TLDWAE 56

Chapter 56

‘-Alright. Since you understand, you may leave now.’

In the end, after his persistent persuasion, even the Grand Duke backed down. A knight was not a toy to be bought and sold at will.

Just as knights devoted themselves loyally to their masters, those who received their loyalty had to respect them in return. Forcing them into positions against their will was a betrayal of that loyalty.

‘Are you Sir Alcestera?’

‘-I am here to see His Highness, the Prince.’

‘Ah, that’s fine. Since we’ll be seeing each other often from now on, there’s no need to kneel.’

A few days later, just when he thought everything had settled, Robert came to see Higon. At that time, he was still a prince, but with a nine-year age gap from his only rival, the princess, and enjoying the emperor’s strong trust, he was considered a clear heir to the throne.

Higon, a mere knight, felt burdened by the visit. He could already anticipate to some extent what Robert would say.

‘I heard that Cery, no, the princess, requested you as her guard… My apologies. The child is naive, not yet aware of the world. She’s still just a child. Would doubling your previous pay satisfy you?’

Robert was fundamentally kind, or at least appeared to be kind to everyone. For royalty at the pinnacle of the empire, he was relatively generous even to subordinates.

But when it came to Princess Ceryvis, he changed. He was excessively obsessed with his younger sister.

Robert would grant anything the princess desired. If she wanted something, he would give it; if she wanted to eat something, he would feed it to her. Whatever she wished for, he would make happen, regardless of right or wrong.

The chilling part was that his obsession appeared perfectly normal on the surface. Wearing only the mask of a caring older brother, he weeded out men who flirted with Ceryvis and even “self-proclaimed” friends who tried to use her, keeping them in check.

Higon realized Robert’s true nature when he actively helped the princess in her favorite pastime of causing trouble for Karia, without a single word of warning.

‘Your Highness, I think there’s some misunderstanding. It’s not about money. I already serve the Grand Princess. A knight isn’t a trinket to be swapped for someone you fancy.’

‘Excellent! Yes, this is how a knight should be. But… does your lordship also care for a sick mother in the capital?’

Robert placed a friendly hand on Higon’s shoulder. Higon froze in place.

‘A few days from now, a delegation will be sent to the Bismarck Empire for diplomatic relations. Well, calling it an “empire” is a bit of a stretch, but the war has been over for quite some time… It’s about time to think about the future, don’t you agree?’

‘-What exactly are you implying?’

‘I’ve been appointed the head of that delegation. Your uncle also agreed to provide a knight, but I wondered if you’d be willing to send one, perhaps for your cute nephew heading abroad. What do you think?’

Being assigned to a diplomatic delegation abroad, especially accompanying a prince, was not something a knight could refuse.

So, if he did not accept the princess’s guard duty, he would have to leave the empire alongside the prince. That was Robert’s implication.

‘You may have to stay for at least half a year, maybe even a full year. Before becoming Crown Prince, he needs to travel widely. But I’m not sure your sick mother would wait that long.’

Higon gritted his teeth. His mother’s health had been deteriorating since his father’s death, and recently she had been bedridden almost constantly.

The doctor had said at most half a year, depending on the patient’s will. Without any family or relatives around, if even Higon left, she would not be able to endure it.

How could someone even think of bargaining with another person’s sick mother just to satisfy a sibling’s whim?

Higon knew he couldn’t oppose royalty, but he could not bring himself to see Robert as human.

‘Don’t make that face. People might think I’m tormenting you.’

‘Your Highness!’

‘Why worry so much? At this point, you might as well accept it. What’s the problem? If you serve Cery, your path to advancement is open. Honestly, Karia… my cousin though she is, is quite pointless. She’s always gloomy, and there’s nothing interesting about her.’

‘Should a member of the royal family, who should set an example, wield personal power in such matters?’

Higon could not tolerate Robert even mentioning Karia’s name. Every time he came to the palace, her expression stiffened because he had tormented her—brazenly!

He felt the urge to grab Robert by the collar and punch him, but his cursed status restrained him. Losing his composure would deeply sadden both his mother and Karia.

‘Don’t misunderstand; I’m not forcing you. I just want you to think it over carefully once more.’

Not forcing him—what a ridiculous joke. Robert was the kind of person who could end his life with a single gesture.

Higon had only one choice: to accept what was offered.

He chose his mother. But since he could not speak of the prince’s request, he resolved to be the villain himself. At least so she could resent him for his ingratitude, and begin to stand on her own as quickly as possible.

“So basically, the person I need to take revenge on isn’t you, it’s the Crown Prince?”

“I’m not trying to place all blame on His Highness. After all, it was my choice.”

“Then? I erred, but I ask for leniency?”

While listening to his long-winded explanation, Karia remained sullen. Higon had even knelt in front of her, placing a chair between them.

They were in Karia’s private room, the same place where he had once had an in-depth conversation with Ceryvis face-to-face.

With servants and guards sent out, the room was theirs alone, yet no awkwardness lingered. They had been together constantly for five years, after all.

But now, the past no longer mattered.

“-I wanted to tell you that what I said back then wasn’t insincere.”

He lifted his bowed head and slowly looked up at Karia.

She appeared as a mature woman now, but her red eyes, slender cheeks, and graceful neck—seen hundreds or thousands of times—were unmistakably hers.

“You were insulted as a bastard, as a stain on the royal family. That was wrong. The anger of those who hated you was misdirected; the blame, the scorn, should have been directed at the Grand Duke, not you. I believe you are far better than you think. So…”

“So?”

“If my words hurt you, I want you to be angry at me. I want you to know you are in no way at fault.”

Higon’s voice trembled with the surge of emotion. Yet despite his heartfelt confession, Karia’s expression remained unchanged—no reaction at all.

She only looked down at him with her thinly open red eyes and spoke slowly.

“How is your mother?”

“She passed away at the end of that year.”

“Do I appear to you as a weak, powerless little girl, hurt and blaming herself for what she heard back then?”

Karia asked evenly, and Higon bit his lower lip and shook his head.

Yes, just as when she had stood before the emperor in the Great Hall, she was dignified. Her composure radiated confidence, almost to the point of arrogance.

She did not need his belated consolation. No, she did not need it. All of it was merely his stubborn pride.

“Then why confess something so long past now? You could have come when my mother passed away, after all.”

“That’s because… at that time you were married to the Duke of Pandeon…”

“What does my being married have to do with an apology?”

Higon fell silent again. To be honest, he hadn’t fully understood his own feelings, but Karia’s gaze seemed to pierce through him, and he realized the truth then.

The apology was just an excuse. A selfish wish—to stand once more as a knight before her, even just once.

He wanted to be by her side, hoping she would need him again.

“I love you. I have always loved you.”

“…….”

“That’s why I wanted to return to your side. I ask for nothing more. I just want to be near you. Like before.”

“You asked me to kill you earlier, and now your wishes keep growing.”

Karia leaned back in her chair, her sharp sarcasm cutting through the air. Looking into his eyes, she could feel the sincerity. She remembered how lifeless he seemed when near the princess.

Yet, was it right to forgive him so easily?

Even if he returned to the princess for unavoidable reasons, it was ultimately his selfish desire to show off that had scarred her heart.

And if that selfishness stemmed from loving her as a woman, it meant he could act impulsively again in the future.

‘Still, rejecting him outright now seems wasteful.’

Gaining favor without expecting anything in return, securing an absolute advantage, was a rare opportunity.

Karia stared at Higon, who waited like a condemned man, and came to a surprisingly simple conclusion: use him, but don’t let him get too close.