Chapter 76
Howard used the excuse of helping with the preparations for Karsten to stay at the Estevan estate.
Ethan made no effort to hide how uncomfortable he was with the idea, but Howard didn’t care in the slightest. In fact, he seemed entertained by Ethan’s reactions, wandering freely through the mansion as if it were his own. He even joined them for dinner.
After the meal, while Elisa took Noah to bathe, Ethan and Howard stepped out onto the terrace. A soft night breeze drifted beneath the pale light of the full moon.
“So Lady Leslie bathes the child herself?”
Howard asked curiously, his gaze lifted toward the bright moon. Ethan leaned casually against the railing and nodded.
“Yes. I tried to hire a nanny, but Elisa refused. She said she finally gets to be a proper mother and wants to care for him herself, at least for a while.”
“Impressive. Taking care of a child is no easy task.”
“Are you not planning to marry, Your Highness?”
The question—one Elisa had once asked—made Ethan think to ask it himself. Howard froze for a moment, his nose wrinkling as if the topic was distasteful. He tilted his head back to the stars and sighed.
“…Of course I want to marry.”
The sigh lingered in the night air.
“When I see you and Lady Leslie caring for each other and living so peacefully, I can’t help but want that too—a home with someone I love.”
“Then why not do it?”
“Come on. Look at me. I’m a mess right now.”
Howard laughed dryly, tossing his head back until his hair fell over his forehead.
“What kind of woman would deserve the punishment of marrying a man like me?”
He was the illegitimate son of the king, born of a lowly maid. His mother had died less than a month after childbirth—not from fever as the records claimed, but from poison ordered by the queen.
Howard himself had barely survived, smuggled out of the palace by a loyal maid who had once been close to his mother.
Surviving, however, didn’t mean life was kind to him.
Though the king eventually recognized him as a prince and gave him a stipend and residence, it was little more than gilded mockery. The queen never stopped trying to kill him, and his half-brothers taunted him as a stain on royal blood.
To survive among them, Howard had become merciless. In the struggle, he lost many of the few people he’d ever trusted—including the maid who had once been his mother figure.
He had even been betrayed by those he believed loyal.
Most would have broken under such a life.
But not Howard.
Those bastards… Let’s see who wins.
He had clenched his teeth, endured, and honed his mind like a blade. Every ounce of strategy, every bit of brilliance he displayed on the battlefield was carved from pain.
People called him a genius of war, but it was the genius of a man who refused to die.
And now, though the queen could no longer strike at him openly, she still longed for his death.
“This morning,” he said quietly, “there was poison in my soup.”
His lips twisted as he toyed with a yellow rose petal that had fallen onto the railing.
“The maid who tasted it for me collapsed on the spot. She survived only because we got to her quickly—but she lost both her legs.”
Even crushed in his palm, he couldn’t bring himself to throw the petal away. He just held it there.
He’d grown used to others dying in his place. But no matter how many times it happened, the pain never lessened—it only grew heavier.
“It’s my weakness that causes this,” he muttered. “If I had more power, they wouldn’t suffer because of me.”
He went silent for a long moment. Then—
“Ethan, I owe you an apology.”
Ethan turned his head. Howard’s expression was stripped of humor, his tone quiet and sincere.
“If the man you’d saved that day had been Alex instead of me—if you’d become his benefactor—your life would’ve been far easier.”
Ethan’s answer came without hesitation.
“If the one in danger that day had been Prince Alex, I wouldn’t have saved him.”
Howard blinked, startled.
“I saved you because you were you, Your Highness.”
It wasn’t flattery. It was the truth.
Had Howard died on that battlefield, Ethan would never have survived the war himself. Howard had given him shelter, treated him with respect despite his low birth, and taught him how to fight and plan. Without that, Ethan would’ve been long dead.
Howard gave a faint laugh, though his eyes glistened faintly.
“…You know, that’s oddly touching.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Well, I’m touched anyway.”
Howard smiled, the tension in his voice softening.
“Since you trust me that much, I’ll tell you something. Within ten years, I’ll make sure you can return to the capital.”
Finally, he brushed the crushed rose petal from his palm and looked at Ethan with shining eyes.
“When that day comes, you won’t just be the hero who saved the Alliance. You’ll be the hero who saved the Petra Kingdom.”
A bold statement—and one that carried the weight of treason.
Ethan had long suspected Howard might rebel, but hearing him declare it so plainly left him momentarily speechless.
Howard chuckled and gave him a playful nudge.
“What, surprised?”
“…Anyone would be.”
“Really? I thought you might’ve guessed already.”
Shrugging, Howard pulled out a box of cigars. He lit one, offering another to Ethan, who refused.
“What, you quit already?”
Before Ethan could answer, Howard smirked knowingly.
“Ah, right. You don’t have a reason to anymore.”
“Yes.”
“That’s a bit enviable.”
Howard exhaled a long stream of smoke, eyes half-lidded.
“Think I’ll ever manage to quit?”
“In ten years, you will.”
Howard’s eyes widened. The cigar slipped from his fingers and dropped to the floor.
“…You keep saying things that make me emotional, damn it.”
“I wasn’t trying to.”
“Well, too late. You’ll just have to take responsibility for that.”
“I’ll decline.”
Ethan’s curt answer made Howard clutch his chest dramatically.
“Ah, my heart. So cruelly rejected.”
Whatever trace of sorrow had lingered on his face was gone now, replaced entirely by mischief. Ethan merely sighed and ground the fallen cigar underfoot.
“By the way,” Howard said suddenly, “on my way back from the council yesterday, I saw the deputy of the Grenville Trading Company.”
Ethan froze for an instant—thinking he’d meant Derek Grenville—but relaxed once he caught the word deputy.
“The Grenville Company supplies goods to the palace,” he said. “It’s not strange for the deputy to be there.”
“True. Especially since the knights were due for a shipment of armor and weapons.”
“Then what’s bothering you?”
“The timing.”
Howard tucked the cigar case back into his pocket, his brows furrowing.
“Because of the council meeting, most of the palace staff were gathered at the main hall yesterday. That means the other wings were practically empty—especially the one where the attendants assigned to watch Princess Camilla usually stay.”
“You think Princess Camilla used the chance to summon Derek Grenville and scheme something.”
“Exactly. There’s no record of his entry, but there are plenty of ways to sneak into the palace. And you don’t always have to meet in person to conspire.”
His gaze sharpened, the joking tone vanishing entirely.
“So be careful. You can protect yourself, but Lady Leslie can’t—and you have a child now.”
“I understand.”
That was precisely why Ethan had agreed to leave for Karsten. In the capital, unseen enemies like Derek Grenville lurked in every shadow. In Karsten, he only had to deal with the empire’s army.
Across the terrace, Elisa appeared with Noah in her arms, the child freshly bathed and giggling.
Ethan’s eyes softened as he watched them.
“I’ll protect Elisa and Noah,” he said quietly. “You have my word.”
And though his voice was calm, it carried a weight deeper than the mist rolling through the night.
