Chapter 12
“What are you looking at?”
Hero asked as he watched Heinz leafing through several books inside an old second-hand bookshop.
“Can you even read this early in the morning?”
Yawning widely, Hero leaned against one of the bookshelves beside him.
Heinz pulled out a single volume.
It was so thick it looked as though several books had been bound together.
“Travel Records of the Perry Empire?”
Hero’s half-closed eyes immediately widened.
He recalled the proposal Brahms had made not long ago.
To enter the Perry Empire as the Emperor’s adopted son and endure whatever came.
According to Brahms, that was the very first step towards revenge.
Hero had treated it like a joke.
Heinz hadn’t.
It was something he had already been considering long before the offer.
He had never intended to refuse.
The only surprise had been discovering that the prospective adoptive father wasn’t some baron or viscount…
But the Emperor himself.
For Heinz…
It was an opportunity beyond anything he could have hoped for.
“Let’s go.”
Calmly tucking the book under his arm, Heinz headed for the exit.
Just then…
A title on one of the shelves caught his eye.
ćPanakeia, Who Appears After 4,000 Years of Reincarnationć
He stopped in his tracks.
His gaze remained fixed on the title.
“What are you staring at?”
Hero followed his line of sight.
He pulled the book from the shelf and examined it.
“Panakeia?”
The unfamiliar word made him curious.
Opening the book, he found page after page filled with complicated medical terminology that was difficult to understand.
Near the back was an illustration of a woman.
She reminded him of someone…
Yet no name came to mind.
“…It’s nothing.”
Heinz took the book from Hero’s hands and quietly returned it to the shelf before walking towards the counter.
He didn’t understand why…
But the moment he saw that word…
Elthia had come to mind.
Hero tilted his head in confusion but followed him out of the shop.
“Are we heading to the old man’s place?”
His voice was full of reluctance.
Without speaking, Heinz simply nodded.
“Don’t do it.”
Hero stepped directly into his path.
“You know it’s hopeless.”
His voice carried obvious frustration.
Heinz looked at him silently.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“…What?”
“My goal is only one thing.”
“The Emperor’s death.”
“Nothing more.”
Once his revenge was complete…
He intended to leave this life without a single regret.
There was nothing inside Heinz’s empty eyes.
Seeing them…
Hero couldn’t blame him for hating the government.
Had he suffered the same tragedy…
He probably would have spent every night unable to sleep from rage.
But realistically…
It was impossible.
Back then…
And even now…
They were nothing more than children.
Children who posed no threat whatsoever.
If one accepted reality…
There was simply no way for the weak to defeat the strong in an age where only power ensured survival.
Creakā
The old, weathered door slowly swung open with a heavy groan.
Brahms lowered the spectacles shielding his eyes from the sunlight.
“It’s been a long time.”
“…It has.”
Hochi lowered the hand he had awkwardly raised in greeting.
The two had known each other since birth.
They had spent twenty years together in the Laurel Empire.
But after Hochi moved to the Perry Empire…
They had not seen each other for nearly ten years.
During that time…
Hochi had repeatedly urged Brahms by letter to come to Perry as well.
Laurel had long since lost any hope for the future.
To Hochi…
Who genuinely cared about his old friend…
It was frustrating to watch Brahms stubbornly remain behind.
But Brahms had always been stubborn.
Once he made up his mind…
He never changed it.
Eventually…
Hochi gave up trying to persuade him.
So when he unexpectedly received a letter from Brahms…
He travelled to Laurel with equal parts concern and happiness.
“So…”
“Has he not arrived yet?”
Hochi looked around, searching for the unfamiliar name mentioned in the letter.
Heinz.
“He’ll be here soon.”
“Sit down and wait.”
Right on cue…
The door opened.
Heinz entered.
“Elder, I’m here.”
The moment Hochi laid eyes on him…
He knew.
This boy is extraordinary.
His emerald-green eyes were completely devoid of emotion.
Cold enough to send chills down one’s spine.
Yet…
Those eyes contrasted strangely with his delicate, handsome appearance.
“With a face like that…”
“He could probably have become the consort of an Empress even here.”
Thoughtfully stroking his chin…
Hochi then snapped his fingers after noticing Heinz’s small frame, which looked even younger than his actual age.
“Honestly…”
“What could someone with a body like that possibly accomplish?”
He spoke bluntly.
Without hesitation…
He delivered words that would easily have humiliated most people.
“Still…”
“Your eyes are alive.”
Whether that proved to be a blessing…
Or a curse…
Remained to be seen.
Finally, he gestured with his chin.
“Come with me.”
Heinz placed the book he had brought onto the table and followed Hochi into the study at the very back of the house.
Behind them…
Hero watched with obvious concern.
Once the study door closed…
He let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
Inside the study…
Hochi handed Heinz a single sheet of paper.
“…What is this?”
“It contains the details of your new identity.”
Heinz accepted the paper and began reading without hesitation.
Watching him…
Hochi raised an eyebrow.
“Even if…”
“You can never again become a citizen of Laurel.”
“…”
“Even if you fail to accomplish your goal.”
“…”
“If you’re still willing to sign this pledge…”
“I’ll take you into the Imperial Family of Perry.”
Silence filled the room.
Seeing Heinz hesitate…
Hochi assumed he lacked confidence.
But Heinz wasn’t thinking about the pledge.
The first person who came to mind…
Was Elthia.
There was no reason to hesitate.
Yet…
For some reason…
His chest felt strangely heavy.
Before Hochi could tell him he could still back out…
Heinz spoke first.
“I won’t fail.”
Because he intended to risk his life to make certain he didn’t.
To do that…
He would have to erase every memory tied to this place.
Even…
The lingering image of the woman who had occupied his thoughts these past few days.
He picked up the prepared fountain pen…
And signed the pledge.
“We’ll depart on the five o’clock ship this afternoon.”
A gentle smile appeared on Hochi’s face.
“I can at least give you enough time to say your goodbyes.”
Elthia had suffered from insomnia for several days.
She had long pretended not to realise that longing for Edwin’s love was meaningless…
And foolish.
But…
She had finally reached her limit.
Even after making up her mind again and again…
The moment she saw his face…
Her heart still began to race.
She already lacked confidence in her appearance.
Whenever she stood before him…
Her blushing face only made her despise herself more.
Others might have laughed at how pathetic she looked.
But…
Her feelings for him had always been genuine.
Sadly…
That sincerity had been trampled upon time after time.
Shaved away…
Little by little.
Edwin would never know…
How many years she had endured alone just to become this numb.
She had never realised…
Until she met him…
That love could be such a frightening emotion.
She had already been hurt more than enough.
There seemed to be no end to becoming numb.
In the end…
There was only one way left.
She had to cut him completely out of her heart.
For the first time since becoming Empress…
Elthia visited the Emperor’s bedchamber of her own accord.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
She had expected Erika might be there.
But…
The instant she entered…
The sight of Erika’s completely naked body destroyed her all over again.
Edwin was cruelly calculating.
The moment he saw Elthia struggling to control her emotions…
He deliberately caressed Erika’s neck.
“Our Empress always stands there with that foolish expression.”
“And keeps her mouth tightly shut.”
Elthia clenched her fists.
She wanted nothing more than to run away.
She couldn’t bear letting them see the misery written all over her face.
Every time…
She told herself she had to endure it.
Yet every time she witnessed scenes like this…
The pain shook her to the core.
Just as she felt she could no longer endure another second…
Erika let out a coquettish moan.
Before Elthia even realised it…
The words escaped her lips.
“…I will relinquish my position as Empress.”
The corner of Edwin’s mouth curled upward.
Now what has upset her this time?
The last time she had disappeared, it had taken quite some effort to find her.
Lately…
Not a single day passed peacefully.
“You?”
His tone was overflowing with certainty.
He simply didn’t believe she could do it.
No matter how firmly she steeled herself…
The moment she looked at Edwin’s mocking face…
The resolve she had painstakingly built began to crumble once again.
