TPWTM 25

A rough, scarred hand carefully brushed back the hair from a snow-white forehead. The platinum blonde hair rustled as if it would crumble in his hand. Karon let out a soft chuckle. He was suddenly reminded of the first time he met Yurik.

The day he first met those blue eyes at the banquet. The day he had been, in a way, lightly shocked. The things he had done, the acting to provoke him. And then the secret meetings, the contract, the marriage. It seemed as though none of it had come easily, that it had all happened in a tumble, but the days he had smiled, so very satisfied that this person had finally taken his hand.

“…To think I would start missing those days already, I certainly did not expect it.”

Even the tragic hero of a comedy wouldn’t be like this. Finding the situation absurd, Karon let out a dry laugh. All the fights, entangled in misunderstandings about each other and various conflicting interests, were now just memories when he thought back on them. He felt ashamed, wondering why he hadn’t been more understanding of Yurik’s situation and waited. If he had, he might have felt a little less sorry now.

Karon took out a palm-sized glass bottle from his coat. It was the bottle Lazhwell had given him. Lazhwell had told him to fill it with Yurik’s blood. The whole thing was wrong from the very start. He had approached him with a wicked purpose from the beginning. To bring him down. Was that why it had come to this? Karon let out a self-deprecating smile and took out a dagger.

And without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeve and cut his own forearm. Red blood dripped down. Drip. Drip. Karon collected it in the glass bottle.

If the blood of the one I love is the key, then who’s to say the blood of the one who loves him can’t also be the key. Watching the falling blood, Karon chuckled. It was fine if fate didn’t change. It was fine if he died. As long as Yurik was alright. He could no longer deceive him.

The carriage, which had been moving for a long while, came to a stop. When he opened the door and stepped out, he was in front of a villa set against a quiet lakeside. The area around the villa was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, as if it were rarely visited. It was there that Lazhwell, the 1st Imperial Prince, opened the door and appeared.

“Karon.”

“Your Highness.”

Lazhwell patted Karon’s shoulder as if to say he had been through a lot. The place they had just arrived at was one of Lazhwell’s personal villas. Believing it wasn’t safe to send Yurik to any of the nobles, Karon had decided it was better to entrust Yurik to Lazhwell again.

After carefully moving Yurik to a room inside with the help of the servants, Lazhwell looked at Karon, who was watching over Yurik, and asked with a serious expression.

“Has Yurik woken up?”

“No.”

“Then, that thing…”

“It is here.”

Karon handed the glass bottle he had kept in his coat to Lazhwell. Receiving the glass bottle filled with red blood, Lazhwell narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between it and Karon.

“…This blood is important, it will decide a fate. Are you sure this is Yurik’s blood?”

Karon smiled.

“It is a token of my love.”

Karon approached the side of the bed where Yurik was lying and carefully sat down on the edge. Yurik’s face was still colorless and pale. Karon gently pressed his lips to Yurik’s cheek.

“It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I have enjoyed everything I could, so I don’t mind living as a fugitive from now on… However,”

“Karon.”

“However, I hope that Yurik, that he… can live a safe, peaceful, and unharmed life. That is what I wish for.”

“…A resolution has been passed in the Noble Council. The Blue Rampart Knights are looking for you.”

“The life of a popular person is tiring.”

“Karon.”

“Please take care of Yurik.”

Karon gave Lazhwell a grin and left the villa. Stepping outside, he led a horse over and mounted it. Without hesitation, Karon rode away from that place.

“…Haa.”

Lazhwell sighed, watching Karon’s retreating figure from the window. The glass bottle in his hand was still warm. As Lazhwell was looking outside, the bed creaked as someone shifted. Startled, Lazhwell looked toward the bed. Yurik… was slowly opening his eyes.

• ~ *

His mind was distant and his ears were muffled. His body felt as heavy as water-logged cotton, but that voice alone was clear in his ears. This blood is important… it will decide a fate. Are you sure this is Yurik’s blood…? It is a token of my love…. Yurik, I love you.

I love you.

I’m sorry.

The damp voice that reached his ear. The warmth on his cheek vanished quickly. He heard the sound of footsteps and the sound of a door closing in the distance. Where are you going. After saying all that, where are you going. Yurik tried with all his might to call out and stop him, but no voice came out. The thought that he couldn’t let him go like this struck him. His eyelids twitched and trembled, and gathering all his strength, he opened his eyes.

“Good heavens, Yurik! You’re awake? Are you okay?”

“…Ah…”

Lazhwell approached with a pleased expression, letting out a sigh of relief as he tightly gripped Yurik’s hand. Yurik blinked. Karon. Where is Karon?

“Thank the gods. Thank you.”

As Lazhwell muttered with a sigh of relief, Yurik barely managed to open his dry lips.

“Ahem, Karon… where is he?”

A cracked, parched voice came out. Lazhwell smiled with a tearful face.

“Can’t you worry about your own body first?”

“…Please tell me. Where is Karon? That man, what on earth… ugh.”

“Yurik, you shouldn’t get up yet.”

Although Lazhwell tried to stop him, Yurik managed to raise his upper body and sit on the edge of the bed. A sharp pain began to spread from his abdomen. He could feel blood welling up, but Yurik bit his lip hard and looked at Lazhwell with a pale face. Seeing that exhausted and pained face, Lazhwell could not bring himself to hide anything. Lazhwell sighed with a look of defeat and said.

“Both you and Karon are so stubborn. You never listen to others, not for the life of you. You don’t even think about the people who are worried.”

“Your Highness.”

“Yes, yes. I know. …But, I don’t know exactly either. He didn’t tell me anything and left like a person who had given up on everything. He said he would protect you, Yurik.”

“How is he going to protect me?”

Lazhwell couldn’t say anything and just gave a bitter smile. Yurik let out a disbelieving, dry laugh. Protect what? For what? Who asked for such a thing that now he…

Yurik squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. First, he needed to grasp the situation. His mind was drifting in and out, so he couldn’t even tell what day it was, leaving him completely in the dark about how things had turned out. Yurik first asked Lazhwell.

“What is the current situation?”

Lazhwell told Yurik that House Chevinelle had been framed for treason. The Empress had made her move. As he listened to the detailed account, every single detail infuriated Yurik. In the end, his prediction had come true. His prediction that they would pick an easy family to pin everything on. Though he had never expected that it would be House Chevinelle.

As his anger rose, his body naturally reacted, and his temperature went up. Lazhwell tried his best to make Yurik lie down and rest again, but Yurik thought that he could not just stay still like this.

“I have to catch that man… For now, for now.”

However, he stood up and could not even take a few steps before collapsing again. His head was spinning severely, and his body felt drained of strength, as if all the blood had left him. He hadn’t eaten properly all this time and had lost too much blood, so his body was not in a state to obey him.

“Where are you trying to go in that condition? Absolutely not. Yurik, you need to rest and stabilize yourself now. I promised Karon. That I would protect you. I’ll go call a doctor, so just wait a moment.”

Lazhwell firmly supported the staggering Yurik and led him back to the bed. In the end, he had no choice but to lie back down. Lazhwell went outside again to call for the doctor.

His mind grew hazy again, and his eyes began to slowly close. Yurik was frustrated. At this body of his that could do nothing. And he thought of Karon. Damn it, so that’s why he said those things, things he never said before? That he was sorry…. That he loved me. Why so late….

All the strength drained from his body, but his fists were clenched tight. Yurik let out a dumbfounded, mirthless laugh. Did he think someone would be moved by that, that I would shed tears over his love? He should have just run away in that time. Why would he…. Why on earth would he….

Yurik was angry. He was angry, but he resented his body that could not get up. His consciousness sank deeper. Yurik fell asleep again as if fainting.

• ~ *

A few days passed quietly. The days at the villa, cut off from society, flowed by in immense quiet. During that time, Yurik showed signs of recovery and gradually healed to the point where he could move his body slowly. It was a peaceful place where no rumors or gossip could reach, which was a bit frustrating, but in many ways, it was a good place to sort out his thoughts and recuperate.

When his worries about Karon and the helplessness of his situation had faded to some extent, Lazhwell visited and silently handed him only a newspaper. Yurik slowly got up from the bed, sat in the chair by the window, and picked up the newspaper.

The article, with its intensely emphasized main headline, was written in a way that was impossible to miss.

[The Fall of a Ducal House on the Rise. Is This Acceptable?]

[Karon Chevinelle Arrested by the Blue Rampart Knights! Detained!]

[With the treason charges against the Ducal House of Chevinelle surfacing as effectively true, yesterday evening, the arrest of Karon Chevinelle… The Windsor family, as a family of meritorious service, can have the treason charges waived once. Looking back on the family’s history of loyalty to the Empire, this is a reasonable result… The Noble Council also announced that it would not apply separate charges against the Windsor family. However, as the families are connected, there is evidence that he sympathized with Kanes Chevinelle to some extent, and he will be sentenced to a fine….]

Yurik read the article meticulously. Most of it was an article made by gathering various pieces of gossip and picking out only the sensational parts, but the information it contained briefly summarized what had happened while Yurik had been cooped up in the villa. It seemed Duke Kanes had fortunately escaped harm, but the news that Karon had been caught made Yurik’s face crumple.

‘So for this…’

Was this why he ran away like that? Abandoning a person? He should have just stayed here with me. As a surge of irritation welled up, Yurik stopped reading and closed the newspaper. At that irritable gesture, Lazhwell, who had been watching Yurik read, let out a chuckle.

“I know, right. If he was going to get caught so easily… I wonder why he even left instead of just not going.”

“…You should have stopped him.”

“He wasn’t the type to be stopped just because someone told him to. The same goes for you, Yurik.”

“…Still, you should have stopped him.”

“Yurik.”

Lazhwell called Yurik’s name softly and placed a small glass bottle on the table. Yurik looked at it, then looked up at Lazhwell.

“…What is this.”

“I made a promise with him a long time ago. I whispered to him to marry a certain man, to completely steal his heart, to win him over. Then I promised I would grant him power.”

“…”

“He readily accepted, and in the end, he even succeeded in getting married. However, there was one thing I missed.”

“…What is that.”

“I never thought that he would actually, truly fall in love.”

Yurik kept his lips firmly shut. Lazhwell continued with a bitter expression.

“There was only one reason for trying to win that man’s heart. To find the key to awaken an ancient holy relic.”

“…And so.”

“In the end, he found it. What the key was.”

Yurik looked at the red bottle with a somber face. No emotion could be read from his expression. Lazhwell let out a sigh and said.

“Do you know what this is?”

“…”

“It is Karon’s blood.”

“…Why is that…”

“The key is your blood, Yurik. But Karon gave me this instead. He has given up the surest way to get out of this situation. In order to protect his feelings for you.”

“…”

“Our promise has been broken, but I still intend to resolve the matter. It’s not as if there is no way out at all. Karon brought Marquis Gaetanil into this. I plan to meet with him.”

Lazhwell finished speaking and smiled faintly. Yurik silently glared at the red glass bottle.

He felt extremely unsettled and abrasive inside. The thing he had doubted, been anxious about, and pushed away until the very end. So that was the truth. He too had approached him with a purpose.

It felt as if his heart had sunk. On one hand, he also felt a sense of betrayal. But… who on earth would give their own blood and leave, saying they didn’t want to deceive anymore. In a situation where his family and his own life were on the line.

At a time like this, he should have waited for me to wake up and then begged on his knees for even a single drop of blood, or begged for forgiveness, apologizing and saying he was sorry. Then I could have at least thought, ah, so this bastard was this kind of person, good riddance, and cast him aside. But he just had to do it this way, making it impossible to even do that…. This way.

This man was truly terrible. Selfish. In the end, he was a selfish man who could only think of himself. Yurik wiped his face with a dry hand.

He didn’t want to deceive me? If he didn’t want to, he shouldn’t have approached me with such conditions in the first place. He shouldn’t have whispered that he loved me in the first place. He shouldn’t have smiled with such, such a happy face at the wedding. He shouldn’t have so tenderly, me, me…. Yurik burst into a hollow laugh.

“…He really is a terrible man.”

“…Yurik.”

“Truly, terrible.”

Yurik lowered his head. He was so terrible, so awful, that he was making it so Yurik couldn’t let go of him until the very end. Was this his intention? To make him hold on until the end, to make him search for him no matter what. Selfish man. Hypocritical man. Awful bastard. A man who treats his own body so carelessly… a foolish man.

Yurik slowly started to get heated. He was annoyed and angry with himself for being swayed by a man like this. His head grew so hot it felt like it shouldn’t be possible, and he couldn’t stand the anger.

And yet, after doing all that, he just runs away without listening to a single word I have to say? Is avoiding it everything? If he just leaves all by himself, just like that, what am I, the one left behind, supposed to do? Is that all there is to it?

As Yurik’s expression hardened more and more grimly, Lazhwell called out to him in a fluster.

“Yurik, that…”

Thump!

Just as Lazhwell called out, Yurik slammed his fist on the table, shot his head up, and glared at Lazhwell. At the sight of those wide, angry eyes, Lazhwell flinched for a moment.

“Yurik?”

Yurik twitched the corner of his mouth into a terrifyingly crooked expression.

“Let’s go together. To Marquis Gaetanil.”

“What?”

“I will help you. With that matter.”

“Yu, Yurik?”

“Catching the Empress, and clearing House Chevinelle’s name, I said I will help. While I’m at it, I will ask those around me to help with this matter. I will also speak to the Chancellor. As a way of getting advice not as an administrative officer, but about my very private married life. There would be nothing illegal about that, would there? I am only getting advice about my private married life.”

Yurik had made up his mind. He had to meet that selfish man again and properly confront him.

• ~ *

He left the villa and returned to the capital, Latrei. Yurik tried to return to the Windsor family mansion immediately, but the Blue Rampart Knights were still guarding it, so he could not go. Instead, he first stopped by their newlywed home, which the Blue Rampart Knights had already swept through.

The newlywed mansion was empty. All the servants were gone, and it had been turned into a complete mess by how much the Blue Rampart Knights and inspectors had turned it upside down.

The lobby was covered in footprints, and every room had been overturned, leaving piles of documents and dust everywhere. To think that the lively mansion could become so desolate in just a few weeks, not even a full month, made Yurik feel a little sad.

Putting his wistful feelings aside, he looked around the mansion and then went up the stairs to the private room where he had stayed. He sat for a moment in the chair by the window and opened the newspaper he had brought with him, only to see the news that Karon had been referred to trial and imprisoned in the imperial prison, printed in huge letters.

“…Damn it.”

Yurik gnawed on his fingernails, a habit he never had, and read the article step by step before finally throwing the newspaper down. There was not a single thing he liked about it. And even if he threw it, there was no one to pick it up and clean it. Yurik took a deep breath, trying to control the rising frustration. His physical condition would only worsen if he kept this up, so he had to manage his anger.

Having calmed down to some extent, he slowly got up and headed to the dressing room. The clothes, at least, had not been touched and most were hanging neatly. Yurik looked through them carefully and then took out a small drawer box that had been placed deep among the clothes. It seemed that even if anyone had found it, they must have thought it was nothing special, as there were no signs of it having been touched.

“…”

That made sense. He had intentionally placed a worn-out wooden drawer box there instead of a jewelry box. Yurik took it out, placed it on the table, and pulled open the first of the three drawers.

Inside, the document they had written when he and Karon made their contract was rolled up.

Yurik slowly unrolled it.

The first thing he saw was the content scrawled in a rough hand. A slight smile escaped him first. Not a single one of these things had actually been properly kept, and to think they had done such a childish thing while deciding on this… he felt like he finally understood. Among the list, the obligation written in the strongest handwriting caught his eye.

「Never, ever fall in love.」

Love.

Do I love him?

He remembered the words that man had said.

‘Was what we have done until now not love?’

And his final whisper.

‘I love you.’

Love. He had not believed in that frivolous and purely emotional word. But he knew. Yurik had always known. He had just been avoiding it. He couldn’t not know what the feeling he had for him, whom he had watched from afar since his days at the military academy, was, and what it had grown into. And he felt it after they married. When that fulfilling happiness came, when he was afraid yet his heart fluttered, Yurik felt it.

Ah, so this is love.

Yurik let out a soft chuckle as he looked at the contract, then opened the drawer again. In the first drawer lay the wedding rings they had exchanged at their wedding. He usually didn’t even wear it. If he had to give reasons, there were many. Because it was inconvenient for handling documents. Because accessories were burdensome. Just because….

In truth, it wasn’t because of any of these reasons. In truth, it was because he wanted to cherish it. Because he was afraid it would wear out. Yurik caressed the ring preciously. He couldn’t even bring himself to wear it, afraid that any part of it might wear down, so he just kept it. He wanted to treasure it for a long, long time. Even if the day came when he had to part with that man.

…Even if, the day came when he, an Alpha, was no longer welcomed by him.

“If you do this… I can’t let you go.”

Yurik rolled the ring in his palm, then slipped it onto his ring finger. As it was a custom-made ring, it fit his hand perfectly. Yurik clenched his fist tightly and stood up.

He couldn’t let him go. Yurik’s expression had, before he knew it, hardened into an icy mask. If he were to reject him, if he were to say he would bring in another Omega and seek a true love instead of a contract marriage, he had intended to let him go. Yurik had resolved himself to do so. But this was not it.

Was it all over if he just messed with a person’s heart like this, and then ran away, leaving all by himself? After whispering so yearningly, after making it so he couldn’t let go, if he now said that all he had to do was let go of his hand, would it really work like that? This was not it.

This was something they had to meet and formally hash out. They absolutely had to meet and confront each other about this. Even if Karon begged and pleaded to be let go, Yurik no longer had any intention of ever letting him go. If he ran away, he would catch him. If he left, he would break his legs if he had to and keep him by his side. Because that was the kind of person he was.

Yurik looked down at the ring on his finger and quietly brought it to his lips. It was he who had held on after saying he would let go. Therefore, he would catch him, the one who ran away. With that resolve, Yurik left the disheveled room with a determined demeanor.

• ~ *

Lawson Tanner was busy again today. With the imperial palace turned upside down, matters requiring the Ministry of Justice to step in, such as the Eastern incident and various other affairs, were cropping up one after another, forcing him to work overtime, and then more overtime.

He was so frustrated that he wanted to kick his chair and bolt out at any moment, but with his rabbit-like child and beautiful wife waiting at home, he could not do that. Holding back tears, Lawson organized the documents and let out a deep sigh.

It was already getting close to past one in the morning. After looking at documents for a long while, Lawson could not fight his drooping eyelids and his head began to nod off. Nod. Nod. The pen he was holding went this way and that, drawing squiggly worms and leaving a trail on the open document.

His whole body felt languid, making him want to just collapse onto the desk and take a nap. Lawson thought. Should I take a nap? Sleeping isn’t so bad. I will be up all night tomorrow anyway…. It was then. Someone knocked on his desk. Knock. Knock.

Lawson startled and shot up from his seat. He hastily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and mumbled incoherently.

“No, no! Oh my, Sir Redella, I, I wasn’t dozing off! Really. Just look at these wide-awake eyes.”

“Anyone could see you were dozing, what are you talking about?”

“Oh, huh, Yu… Yurik?”

The voice he heard was not Sir Redella’s. Lawson’s eyes widened in surprise. Yurik was standing right in front of him. His complexion was a bit pale, but there he was, standing perfectly fine, Yurik! Lawson was so shocked that he stumbled, shoved his desk aside, and rushed over to Yurik to grab his hands.

“Yurik, my friend! I knew it, of course I did! The rumors that you were dead weren’t true!”

“…Who said I was dead?”

“I believed, I believed in you! You weren’t dragged to prison, you’re perfectly fine! What a relief, what a great relief! I heard you were shot? The story has already spread everywhere. You’d be surprised if you knew how persistently the gossip papers clung to it! Those crazy rioters!”

Yurik pushed away Lawson, who excitedly approached him for an embrace, with a reluctant expression and signaled that his abdomen still hurt. Only then did Lawson exclaim, “Oh, oh!” and take a step back.

“Why aren’t you resting at home? What brings you here? At this hour of the morning. By the way, are you even allowed to be in the palace? Right now…”

“It was difficult to get in. That’s why I came to see you in secret.”

“Me? Why me?”

To Lawson’s frantic question, Yurik gestured with his hand and scanned the documents on the desk. Most of them were lists of seized assets from the House of Chevinelle. Lawson tried to stop him, saying, “Hey, no,” but it was half-hearted. Yurik gave them a cursory glance and put the documents down.

“This is astounding. Are they trying to swallow all of this?”

“It’s going into the state treasury…”

“Is that really so?”

Yurik smiled bitterly and then looked at Lawson. At his silent gaze, Lawson flinched and took a step back.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Lawson, my friend, if you’re okay with it, could you help me with something?”

“…What kind of help? For you, of course, I’d roll up my sleeves and jump in!”

“Clearing the name of the House of Chevinelle.”

“Goodbye, then.”

“Hey, Lawson.”

“Yurik! That’s impossible! The tables have already been completely turned!”

Lawson clutched his head and shouted, then glanced at the door and lowered his voice. His friend, who had appeared out of nowhere, was talking nonsense. How could they clear anyone’s name when the trial has already been confirmed by a Noble Council resolution? Lawson beat his chest with a frustrated expression.

“I understand your frustration. Yes, I understand. It’s not pleasant and can be unsettling for the family you just married into to fall. To be honest, I feel the same. Is the House of Chevinelle just some ordinary family? But the Empress has already made her move. Only the trial remains, and the outcome of the trial is already decided. What are you going to do?”

Although he spoke with a serious face, Lawson was still willing to listen. He thought about how desperate Yurik must be. Yurik, who knew his friend’s big heart, smiled faintly.

“Can you help me?”

Lawson let out a big sigh.

“I don’t know. For now, just tell me what it is.”

“It’s the same as helping His Highness the Imperial Prince, so you can be handsomely rewarded later, Lawson.”

“…How handsomely?”

“As much as you want.”

“Ahem.”

Lawson looked at Yurik with an intrigued expression. Yurik grinned and held out his hand. Lawson hesitated, then squeezed his eyes shut as if to say, “To hell with it,” and took his hand.

“This is only because an administrative officer’s salary is so low! And because you’re my friend, Yurik!”

“Yes, yes.”

“…It has to be a big one. Preferably land. Or real estate. I won’t accept anything less.”

“I’ll tell His Highness.”

“Make sure you tell him.”

Lawson waved his hand, making sure to impress upon him. Yurik let out a chuckle. After clearing his throat for a moment, ahem, ahem, Lawson glanced at the doorway, checking his surroundings, then quietly asked again.

“So, what do you need my help with?”

• ~ *

It was through Karon that he met Marquis Gaetanil. He had acted as if he had thrown everything away and run, but he had left behind one hidden dagger for this important counterattack. The 1st Imperial Prince, Lazhwell, who had easily picked it up, did his best to utilize it as efficiently as possible.

Yurik thought he was filled with guilt. Was this the price for being shot, or was it the price for Karon giving him his blood? He thought about it, but he could not understand the Imperial Prince’s intentions. In Yurik’s opinion, he might have thought that if the House of Chevinelle fell, the position of the Imperial Prince’s faction would be severely shaken. In fact, that was also true.

More than half of the high-ranking nobles who held votes in the central Noble Council were composed of the Empress’s loyal followers. The remaining members of the Imperial Prince’s faction were mostly what were called the new-wave intellectuals, nobles who were still young as politicians and held low ranks, so they could not voice strong opposition to the Empress’s actions. It was Duke Chevinelle who had originally accommodated their opinions to a moderate degree.

But now, there was no one to listen to them. The influence of the House of Chevinelle had been, in many ways, quite significant. Both for the Empress’s faction and the Imperial Prince’s faction.

In a secret meeting, Marquis Gaetanil confessed why he had betrayed the Empress and decided to take the Imperial Prince’s hand.

“The Empress is currently trying to endanger the Empire by bringing in her maternal relatives. Now that His Majesty the Emperor is unable to rise, she intends to have the 2nd Imperial Prince, Raoben, succeed as Crown Prince, and seize even greater power for herself.”

“You were among those who desperately wished for Raoben to become Crown Prince.”

“That would be if the Empress had only intended to solidify her power by making the 2nd Imperial Prince the Crown Prince…. However, Empress Vistet’s greed has gone too far.”

Marquis Gaetanil replied to Lazhwell’s words with a straight face. Yurik, listening to the words from behind Lazhwell, twitched his eyebrows. The fact that Empress Vistet had a desire to become regent was something everyone knew, and there was no way Marquis Gaetanil would not have known that. He was making excuses now with a shameless face.

Of course, there was no way Lazhwell would not have noticed it either, but he did not waste time with pointless nitpicking.

“Tell me in detail what you mean about Uzhal.”

“Do you know the Empress’s plan?”

The story Marquis Gaetanil told was this. Empress Vistet had been making contact with the Kingdom of Uzhal, which bordered the eastern part of the Empire, using Marquis Gaetanil. As this rebellion began, the Lord of Enenberg, who was an eastern noble guarding his post and owned the largest territory, was killed by the rebels. Frightened by this, other nobles also chose to abandon their territories and mansions and flee.

Thanks to that, the defensive barrier that had been checking Uzhal in the east with the lords’ castles was wide open.

Empress Vistet intended to use Marquis Gaetanil to gather the soldiers of the Kingdom of Uzhal through that breached defensive barrier and have them cross into the Empire. Since the Enenberg-Edinburgh road, which was connected to the capital, was open and even the rebels had come down to the capital, she intended to have Uzhal’s army push in right behind them.

Then, she would make a contract to hand over the east to Uzhal, and with Uzhal’s help, the Empress would ascend to the position of regent and install Raoben as the Crown Prince. This was the Empress’s plan.

Although explained simply, it was a matter that was taking place through numerous situations and countless plans moving back and forth under the surface. The purge of the House of Chevinelle was like the beginning of it.

Lazhwell rested his chin on his hand as if in deep thought and then spoke.

“So now you are…”

“The Empress will think I am on my way to Uzhal. Instead, I have chosen Your Highness the 1st Imperial Prince and have come here.”

Marquis Gaetanil said with a solemn face. Yurik had to suppress the sneer that was about to escape. He was acting all high and mighty when he himself had run away because he got scared as the stakes got bigger.

Lazhwell nodded.

“I am grateful for your loyalty.”

“I am truly grateful for your acknowledgement.”

Marquis Gaetanil knelt on one knee and placed a hand respectfully over his heart. At that shameless display, Yurik flinched and was about to step forward, but Lazhwell grabbed Yurik’s arm and stopped him.

Yurik opened his mouth, then pressed it shut again. It was clear that Lazhwell did not trust that man either, but right now, he was sending him a look full of trust, as if he believed him completely.

In the current situation, Marquis Gaetanil was a very important key. It was a moment when a suitable alliance was needed. There was no need to step forward and shatter this situation. Yurik suppressed his surging anger.

“Then what should we do?”

“You should sit at the negotiating table first, Your Highness.”

Yurik answered Lazhwell’s question. Marquis Gaetanil’s gaze swept over Yurik. Yurik stared at Marquis Gaetanil with an expressionless face and said.

“Through Marquis Gaetanil, you will sit at the negotiating table before the Empress does. A deal with the Kingdom of Uzhal seems unavoidable. Given the situation in the east, they may also be willing to take some risks.”

“What kind of deal do you think we should make?”

Yurik closed his mouth for a moment, then tilted his head slightly toward Lazhwell to meet his eyes. Lazhwell looked at Yurik. Yurik smiled faintly.

“I have heard that the Crown Prince of Uzhal is still unmarried.”

“…Hmm.”

“We have Her Highness the Imperial Princess, do we not?”

“…She is of the Empress’s bloodline.”

“I thought you would not cast her out, am I wrong?”

Lazhwell would surely save the 2nd Imperial Prince and the Imperial Princess even if he cast out the Empress. He was not a person who would ever think of extending guilt by association. Yurik knew Lazhwell precisely. Lazhwell made a contemplative face. Yurik said softly.

“If her mother’s crimes are revealed, it might be better for Her Highness the Imperial Princess to go to Uzhal. And who knows. The Crown Prince of Uzhal might fall in love at first sight.”

Yurik trailed off, then straightened his back. Lazhwell raised an eyebrow and rested his chin on the armrest. From a political standpoint, it was a situation where they could gain an allied nation without needing to drag things out complicatedly. An allied nation bound by blood, which they could not refuse. Yurik glanced at Marquis Gaetanil and slyly added.

“I have scouted a diplomat to go to Uzhal.”

“That is for me to…!”

“Marquis.”

As Marquis Gaetanil scowled and tried to step forward, Lazhwell raised a hand to stop him. Yurik looked at the marquis, then walked to the door and opened it. A young man who had been waiting outside the door followed Yurik into the room with a nervous expression.

“This is Sir Dellord, the chief administrative officer who works with me. He is a top graduate of the Royal Halcon University’s Department of Diplomatic Administration.”

They could not send Marquis Gaetanil to Uzhal alone. There was no telling what tricks he might pull. So, they had to attach someone to his side. Sir Dellord looked around the room with a nervous expression. Lazhwell nodded as if satisfied. Yurik smiled faintly.

• ~ *

Even though it was the middle of summer, a chill rose from the cold prison. Should he consider it fortunate that it was not an underground dungeon but a prison located high up? At least he could see the stars. Karon stole a glance at the night sky visible through the narrow window frame and wiped his face with his hand.

Being a noble did not mean there was a better prison or that he received better treatment. Above all, with the power in the Empress’s hands, being branded a traitor meant immediate execution. That would probably be decided at this trial. They would try to kill him on the pretext of treason and insurrection. It was so obvious and predictable that it was actually a bit boring.

He would surely not be able to say a single word at the trial. Would he be sentenced and die just like this? Like this? It did not even feel real. He was still young and had just gotten married, and now he was going to die…. Karon let out a dry laugh. However, it was a life he did not particularly regret.

He had lived as he wished, and it was a life where he enjoyed everything he could. He had experienced war and returned alive from the brink of death, and he had both wealth and power, so he enjoyed everything he could. There was nothing to be sorry for. However,

If it ended like this… there was one thing he thought he would regret.

Meeting Yurik so late. Recognizing him so late.

He could have loved him more.

He had not been interested during his military academy days, and when he was on the southern front, he was so preoccupied with the situation at the time that he had no room to think of anything else. If he had known him, if he had confessed a little earlier…. How would Yurik have reacted? Wouldn’t that snow-white face have turned even paler? Karon smiled faintly.

Right now, he just wanted to see Yurik. He wanted to hold his hand and take a walk while looking at some leisurely scenery. The honeymoon had been so nice. As Karon had that thought, he let out a soft chuckle.

He found it absurd that he was having such thoughts in the face of death. To think that all he was thinking about was holding his husband’s hand. No, actually, he also wanted to see Yurik open his eyes. The desires grew larger and larger. To see Yurik get up and walk safely, to see him eat, to see him… see him. See me.

He wanted to kiss him one more time, to whisper that he loved him one more time. The words that were never enough no matter how many times he said them kept coming to mind, and a sense of self-loathing washed over him.

Chevinelle would probably find it difficult to clear its name this time. He hoped Yurik would not come to the courtroom. But on the other hand, he also thought that if he came and he could see his face just one more time, if he could see him walking perfectly fine, recovered from the gunshot wound, his heart would be much more at ease.

No, he just… wanted to see him. He wanted to see him, even if it was the last time. If it was the last time, he wanted to see him even more. He wanted to engrave that face into his retinas.

“Haa…”

A soft sigh escaped him. He had no idea how much time had passed, so he did not know what time it was or when it was. Only a sense of hopelessness and anguish consumed him. Karon closed his eyes and lowered his head. That was all he could do right now.

It was then. Thud. With a sound, he heard someone’s footsteps. It was obvious who it was. The prison guard. There was no one else who would come here. Still, Karon held onto a sliver of hope and slowly raised his head to look at the iron bars. As expected, a soldier in uniform walked out of the darkness and tapped the bars. Tap. Tap.

“Mealtime.”

A loaf of bread and a bowl of soup on a tray were passed through the small opening in the iron bars. Karon looked at it, then closed his eyes again and lowered his head. He was not even hungry. The guard, who had been watching him silently, did not leave and tapped the iron bars again. Tap. Tap.

Karon’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at the guard again. The guard reached his hand inside the bars.

“…I was asked to deliver this, please consider it a show of respect to a former superior officer.”

The guard glanced around and extended his hand once more, as if urging him to take it quickly. Karon’s eyes widened. He quickly got up and snatched what the guard was handing him. The guard looked around, then hurriedly turned and went outside. As soon as he left, Karon sat with his back against the wall, and in the light streaming from the window, he checked what the guard had given him.

It was a piece of paper that looked like it had been roughly torn and folded. When he unfolded the neatly folded paper, he could see that the originally written words were smudged and remaining near the torn part.

…do not fall in love. He recognized whose handwriting it was at a glance, the roughly scrawled words.

Karon leaned his head against the wall and let out a dry, ha, laugh.

And below that, there was a short phrase written in a flowing hand.

「Do not die first.」

“Ha…”

Karon smiled with a face that looked like he was about to cry. It was obvious who had written the words scribbled on their private contract, who had added such a condition.

“Yurik…”

Karon buried his head in the note and closed his eyes. He felt as if he could smell his scent.

• ~ *

It was a midsummer day with the sun beating down harshly. The weather was extremely clear. Yurik looked at the sunlight pouring in from the window and slowly brushed his hair back. Today was the trial day for the House of Chevinelle, no, for the captured Karon Chevinelle.

This trial was held as a public trial, as if they were determined to openly announce the downfall of the House of Chevinelle. Yurik had been staying for two days at the villa that Lazhwell had helped him stay in. He had been unable to sleep properly and had spent the nights with his eyes open, but his mind was as clear as if he had washed his face with cold water.

After the encounter with Marquis Gaetanil, contact was also made with Duke Kanes Chevinelle. He had been hiding in Trailah, a region near the capital, to avoid the Blue Rampart Knights who were searching the capital area thoroughly. However, upon hearing the news of Karon’s capture, he had somehow managed to secretly seek out Yurik. If Yurik had not gone to their newlywed home that day, he might not have been able to meet Kanes Chevinelle.

Fortunately, Yurik revealed to him, without hiding anything, the plans he was making with Imperial Prince Lazhwell. Duke Kanes provided a separate list of nobles who could help accelerate the plan. Since there were still some nobles who had connections to the House of Chevinelle, the plan could proceed even more smoothly.

‘Haa.’

The plan was proceeding smoothly, but Yurik’s body, which was enduring it, was healing slowly. With so many things to worry about, the stress had built up and even caused gastritis. It had gotten to the point where he could not swallow any food. Not only that, but the abdomen that had been pierced by the gunshot wound continued to ache with a stinging pain, causing a fever in his head.

But he could not just sit back and do nothing. He had to confirm it with his own eyes. Karon Chevinelle. What kind of trial he would receive. How he would be released. And whether the plans made with Lazhwell were proceeding properly.

Yurik picked up a cigar from the table, lit it, and put it to his lips, then exhaled smoke. Through the dissipating white smoke, he could see the lush green scenery outside the villa.

…If everything turned out alright, he thought it would be nice to come back here again. With him. Yurik continued to smoke until the cigar was completely finished.

• ~ *

The public trial was held at the Imperial Palace courtroom. The seats in the courtroom were already filled to capacity. The seats were packed with people who had come to see what kind of verdict Karon Chevinelle would receive, and those who could not get in even waited outside to hear the trial proceedings directly.

Jonathan, the chief councilor of the Noble Council, wiped the sweat from his bald head with a handkerchief. In the hot weather, having to wear multiple layers of the councilor’s attire made it impossible for him not to sweat.

“Too many people have gathered. They say Her Majesty the Empress has just arrived as well.”

“I am aware.”

Jonathan, who had lit a cigarette in the waiting room, took a deep drag of the smoke. It had been a long time since there had been a public trial with such a large crowd, so even he was nervous. Moreover, the Empress herself had made an appearance. Jonathan looked at the judge who was lighting a cigarette next to him.

“It seems word has gotten around the council, right?”

“Yes. With Her Majesty the Empress attending, it seems like not a single one of them will miss it.”

“Well, of course. They’ll all be eager to be seen.”

Jonathan let out a small laugh. With the House of Chevinelle on the verge of ruin, the nobles’ struggle to gain power like the next ‘House of Chevinelle’ by acting as the Empress’s minions had already begun.

“What’s the use of all that…. When the end is like this.”

Jonathan clicked his tongue, then picked up a thick bundle of documents containing the details of today’s case. The judge who had been smoking next to him flicked his ash and prepared to leave. Jonathan also hurriedly took a drag of his cigarette and then stubbed out the butt.

He had been serving as the chief councilor for over ten years since he rose to the rank of count, but this was the first time he had opened a trial like this. It was not that there had been no noble trials at all, but there had been no noble so clearly branded as a traitor. After all, the Halcon Empire was a country where the imperial power was strong.

‘The House of Chevinelle has ended up in a pitiful state, indeed.’

The foolish citizens of the empire might not know, but he knew perfectly well. That this was all the result of the nobles’ machinations. The fact that the resolution passed at once in the Noble Council, where it had never passed unanimously, was no different from everyone sacrificing the House of Chevinelle to save themselves. To avoid the Empress’s eyes.

If they could create power that did not exist, why couldn’t they create a crime that did not exist? To avoid becoming like the House of Chevinelle, the best policy was to crouch down and avoid it.

“Chief Councilor, you must go out now.”

“Ahem, yes.”

At the judge’s call, Jonathan raised his heavy body. One handkerchief was already soaked. After receiving a new handkerchief from a servant, Jonathan passed through the double doors opened by the servant and headed to the courtroom.

The courtroom he arrived at was filled with a strange heat from the gathered crowd. Jonathan frowned at the stuffy courtroom, then his face relaxed when he saw the Empress already arrived at the seat of honor. Jonathan greeted her politely and then sat in the chief councilor’s seat. As soon as Jonathan sat, one of the eight judges stood up and shouted.

“The trial is now in session, all be silent!”

Bang. Bang. Bang!

At the sound of the gavel being struck, the noisy courtroom fell silent all at once. The judge shouted loudly.

“Bring in the accused!”

Then, soldiers brought out Karon Chevinelle, who had been imprisoned in the detention center. As he appeared, gasps of pity, accusations, shouts, and screams erupted from all sides. The judge swung the gavel once more.

Silence! Silence! However, the noise showed no sign of abating.