Kiam harshly criticized his daughter, Nia.
“What the hell are you doing? I explicitly told you to defame Vanessa or find her weaknesses! The Imperial Family’s power currently lies with Vanessa. Without her, the Emperor is nothing but a cursed tyrant! How many times have I emphasized that our family can only seize power when the Imperial Family’s power crumbles?”
“…… I’m sorry, Father.”
Nia apologized like she always did, though she didn’t know what she did wrong.
“You need to separate them. Spread rumors and create animosity between them.”
Kiam gritted his teeth and shouted, causing Nia to lower her head.
Then, a sudden idea hit him, and his eyes widened.
“…Yes! Let’s create a scandal! I will spread rumors that even though they get along, there is a strange situation where the Emperor cannot flourish.”
Nia looked at him shivering and said.
“But Father, if you’re caught doing such a thing, we’ll be accused of rebellion…”
In fact, they didn’t know it yet, but they had already spread bad rumors about the relationship between the Emperor and Vanessa in the past.
But in this life, Nia could never do that to her benefactor, Vanessa.
Kiam looked at her intensely.
“That won’t happen. I’ll make sure you’re not caught.”
At that moment, Nia realized.
If she was accused of treason, it would not be her whole family, but her alone…
Nia now understood that her father would use her as a pawn until the very end and then discard her.
Her face paled, and she trembled.
Watching her reaction, Kiam clicked his tongue and spoke mockingly, thinking his daughter was weak and scared.
“Why do I have such a useless child….? If I suffer such humiliation, don’t you think you should seduce the emperor and make him make a mistake for just one night? He’s right there, waiting for you!”
Despite Kiam’s continued mocking, Nia was even more shocked by his words and lowered her head, her eyes wide.
“Go back and find anything that could be Vanessa’s weakness. If you can’t be a butterfly, bring back something that can help the family!”
Suddenly, someone interrupts when he was still yelling at Nia.
The butler approached him cautiously.
“Master, someone wants to see you.”
Kiam asked, frowning.
“Who? Is it Count Fresia?”
He recalled the Count’s humiliation at the hands of the Emperor and Vanessa over a perfume.
But the butler replied with a puzzled face.
“It seems he’s not a noble.”
Kiam frowned.
“So someone who’s not even a noble came to see me? Do you think I’m the kind of person anyone can meet easily? You should send him away on your own!”
“I’m sorry. I tried to send him away several times, but he kept insisting that he had important information to give to the Count…”
“Important information? Is it a secret scandal involving the Imperial Family?”
“He…says it’s even better than that.”
Kiam’s expression changed slightly.
“I need to see what kind of big shot came to give me this information.”
He walked in long strides.
As the door to the manor opened, a man appeared in front of it. He was covered in a black robe from head to toe, and his demeanor was gloomy.
Kiam felt slightly tense, wondering if the man might be a spy sent by the Imperial Family or another noble family.
“You wanted to see me?”
“…Yes. I have come to offer you a good proposal.”
“A good proposal, huh?”
Kiam chuckled sarcastically.
“I wonder how amazing the information is that you came to offer it to someone like me. I sincerely hope it’s not a waste of time.”
“Of course.”
The man looked around and rummaged through his pocket before taking out a piece of paper and handing it to Kiam.
As Kiam received it and read the contents with wide eyes, he fiddled with his lips and skimmed through the paper several times.
Then he asked in a trembling voice.
“Are all of these things written here true…?”
“Yes. The Delphinium Family will become the most powerful noble family in the country. We will give you power, so why don’t you join hands with us?”
The man grinned from under his hat.
As the two conversed, Nia, who had been eavesdropping behind the wall, froze with widened eyes.
* * * * *
Jackal’s heart raced as he heard all the secrets of the minorities from the village chief.
I have to tell Asha about this quickly!
He thought, knowing she could be in danger if he was too late.
Just as he was about to rush back to the palace, Sosa shouted from outside.
“Chief! I just got a message from Lycaon! The hideout was attacked by monsters!”
“What?”
Jackal’s eyes widened in shock.
He opened the door to see Sosa holding Gabe’s hawk with a shocked expression.
Quickly, Jackal opened the note tied to the hawk’s leg, and his expression hardened in an instant.
Jackal turned to the village chief and said.
“I’m sorry, but we’ll have to postpone the mission. It looks like I should go back to Lycaon and deal with the monsters first.”
“Alright. Do what you have to do.”
The village chief let him go without objection.
Jackal quickly wrote a note for Asha, tied it to the hawk’s leg, and sent it flying to the Imperial Palace.
He hoped nothing would happen before he reached the palace, and that Asha would receive the note and prepare for the worst.
He and Sosa quickly got ready and headed straight to Lycaon.
* * * * *
Before leaving for the pilgrimage, Dart went back to the temple for a moment. He knocked on the High Priest’s room before entering.
“High Priest, it’s me.”
As he opened the door, he saw the High Priest lying weakly on the bed, but his face showed a happy expression.
“Ah, Dart, you’ve come.”
Dart greeted him politely and knelt beside the bed.
“I was very worried. How are you feeling now?”
The High Priest looked at him with a face full of affection.
“I think I have gotten very old. In my younger days, even monsters were nothing… *I miss the days when I used to eat dirt.”
T/N: * It’s a Korean expression that is often used to express nostalgia for a difficult but simpler time in the past.
A small smile spread across Dart’s face at his words.
“You’re still healthy. You must continue to protect the temple for a long time.”
“Dart… my son.”
The sudden change in the High Priest’s tone made Dart look at him with slightly widened eyes.
The High Priest spoke with a gentle smile on his aged face.
“I heard you were injured while you were protecting Lady Vanessa.”
Dart responded modestly, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I just did what I had to do.”
“Are your wounds all healed?”
“Yes. I washed my wounds with holy water every day and received the best medical care. You don’t have to worry.”
“I see… That’s good.”
The High Priest continued with a sad expression.
“I am so proud and happy that you have grown up and become a respectable priest. Even if I have to leave now, I can trust you and leave in peace.”
Dart’s expression darkened.
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
The High Priest spoke in slow, halting words.
“I’ve come to realize my limits through this incident. My body is not what it used to be.”
“Father…”
Dart approached the bed and took the High Priest’s wrinkled and veined hand.
Sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating the High Priest’s face and giving him the appearance of a noble saint.
Dart’s gaze moved back and forth over the High Priest’s white hair and wrinkled face.
Perhaps it was because they both had silver hair, but they looked like father and son.
The High Priest stroked Dart’s head and said.
“It’s a shame that I couldn’t accompany you on the pilgrimage. I wanted to witness your recognition as a great High Priest with my own eyes.”
“High Priest… I am not qualified for that yet.”
The High Priest closed his wrinkled eyes and smiled.
“No, you will do well. You will probably exceed my accomplishments when I first took over the temple. I knew from the moment I first saw you that you were an exceptional child. A child sent by God…”
Dart’s eyes trembled with emotion.
“Please come back healthy. When you return, the world will be different.”
The High Priest finished speaking and his eyes slowly closed.
He intended to promote Dart as the next High Priest after this pilgrimage was complete, and he would retire.
Dart opened his mouth a couple of times before muttering to himself.
“Yes… when I return…. many things will be different.”
He bowed respectfully and stood up.
Before leaving the room, Dart stopped at the door.
“…Father.”
The High Priest opened his eyes and gazed at Dart’s back.
“Thank you for taking me in and raising me all this time, even though we are not related by blood. If it weren’t for you, I would have withered alone in the snow that winter and never bloomed like a flower. I will appropriately express my gratitude… when I return safely from the pilgrimage.”
“Yes…have a good trip, son.”
Dart closed the door quietly, leaving behind the High Priest’s slightly moist eyes.
As he walked down the hallway, his expression was bitter.
* * * * *
Karaf had finished all preparations for the pilgrimage and was getting ready to leave the Palace with the priests.
He wore a cloak over splendid armor and was quietly looking at the sky as the sun rose from his red horse.
His standing figure, bathed in the pouring sunlight, was beautiful and majestic like a painting.
Asha, who came out to see him off, imprinted the scene in her eyes with a slightly sentimental gaze.
Suddenly, the image of Karaf’s portrait when he first went to the battlefield came to Asha’s mind.
She glanced at Karaf, who had grown into a sturdy and dependable man.
He felt her gaze and looked at her.
“Empress.”
Asha walked up to him and said.
“Your Majesty, would you hold out your hand for a moment?”
Karaf held out his hand with a slightly puzzled expression.
After briefly looking at the scars and calluses deeply engraved on his palm, Asha tied a handkerchief around his wrist.
Karaf’s eyes grew slightly.
