TL: Zimmings
Andre and Yvonne were not the only ones who were surprised.
Johann and Isaac also had bewildered expressions.
I shrugged my shoulders.
âItâs not just the temple thatâs evil, is it? Iâm pretty evil too. I know what they are aiming for because we are the same evil person.â
âWhat?â
Isaac frowned at my words.
So this is what happened,
Before the vacant lot war, that is, before going to the tower, I agonized.
âIf I were the temple, what would I aim for?â
What can they do to overcome the situation in which the imperial family and nobles werenât on their side anymore?
I concluded after thinking about it.
âI would have replaced the emperor.â
They could turn the table around only when they changed the emperor and absorbed the forces that turned their backs again.
Under the circumstances, it is difficult to establish a person who has nothing to do with the imperial family as an emperor. Their goal is to absorb the imperial family and nobles, not the division of the country.
To do so, he had to choose one of the legitimate heirs and set him as an emperor.
Adrian is completely on my side.
All that was left was Prince Andre.
In order to change the emperor, of course, the current emperor Alexandre must be killed.
They will try to assassinate or poison him.
When I thought about it, I immediately began to prepare.
Through Cecilia, a protective magic spell was placed on the emperor.
ââ¦Thatâs how it happened.â
When I explained what had happened, people around me burst into laughter.
Isaac grabbed my cheeks with both hands as if he was amazed.
âWhy didnât you tell me that before!â
âItâs not thwat I dwidhnât tell you, I canâtâ¦â
My cheeks were pressed, and my pronunciation became off.
I pursed my lips and pushed Isaacâs hand away.
âAs soon as I ordered Cecilia, I had to go to the tower, so I didnât have a chance to talk. After that, I was held captive in the temple. I just came back yesterday. Besides, Iâm not the only one who knows.â
âWhat?â
âDad knew.â
Because it was my dad who gave Cecilia the âJewel that used to be a passage for Gremoryâ, which would serve as a medium for protection magic.
âBut why was he so obediently captured by Andre and suffered?â
Johann answered for me.
âBecause he had no choice but to do it.â
I held the scabbard tightly.
Yes, my dadâ¦â¦Dad would have had no choice but to be taken.
Because Iâm in the hands of the temple.
Heâs afraid theyâll hurt me when they know that the plan has failed.
âDadâ¦â
With my eyes slightly closed, I remembered him.
His indifferent expression when we first met in his office at Dubblede Castle.
His clumsy touch as he washed my feet.
My eternal supporter who will do anything for me for the rest of my life at any time.
âIâm going to meet you.â
Soon.
***
Empress Yvonne was staring at the emperor.
Andre, who turned pale, was silent.
âTh-the, uh, howâ¦â
âAre you surprised that the father you were trying to kill survived?â
When the emperor asked, Andre shrugged his shoulders. Empress Yvonne ran in front of her son and shouted,
âHow can you say such a cruel thing? This child visited His Majesty, who was lying in bed countless times a day.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âIs it Cecilia? Has she deceived His Majesty?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âItâs a misunderstanding. Itâs a misunderstanding.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Empress Yvonne looked fiercely at Cecilia, who stood by the emperor.
âShe is truly laughable. No matter how badly she desperately covets power, how could she try to drive a wedge between parents and children?â
âItâs been over 20 years since I met you.â
âYes?â
âAt that time, you were dazzlingly intelligent. â¦How did this happen.â
At the emperorâs words, Empress Yvonneâs eyes trembled.
âYour Majesty.â
âYou said that if we had to marry each other without love, at least you would receive the highest position.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI gave Marcheâs daughter the title of an empress, but the burden was given to you, so the bottom line was yours. But you should at least know not to be arrogant and vie for more.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âHow did this happen?â
Empress Yvonne bit her lips tightly.
Andre was watching the empress and the emperor.
The emperor knew everything. Even if she insists that sheâs not the criminal, he will not believe it.
No, even though this matter is forgiven, all kinds of atrocities that she had done have remained.
Andre, who was sweating profusely, shouted.
âMo-mother! Itâs mother who ordered it, Your Majesty.â
ââ¦â¦.â
ââ¦â¦.â
The emperor and Empress Yvone looked at Andre at the same time.
Andre lay in front of the emperor and hugged his leg.
âHow can I, who inherited the blood of the imperial family, try to kill my father? Itâs something I donât want. All I did was become a regent and follow my motherâs order. Yes, right. Your Majesty!â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI just did what my mother told me to do as a sonâs duty. If you want to punish my motherâ¦â¦ Your Majesty!â
The emperor, who was looking at Andre gently, turned to the empress.
âIs this the only reason you changed?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âDid you even throw away your pride because of this?â
Empress Yvonne looked at Andre.
Her foolish son. She still remembered the newborn baby that she first held in her arms.
Her chest felt stuffy.
She knows this time, there was no way out.
Today is the moment she has to leave.
Empress Yvonne slowly knelt down. She muttered helplessly as she pressed her forehead to the floor.
âYes, Your Majesty.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI ordered everything.â
The emperor, who closed his eyes slowly, said,
âTake her to the dungeon.â
Andreâs expression brightened up. He thought he could preserve his life.
The emperor, who opened his eyes again, gently looked at Andre, who was shaking silently.
âAre you happy?â
âYe-, no way!â
âYes, you shouldnât. Youâll regret this moment even if you die.â
ââ¦Huh?â
âYou donât know yet how cruel it is to have no one on your side.â
The emperor shouted.
âDethrone Andre Louerg, and capture all those who disobey my orders! Split the Neliard church, and I order the subjugation of their followers!â
Shouts erupted from all over the castle.
All the nobles of the Andre faction were arrested by the Imperial Army and taken to the underground prison.
***
The gates of the Imperial Palace opened.
The first place we went into was Ceciliaâs Palace.
To be precise, the basement of Ceciliaâs Palace. It was where my father was at.
I wanted to rush there, to the extent that I wanted to tear the barriers of the imperial palace and use teleportation.
Cecilia was waiting in front of the palace.
âLady!â
âEmpress.â
Cecilia patted my cheek and sighed.
âYouâve worked hard. Youâve worked really hard, lady.â
âI think Cecilia suffered more than me. Are you okay?â
Ceciliaâs appearance was a mess. Perhaps the hardships in prison were not only mental distress, but there were scratches all over her skin.
âIf I can repay the lady and the duchess with this kind of favor, itâs nothing.â
âCeciliaâ¦â
âOkay, come here.â
We headed underground alongside Cecilia.
The stairs to the basement already smelled of terrible medicine.
I hurried down the stairs.
Isaac and Johan caught me as I almost fell several times because I was in a hurry.
In the basement, a court doctor who was under Henry was bandaging someone.
I bit my lips tightly when I saw him.
ââ¦â¦.â
ââ¦Blaine.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âLeblaine.â
I wanted to run and hug right away, but my legs froze and couldnât move.
Dad was so thin.
His upper body, which was taken off to wear a bandage, was full of traces of terrible pain.
If it had been a little darker, he would have looked so bad that I wondered if he was my dad.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Johann lightly grabbed my shoulder.
I approached my dad trembling like a baby who just learned how to walk.
As I got closer little by little, the terrible scent of blood and terrible medicinal scent became more distinct.
âDonât come. It smells disgusting.â
ââ¦â¦No.â
âBlaine.â
âNo!â
I hurriedly ran to my fatherâs arms.
His bone that were protruding from his body because of his thun figure hurt my body.
âYouâre a fool. Fool!â
ââ¦â¦Yes.â
âI ate well and slept well, I was healthy, so why couldnât you protect yourself!â
Dad smiled and stroked my head.
I thought I was lucky. Since my family loves me so much, I thought no one would be happier than me.
But I realized today.
How anxious my family must have been to protect my happiness.
I knew that the shadow of happiness was anxiety only after my dad got hurt like this.
So I realized that I had to protect myself.
The pain of hurting a loved one was so terrible that it was incomparable to my own.
âIâm sorry for worrying youâ¦â
I hugged my dad tightly, and he gently stroked the back of my head.
âItâs enough that you come back.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âThatâs all you need to do, Blaine.â
Weâve been hugging each other for a long time. I heard Isaacâs mischievous voice behind me.
âAre you going to spend the whole day here?â
Johann laughed and was handed over the jacket Cecilia was holding. He, who put a jacket on our dadâs shoulder, said.
âLetâs go.â
Dad, who got up slowly with my support, said to the Dubblede commander who had followed us.
âBring the name of fearless rats who dared to attack Dubblede.â
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