– 25 –
I don’t know how much time passed, but finally Eden looked at me and spoke.
“So, what you want to hear from me is whether I can grant you asylum?”
“Yes.”
Will you accept it?
I stared into his eyes intensely.
Eden looked straight into mine as well. And finally, he answered.
“Now that I think about it, I guess it wouldn’t be that hard.”
Just as I expected.
I was a good card to play, if only to keep my father in line.
I never thought he would refuse anyway.
The really important part was now.
I needed to find out what attitude the Darkus Empire would take towards me when my situation changed.
“I am grateful to hear that you are willing to grant me asylum.”
I tried to suppress the turmoil inside me and spoke calmly.
“Thinking about you coming to my country is quite exciting.”
Going on an outing, am I?
Ignoring his nonsense, I brought up the important point.
“Your Highness, if the Darkus Empire is defeated in the war you started, and Duke Leon’s rebellion fails, and my father is killed by Crown Prince Calix….”
“Kailyn Brockburg.”
Eden cut me off, calling me by my full name.
“Yes?”
“I don’t know why you only imagine such a negative future. Can’t you imagine the opposite?”
No, I can’t.
What’s the point of imagining?
I already know the future.
“If I just imagined things going the way I wanted, I wouldn’t be seeking asylum in the first place. I just want to consider all possible outcomes.”
There’s only one outcome. The situation I’m talking about, that’s the future.
“Well, alright. If that’s what you want. So, what do you want to say?”
Eden asked me, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“If the rebellion fails, I will become the daughter of a family that rebelled against Emperor Calix. What will the Darkus Empire do to me then? If Calix demands my extradition?”
“…….”
Eden fell into thought again, and once more I waited for his answer.
His silence lasted quite a while.
Finally, after he seemed to have finished thinking, he spoke again.
“Lynn, do you want an honest answer, or a sweet answer? I can give you both.”
I was dumbfounded.
After all that thinking, that’s what he came up with.
Do I look like I want sweet wordplay right now?
“Eden!”
“Wh- whoa! Alright. I get it, I get it.”
Unable to contain my sudden surge of irritation, I raised my voice, and Eden spoke as if to calm me down.
His behavior only irritated me more, but I took a deep breath to calm myself.
As I was collecting my thoughts, Eden’s expression changed.
Suddenly, his demeanor had turned serious too.
“So, you want an honest answer. You’ve been unusually kind to me these past few days. I wondered why, but it was to hear this answer, wasn’t it?”
Hearing his words, I felt ashamed of myself for thinking he was just a thoughtless playboy.
He hadn’t overlooked the change in my behavior after all.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I admitted frankly.
“Alright, since you’ve been honest, I should be honest too. You can consider it as a reward for the effort you’ve put into being kind to me these past days.”
“Yes, please be honest.”
Eden began speaking as soon as I answered.
“I’m not the kind of person who gives something to someone who has nothing to offer. I only reward those who can give me something I need.”
Brutally honest.
I already had a feeling about what he would say next.
I kept quiet and waited.
“Given that, could I possibly take in the daughter of a traitor if the Darkus Empire loses? Keeping you around in such a situation doesn’t seem like it would offer me anything.”
As expected…
Yes, I had vaguely anticipated this answer.
But I couldn’t help the wave of despair that washed over me.
With a firm expression, I said.
“If you won’t take me in, will you cast me out or even kill me?”
At my serious tone and expression, Eden gave me a smile that could only be described as insincere.
“Cast you out or kill you? How harsh. Of course, your father will defeat Calix.”
Hmph!
He’ll lose!
“If my father loses, what will you do then?”
At the coldness in my voice, Eden’s smile faded from his face as well.
“Lynn, in that case, you’d be, well… a burden the Darkus Empire can’t afford to bear. A liability that gives me nothing in return.”
Eden was openly saying that I was not only worthless, but a burden.
At least he wasn’t lying about this, which was a comforting thought.
“If I become a burden you can’t unload, you’ll end up killing me, won’t you?”
My voice was sharp, even to my own ears, laced with bitterness and self-mockery.
“I can’t give you a definite answer on that. We’d have to cross that bridge when we get to it. But if such a situation doesn’t arise, your asylum is welcome.”
He’d only welcome me if I didn’t become a burden. But that situation would inevitably arise, and if it did, Eden Darkus would kill me.
Seeking asylum in the Darkus Empire was now a discarded option
Whether I died in Everetian or in the Darkus Empire, it would only be a matter of days. There was no point in fleeing to Eden’s country only to die there!
I felt all the strength drain from my body, but I forced myself to muster what little energy I had left.
“Your Highness, seeking asylum in a place that won’t guarantee my life is worse than not seeking it at all. I will give up on asylum in the Darkus Empire. But I ask you to promise me one thing.”
I had heard everything I needed to from him.
Now, I needed to make sure he kept quiet.
“What is it?”
“Forget that we ever talked about my asylum. Don’t mention it to anyone.”
I knew Eden wasn’t the type to casually spill such information, but given his unpredictable nature, I needed to secure his promise.
“Lynn, haven’t I told you before, I’m not good at forgetting, I remember everything.”
Oh, great, yes, you remember everything, I thought, feeling a surge of irritation as memories of past conversations flooded back.
I cut him off mid-sentence.
“Then remember it, but keep it a secret.”
“…… We’ll see…….”
Ugh, he’s so infuriating!
Even though I knew he couldn’t act rashly since he was involved in the rebellion plot, the way he spoke was exasperating.
“Let’s go home!”
I snapped, turning abruptly and storming through the park.
*****
The next day, I decided to go to the library.
I felt like I needed to do some studying with a map book.
The only things I had established were the names of the two great powers, the Everetian Empire and the Darkus Empire, but I hadn’t named the smaller kingdoms around them.
I had merely set up that there were many small kingdoms.
But now that exile to the Darkus Empire had become an option I had to discard, I needed to check if any of the small kingdoms might be suitable for exile.
If that didn’t work, I’d try to find another empire, even if it was further away.
If I stayed here in Everen, I’d be caught in the middle of my father, the Empress, and Eden’s plans, and I’d end up dead in vain.
As I was about to go for a walk, Eden called out to me.
“Lynn, where are you going? We should go together.”
“No, thank you. Why should I? I see no reason to drag along the useless crown prince who gives me nothing in return. Carrying you around feels like a burden.”
Sorry.
I don’t need you anymore. My kindness ended yesterday.
“Hahaha. I guess the kindness is over, but I’m a pretty piece of luggage to carry around, aren’t I?”
“Haha. So your kindness has run out, I see. But I’m quite the pretty burden, don’t you think?”
Wow! I’m almost grateful that you’re being so honest.
I’m glad I can leave behind the country of a lunatic like you.
I left Eden laughing to himself and headed out of the house towards the library.
I went to the world geography section of the library to search for maps and materials of this world.
But… there was nothing!
There was no suitable country.
No matter how much I looked at the map, there really wasn’t a proper country other than the Darkus Empire that would accept me in exile.
The nearby small kingdoms were too weak, as expected.
The small kingdoms had enough power to capture and return the daughter of a traitor to Everetian. In the eastern continent where Everetian was located, the only other empire was the Darkus Empire.
Even the mighty Darkus Empire was weaker compared to the Everetian.
I started to think that this disparity in power might be the reason Eden was targeting Aelyrium.
To the west of the Darkus Empire was the western continent, but the only information available about it was that it was the land of foreign tribes, with no detailed information provided.
Moreover, it was nearly impossible for a woman to travel alone to another continent.
But wait!
What if I didn’t go alone?
What if there was someone who could accompany me on this long journey and exile?
My mind started spinning rapidly once again.
Luke!
What if I tried to convince my brother?
The moment I realized I couldn’t go alone, Luke suddenly came to mind.
If Luke stayed here, he would eventually be killed as well.
While our father was in a situation where he couldn’t back out, Luke might have a chance to escape.
If I could persuade Luke to come with me, my exile would become easier, and I might even save his life.
*****
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing Luke’s voice, I carefully entered my brother’s room.
“Lynn, what brings you to my room?”
Luke greeted me with a gentle smile.
“I went to the library, and I have something to talk about.”
“Oh, you’ve been out for a walk.”
“Yes.”
“Did you go with His Highness Darkus again today?”
“No. Today, I went alone.”
Fortunately, Luke mentioned Eden’s name naturally.
“Really? Then next time, shall we go for a walk together?”
The conversation was suddenly about to shift away from Eden.
I quickly changed the subject before the conversation could go anywhere else.
“Yes, sure, we can do that. But Luke, do you know why Eden is staying at our house?”
“Well, you don’t. Do you, Lynn?”
Luke asked me back, still smiling.
Was he trying to avoid the topic, thinking I didn’t know?
Luke, like our father, was actively involved in the rebellion.
If that were the case, there’s no way he wouldn’t know about the alliance with Eden Darkus.
I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Yes, I know. It’s the other pillar of the rebellion plot that Father and the Empress are planning. I know about the secret pact between Father and Crown Prince Eden Darkus.”
Luke stiffened at my words and muttered.
“…… So you knew.”
Yes, I knew.
You knew, brother.
