Episode 145
Soon, Aaron clutched his heart with a pained expression.
“Ugh!”
A groan naturally escaped him, but the guard didn’t even glance at Nocturne or Aaron.
It was thanks to the emperor’s order to remain silent no matter what happened.
Nocturne swept back his bangs and took out a magic tool from his coat—one Aaron had never seen before. Aaron glared at Nocturne with bloodshot eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“That’s a good question. What do you think I’m about to do?”
“Nocturne!”
“Did you think you would die easily? Not a chance. I want you to die in agony.”
As Nocturne pressed the button on the magic tool, the duke groaned in pain. But as if that wasn’t enough, Nocturne pressed it once more.
The duke, unable to endure the pain, doubled over. The tightening pain in his heart was so intense that he gasped for breath. Nocturne leisurely watched him and chuckled.
“Does it hurt?”
“Ugh…”
“How does it feel to suffer the same way?”
Nocturne’s voice was calm. However, his eyes burned fiercely, filled with a sense of exhilaration as if he had been waiting for this moment.
If the duke had repented and begged for forgiveness, Nocturne might have been even more enraged. That would have made his revenge unsatisfying.
Fortunately, the duke remained unchanged, and Nocturne felt no hesitation in his revenge. He meticulously observed Aaron’s face, contorted in pain.
He had long awaited the day he could pay the duke back, and he didn’t want to miss a single moment.
This magic tool was specially crafted for this very day—a torture device designed to inflict the same pain the duke had used to control Nocturne.
Nocturne whispered softly.
“Experience the helplessness of being unable to resist. Just as you treated your subordinates like chess pieces to be discarded, now it’s your turn.”
As the duke remained silent from the pain, Nocturne took a deep breath before speaking each word with deliberate force.
“Suffer until your last breath. That would only be fair, wouldn’t it?”
“Urgh…”
With those final words, the duke let out a deathly scream before collapsing into unconsciousness.
Nocturne watched him with cold eyes before turning away. A faint smile played on his lips.
It was the first time the hound had bitten its master.
As he stepped outside with a sense of liberation, he noticed Ophelia Greenwood standing there.
“If you go in now, you won’t see anything pleasant.”
“I’m not here for him—I came to see you. I heard you were here.”
“Me?”
Nocturne looked surprised that Ophelia’s purpose was to meet him. He had been ready to stop her if she tried to enter, but her response was unexpected.
Then, Ophelia spoke with a slight smirk.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“With what?”
“With me becoming the head of the Greenwood family.”
Nocturne gazed at Ophelia, assessing her. She wasn’t just saying it casually—her expression was serious.
He chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“I cut Greenwood out of my heart long ago. I told you, I’m never going back.”
“That was when he was still the head of the family. But if you ever want to return now…”
“Why? Are you offering me the position if I want it?”
“Of course not. I’d formally challenge you to a duel for the title.”
Nocturne blinked at Ophelia’s unexpected attitude. Then, after a moment, he burst into laughter.
“Hah! Ah, sorry. You were so serious that it was funny.”
“You’re still insufferable. Why does Leo hang around you? You’re as dark-hearted as they come.”
“Who knows? Leonard must have his reasons. Otherwise, would there be rumors about the ‘four scoundrels’ having only one sane member?”
“I suppose Leo is that one sane person.”
“You’re completely blinded by affection.”
Nocturne frowned as if exasperated. Then, Ophelia persistently pressed on.
“So, will you accept the duel or not?”
“Forget it. Don’t drag me into such a bothersome affair. And…”
Nocturne took a step closer and placed a hand on Ophelia’s shoulder, whispering in her ear.
“That position suits you better than me.”
“……”
“The duke was wrong not to give you the succession rights in the first place.”
Through this incident, Nocturne had recognized that Ophelia was more than capable of leading the Greenwood family.
She had spent her life preparing to become empress under the duke’s orders—it must have been suffocating.
Yet, she had cut her own leash and stood against the duke. In that sense, she had already surpassed Nocturne.
Nocturne patted her shoulder lightly and reaffirmed his stance.
“I have no interest in the position. So go ahead and take it.”
Then, he walked past Ophelia.
“Don’t come back later and change your mind!”
Ophelia called after him, shouting at his back. Without turning around, Nocturne simply waved his hand dismissively as if to say, “Don’t worry.”
For some reason, his steps felt lighter.
For the first time, he truly felt like he had escaped his cage.
***
The day before the final banquet.
Azaid left the imperial palace and headed to the Gordon Trading Company.
He had heard that the custom-made item he ordered would be arriving today.
As he stepped into the main store, Jack greeted him enthusiastically.
“Welcome, our esteemed wealthy customer!”
“Quite the warm welcome.”
“Of course! You’re one of our most valued patrons.”
Jack grinned smugly as he led Azaid to his office. His merchant-like demeanor made Azaid chuckle.
This was the main branch of the Gordon Trading Company, located at the heart of the capital. It was an open secret that the emperor had officially commissioned them for the task.
Normally, a representative from the company would have to deliver the item to the imperial palace, but Azaid was in a hurry. As soon as the secretary served tea and left, Jack spoke up.
“You came the moment you heard the news. I was planning to visit you in person tomorrow.”
“That would be too late.”
When Azaid urged him to show the item quickly, Jack placed a small ring case on the table.
The velvet-adorned case looked expensive at a glance. The moment Azaid snatched it up, Jack clicked his tongue and smirked.
“At least appreciate how hard it was to get this.”
“For the amount of money I paid, if you couldn’t get it, you should quit the business.”
“The way you talk, honestly…”
Jack grumbled, but Azaid’s attention remained fixed on the ring case.
Carefully opening the lid, he revealed a dazzling purple diamond. Its brilliance was extraordinary, shimmering under the light with an unusual radiance.
Around the large diamond, small blue sapphires were meticulously set in a tight arrangement. As Azaid scrutinized the ring for a long time with sharp eyes, Jack muttered, annoyed.
“Do you know how much hell I went through to find a purple diamond out of nowhere? And that wasn’t even the worst part—your requests for the craftsmanship were ridiculously precise.”
“You’re not exactly in a position to complain after charging me extra for a fast commission.”
“…I can’t argue with that.”
Jack raised both hands in surrender, looking exasperated. Azaid, now satisfied that the ring was as perfect as he had imagined, closed the case lid.
“So, when are you proposing?”
“Tomorrow.”
Azaid grinned as he tucked the case into his inner pocket. He was planning to make a grand proposal to Serena at the final banquet.
“If you do it in front of people, she won’t be able to refuse even if she wants to.”
When Jack teased him, Azaid calmly retorted.
“Who said I’d do it in front of everyone?”
“Then why does it have to be tomorrow?”
“Because the ring arrived today.”
Azaid chuckled as he spoke. In truth, there was another reason it had to be tomorrow, but there was no point in explaining it to Jack—he wouldn’t understand anyway.
“There’s no reason to delay any further, and the wedding schedule is tight.”
“You must be in a real hurry. You two are disgustingly sweet.”
Jack frowned as if he regretted asking. Azaid, unconcerned, got up from his seat, ready to leave now that his business was done.
“Well, I’m off.”
“Yeah, go. Prioritizing your lover over your friend, huh?”
“You can’t compare a friend to a lover.”
“Do you even know that Lily’s leaving the day after tomorrow?”
“Oh. Is it already that time?”
Azaid counted the days, and Jack gave him a stern look, as if he had expected this reaction.
“I don’t know what she sees in you that made her swear loyalty. Lily and I must both be crazy.”
“I don’t know about Lily, but you? Yeah, you’re definitely not sane.”
“What?!”
Jack shot up in outrage, but Azaid simply laughed.
Despite their constant bickering, Jack and Lily were actually the closest. They knew each other’s schedules like the back of their hands.
“I should at least meet her before she leaves. Since I’m already out, I should message her now.”
“Not today. She has plans.”
“Really? With whom?”
“…How would I know? I’m not her boyfriend.”
Jack snapped back sharply, and Azaid merely shrugged. He seemed particularly irritable today. That was when Azaid noticed that Jack’s outfit was different from usual.
“Now that I think about it, you dressed up a bit today.”
“I always dress like this.”
That’s not true. He obviously put in more effort than usual.
Azaid narrowed his eyes at Jack’s poor attempt at lying. Then, a thought suddenly struck him, and he smirked.
“Don’t tell me… you’ve got a new girl again?”
“No way!”
Jack jumped in denial, but Azaid folded his arms and pressed on.
“Oh, come on. Every time you get a new girl, you change your style to match hers.”
“T-That’s not…”
“If you’re planning to bring home another strange woman, you might as well just stay single. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting leached off for the rest of your life.”
“Y-You bastard… Instead of supporting me…!”
Jack’s lower lip quivered. He always did that when he had nothing to say. His speech even started faltering, like someone who had just been caught.
“So, who is it?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Azaid stared at him persistently, making Jack feel the heat rise to his face. He didn’t know why Azaid was so relentless today.
Then, Azaid’s eyes widened as a ridiculous thought crossed his mind.
“Wait… don’t tell me… it’s not Lily, is it?”
“What?! Hey, she’s like my sister! What kind of disgusting thought is that?!”
Jack recoiled in horror, reacting far more intensely than usual. Azaid, however, remained indifferent.
“You don’t have to get so worked up.”
“You’re the one spouting nonsense!”
Jack glared at him, clearly offended. Yet, despite his defiant stance, his gaze wavered slightly.
Seeing this, Azaid quickly lost interest and muttered under his breath.
“Well, I guess Lily dating you was never a possibility anyway.”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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