CHAPTER 5: HERE, NOW, AND YOU (XIX)
Part 115
Laurel said, glaring at Duke Galleon.
“I heard that the Duke of Galleon had an affair with Hennessy. He must have put Duke Bigor on the throne and tried to make Philia his queen. That level of obsession is sick. I wonder how they were allowed to attend the banquet. Are they still a duke? But still, I never thought I’d bring my whole family in a car like that.”
Hehe, the Duke of Galleon has a podium. He had heard that he had been harshly rejected by Adrian before, so he was still laughing. She also frowned. Duke Galleon, accompanied by Lady Filia, who was as expressionless as a porcelain doll, spoke to Adrian.
Adrian, who was about to throw off his gloves, said something and I sighed as I watched him lower his tail and retreat. They say Hennessy’s trial will be held next week, and if they were in the same group, that family would definitely be punished, so they still haven’t given up their greed. Oh, so they’re trying to cling to Adrian even more? Wouldn’t it be better to pray to the princess?
“Yesterday, the princess broke down and she was dragged out of the main palace, and she’s not even tired of it.”
‘Ah. You’ve already done it.’
“What will happen to Duke Galleon when he goes to trial?”
“He participated in the rebellion, but it was not direct participation, and the issue of Duke Bigor’s succession that the duke insisted on was not entirely nonsense. Wouldn’t his life be saved?”
“What about life? And what about the Duke family?”
“Well, since they are the princess’ maternal relatives, it depends on the princess’s judgment.”
Nothing is easy. Privately, the princess must be in pain over the disposition of her maternal uncle, the Duke of Galleon. Duke Galleon tried to talk to other nobles, but they all avoided him with similar expressions. The same was true for Lady Philia, who walked through the halls with a graceful gait. He always had followers, and her face was distorted as if she couldn’t adapt to this situation, which everyone tried to avoid. She sighed and turned my head. Soon it was time for the princess to appear. Laurel went looking for Count Madeira, and I also looked around the banquet hall looking for Adrian and his father, Rutvan. Before she could take a single step, she heard Adrian’s voice behind her, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Damian.”
“Adrian, were you here?”
“I always have Damien’s back.”
He kissed her hand and smiled. It’s also reassuring. As she held Adrian’s hand and walked through the halls looking for her father, she saw Rutvan first. She approached Rutvan, who seemed to be standing in the corner talking to someone, and called out to him, and Lady Dorotea, who had been hidden behind him, suddenly appeared.
“Lady Dorotea.”
“Lord Ethart! I heard you came back, but I’m sorry I couldn’t go. I’m so glad you passed away.”
Lady Dorotea came to me with a happy face. When she held his outstretched hand, she saw that the corners of his eyes were already stained red. She had a tearful reunion with her brother? She didn’t know what was exchanged, but Lutvan’s expression was extremely heartwarming. She pretended not to know and told Lady Dorotea.
“I heard you found my necklace. Thank you so much, Lady Dorotea.”
“Oh, no. That didn’t help at all.”
“No, thank you very much.”
After making an appointment to meet again next week, Lady Dorotea turned away with a sigh of regret. Why did Lutvan’s face look so sad as he looked at her back? ‘Brother, I agree with this marriage.’ She felt something flash, so she looked up and saw Adrian looking at Lady Dorotea’s back. Her eyes were sparkling, and it seemed like I could tell what she was thinking.
‘Brother, it seems like the duke is very much in favor of this marriage.’
* * *
After all the nobles had entered, Remina entered the banquet hall. All the nobles in the hall bowed their heads at once towards Remina, who walked through the entrance holding Van’s hand. The cluttered atmosphere of the banquet hall changed in an instant. From last Wednesday’s emergency meeting, everyone knew what today’s banquet was for. Remina, who shared a look with her gathered nobles, opened her mouth. Without any long greetings or fancy rhetoric, she got straight to the point.
“Everyone, you have endured the difficult times well. I am proud of you for being able to be here with you again, but you all know that there is still work to be done in the future. So, I am here to ask you to see if I am worthy. I would like to ask you, do you acknowledge that I, Remina Hestein Hegemony, am your king?”
Adrian, who was standing right in front of the podium, let go of Damien’s hand and knelt down on one knee toward Remina. Following him, who placed his right hand on his left chest and lowered his head, Damien lifted the hem of his dress and bent his knees. When Duke Donovan took the same stance and lowered himself, all the nobles simultaneously showed respect towards Remina. The people of the Galleon duchy also noticed and lowered themselves. No one shouted opposition. This gave Remina power equivalent to that of her king. Even though preparations for her coronation ceremony would take place slowly, there was a lot of work to be done.
“Everyone, stand up. As the eldest son of hegemony, recognized by the Laurentian nobility, I will give the first command.” Remina I said, nodding her head, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
Everyone straightened their posture at the sound of her majestic voice and looked at Remina’s mouth.
“The first thing to do is to eliminate the remnants of the rebel army in the northwest and the rebels who dared to invade the royal palace. Duke Bigor, commander of the capital army, was appointed commander-in-chief of the entire army, and the position of commander-in-chief was changed from the existing honorary position to a deputy position. The Duke is to hasten the formation of a punitive force. In addition, permanently deprive the Duchy of Galleon who joined hands with the group that occupied the royal palace. Imprison Galleon Aachen until his guilt is proven in the trial, and kill his associates. Place him under house arrest.”
While everyone was dumbfounded by the flurry of orders, the soldiers who broke into the banquet hall captured Duke Galleon.
“I can’t do this! I can’t admit it! No, princess! How could you do this to my uncle? You can’t do this to me, even if you look at me!!”
Duke Galleon resisted fiercely, and Lady Filia’s screams continued for a long time, but Remina did not blink her eyes. She was a maternal relative of the royal family that no one could deny, and she had no hesitation in destroying the ducal family that had been in existence since the founding of the country. It was expected that there would be a total reorganization of her noble families as she sorted out this tangled affair involving countless nobles, but all the nobles were nervous when Remina, who started it as her own blood relative, took the pulpit. As her loud shouting left the banquet hall, everyone’s eyes were drawn to Adrian, who was looking straight up at Remina. Adrian, who was always polite to Remina, was looking up at her this time with her face hardened, and Remina I knew right away what his gaze was saying. She told him she was sorry for burdening him so much and that she was grateful. It wasn’t long after she met Damian again that she had to separate the two again. Remina, who felt even more sorry, made a troubled face and smiled softly.
“Duke, I understand your dissatisfaction, but don’t you know that the duke is the most qualified person to finish this work as quickly as possible?”
Adrian, who was looking up at her smiling face, sighed and lowered her head.
“Myung, I accept.”
“Good. We decided to discuss the details again at the noble meeting on Monday, and now we can enjoy the banquet. Should I give it a try?”
Remina raised her glass high, and all the nobles, except Adrian, raised her glasses with a joyous look on their faces. The banquet did not last long and ended briefly. The meeting will continue for some time with no time to catch your breath. A trial had to be held and a coronation ceremony had to be prepared. Remina, taking off her banquet dress, again sat down in her house-room, and her class kept her in her usual place.
* * *
On Sunday, Ailene got off the carriage with a nervous face. He hesitated a little in front of a large building with a stiff atmosphere, then climbed the stairs. After receiving her contact, her kale came down and greeted her. Cale hesitated for a moment, surprised that Ailene came alone, her frail body looking as if she was about to collapse, her face stiff. She had accepted Damian’s request, but she was worried that her daughter would collapse, as the situation would not be something she could handle on her own. In fact, Ailene’s face was so white that it wasn’t surprising that she was sitting down right now. Even with that face on her face, she steadfastly guided Ailene, who followed behind her, to the third basement floor. As soon as she opened the door on the third basement floor and entered, Ailene’s fair forehead frowned at the foul smell that assaulted her nose, but she walked after Cale without turning her head. In the basement of the capital military commander’s annex, the leaders of the dead rebels were located here. The bodies of Dozern Hegemony and Boromir were temporarily stored in a cold, dark basement, stained with salt. Their bodies could not even be buried before the trial was over. This is because he was a high-traitor who most likely would not be able to receive mercy to return to his hometown and rest in peace. Perhaps Dozern’s body will be decapitated again after the verdict. In front of Dozern’s coffin, which was covered in salt but with a smell that could not be hidden, Cale couldn’t help but ask.
“Are you sure you want to see it?”
Ailene just nodded her head without answering. She had cold sweat on her forehead, but her expression was stern. Cale sighed and opened the lid of the coffin. The body, which was already pale and starting to rot, was hard for even Cale to bear, but Ailene quietly looked down at Dozern’s body. Her kale left her and took her place. It was obvious that she would object, so she came here alone without telling her family. She wondered several times whether this was meaningful, but she couldn’t even see Dozern’s back. Taking away her poor child, abandoning Eilene in her deathly state, Dozern simply disappeared. And he didn’t want to leave him with that unfinished breakup in his heart. She thought she was going to cry. He thought that even though he was the one who had been deceived by the lie, he felt resentful, resentful, and embarrassed. But no tears came out. He wasn’t as resentful as he thought. He was sickeningly nasty, and that was it. This was the image of him that will remain in their memories. It’s so terrible that she felt nauseous every time she thought about it. He saved the life of Remina, who became king, and escaped punishment thanks to his father’s excuse that he had been tricked and captured by Dorzern. His kind-hearted friend forgave him for being harsh. His family welcomed him warmly, and no one pointed a finger or reprimanded him. So, punishment was needed. Because, because, you can’t forget everything and just smile. Because there is something that must not be forgotten. Placing a stone on his chest, Ailene turned his body around. As she climbed through the dark basement and emerged into the sunlight, her eyes were so dazzled that he began to stumble. But she stood on her own without anyone’s help.
Ailene took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the carriage waiting area. Then he found Damian waiting for him in front of the carriage. Damian spoke carefully while examining Ailene’s expression.
“I know you said you would go alone, but I came because I was worried.”
Then, she was heartbroken to see my friend’s pale face. He couldn’t understand why he would look at a dead man’s body, but Damien knew that he would never be able to understand Ailene’s feelings. Even if she went through the same experience, she wouldn’t feel the same. Moreover, it was impossible to hastily guess one’s feelings without having experienced anything. All she could do was hold her friend’s hand, and Ailene held Damien’s carefully extended hand. Tears flowed, and then she laughed.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released tomorrow.
Want to read more?
