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Chapter 31
It was cold that day.
With every step, my feet sank into the snow, and my legs stung like they were being slashed by blades.
Even the cold that felt like it could freeze my blood couldn’t extinguish the heat of my anger.
“I didn’t do it! Patricide? Treason? Don’t put that burden on me! I didn’t do any of it!”
It was desperate—pitiful, even.
Pablo Herka, who had heard this, stabbed his sword deep into the ground.
“Inerua Mertiel. No, your father severed ties with you, so you’re not even of Mertiel blood anymore, are you?”
He was a man whose expression had never been pleasant.
“Well, none of that matters anymore.”
His presence was so overwhelming that even just being near him made it hard to breathe.
“Whether you’re truly guilty or not doesn’t matter to us.”
Sword in hand, the man widened his stride and approached me.
“All we need is to crush the duke’s power and capture you, labeled a traitor, to restore the people’s faith in His Majesty.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Gasp!
I shot up in bed, clutching my chest with a grimace.
“Why am I dreaming about things from before the regression…?”
No—actually, that wasn’t the real issue.
My body felt terrible.
“Ugh… haah.”
My heart pounded violently.
I struggled to calm my erratic breathing.
“Whew…”
I clutched my head under the moonlight pouring in through the window and bit my lower lip hard.
“Medicine. Where’s the medicine…”
Cold sweat dripped down my face as I clutched the blanket tightly.
I tried to lower my legs from the bed and sit up straight, but I immediately collapsed to the floor.
My body thudded onto the wolf-fur carpet.
I tried to push myself up using the floor, but there was no strength in my arms. My torso collapsed again.
My fingertips trembled.
“Damn it…”
Cursing under my breath, I clenched my fist tightly.
“Huff…”
I wasn’t in any condition to stand, but I slowly braced both feet on the floor and straightened my back as I looked ahead.
My face was drenched in sweat.
My eyelashes quivered.
My eyes burned from the restless movement of my pupils.
“Damn it. I was fine for a while—why now again…”
I stepped forward.
Even that motion was excruciating.
It felt as if every muscle in my body was tearing apart and re-stitching itself.
The pain spread from my heart and gradually consumed my entire body.
A sharp scent of blood filled the air.
At the same time, the pungent smell of the opened medicine vial wafted up.
I poured the potion into my mouth all at once.
Only then did the fever burning through my body begin to subside.
✦ ✦ ✦
‘I need to go back.’
I had come to the palace regarding the auction incident, but used the excuse that “I must return to the duchy now” and requested to go home.
Because of the slave auction scandal that had quickly spread throughout the capital in recent days, I felt every step weighed down by heavier stares than usual.
“A slave auction? How shameful for us nobles.”
“Good riddance. Such things should be rooted out. Thank goodness the duke handled it.”
The winter air, bright and warm under the dazzling sunlight, softened the atmosphere.
But despite the gentle air, I was burning up inside.
‘The Emperor… He seemed really displeased.’
I was just coming back from an audience with him.
His final words still echoed in my mind, hauntingly clear.
[Duke, you will pay the price for this.]
That ominous remark made me force a polite smile.
I barely held back the urge to stomp my feet in frustration.
As Kistchel tilted his head and gestured, the imperial attendants stepped aside to make way for us.
“No need for an escort.”
Kistchel even waved off the Emperor’s servants and led me away.
“Did the conversation go well?”
“Yes. I just need to return to the duchy. Please prepare everything right away.”
“Understood.”
Click, clack—the sound of footsteps on marble followed by the rush of those trailing behind.
“What about the carriage?”
“It’s ready. You can board immediately.”
I slowly nodded, but again, the Emperor came to mind.
The thought alone unsettled me, making me quicken my pace.
Being near the Emperor felt like standing on thin ice.
He looked perfect on the outside.
He governed the country flawlessly, respected by the nobility.
He always smiled in front of me… but I could never let my guard down.
‘I’ll need to be cautious.’
The short grace period where the Emperor merely observed me had ended with this auction incident.
‘From now on, he’ll be watching my every move.’
If only it stopped at that…
But what if he started taking real action?
An indescribable anxiety crept in, as though something irreversible might happen.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine and my skin prickled.
Trying to sort out my thoughts, I silently bid farewell to the Imperial Palace—hoping not to return for a while.
“Duke.”
Kistchel whispered urgently into my ear.
“It’s Her Majesty, the Empress.”
The Empress?
As I passed through the garden, I spotted her—surrounded by attendants, standing tall, the highest-ranking woman in all of Libedro.
She was looking down at the flowers, face half-hidden behind a fan, then turned her gaze toward me.
Her posture was flawless—graceful beyond reproach.
Even just standing there, the curve of her nape beneath her neatly pinned hair reminded me of a swan.
Not just that—despite her age, her upright posture and calm, focused gaze exuded dignity.
Our eyes met in midair.
“It’s been a while. Inerua Mertiel greets Your Majesty the Empress.”
I’d seen her once during my succession ceremony, but we’d never spoken before.
I bent my knees slightly, placing a hand over my chest in greeting.
The Empress’s maids glared daggers down at me.
“Duke.”
A murmur—so soft I almost missed it.
Her voice, which I was hearing for the first time, was more elegant than expected.
In that moment, I understood where Eshid got his sweet voice from.
‘Now that I think about it… Eshid hasn’t come to see me.’
I’d expected him to come running the moment he heard I was at the palace…
But unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury to dwell on that question or find an answer.
“I hear you’ve grown close with my son.”
The Empress herself had brought up Eshid.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Only after she gestured for me to rise did I straighten myself.
“I wanted to meet you.”
Her face was still hidden behind the fan—only her eyes visible.
To me, she seemed serene… but also lethargic.
‘It’s like the sea before a great storm.’
That was how she looked in my eyes.
“Would you grant me a moment of your time, Duke?”
“It would be an honor.”
The sudden invitation couldn’t be refused.
✦ ✦ ✦
I sat at a tea table prepared in the garden.
Even seated, the Empress didn’t lower her fan.
Its frame was made of ivory, covered in imported deep blue silk and silver thread, and decorated with small, luminous pearls.
She lightly waved the fan without strain.
“How are things with the Crown Prince?”
A soft voice drifted from behind the fan.
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s care, we’re getting along well.”
There was only one reason I didn’t raise my guard despite the Empress’s sudden invitation.
Unlike the Emperor, she didn’t give off the same threatening hostility.
“Duke, did you know?”
She lowered her eyelids.
Only half of her eyes were visible now.
“There’s no end to the rumors about you in the capital.”
Her every breath seemed calculated, cautious.
I focused on her next words.
“It’s like pouring seawater into a lake.”
“……”
“Different types of water don’t mix easily. At first, they clash—but eventually, they blend somehow. Still, the small creatures that lived in the lake will all die.”
