🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 80
With a scream that sounded as if his body were tearing apart, his head fell with a thunk beneath the guillotine.
The cheers of the crowd filled the square. Shouts from the soldiers dragging out the next person and the screams of the struggling condemned mixed into the roars of excitement.
The execution, now boiling with fervor, was gradually approaching its climax.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke.”
A masked figure approached Aches and bowed respectfully.
He, who had been watching the execution listlessly, spoke.
“Report.”
“I’ve successfully passed along the information you mentioned to Dante. He was cautious at first, but soon accepted it, and there were signs of agitation.”
“And the aftermath?”
“I’ve placed a substitute in the guild where the bait belongs. Within a few days, it will appear as though they died during a mission and then return.”
“Understood. You may withdraw.”
“As you command.”
The masked figure disappeared.
The emperor, who had been listening quietly to their conversation, spoke softly.
“So you really sent Dante to Belzesti.”
“……”
“I thought you’d snap his neck the moment you caught him. I guess Dante isn’t even a handful for Einra, huh?”
The emperor’s gaze fell on Aches, who was staring straight ahead.
A crooked smile formed on his red lips.
“If it’s about Einra, the only reason you didn’t kill him right away must be that reason.”
Aches, who had been silently staring forward, turned his head.
Meeting the emperor’s gaze, void of warmth, he offered a polite smile.
“Why ask when you already know everything?”
“Well… perhaps I was hoping this time I might hear a reasonable explanation,” the emperor replied with a huff, tapping his fingertips on the armrest.
“Sending a capable person who’s also a Returnee into enemy ranks isn’t exactly my preference… but there’s no denying that without a gamble, breaking through their solid fortress is difficult. In that sense, Dante is certainly a useful chess piece.”
A piece that could enter the fortress without suspicion and wreak havoc inside.
Of course, Dante had no idea he was being used.
“This should finally tip the balance that’s been equal for so long,” the emperor murmured lazily.
No matter which side.
At that moment, a subordinate spoke.
“Your Highness, the Emperor of the Belzesti Empire has sent a personal letter.”
“Hand it here.”
The emperor reached out, and the aide who had entered after drawing the curtains presented the tray.
As the emperor took the letter, the aide respectfully stepped back.
Once the curtains were confirmed to have been lowered again, the emperor opened the letter.
The soft pink eyes, slowly scanning the beautiful yet neat handwriting, twisted without warmth.
“Duke Cervante has finally realized that Harnen was the Belarisian Emperor. Considering he immediately sent a letter through the emperor, his decisiveness is impressive.”
The emperor handed the letter to Aches.
Receiving it, he read the contents with an indifferent expression.
His otherwise fluid eyes paused for a moment.
“…Hah.”
The noble emperor’s letter was ruthlessly crumpled in his large hand.
The emperor, having observed the reaction he desired, smirked with amusement.
“To curse Harnen, it seems he judged that at least the spirit user must be removed from the scene,” the emperor noted, tilting his head against the chair.
From the execution’s final act, the Grand Duke Bahar’s dying screams blended with her languid voice.
“…Given how openly they demanded our dear Einra, you know.”
I sipped the steaming tea Harnen had handed me, blowing gently as I stole a glance at him.
Noticing my gaze, Harnen, sitting across from me, smiled warmly and met my eyes.
“Why are you staring like that? Got something you want to say?”
“…Aren’t you mad at me?”
Fidgeting with my teacup, I asked carefully.
Harnen widened his eyes and tilted his head in confusion.
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“…You hid the curse from me. It’s aimed at you, so you should have been the first to know, but you foolishly thought you could catch Dante…”
“……”
“…I’m sorry, Harnen…”
I apologized with a gloomy expression.
Harnen, who had been quietly observing me, muttered in a low voice.
“Damn that Aches bastard…”
“Huh?”
“I meant, you’ve done nothing wrong, so there’s no need to apologize.”
He immediately smiled gently.
‘That doesn’t sound like what he meant…’
Before I could make sense of it, Harnen spoke again.
“I’m curious about something.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“When you explained the curse to me, you said Dante was in the Belzesti Empire. How did you find that out?”
“Hmm, I asked the Quiels to find his whereabouts. I don’t know how he crossed the border to Belzesti while injured…”
Trailing off, I lowered my head.
I hadn’t actively searched before because I trusted only the Quiels.
Dante’s injuries were severe, so I assumed he couldn’t have gone far.
“…It’s certain he’s in Belzesti,” I added, clenching my fists tightly.
Of course, I hadn’t come recklessly based on the Quiels alone.
‘I asked to see if maybe Aches knew too,’ I thought desperately, hoping for a negative answer.
Even though the execution was underway, Aches had kindly answered my question sent via the Quiels without a hint of displeasure.
Dante was indeed in the Belzesti Empire, and he had just received the news himself, planning to inform me once the execution ended.
No surprises occurred.
‘Once Dante returns, he’ll have far more mana than others. And Duke Cervante is an incredible sorcerer too.’
I knew the power of Duke Cervante.
And how sensitively Harnen reacts to him.
Everything I knew about Duke Cervante came through Harnen’s perspective.
‘With someone so vigilant now paired with a powerful Returnee, plus the curse as an unexpected variable…’
I glanced at Harnen again, watching his reactions carefully.
Just then, a light knock came from the front door.
Harnen, putting aside his amusement, stood and walked to the entrance.
He checked outside through the lens on the door and let out a cold sigh.
“Hah…”
“Harnen?”
I tilted my head, calling out. Harnen quickly turned with a soft smile.
“Einra, I think you have a visitor.”
“For me?”
I tilted my head the other way, and my eyes widened when I saw the person entering.
“Count Chevilla?”
The visitor was Aches’ aide, Violetti.
Standing, Violetti excused herself to Harnen and entered, bowing to me.
“His Majesty has requested that Your Highness escort the spirit user here.”
“So suddenly? Is something wrong?”
Normally, the emperor would send me a direct letter if he needed me.
This sudden order to have someone bring me here was unprecedented, and a small worry crept into my chest.
Violetti said nothing more than a calm, neutral statement.
“His Majesty will explain the details. It’s a long matter, so it’s inappropriate to discuss it here.”
“…Understood.”
Taking a deep breath to calm my unease, I looked at Harnen.
“Harnen, I’ll go. If you feel even slightly unwell or anything seems off, tell me immediately, okay?”
“Yeah, I will.”
Harnen smiled.
I returned the smile and followed Violetti out of the townhouse.
A single carriage, draped in simple black banners, awaited us.
Escorted by Violetti, I entered the carriage, where Aches was already waiting, smiling at me.
“Long time no see, Einra.”
“Oh, I saw you this morning…”
“Even a fleeting moment without you feels like eternity, so long time no see is still accurate,” he said lazily.
His languid gaze made me blush, and I quickly looked away.
“So, what’s the sudden matter? From Count Chevilla’s expression, it seems important…”
“You’ll hear the details when we reach the palace. It’s urgent but not particularly important,” Aches replied.
“Urgent? Is it about Belzesti?”
I furrowed my brows as I asked.
Aches tilted his head slightly, observing me.
“Hmm, Einra. Isn’t there something even more urgent and important than that?”
“More urgent and important? What is it?”
I widened my eyes and looked up at him.
How serious could it be for Aches to call it ‘more urgent and important’?
Meeting my serious gaze, he smiled softly.
“You promised to give it to me, remember?”
“……”
“I’m not a cute little child anymore.”
Tilting his head toward me, he added softly,
“You’re the grown-up expecting a reward from me, not a cute child.”
