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Chapter : 33
After crying for a long while, Kaiden finally calmed himself and returned to his room.
“Welcome back. We’ve been waiting for you.”
However, there was an unexpected guest inside.
It was the Pope.
To intrude so freely into the private quarters of the royal family…
For a moment, Kaiden felt a surge of anger, but he recalled the conversation he had with King Arthur IV before and faced the visitor calmly.
“What brings Your Holiness here?”
Pope Gregory VII looked surprised at Kaiden’s composed demeanor.
“You’re not startled? Have you heard about this from His Majesty?”
Kaiden, thinking there was no point in hiding the truth, revealed it plainly.
“Yes. I know why the Empress is being punished, even if it’s not by my doing.”
“Did His Majesty tell you this himself?”
Gregory VII assumed that the Emperor hadn’t revealed the full truth to Kaiden, considering his young age.
As the Pope wondered, Kaiden continued speaking without changing his expression.
“Yes. The truth always comes out, no matter how much one tries to hide it.”
The childlike innocence he had shown earlier had completely vanished.
The Pope smiled faintly and muttered to himself.
“You truly are a member of the royal family. Impressive indeed.”
Despite Kaiden’s expressionless face, his mind was like a blazing furnace.
But he wasn’t in a position to confront the Pope directly, so he clenched his fists so tightly that the skin around his nails dug in.
“Do you have anything further to discuss?”
“I would like some tea. May I have a cup?”
This was the polite way of the upper class to indicate he wanted to continue the conversation.
Kaiden summoned a servant to prepare tea and led Pope Gregory VII to a sofa.
The two sat facing each other across a small table in silence.
It was the Pope who broke the quiet first.
“Where were you headed?”
As if to skip further pleasantries, he went straight to the point.
Kaiden did not answer. He feared that speaking carelessly could bring harm to Empress Aria.
Seeing the Prince’s silence, the Pope raised an eyebrow and regarded him suspiciously.
Kaiden carefully chose his words before replying.
“I went out to get some fresh air.”
“Did you not hear His Majesty’s order of confinement?”
“…I did. But since the Empress had already chosen to make a sacrifice, I thought a minor lapse wouldn’t be a major issue.”
The Pope chuckled quietly to himself.
“I see. After all, the prophecy of God is merely a justification.”
It was a statement that could easily be interpreted as blasphemy.
Yet Gregory VII remained calm. Whatever he said in this room would not be believed; people would not trust the words of the Second Prince, whose eyes had turned purple.
Kaiden was well aware of this.
“However, Your Highness, you must keep in mind that fate can never be altered.”
Kaiden furrowed his brow, unsure if this was blasphemy or blind faith.
The Pope, as if reading his mind, answered accurately.
“Curious whether the Pope is committing blasphemy or showing blind faith?”
Kaiden said nothing.
“It’s the latter. There are those who accept it because God said so, and there are those who exploit it. Because of them, fate proceeds as intended.”
“So, Your Holiness uses prophecy to your advantage.”
“Yes. I prefer to use it rather than merely accept it. Better to affirm than to deny.”
Gregory VII glared at Kaiden.
“…You deny God, then.”
Kaiden had no intention of committing blasphemy here—he had already done that before Felix.
But hearing the Pope explicitly label it as denial removed any restraint.
He had become the most despised creature in the Aden Empire.
“Yes. I do not believe in God.”
He resented the deity who had imposed such an absurd fate.
He resented the god who forced him apart from his beloved family.
He resented the nobles and the Pope who made him miserable under the name of destiny.
As the two stared at each other, a servant knocked on the door.
“Your Highness, the tea has been brought. May we enter?”
Kaiden answered with a more restrained tone than before.
“Ah, come in.”
The servant placed the tea before Kaiden and the Pope, visibly nervous.
It was well-brewed black tea.
In Vedes, tea was not commonly enjoyed, so the Pope’s tea was lighter in color.
He admired it and praised the servant.
“So delicate. Thank you.”
The servant scratched the back of his head and replied humbly.
“No, thank you, Your Holiness.”
Kaiden observed the scene silently from across the table.
‘Ferrard is from Lohas.’
Though Ferrard was from the noble Lohas family, he had served Kaiden since childhood.
Because of this, Ferrard was loyal to Kaiden despite his origins.
He was the one who revealed the Empress’s prison location, even taking the blame on himself if discovered.
As Kaiden was lost in thought, the Pope bestowed a blessing on Ferrard.
“May honor accompany you on your path.”
A brief, clear light flickered and vanished.
Ferrard gratefully accepted the blessing.
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
‘A blessing from the Pope is a great honor.’
Even among nobles, it was rare to receive the Pope’s blessing directly.
People often clamored just to hear the Pope’s gestures and words.
It was a normal reaction, but Kaiden felt a sharp sting in his throat.
‘Why do I feel so uncomfortable?’
Perhaps it was because he had just spoken words denying God.
Or because he hadn’t fully released all his pent-up emotions.
But Kaiden did not show it outwardly. Instead, he sipped his tea and put the cup down.
The tea had already cooled.
Once the servant left and the room returned to silence, the Pope continued the conversation.
“Have you considered repenting in Vedes?”
“Repenting?”
“Yes. Even though you are cursed, if you repent, the citizens may sympathize with Your Highness.”
Kaiden laughed bitterly.
Repentance, after having declared disbelief in God…
Even if the people might sympathize, some might see a cursed man stirring chaos in Vedes.
The Pope, crafty as an old fox, surely knew this.
Sensing a hidden motive, Kaiden asked directly.
“If I repent, what will Your Holiness gain?”
“As expected of Your Highness. I like that you don’t waste time.”
Gregory VII smiled faintly.
“The Emperor requested it.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes. So that Your Highness may live a little more comfortably.”
“…And what did you gain in return?”
The Pope picked up his teacup again.
“For five years, a tax reduction on goods produced in Vedes, and assistance in fundraising to build a temple. Ah, of course…”
“….”
“…If Your Highness accepts my proposal.”
Gregory VII sipped his tea leisurely.
Kaiden smirked slightly.
‘Basically an order.’
In this situation, refusing was difficult. If he refused, he would live forever marked, and the Emperor might even consider dethroning him.
The Empress would die to save him.
If he were deposed and killed quietly, it would render her sacrifice meaningless.
Kaiden recalled his mother’s tears earlier.
She had always smelled of flowers.
Even in the prison, she carried the scent—a sad fragrance of flowers mixed with mold and rust.
Biting the inside of his cheek, Kaiden finally spoke.
“Very well. I will do as you suggest.”
