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Chapter 77
Ch 12. There Isn’t Just One Conspiracy
It had been a week since the Reaper returned to Belzesti.
Finally, the day of Duke Baharman’s execution had arrived.
“…Huh.”
My chest kept fluttering nervously.
I took a deep breath and pressed it down firmly.
It’s okay, Einra. It’s just a bad man dying.
He was blinded by greed, trying to kill his own nephew to seize the throne.
On top of that, he had tried to kill Akes several times, and now he was even messing with Harnen.
If things had gone wrong, I could have lost someone precious to me.
All I’m doing is watching the man die.
So, it’s actually a good thing.
There’s no need to be this tense…
“…Miss? Miss Einra?”
I was murmuring absentmindedly when suddenly I heard a voice calling me from outside.
The voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Uh, uh… yes?”
“May I come in?”
It was Lady Semelda asking.
I hurriedly replied.
“Ah, come in!”
Time had passed while I had been lost in thought, sitting in the bathtub.
No sooner had I spoken than Lady Semelda entered the bathroom.
With precise and swift movements, she attended to me, and this time, her skill in preparing me was near perfect.
I stared blankly into the mirror.
In the reflection, instead of my usual puppy-like face, a sharp and intelligent-looking woman was gazing calmly back at me.
“All done.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“If you need anything more, please call me.”
Lady Semelda stepped back gracefully and formally.
Click. The door closed.
Taking my eyes off the mirror, I picked up the Emperor’s letter that had been on the nearby nightstand.
A week ago, a letter had arrived from the Emperor, requesting my attendance at Duke Baharman’s execution.
It was to be a proper execution for a traitor: a scaffold would be set up in the square, and the offender’s neck would be cut in front of the entire public.
The execution itself was fine, but I didn’t want to watch it, so I had sent a reply declining.
Then, yesterday, the Emperor sent another letter.
This time, he was encouraging my attendance.
As my eyes skimmed over the elegant handwriting I had read several times already, they stopped at a single line.
[Since you are the one who punished the traitor, shouldn’t you watch it with your own eyes?]
“…The traitor I punished.”
I whispered the words to myself.
My grip on the letter tightened.
Yes. I punished him.
I had punished the person who tried to kill someone precious to me.
So I had to witness the conclusion with my own eyes.
That was the very definition of revenge.
“…It’s okay. I can watch it.”
It’s just watching a bad person’s neck fall.
I clenched my trembling hands into fists to control them.
How many times had I murmured that to myself?
Knock, knock.
A concise knock sounded, and the door opened.
“Einra.”
A low voice wrapped around my ears.
Startled, I turned to see Akes walking toward me in his uniform.
“I heard you asked Lady Semelda to help with your dressing.”
“Uh… yes…”
“You said you weren’t going to the execution today.”
He moved swiftly across the room with long legs and looked at my face with concern.
“Why are you going if you’re this nervous?”
The back of his warm hand touched my cheek.
A faint shadow passed over my lowered red eyes.
Momentarily captivated by his beautiful face, I shook myself back to attention when he called me again.
“I… I changed my mind! If you’re going to get revenge, you should see it to the very end. Let’s go.”
Avoiding his gaze, I tried to summon Hisha.
Akes gently caught my hand.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
“But…”
I mumbled, lowering my head, and he smiled.
“Revenge isn’t only about watching someone die.”
“….”
“It’s meant to calm your anger, not make you feel bad.”
“…But in the end, I’m the one who brought Duke Baharman to his execution. If I don’t attend, everyone will find it strange.”
I said, gripping the letter tightly in my hand.
Akes’s eyes fell on it.
After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Huh?”
I looked up at him with wide eyes. He spoke gently.
“The Emperor himself will handle that.”
“…Huh?”
“He’s the Emperor, after all.”
He smiled again.
I returned the smile and then gathered my affinity for nature to summon Hisha.
Realizing my words weren’t working, Akes sighed and scattered my affinity with his aura.
“You really don’t have to go.”
“Akes.”
“I didn’t want to say this, but…”
Frowning slightly, he continued slowly.
“Others still think that Einra and I don’t get along.”
“….”
“If I go, no one will think it’s strange if you don’t.”
I fidgeted with my fingers and cautiously asked.
“…I really don’t have to go?”
Blinking, I looked up at him, and he smiled.
“I told you.”
Akes slowly leaned toward me.
So close I could feel his breath, he whispered:
“There’s only one thing in this world you cannot do of your own will—and that’s it.”
“….”
Our eyes met at close range.
I stared at him dumbly, my face burning, and stepped back in shock.
You… your face is way too dangerous…!
I internally screamed and covered my face with both hands, hearing a faint laugh by my bedside.
The next moment, a soft touch pressed against the back of my hand, covering my lips.
“…?”
All thought and movement froze instantly.
Through my stiffened ears, I heard Akes’s languid voice, as he pressed and released his lips on my hand.
“Einra, remember you promised to give me a reward when I returned to my true form?”
“….”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Akes brushed my hair lightly as a farewell gesture and turned away.
Click. The door closed.
Even after his presence had completely disappeared, I remained frozen like a statue, only able to lower my trembling hands much later.
I babbled without realizing it.
“His… lips were on the back of my hand…”
The back of my hand that had covered my lips.
“Th-the reward… means…”
There was no other way to interpret it.
“Ah… ugh…”
My face burned red beyond description.
My heart pounded wildly, and I couldn’t stay still.
I climbed onto the bed, hugging the pillow and punching it frantically.
Sorry, pillow.
It’s just that… this is my first time in love…
Akes entered the execution site.
The moment he entered, the gazes of nobles who had arrived early turned to him.
It was the first time the Duke of Serenia had been seen since suddenly disappearing at the victory celebration banquet.
The nobles whispered behind their fans, intrigued by the unexpected sight.
Akes’s seat was right beside the throne.
Walking calmly to his place, he immediately lowered a translucent veil, blocking the view.
Clack. All veils surrounded by soundproofing magic descended.
The Emperor, seated on the throne and observing with interest, spoke.
“So, the not-so-cute Duke of Serenia has arrived.”
Akes bowed politely, a ceremonial smile on his face.
“I, Akes de Serenia, head of the House of Serenia, pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. But I don’t see our little cute Elementalist.”
The Emperor tilted his head slightly.
“You, the Duke, must be eager to reveal your relationship with Einra to the world, so I thought you wouldn’t miss this opportunity.”
“My apologies for not meeting expectations.”
Akes replied concisely and turned his gaze elsewhere.
Originally, this execution was meant to be attended officially by both him and Einra.
The previously held Elementalist welcome banquet was a private event, so her absence wouldn’t have been a big problem.
But an execution, especially of a traitor, was different.
Not attending such an event for personal reasons would give opponents a political advantage.
So Akes planned to publicly reveal that Einra was his partner on this occasion.
No more mad people like Lloyd de Baharman could harass Einra.
But…
Akes lowered his gaze.
He remembered Einra’s hollow expression at the ruined Baharman estate.
He also remembered her face trembling with tension that morning.
…She must feel guilty about crushing someone else.
The Einra he knew was brave, yet more delicate than anyone else.
So he suppressed his own desires.
He wanted to solidify that Einra was his, but more than that, he didn’t want to see her make that face again.
