LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 44
Elsez and Tezette departed for the orphanage, while Cassian left with Lancelot to investigate the masked meeting that Count Lort had mentioned.Astaire, occupied with other temple matters, was also away.That left Count Gale alone.He made his way to the temple’s underground prison, where Count Lort was being held.Casually, he pulled out a few gold coins and handed them to the guard stationed at the cell entrance, intending to walk in freely.But the guard blocked his way, returning the coins.“Apologies, my lord, but without His Holiness’s permission, you may not enter.”Count Gale sighed, then retrieved a hefty pouch from his pocket and pressed it into the guard’s hand.The moment the weight of the gold settled in the guard’s palm, his stance shifted. With an awkward cough, he stepped aside.“Make it quick.”Count Gale gave a half-hearted nod and strolled into the cell.Inside, Count Lort sat vacantly, his disheveled form reflecting his days in captivity.“You look absolutely dreadful.”At the sound of his voice, Count Lort scrambled to the iron bars.“Hamston! Please, get me out of here! I kept my mouth shut, just like you told me to!”Earlier, while Elsez and the others had interrogated him, Count Gale had discreetly signaled for him to remain silent.But now, Count Gale merely clicked his tongue as if he had never done such a thing.“Kept your mouth shut? You spilled everything about the meetings, and you call that keeping quiet?”“T-that was—! I thought saying a little would make it more believable than denying everything outright…”Count Gale regarded him with utter disappointment, twirling his mustache between his fingers before finally speaking.“Regardless, His Highness has chosen to be merciful and will see to it that you’re freed.”“O-of course! You can count on me—I won’t say a word.”Count Lort responded desperately.Truthfully, he wanted to betray the crown prince for trying to kill him, but he didn’t dare.No matter how much tension there was between the empire and the temple, he doubted the temple would take his word at face value.If he spoke the truth, his wife and son would be put in grave danger for nothing.As Count Gale observed him in silence, he recalled the instructions he had received from Cedric.He decided to get to the point.“One more thing, Phaidan—I need to ask about that night.”“What about it?”“Did His Highness visit your estate that day?”At this, Count Lort’s eyes widened in shock.“How do you know about that…?”Count Gale took his reaction as confirmation and stepped closer, his voice lowering.“Tell me exactly what happened that night.”Count Lort hesitated, then finally spoke.He explained how a masked man—whom he believed to be the crown prince—had arrived at his estate without prior notice, ordering him to open the Dimensional Gate immediately.And then, how that same man had tried to kill him.After listening to the account, Count Gale shook his head.“His Highness was at the imperial palace that night.”Count Lort’s eyes widened even further.“That’s impossible! The person who came to my estate was undoubtedly him!”His voice was filled with certainty.“I saw the red eyes behind the mask! Only one person in this entire empire has those eyes! If not him, then who could it have been?”Those red eyes—the unmistakable mark of a powerful imperial descendant.In all the empire, only one person possessed them.Crown Prince Cedric.But at the same time Count Lort had encountered him at the estate, Cedric had been seen in the palace.The same person, witnessed in two different places at once.‘Investigate whether an imposter appeared at Count Lort’s estate that night.’The crown prince had sent Count Gale to confirm Astaire’s claims, distrusting the temple’s word.Now, with Count Lort’s testimony, Astaire’s claims had been proven true.Which could mean only one thing.Someone was impersonating the crown prince and manipulating this entire situation.As Count Gale absentmindedly stroked his mustache, his eyes darkened. ***** The dense forest was dim even in daylight, with towering trees blocking out the sun.In the clearing, a glowing magic circle flared to life, and a masked man appeared upon it.He turned to cast another spell—when suddenly, the light of his magic was snuffed out.“You can come out now. You’ve been following me for quite a while.”His voice was calm, directed toward the darkness behind him.From behind the trees, a shadow emerged.Under the faint beams of light filtering through the thick foliage, the figure’s face became clear.It was Perse.“Lord Rashiel.”At that, the masked man—Rashiel—finally turned to look at him.Perse took a step forward, hesitated, then stopped as soon as his gaze met Rashiel’s red eyes—lifeless and cold.Still, he pressed on.“Are you truly planning to destroy the empire?”“Why does that matter to you? Does this empire mean anything to you?”“Not the empire. But your actions… They matter to me.”Perse’s voice softened.“If Her late Majesty could see you now, she would be heartbroken.”Rashiel chuckled, as if he found the thought amusing.“You’re free to believe that the child she abandoned should have grown up to be kind, grateful for the life she spared.”“……”“But forcing that belief onto reality… isn’t that selfish?”His crimson eyes remained chilling as they bore into Perse.Perse’s lips trembled, but he didn’t argue.Rashiel simply watched him for a moment, then resumed his spell.A brilliant light filled the clearing.And when the brightness faded, he was no longer there.When the light dispersed, Rashiel stood before the entrance of a grand estate.A private mansion, located somewhere on the continent.“Welcome back, Lord Rashiel.”He gave a slight nod to his butler and went straight upstairs.As he loosened his cravat and tossed it onto a table, his eyes landed on a small floral ornament beside it.To others, the flower’s petals would have appeared a soft shade of pink.But to him, it was merely a dull, lifeless gray.His thoughts wandered back to the events of the past few days.He had failed to kill Count Lort.And now, Lort had fallen into Astaire’s hands.Whether the Count turned to Astaire out of fear or out of lingering loyalty to the crown prince, the outcome remained the same.Time is running out.Now that Astaire was involved, delays were no longer an option.And if Cedric—the real crown prince—caught wind of his existence, impersonating him would no longer be feasible.If only he had killed Count Lort that night and successfully opened the Dimensional Gate, none of this would have been a concern.That woman responsible for ruining that plan…She had been wearing a hairpin adorned with a flower just like this one.I won’t let things go your way.When they had first crossed paths in the forest, he had assumed she was someone sent by the crown prince.But when they met again at Count Lort’s estate, she had been moving alongside Astaire.Given the circumstances, she was more likely Astaire’s ally than Cedric’s.And when he later trailed her, he saw where she returned.House Rohen.A noble family—one with only a single daughter.Elsez Rohen.As Tezette’s fiancée, she should have been aligned with the imperial family.And yet, she was working with Astaire, who opposed them.Suspicious.When he had disappeared through his teleportation magic, he had seen the way she stared at him.Her lips had parted as if to say something.He hadn’t caught the words, but her eyes had been enough.A mix of shock—And deep, aching longing.For some reason, that look wouldn’t leave his mind.“……”His fingers slowly clenched.Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he wiped the memory from his thoughts.Then, he opened them again and called for his butler.“Find out everything about Elsez Rohen.” ***** Elsez stared out of the carriage window, pretending to enjoy the breeze.In truth, she was trying to avoid Tezette’s gaze.He hadn’t looked away once since they left.She had been the one to suggest traveling together, but…Can’t you at least say something?Just as she was about to break the silence, his lips finally parted.And the words that came out were completely unexpected.“I don’t like sharing what’s mine.”“…What?”“Who is it?”“Who…?”“Between the two of them, which one are you marrying?”Two?It took her a second to understand what he was implying.And when she did, her face twisted in disbelief.“That’s not what’s happening. I’m only working with them.”But Tezette didn’t seem convinced.“Then why are you calling off our engagement?”He looked genuinely puzzled.“Are you short on money?”He crossed his legs, his posture oozing with the arrogance of a noble who thought everything could be solved with wealth.Elsez narrowed her eyes.This bastard really thinks money is the answer to everything.Suppressing her irritation, she replied calmly.“It’s simple. I don’t love you.”“……”“And I’m sure you don’t love me either.”“…Love?”His brow furrowed slightly.“Yes, love. I know noble marriages rarely involve it, but still.”She had spent years in this world as Ruel.But she had also lived in a modern society, where marriage without love was an unusual concept.To her, not loving the person she was going to marry was the stranger idea.Tezette remained silent, staring at her with those unreadable eyes.Then, he finally spoke.“But you liked me.”