Just a few minutes before the news of the death of the King of Norden spread in the conference room, Olivia was gasping for breath. She felt so overwhelmed by the prospect of Craeyer getting closer that she felt like she might faint right away. As Craeyer, whose blue eyes were shaking like reeds in a storm, looked into her eyes, he opened his mouth.
“This contract…”
At the moment he tried to speak about his own slave contract— Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock, knock.
“Your Highness, Your Highness!”
Although they firmly told not to be disturbed, the sound of urgent knocks and even more urgent voices of the servant echoed in the chamber. Olivia and Craeyer simultaneously turned their gaze towards the door, then immediately faced each other.
“Your Highness! Your Highness, I deeply apologize! A big… big problem has occurred!”
“Apparently.”
“We should get up.”
Although they exchanged words as if they had made some kind of agreement, their actions didn’t follow. Olivia, who tried to get up, complained as her legs felt weak, and Craeyer just stared silently at her. Knock, knock, knock. As the knocking became more urgent and rougher than before, Olivia bit her lip and finally reached out her hand towards Craeyer.
“Help me a little.”
“You said you’d help me.”
“That’s that, and this is this. Just help me up for now.”
Craeyer smiled as Olivia, who could barely stand still, eventually finished her sentence brazenly, despite her legs shaking even if I moved slightly higher or lower.
“That’s right.”
He lifted Olivia up in one go, and she stomped her legs on the ground a few times like a newborn deer.
“Can you walk?”
“I can manage that much.”
“Your Highness!”
Since Olivia was afraid she might be called by the servant outside, she strengthened her trembling legs and headed towards the door. Clack. Through the open door, the servant’s expression, devoid of emotions but full of confusion, could be seen.
“Your Highness?”
“Yeah. What’s the commotion about?”
Olivia, with a calm voice of the perfect Imperial Princess, made the servant’s voice noticeably smaller than before.
“The King of Norden has passed away.”
As Olivia looked down at the servant’s deeply bowed head, her eyes were shaking anxiously. The King of Norden is dead? He’s dead…? What? The same king who declared war five times before this fifth regression? Although trivial things changed with each regression, was the death of the King of Norden a minor event…? Lost in confusion, she tensed up as Craeyer approached her from behind.
“Is that information true?”
Like Olivia, the servant responded curtly to Craeyer’s low voice under the guise of a knight.
“That’s correct.”
At Craeyer’s subsequent response, Olivia turned her head sharply towards him.
“I see.”
“That’s it… No, let’s go for now.”
Seeing Olivia swallowing the urge to ask if that was all, she gestured towards the servant. Following the guide, as Olivia glanced briefly at Craeyer, who showed no reaction even though the King of Norden had died. If he were a real knight, he should have exploded and rushed out immediately. But Craeyer wasn’t like that. However, was it normal for him not to react at all? He and the King of Norden weren’t exactly close acquaintances… Olivia chewed on her lip. Oh, I see. The King of Norden had nothing to do with this war. Coming to this conclusion, Olivia’s tension eased. People dying here and there was just a drop in the bucket compared to war casualties. Besides, the king had no connection to the main conflict.
“Stop here.”
Whether Olivia’s spirits had lifted or not, the servant faithfully guided them to their destination, and soon they could see the pitiful sight of the King of Norden’s corpse. The king, with his neck pierced by the pointed part of the decoration, seemed completely caught off guard, as if he hadn’t even had time to close his eyes, and beneath his still bleeding body, a pool of blood was shimmering.
“What on earth happened here?”
Olivia quickly concealed her surprise at the more gruesome scene than expected and examined the King of Norden’s body carefully. And Craeyer was also scanning not only the corpse but also the surroundings. After flipping the corpse’s eyes and checking its pulse, Olivia shook her head.
“There’s nothing anyone can do to save him.”
She gestured to the servant who was waiting behind her.
“What happened?”
“It seems he stumbled on the stairs and had an accident.”
“Had an accident?”
“Yes.”
Olivia tilted her head.
“What did the attending servant say?”
“He said he wanted to be alone for a moment, so everyone stepped back.”
“In the end, there’s no certainty about anything, is there?”
“I apologize.”
“See to it.”
“Yes.”
As the servants tidied up the body, Olivia approached Craeyer, who was now inspecting the floor near the stairs.
“It’s called an accident.”
“Well…”
“Another ‘well’?”
“Has this sort of thing happened before?”
His ‘before’ likely referred to his previous life. Olivia shook her head.
“No. But like I said, except for the main events, anything can change anytime.”
“This wasn’t a main event, it seems.”
“Maybe…? It’s really surprising, but it seems the King of Norden had nothing to do with the war? Odd. You always started the wars yourself, but each time, the King of Norden declared them.”
“The king was just a puppet.”
“I thought as much… Wait a moment, judging by your tone, you don’t seem like a puppet, do you?”
At Olivia’s words, the corners of Craeyer’s mouth twisted.
“It wouldn’t be a cheerful sight for a puppet to call another puppet a puppet. But it’s not me.”
“So?”
“More importantly, speaking of this place, did they change the flooring or staircase material for the meeting?”
At Olivia’s abrupt question, she blinked for a moment, then raised her head.
“Was time tight?”
“I doubt it. Even if they had to tear down the entire walls and floors and redo them, one or two days would have been enough. It’s just that there was no need for it, so they didn’t.”
This place is a private palace owned by the imperial family. In a courtyard where mountains could be moved with a single command from the emperor, the construction of a private palace is no big deal. If time is short, just allocate more manpower and resources. And the empire is the only country on the continent that can easily handle that level of manpower and resources.
“Why? Did the floor become slippery, causing the perfectly healthy and mentally sound King of Norden to stumble?”
Craeyer, who was kneeling on one knee examining the floor intently, and Olivia, who was crouched next to him, also diligently inspected the floor. But to Olivia’s eyes, it was just an ordinary floor with nothing special. The tiled covering wasn’t exactly to her taste, but overall, it was well harmonized, so there was no need to fuss over it…
“No, we even installed anti-slip devices at the top of the stairs on purpose. Even if someone stumbled here, if they were physically fit, they would have grabbed the railing.”
Olivia’s eyes followed Craeyer’s gaze. Indeed, the railing was positioned exactly where it needed to be.
“So that means…”
“It’s closer to an assassination disguised as an accident than an actual accident.”
Olivia chuckled for a moment before asking.
“Was there really a need to assassinate the King of Norden?”
Once again, instead of an answer to the question, something else was returned.
“It was his doing.”
“His?”
-Thunk. Olivia flinched at the sound of someone going next to her. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Craeyer, but she couldn’t help but ask.
“Who… I mean, who is he?”
“That… person, no. Who is he?”
“He’s a sorcerer.”
“Magic? Then, could it be that slave… No, I mean, the contract…”
“Yeah. It was his doing.”
Craeyer touched the collarbone stamped with the seal of the contract, the mark of the slave, which wouldn’t be visible to other people’s eyes.
‘…You will…serve him…soon the world will…’
The memories of the fragmented past echoed in the emptiness of his mind, summoning a chilly wind. And the next moment.
“What are you doing?”
Craeyer looked down at the small, smooth hand covering his hand.
“Well, um…”
Unable to answer properly, Olivia continued to pat his hand awkwardly. As his eyes narrowed, Olivia hurriedly spoke up.
“I don’t know, it just happened.”
Even as she spoke, Olivia was surprised at herself, but she didn’t say anything more. She couldn’t find anything else to say. After meeting Craeyer, who had not lied even once, Olivia spoke only the truth again this time. Without even a moment to think or worry, when she came to her senses, she found herself patting his hand like comforting a baby. It was an answer that didn’t really answer anything, but Craeyer didn’t press her for more. He didn’t push her hand away or pull back. He just watched. A dove… Was that what he said? A dove of peace. A woman trying to prevent war, or rather, trying to survive.
“You’re surely not really a dove.”
“I’m a person! I’m a person!”
But why… Since returning from death and being bound by a contract he never wanted, living a life like a doll hanging on strings, Craeyer had become uncomfortable with human contact. It wasn’t to the point of shivering away, but the lukewarm warmth of others irritated him. It was probably because of the seal of the slave, a mad sorcerer who breathed warmth into his long-dead body as if reviving a corpse. But oddly enough, it wasn’t so bad. There was no discomfort, no desire to cut off his hand.
“You’re a person?”
“I’m a person! Believe me. Wanting to be a dove is just a metaphorical way of symbolizing peace, so it means I’ll protect world peace!”
Even the voice chirping in front of him wasn’t so bad. A faint but strangely twisted smile appeared at the corners of Craeyer’s mouth.
“I’m a person.”
“I’ve said it many times, I’m a person. Where on earth do you see a dove? Even though I’ve regressed several times, I’ve never turned into an animal…”
He looked deeply into Olivia’s eyes as she fervently insisted, her blue eyes sharp and firm.
“I’m… not so bad.”
Craeyer’s voice, softly dispersing, didn’t reach Olivia’s ears, but it resonated clearly in his own ears. Yes. The warmth of Olivia touching him really wasn’t so bad.
* * *
At the moment when Olivia and Craeyer were heading towards the body of the King of Norden, the Norden Palace was in a state of early, or rather, excessive chaos.
“His Majesty has passed away!”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Now is not the time for this! We need the Crown Prince to succeed!”
Amidst the clamor of people shouting, one man stood up.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
One more chapters comming!!
This chapter was translated by Bree.
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