You are at the End of the Downfall

The floor with just a single carpet laid on it was cold. Since it was summer now, there was no way they would use heating. Kaela was being punished by being forced to kneel in front of the maids and knights. Her knees were starting to hurt and her calves were tingling.

‘This isn’t so bad?’

Kaela chuckled at the passing thought. Immediately, the maid serving the Marchioness of Schroz shot her a sharp glare, but since she laughed on purpose, it didn’t matter.

The Marchioness of Schroz was someone who felt inferior about her lack of education, but she wasn’t the type to put in the effort to learn more to overcome that inferiority. So she ended up doing things recklessly out of ignorance. Even if she was the Crown Prince’s mother, she wasn’t the ‘Queen Mother.’ That was a title only the Empress could hold.

‘The Marchioness must have felt confident enough to act like she was on par with the Empress.’

That’s why she excitedly added all sorts of elaborate decorations to the engagement ceremony, trying to make everything more spectacular. It was not only the Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony but also a monumental day where she would officially act as the Crown Prince’s mother in public.

Having lost sight of everything else, she even made the Grand Duchess kneel. To Kaela, who was now used to kneeling, this didn’t even feel like punishment anymore.

Having developed a tolerance to most insults and pain, even her sense of shame had disappeared. She had become that shameless.

Though she had been a noble lady, now she felt nothing even when treated with contempt. It even made her laugh. She was curious about how the Marchioness of Schroz would handle this situation.

‘I’m getting further and further away from nobility.’

It was natural, considering she had died as a prisoner, experiencing every possible humiliation in her lifetime, with her self-esteem and dignity completely shattered. Most things couldn’t shake her anymore. Except for Peon.

Sir Renard looked ready to rush to Peon immediately, but Kaela stopped him with a glance. This would become gossip anyway.

As her knees started to go numb, she decided to think about what had been troubling her most these days.

Her consciousness kept drifting to the past, to Peon. She still hadn’t decided how to treat her husband.

‘It’s always about oppa, no, His Highness. Always…,even now.’

She deliberately chose to believe everything Beatrice had said in her confused state in the Northern Tower. It was because she couldn’t forgive herself for being so blind when it came to Peon.

Because it would be easier to hate him if her father was involved, because that would be the ‘right thing’ to do, she just accepted those words as truth and pushed them to the back of her mind.

Without doing that, Kaela found it impossible to hate Peon. She was that hopeless. It was like an endless craving for food. Just as one might lose control and devour everything unless consciously exercising restraint, she couldn’t stop herself.

No. Even if he’s innocent regarding Father’s matter, he’s the one who imprisoned me in the tower.

The prisoner, abandoned in cold and hunger, spoke sharply to her.

Isn’t that a crime? Making me get used to punishment, making me get used to humiliation, aren’t those crimes?

Kaela continued to struggle alone with these thoughts while kneeling in front of the maids. Her calves and ankles were starting to scream in protest.

****

Crown Prince Gregory found himself in a particularly important meeting for once. The Foreign Minister was standing, and the Grand Duke of Lusenford was seated.

It was a session to inform the Crown Prince about the negotiation details that had all been settled, as well as to educate him on what should and shouldn’t be said.

Due to the Emperor’s belief that the Crown Prince needed more education given his young age, Gregory rarely attended such meetings.

The Grand Duke of Lusenford had been participating in important meetings without fail since his early teens, carrying the duty of protecting the northern border region, but Gregory was still far from that level.

It was already widely known that the Emperor frequently compared the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke with disapproval.

Since the Emperor, who could be the only one to solidify the Crown Prince’s position, was acting this way, Gregory couldn’t help but feel constantly insecure.

“Do you understand what this means?”

In truth, since too much information had come at once, Gregory, who had missed most of the latter part, just nodded. It was impossible for an ordinary person to understand everything at once.

That’s why the Foreign Minister repeatedly checked and asked him to speak up if there was anything he didn’t understand, but Gregory thought he shouldn’t do that. The moment he admitted to not understanding, it would surely be reported to the Emperor, and he would only lose points. He needed to catch up quickly. But his head felt foggy. How much had he understood so far?

“There’s too much to cover, let’s take a break,” said the Grand Duke of Lusenford.

“If we don’t pace ourselves from now, we’ll be exhausted by the end. Let’s all take a rest.”

Those in key positions, including the Foreign Minister and Lord Luxsburg, who had been gauging with sharp eyes whether the Crown Prince was understanding or not, nodded without objection.

The young Grand Duke of Lusenford was currently leading the entire meeting.

He didn’t push himself forward. Yet he always held the initiative. Somehow, he seemed much more dignified and profound than when seen last winter.

Gregory understood why his father favored the Grand Duke of Lusenford so much. However, wasn’t he still the Crown Prince? It was Gregory who inherited the Emperor’s blood, not the Grand Duke of Lusenford. While Gregory understood, he couldn’t empathize.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

Lord Luxsburg immediately took the opportunity during the break to speak privately with Peon. The general in charge of engagement ceremony security would have quite a lot to say to the Grand Duke responsible for the North.

They didn’t include Gregory in the serious conversations between men. He sat awkwardly like an outsider, trying to catch up on what he had missed so far.

“How did you manage to stop the united barbarian invasion in such a short time?”

The generals in Craine showed respect even to the young Peon. They were desperate to hear even one more word about how he had devised such an excellent strategy, what his secret was. Should he tell them that all it took was fighting while throwing away even his political foundation? Peon gave a perfunctory answer and turned his gaze to the window.

Come to think of it, he didn’t have many places he felt attached to. He was tired of Lusenford now, and Craine didn’t hold any particularly good memories either.

It was a place stained with the Emperor’s abuse and his mother’s tears. Now he had returned here again with his wife.

At least in the royal palace, memories of time spent with Kaela were melted into every corner. Those memories alone somewhat diluted the abuse he had suffered and the suffocating fear.

[Oppa, would you like to eat this?]

There wasn’t much the little girl who hung around him could do. Kaela, seven years his junior, would sit beside him and look at books when he studied, or quietly wait beside him when he was crying.

Yes, she waited. Without going anywhere, she just sat quietly by his side and waited.

[Go away. Get out of here.]

[Okay. I’m sorry.]

When his pride was hurt from being caught crying and he told her to leave, she would apologize gently and leave. She wouldn’t go far, just wait until he finished crying and came out.

Though she was annoying and bothersome, she was the only person he could trust to always be there. She was the only one who would smile brightly at whatever he said.

[I’m sorry, oppa. I’ll go.]

That’s why one day, when she found him crying and was about to quietly disappear after apologizing, he held her back.

[Just stay.]

Though his pride was mortally wounded, it didn’t hurt so much with Kaela beside him. Back then, he just thought she was used to seeing him cry so much.

Kaela never mocked him for crying, never looked down on him. She would hand him a crumpled handkerchief, sit beside him without making a sound, and sometimes tentatively reach out to hold his hand.

Though it must have been hard for a young child to sit still, she stayed right by his side while he cried. She was warm, small, and his only comfort.

Kaela was always the exception and unique. His mother, whom he rarely saw even in the palace, seemed to find it painful to see her son, holding back tears whenever they met. Everyone either felt uncomfortable around Peon or despised him, one or the other.

Only the innocent, pure Kaela genuinely welcomed him whenever she saw him. Perhaps her heart was the only thing that the desperately poor him possessed.

And even that heart, he trampled on with his own muddy feet. Even though it was the most precious and only thing he had.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Peon, who had been looking out the window, turned his head and called to the Crown Prince. Attention immediately focused on the Crown Prince. At that low voice, the Crown Prince quickly raised his head.

“It’s a nice day. During our break, how about taking a brief walk around here?”

Though Gregory was very surprised and somewhat reluctant, he had no reason to refuse the request of the person leading this meeting. There might be something to learn from getting closer. Moreover, both the Foreign Minister and Lord Luxsburg seemed to have looks that said ‘please accept.’ Gregory silently rose from his seat.

“This way, please.”

The Grand Duke of Lusenford, who was always precisely formal with him, politely guided him. Gregory unconsciously followed in tension, waiting to hear what the Grand Duke might say. The Grand Duke, much taller than Gregory, took large strides down the stairs and went completely outside the building.

“Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thanks.”

Hearing his own voice sound small and thin, Gregory unnecessarily cleared his throat.

“It must be exhausting trying to absorb in one day what was decided over several days.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Even during break time, there’s so much else to learn.”

“…Huh?”

Gregory looked at Peon slightly late. What did he mean by learning more? While focusing only on keeping up with the Grand Duke’s quick pace, they had somehow completely left the area where the meeting was being held.

No, how did they get so far so quickly? Gregory was puzzled to see the inner palace nearby, which he hadn’t expected. When did they get here?

“Many things are happening in the palace. Since we’ve come this far, it might be good to check how Your Highness’s engagement ceremony preparations are progressing.”

Though the words were a light suggestion, they were a strong recommendation. Those fierce violet eyes put unnecessary pressure and burden on Gregory.

The Empress’s eyes, whom he’d seen maybe three times, were like that. Whenever Gregory saw those eyes, he would needlessly lower his head to avoid them.

“Shouldn’t everything be as Your Highness wishes?”

“I don’t know much about ceremony matters…”

“Even just taking a brief look at things you don’t know well will teach you a lot. That’s how it was for me too.”

The Grand Duke of Lusenford’s words were quite enticing. Gregory unconsciously stepped forward.

“Please go in first.”

Belatedly, Gregory realized that not only his mother but also the Grand Duchess of Lusenford was here.

“Ah, are you going to see your wife?”

Kaela and Gregory were the same age, and though it was somewhat complicated, they were cousins who had been quite close. Gregory smiled slightly, finding it both awkward and fascinating that this cousin was loved by the remarkable Grand Duke of Lusenford.

But the Grand Duke of Lusenford just stared at him blankly, and Gregory, feeling more awkward, quickly went inside.

There was no sign of the Grand Duke following. Gregory soon forgot about the man behind him.

“…What’s going on here?”

At first, he was puzzled. Where administrators should have been busy working, there were almost none, and only maids and knights stood in attendance in the nearly empty space. And in the middle of that vast hall, a small lady was sitting on the bare floor.

His mother’s maids, whom Gregory knew, were standing at regular intervals, watching the lady as if guarding her. The hostile atmosphere was strange. Gregory walked briskly forward to confirm who the lady was.

“What is this, Kaela?”

“…Ah.”

Kaela, who had been enduring until she was exhausted and slowly starting to crumble, barely lifted her head.

“Your Highness theCrown Prince. It’s been a while.”

She bowed so deeply that she was almost lying prostrate.

“What are you doing here? Why are you like this?”

Gregory asked in great confusion. No matter how he looked at it, she was kneeling. Who made the Grand Duchess kneel? Gregory looked at his mother’s lady-in-waiting who was standing nearby.

“The Marchioness ordered her to kneel and reflect on her actions.”

“Are you crazy?”

At the sudden outburst, the lady-in-waiting who had been looking up flinched in surprise.

“She committed the sin of underestimating the Marchioness and conspiring with the Imperial Palace to embarrass her.”

“Even so, what happened to the imperial protocol of verbal admonishment…!”

The Crown Prince temporarily closed his mouth, trying to be careful with his words. I can’t make a mistake. I must not make a mistake.

“Kaela, I’m sorry. Please stand up. I’m truly sorry. How long have you been kneeling? Where is my mother! Take me to her immediately!”

Gregory felt cold sweat forming as he sensed the presence of the Grand Duke of Lusenford behind him. If nothing else, he knew well that Kaela, who had experience hosting and preparing events including the welcoming ceremony for the Keruzhan Kingdom’s delegation, wouldn’t make mistakes in protocol.

At the same time, Kaela was also the wife of the Grand Duke of Lusenford, the man to whom he was constantly being compared. The Crown Prince had to carefully consider what would be advantageous to him in this situation.

While telling Kaela to get up quickly, he called out loudly to the Marchioness of Schroz who was inside.

“Mother! What is this about! You should have used words!”

“Oh my, what brings our Crown Prince here?”

“That’s not the issue right now, how could you do this to the Grand Duchess?”

The Marchioness of Schroz immediately came out with a sullen expression and furrowed brows.

“Listen to me, Gregory. I am your mother, and while I was doing what His Majesty directly ordered, she suddenly appeared and only pretended to help, and it turns out she was backstabbing me so I couldn’t do anything…”

Her chattering complaints to her son suddenly stopped. Gregory turned around following his mother’s gaze. The mother and son’s eyes met with the Grand Duke, who was helping up the Grand Duchess who could barely stand due to her numb legs.

The Crown Prince froze. He felt like he couldn’t even breathe properly in front of such an overwhelming presence. The Grand Duke rose while completely embracing his wife, his gaze fixed on the Marchioness of Schroz. It felt like a massive mountain rising.

The Marchioness of Schroz could only watch as that enormous terror strode forward and grabbed her son.

The Grand Duke lifted her precious son upside down and ripped his legs off. Blood and flesh splattered across the Marchioness of Schroz’s pretty face.