Chapter 16
However, Elthia stubbornly refused to accept reality and squeezed her eyes shut.
“…That can’t be true.”
Her lips trembled as she forced the words out.
Edwin looked down at her with false sympathy in his eyes.
“No matter how much you deny it…”
“The dead do not come back to life.”
His voice was as cold as ice as he drove the words into her heart like a dagger.
He casually nudged the corpse with the tip of his boot.
He wondered whether Elthia still felt even the slightest pity for that immature boy.
If she did…
What kind of expression would she turn toward him with?
Edwin could tolerate Elthia showing kindness to others only as far as simple sympathy.
He had never liked her usual expressionless face.
Yet whenever that calm face crumpled in pain like it did now…
An indescribable thrill welled up inside him.
Perhaps it was because of that pleasure.
He kept escalating his cruelty, hoping that her broken expression would be directed at him.
Just like now.
Elthia’s vacant eyes slowly fixed upon the corpse, so mutilated that it no longer retained any recognizable shape.
She simply couldn’t believe that the child who had once saved her life had returned as a cold, lifeless body.
Aside from Beth…
He had been the only person whose kindness she had been able to feel.
To think that he had died so meaninglessly…
So alone…
It was far too cruel a fate for someone so young.
“Take it away.”
“I don’t even want to look at it.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Stepping back with obvious disgust, Edwin ordered the body removed once again.
“It seems even heaven is helping me.”
“So…”
“Will you try to run away again this time?”
Edwin’s vile habit of exploiting those close to others in order to seize their weaknesses filled Elthia with yet another crushing sense of helplessness.
“If you continue trying to escape from me…”
“Someone else will become the next sacrifice.”
At last…
Tears rolled silently down Elthia’s cheeks.
It felt as though yet another shackle had been fastened around her ankles.
And so…
Time continued to pass for Elthia.
***
“It seems you’ve finally become quite capable, Your Highness.”
Hochi’s deep voice echoed throughout the training grounds.
Kyle, wiping the sweat from his face, bowed respectfully.
Hochi chuckled and playfully patted him on the shoulder.
“I suppose formalities really don’t suit me.”
“Please treat me however you’re comfortable.”
Laughing heartily, Hochi carefully looked Kyle over.
Only after Kyle had defeated the Commander of the First Knight Orderāthe man acknowledged throughout the Ferry Empire as the greatest in every fieldādid both Yan and Hochi smile.
Their judgment had been correct.
Kyle’s abilities had already surpassed nearly everyone in Ferry.
Compared even to Laurel’s greatest generals…
He was their equal…
Perhaps even slightly stronger.
Yet despite possessing such overwhelming talent…
He appeared at the training grounds every single day.
“I remember you saying…”
“You admired strength.”
“So…”
“Do you intend to become the strongest in the world?”
Hochi remembered Kyle’s words.
On the day Edwin had murdered his parents…
Kyle had burned with overwhelming hatred.
At the same time…
His yearning for power had become so great that he wished to stand on equal footing with Edwin.
“Otherwise…”
“I won’t survive.”
Just remembering the sight of his mother coughing blood as she collapsed…
Kyle gritted his teeth and endured every brutal training session.
Whether in blazing heat or freezing cold…
He pushed his body to the brink of death.
He sharpened himself by sacrificing flesh and bone.
Oddly enough…
No matter how exhausted his body became, his mind only grew clearer.
Hochi looked at him with a mixture of pity and pride before revealing why he had come to the training grounds today.
“His Majesty Yan wishes to see you.”
“…His Majesty?”
Lately…
Yan had summoned Kyle quite often.
But those invitations had always come through someone other than Hochi.
Kyle immediately sensed that today was different.
“It seems…”
“The time has finally come.”
***
“You summoned me, Your Majesty?”
Yan couldn’t help but marvel at how much Kyle had grown.
The boy he once knew now towered over him.
But Yan quickly got to the point.
His own age no longer allowed him to postpone the matter any longer.
“I believe…”
“The time has finally come.”
“…”
“I intend to formally introduce you to Edwin as my son.”
Because of his aging body…
Yan paused repeatedly to cough before continuing.
“The reason will be that I wish to broaden your horizons by having you enter the Laurel Imperial Palace.”
Kyle remained silent.
“I know full well what a vile man Edwin is.”
“But I believe you accepted that reality from the very beginning.”
“…”
“Don’t think this concerns only yourself.”
Yan suddenly fixed Kyle with an unwavering gaze.
“The future of Ferry…”
“No…”
“The future of every nation now rests upon your shoulders.”
He knew the burden those words would place upon Kyle.
Even so…
Yan spoke firmly.
He couldn’t allow Kyle to ruin everything through impatience.
“I will never forget this kindness.”
Kyle’s calm eyes settled upon Hochi.
“I’ll repay it…”
“With Edwin’s life.”
He didn’t care if the world branded him a traitor.
The moment his parents died…
He had already lost any homeland to which his heart could belong.
In fact…
Perhaps Edwin’s death was something everyone desired.
…
Including her.
The image of Elthia suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Kyle’s expression tightened ever so slightly.
He had believed he had forgotten her over the years.
Yet now…
He vividly remembered her pale face.
His heart pounded violently inside his chest.
“You’re exhausted today.”
“Go and rest.”
“I’ll summon you again soon.”
Kyle bowed to Yan before quietly leaving.
As a prince…
Kyle officially had a fiancƩe.
It was merely a political arrangement.
He had no intention of ever marrying her.
It was nothing more than a necessary formality.
“But why…”
“Why am I thinking of her now?”
Kyle ran his tongue across his dry lips.
The moment he closed his eyes…
Her face became even clearer.
He wished it were nothing more than shallow sympathy.
Yet for some reason…
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his fate and hers were hopelessly intertwined.
That night…
After realizing the true reason he longed to leave for Laurel as soon as possible…
Kyle found himself unable to fall asleep.
***
As the rattling carriage finally came to a stop…
A sign welcoming visitors to the Ferry Empire appeared in the distance.
Because the country was slightly colder than Laurel…
The people walking through the streets wore much heavier clothing.
It was difficult to see clearly through the shaking carriage.
Even so…
Elthia could tell that the people outside looked far happier than those she usually saw on Laurel’s streets.
Every two years…
The Laurel Empire visited the Ferry Empire to express its gratitude for the knights Ferry continually contributed as tribute.
Although their lord-vassal relationship had not yet been fully established…
Laurel still needed to show sufficient respect.
“You seem quite interested.”
Edwin spoke indifferently.
To him…
This was the same tedious scenery he had seen every two years.
Even though he found these visits bothersome…
He never skipped them.
There were always plenty of benefits to gain here.
Edwin’s thoughts drifted instead toward the women he planned to spend the night with.
The women of Ferry might not have possessed extraordinary beauty…
But they were obedient.
And that suited him perfectly.
This year’s visit also had another purpose besides expressing gratitude.
He intended to leave a lasting impression of Elthia upon the Ferry Empire.
Though…
Not in a favorable sense.
At last…
The carriage stopped before the Imperial Palace.
Ignoring Elthia as she struggled to step down…
Edwin entered alone.
“You must be exhausted after such a long journey.”
Yan extended his hand with a warm smile.
His face was lined with deep wrinkles.
Edwin looked at them with barely concealed disgust before forcing a smile onto his lips and shaking Yan’s hand.
The feeling was mutual.
Yan also found Edwin thoroughly detestable.
But Ferry’s national strength was still inferior.
For now…
He had no choice but to humble himself.
“The Ferry Empire hasn’t changed.”
“It’s peaceful to the point of boredom.”
“And isn’t peace the very comfort every citizen deserves?”
After exchanging the obligatory greetings…
Yan’s gaze shifted toward the woman standing behind Edwin.
At first…
He assumed she was a newly appointed attendant.
But attendants were never brought into the Imperial Palace itself unless they served as official aides.
Nor was she Erika, the imperial consort who was always at Edwin’s side.
Then…
Yan immediately realized who the plain-looking woman was.
The Empress of the Laurel Empire…
And Edwin’s wife.
“…I don’t believe Her Majesty the Empress has ever personally visited before.”
“What an unexpected honor.”
Confusion flickered across Yan’s face.
His eyes settled upon Elthia.
She stood there wrapped in an unmistakable aura of darkness and despair.
