Episode 74

Aiden and Vitrain exchanged glances, and then Melbrid spoke up again, pressing the butler with a shaky voice.

“Could it be that he went out on other nights as well? Maybe that’s why my brother has been sleeping so much during the day lately.”

The butler hesitated before replying, “Young master… the truth is, the duke has been unwell. He’s been sleeping so much because of his health.”

Melbrid’s eyes widened in shock, freezing in place.

“W-what? Where? Where is he sick? Is he very sick?”

“He… won’t be able to hold on much longer.”

“What?”

Melbrid’s small hand, which had been clutching the butler’s sleeve, dropped limply.

The reason Melbrid had been pushing the butler, trying to help Aiden, was simple: he thought if they could find Her Majesty Sione quickly enough, his brother’s punishment might be lighter.

Even as a twelve-year-old, Melbrid knew Lian would face severe punishment for abducting Her Majesty.

But he thought, perhaps, if they apologized together—if they begged for forgiveness—Her Majesty, who was kind-hearted, might spare him some leniency. Maybe she wouldn’t forgive everything, but she might show some mercy.

With tears welling in his eyes, Melbrid asked in a trembling voice, “Is my brother… is he going to die?”

Even to a bystander, the scene was heartbreaking.

It was a pitiful sight, and while the butler felt immense sympathy, the reality remained that if Lian died, Melbrid would inherit the serpent’s power.

The butler had struggled with whether to tell Melbrid the truth, but allowing him to face the awakening without any knowledge was too cruel.

So, with a heavy heart, the butler nodded.

“Why? What’s wrong with him?”

“It seems the duke has used too much of the serpent’s power.”

“What is the serpent’s power? Does using it all… mean he’ll die?”

Melbrid’s voice had risen to a near wail as he tried to make sense of it all.

Aiden, seeing the butler’s hesitance, interjected, “Did he tell you that?”

“I simply know. The late duke passed the same way.”

“The same way?”

“At first, his strength began to fade, and he slept more and more. As the pain grew worse, he relied on painkillers two or three times a day until, eventually… the late duke didn’t even last four years.”

So that’s why Lian had said he only had four years left.

Now Aiden understood what it meant when they said the cost of the serpent’s power was paid in years of life.

Lian must have known what would happen and yet chose to use the serpent’s power a third time anyway.

“What a damned fool…”

Aiden clicked his tongue in frustration.

Melbrid, shaking his head in denial, backed away until his back hit the wall, and then he sank to the floor, silent tears spilling from his eyes.

The fact that a mad serpent was dying didn’t faze Aiden at all, but the sound of Melbrid’s sobs unsettled everyone in the room.

Even the butler, Aiden, and Vitrain fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Just then, the tense atmosphere in the interrogation room was interrupted by the arrival of Lothania.

“Duke Tilender!”

She had come running as soon as she heard that Aiden had returned from searching for Her Majesty.

As soon as Lothania saw him, she ran up to him and asked, “Did you find my mother? Did you?”

“Not yet, Your Highness.”

Aiden’s answer, given with a stern expression, made Lothania’s shoulders slump in disappointment.

“But you’ll find her soon, right? You know where that snake took her, don’t you?”

“I will find her and bring her back.”

The slight uplift in Lothania’s expression revealed her faith in Aiden. Despite his rough and sometimes insolent demeanor, Aiden had never once spoken words he didn’t mean. She knew that whatever he promised, he would fulfill.

With her anxiety eased, Lothania finally took stock of the room around her.

She noticed a strange sound and turned to see Melbrid crouched in the corner, muffling his sobs with his hands.

Although he was devastated by the news of his brother’s impending death, Melbrid stifled his cries in front of Lothania. After all, he was the brother of the man who had kidnapped her mother.

As Lothania stared at Melbrid, she moved closer to Aiden and whispered, “Did you… hit him?”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Lothania shook her head, glancing once more at Melbrid.

She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and now his face was a mess. It would have been a lie to say she wasn’t concerned, but she resolutely turned away from him.

“Let’s go, Anna.”

After all, he was the brother of the man who had abducted her beloved mother.

Lothania felt that if she extended her hand to Melbrid, it would feel like a betrayal to Sione, who was undoubtedly suffering because of his brother. With a heavy heart, she turned away, and Aiden also stood up, realizing that it was time to get back to work. They had the information they needed, and it was time to act.

As Aiden walked toward the door with Vitrain, Melbrid called out to him.

“Duke Tilender.”

Aiden turned to see Melbrid, still with tears clinging to his eyes, bowing his head.

“Can I… stay here?”

Everyone close to Lian was already here, and Melbrid felt this was where he should be. He had nowhere else to go.

Aiden hesitated for a moment. This was not a place for a child, but the Zernia estate was now in ruins, thanks to Aiden’s own actions. Although the barracks also served as living quarters for the guards, Melbrid could stay if he had to.

Still, Aiden shook his head, brushing the thought away. He didn’t have the luxury of worrying about the younger brother of a mad snake. As he walked away, Melbrid’s pitiful figure disappeared into the distance behind him.

In the imperial office, Aiden and Vitrain gathered around a large map of the Belpator Empire spread across the desk. Aiden drew two circles centered on Brincia on the map—one marking a radius of six hours’ travel and the other a radius of two hours. Somewhere between those two points, Sione was hidden.

“I’ll summon the guards,” Aiden said.

“I’ll see if we can call up any reserve forces,” Vitrain responded.

It had been four days since Sione’s abduction, but finally, the true search was about to begin.

* * *

When Lian’s eyes took on the form of a serpent’s, Sione turned her head away quickly, afraid that even a glance might trap her. She shut her eyes and spoke.

“I’ve heard that using the serpent’s power one more time could kill you.”

“That’s right, my lady. I won’t last even an hour if I do.”

“And yet you still intend to use it on me?”

“That’s exactly the kind of thing a mad snake would do, isn’t it? And for the record, the serpent’s curse is cast through my voice. Closing your eyes won’t make much difference.”

Sione didn’t trust the words of a liar, but she opened her eyes anyway.

If Lian was determined to curse her, she knew there was no way to stop him. He could force her eyes open or cast the curse with his voice alone.

So she looked directly at him, her gaze defiant, daring him to try.

At her cold, piercing glare, Lian’s eyes slowly returned to normal.

“Why? You’re not ready to die yet?”

“I wonder if there’s a desire for me in your heart,” Lian mused, as if pondering something deeply.

“There’s no way that could be true!” Sione snapped.

“Indeed. I never believed it from the start. Even a fool like me knew there was no one who could love me without expecting something in return.”

Sione bit back a retort about how impossible it would be for someone to love someone as insane as him and instead twisted her words slightly.

“You have plenty of people willing to risk their lives for you. Isn’t that enough of a sign of love?”

Even though she changed her tone, her words came out harshly.

Sione’s bitter remark, implying that all of Lian’s subordinates would meet their end along with him, only made Lian laugh quietly.

“They’re not my comrades. We merely have a mutual understanding. As you know, I’m quite skilled at threats and bribery.”

After answering with a casual, joking tone, Lian’s expression grew somber.

“If even you won’t cry for me, I suppose I’ll die alone.”

Sione had long since grown tired of his attempts to elicit sympathy. She stared coldly at him, her voice unwavering.

“If you die alone, it’s because you deserve it, Lian. Don’t act like it’s my fault.”

“But you were a variable that appeared too late,” Lian protested, a hint of frustration in his voice.

He truly felt wronged. He had never imagined his heart could end up like this.

Time marched on relentlessly, and death approached with certainty, yet Sione’s green eyes only grew colder with each passing moment.

For the first time, he had wanted something so desperately. But no matter how hard he tried, it was slipping through his fingers.

His emotions—once a dull itch, now a storm of frustration, sorrow, and longing—were shaking a heart he had never even known existed.