hell.”
“H-Hell? Are you saying I’m going to die?”
“I can’t wait to see you being suffocated in the hoax you created. That day is coming soon.”
The chilling prophecy made the Duke feel a coldness in his throat.
“W-What do you mean by that…!”
As he shouted, the Duke felt dizzy.
Brantley had struck his vital point, making the Duke collapse.
Someone who once seemed so big and intimidating in his childhood now looked pathetic and shabby.
Brantley muttered coldly towards the Duke, “For Hanelope, I need your destruction.”
When Brantley had followed Hanelope to the capital, he hadn’t dreamed of revenge. He thought it was enough just to be by her side quietly.
But the more time he spent by Hanelope’s side, the clearer it became.
He was wrong.
Just being by her side wasn’t enough.
