IDED | Chapter 144

Episode 144

Meanwhile, Azaid was once again relentlessly pushing Leonard today. Since the terror attack had occurred during the National Foundation Festival banquet, there was a lot of cleanup work to do.

“This just never ends.”

Azaid looked at the never-ending pile of documents being brought in and sighed in exhaustion. Beside him, Leonard also let out deep sighs in agreement.

To make matters worse, right after the festival banquet began, Azaid lost control, causing the sacred fire on the altar to go out.

On top of that, an explosion created a gaping hole in the main palace, allowing those who had remained until the end of the banquet to witness the imperial palace engulfed in flames.

As a result, before they could even begin to manage the situation, news of the terror attack spread rapidly both inside and outside the empire. Because of this, not only Azaid but also the imperial officials were being driven to their limits.

Fortunately, since Aaron Greenwood and James Greenwood had been captured on-site, the situation was handled quickly.

Had they escaped, the imperial family would have been branded as incompetent.

“When should we schedule the execution?”

“Why even ask? It’s a waste of air for that bastard to keep breathing. I’d approve of doing it tomorrow if possible.”

“Yes, I feel the same way, but we can’t just let the festival end in disarray. There are many foreign dignitaries present.”

“…Haa. Now I almost don’t want to kill him so easily.”

As Azaid’s frustration grew, he ground his teeth fiercely. His protruding jaw looked as if he was ready to tear Aaron Greenwood apart.

Well, what Aaron had done was no small matter. Who would have thought he’d commit an act of terror right during the National Foundation Festival as if he was making a public announcement?

It was a perfect case of a cornered rat recklessly biting a cat.

“For now, let’s continue the festival until this Friday, and the execution will take place the following day.”

“Yes, I’ll proceed accordingly.”

Once things were roughly settled, Leonard hesitated. Having spent nearly every night working together, both Azaid and Leonard looked absolutely haggard.

“Um, Your Majesty…”

As Leonard finally opened his mouth to speak, Azaid shot him a sharp glare. Seeing his hollow eyes, Leonard couldn’t bring himself to ask for leave.

‘I haven’t seen Ophelia in so long…’

Forget getting off work—at this rate, even taking a day off seemed impossible. Just as he was agonizing over this, salvation arrived with a knock at the door.

“Rena?”

Azaid immediately stood up when he saw Serena, who was supposed to be resting in her chambers, enter the room.

When he spotted Ophelia following behind her, his expression twisted. It was obvious who had brought her here.

In contrast, Leonard’s face lit up the moment he saw Ophelia.

When Ophelia gave a light wave, Leonard enthusiastically waved back, only to stop when he felt Azaid’s sharp glare.

Serena let out a deep sigh as she took in the office, which was a complete mess due to the piles of documents. It looked exactly like her own bedroom when she had woken up.

Since Azaid had refused to leave her side while she was unconscious, he had turned her bedroom into a disaster zone while receiving reports.

At least then, since there was a patient present, they had cleaned up somewhat. But here? This was nothing short of a pigsty.

“I knew it would be like this.”

Muttering to herself, Serena began picking up the scattered documents from the floor. Seeing her, Azaid followed suit and started gathering the papers.

“I was just about to clean it up. Give them to me; you might get a paper cut.”

“I won’t. And when exactly were you planning to clean up? When the document piles got so high you couldn’t leave?”

“Well…”

Azaid’s pupils wavered aimlessly—he had no words to refute her.

Serena gazed at the dark circles under Azaid’s eyes with concern. Even in the midst of his busy schedule, he had come to visit her every day, and it had clearly taken a toll on him.

Placing her hand on his forehead, Serena scolded him.

“You do realize you could die from overworking, right?”

“You’re way too overprotective of me.”

“That’s not something His Majesty should be saying to me.”

Serena shot a light glare at Azaid, whose forehead was noticeably warm. She had come because Ophelia had begged her to get Leonard some rest, but it seemed like both of them needed it.

“This won’t do. At this rate, Your Majesty is going to collapse.”

“Why would I die and leave you behind?”

Azaid’s expression softened, pleased by Serena’s concern.

Behind her, Leonard met Serena’s gaze, silently pleading.

‘Lady Serena, please.’

It was the first time Serena realized that even eyes alone could beg.

Feeling the desperation in Leonard’s gaze, Serena turned to Azaid.

“If you don’t want to end up bedridden again, come take a walk with me. And call it a day for work.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

Azaid readily agreed, leaving Leonard with a look of utter disbelief.

‘He never listened when I told him to take a break.’

Azaid firmly believed in listening to his lover. Leonard might find it unfair, but that wasn’t Azaid’s concern.

Loosening his tightly fastened cravat, Azaid turned to Leonard and said,

“Leonard, you should head home for the day as well.”

“Yes!”

Leonard responded energetically, quickly organizing the documents before dashing out with Ophelia. That was the fastest he had moved in recent memory.

As they walked along the garden path, free from the mountain of paperwork, Serena spoke casually.

“Be a little gentler with Sir Leonard. He just started dating—at least give him some breathing room.”

“I thought it’d be better to finish things quickly and then rest. I never imagined the work would be endless. I was struggling too, Serena.”

Azaid looked downcast as she took Leonard’s side. He seemed like a whimpering puppy, making Serena chuckle.

“I’m saying this because I’m worried about you. If you keep this up, you’ll be meeting the god of the underworld sooner rather than later.”

“The royal physician is too competent for that to happen.”

Azaid smirked lazily, waving his hand as if enjoying their stroll.

For someone who used to dislike walking, it was surprising how much he enjoyed it now.

Serena felt strangely moved. Of course, Azaid wasn’t gentle with everyone—this kindness was reserved for her alone.

Unaware of this duality, Serena simply found Azaid endearing. Then, she hesitantly spoke.

“I think I’ve rested enough. Can I return to work now?”

“You haven’t even taken a full week off. You can rest until the festival ends.”

“I’m getting restless.”

“I’d be fine resting every day…”

Azaid glanced at her curiously.

Since he was someone who always thought about resting more, it was hard for him to understand Serena’s love for work.

Serena tilted her upper body slightly, saying, “Hmm? Hmm?” in an endearing manner.

It was so adorable that Azaid covered his mouth with his hand.

“Well, this is a first—someone begging to be allowed to work.”

“I prefer working with occasional breaks.”

“Alright. You do seem better now.”

Azaid lifted both hands in surrender, then, without warning, pulled Serena into a firm embrace.

“But in exchange, you have to accompany me on the final day of the festival.”

“Are you suggesting we skip work?”

“Yep.”

Azaid responded nonchalantly, making Serena burst into laughter.

“Alright. Gladly.”

As Serena returned the embrace, Azaid gently stroked her hair.

‘Just as planned.’

A pleased smile formed on his lips as he quietly reflected.

The reason he had been so busy wasn’t just because of the terrorist incident.

He had been making arrangements to prepare a special gift for Serena on the final day of the festival.

‘It should arrive by then.’

Azaid silently calculated the timing while savoring the warmth in his arms.

Serena, completely unaware of Azaid’s thoughts, was simply delighted that she had finally escaped from her forced rest.

The damp, dimly lit prison held Aaron Greenwood, the former Duke of Greenwood and a criminal awaiting execution for treason.

His once-proud figure was now frail and gaunt, devoid of its former glory.

With all his mana drained by Serena, he was no more than a lifeless husk.

All those who had followed him had been captured, their punishments ranging from title revocation to execution, depending on their crimes.

Everyone knew that Aaron’s era had come to an end.

His execution would mark the beginning of Ophelia Greenwood’s succession ceremony.

With Azaid’s permission, Nocturne had come for a final meeting with the Duke.

To prevent resistance, the meeting took place with iron bars between them.

“You were too greedy. You never knew when to stop, which is unlike you. You must have been desperate.”

“Did you come here to mock me?”

“Well, an opportunity like this doesn’t come often.”

Nocturne smirked as he looked at the Duke.

There was a time when he had regarded this man as a father.

But that was in the distant past. Their relationship had fractured the moment Nocturne realized he was merely being used.

“You always told me to trust no one. Not even family.”

“Just look at me now, and you’ll understand.”

The Duke scoffed, as if blaming Ophelia and Nocturne for his downfall.

“Indeed. Seeing you now makes it clear—you are truly a pitiful man.”

“What?”

“This happened not because of Ophelia or me. You brought this upon yourself by refusing to trust anyone.”

“Is that so? But weren’t you both destined to betray me from the start?”

“There’s a saying that even a dog can recognize its rightful master in a day. Do you think humans are any different? No one stays with a master who is unworthy.”

“Hah!”

The Duke let out a hollow laugh, refusing to acknowledge Nocturne’s words.

Nocturne chuckled.

“This is just like you. You should never change.”

With a self-mocking tone, Nocturne rose from his seat.

The Duke stared at him, unimpressed.

Just then—

“Mmph.”

Nocturne discreetly leaned forward and shoved something into the Duke’s mouth, avoiding the guards’ notice.

The Duke’s eyes widened in shock.