Chapter 187

A small room in the detached palace where Gale was receiving treatment. A faint and warm light continuously flowed out through the crack of the door. Clothes and towels soaked in blood were strewn on the floor without distinction, and attendants brought warm water, centering around three magicians.

“Wipe this part more.”

“Yes. Magician.”

“There’s no sign of the bleeding stopping. Try putting more mana into the hemostatic point. Just a little, a little more.”

“Putting more here will cause breathing problems.”

“Of all places, he cut his neck…”

“Good, good. Just keep doing that.”

Sweat trickled down the bridge of the magicians’ noses. When it comes to self-harm, it’s common to cut the wrists, but Gale had stabbed the point where his neck and collarbone met.

“Make more blood. More, more.”

“Hey, go to Captain Akorella and get the blood strengthening medicine. Don’t be picky about the type, just ask for everything they have.”

“Yes. I understand.”

While the three magicians were in charge of the bleeding and creating new flesh inside, the doctor meticulously sutured the torn parts and administered a sedative.

Buzz. Buzz.

The room was stuffy due to either the heat of mana or the heat of the medical staff. As Gale’s condition stabilized, the magicians wiped their sweat with bloody towels and let out a sigh of relief. They had saved him, so they had done their part.

“This should be enough.”

“Inform us immediately if His Highness regains consciousness or shows any abnormal behavior. We’ll be resting in the next room. Doctor, you can stop as well.”

At the magicians’ command, the attendants bowed and answered that they understood. They had heard about the greatness of magic, but they hadn’t expected it to be at this level. Not only saving someone with a torn neck but also stabilizing them. It seemed that healing magic being the pinnacle of magic was not an exaggeration at all.

Creak.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Lord Ian.”

At that moment, Ian entered the room. The stench of blood and the smell of disinfectant were intense. Gale had bandages not only on his neck but also on his waist, arms, and shins.

“He’s still unconscious.”

“Yes. But his natural physique is excellent, so there’s no problem with him accepting the magic. We believe he will recover quickly.”

“I heard he was mumbling in his sleep.”

“Ah, that.”

The magicians smiled awkwardly and glanced at Gale. Although he was a criminal, he was still a prince. As if they knew it was reckless, they reported in the lowest possible voice.

“He was calling out Lady Melania’s name and saying something. It was difficult to understand properly because of the wound on his neck, but roughly, it was about condemning betrayal. He also mentioned something about a curse.”

Ian pulled over a chair and sat next to the bed. Then he checked his watch and instructed the magicians.

“Rest. I will leave here in a couple of hours.”

It had already been three hours since Duke Hayman entered the palace and was detained, but not detained. Ian wanted to target the moment just before Duke Hayman’s patience ran out and rebounded into resignation.

If Gale regained consciousness during the remaining couple of hours and even spilled information about Lady Melania, it would be the icing on the cake.

“Yawn.”

“Lord Romandro, the report.”

Romandro, who had followed with swollen eyes, sorted out the reports to be processed and handed them over. The scratching sound of the pen tip quietly resounded in the bedroom again.

Slap!

“…”

“Ha, haha. Don’t mind it.”

Apart from Romandro occasionally slapping his own cheeks to chase away sleep, it was so quiet that it was peaceful.

How much time had passed like that?

Ian noticed Gale’s fingertips twitching.

“Prince Gale.”

“…Ah.”

Gale frowned, making an unfamiliar metallic sound. His neck felt stuffy, so he tried to scratch it with his hand, but only the stitches of the bandage came loose. Ian lightly stopped it with his pen and spoke.

“I’m glad you woke up on time. We have a lot to talk about, but let’s keep it short considering each other’s circumstances. First, Your Highness’s end will not be on a sickbed but in a courtroom.”

In other words, don’t even think about seeking an honorable death by suicide. Gale looked up at him with a frown, into the faded walls.

“Currently, Duke Hayman and Lady Melania have entered the palace and are waiting. If Your Highness has anything to say, I will convey it on your behalf.”

At Ian’s words, Gale laughed. The absence of the mana armor that the Hayman family had promised to support clearly divided the outcome of victory and defeat. That was why he was lying here like this now.

“…You wish I had something to say.”

The voice that was slowly and painstakingly linked was precarious. But Ian just nodded without any particular reaction.

“Of course. If you have nothing to say, I will convey it as I see fit.”

Now that a third force had taken control of the palace, it was something everyone could guess that the Hayman family would deny their connection to the two princes, especially Gale. So Ian had no choice but to create an offensive right in the name of Gale’s testimony.

“If you provide the collusion documents of the Hayman family, I promise you a more honorable death than Prince Mariv.”

Gale laughed softly at Ian’s proposal. Now, the best situation left for him was just such a death.

“And one more thing.”

“…What is it?”

“I will protect the tree in His Majesty the Emperor’s residence.”

The peach tree that the Emperor had blankly stared at after dreaming of Gale’s birth mother. The peach tree where his mother’s remains were buried, which she had cherished so much during her lifetime. Gale covered his eyes with his arm and let out a sigh.

“You can find the collusion documents if you try.”

“Thanks to someone, I have a lot of work to process.”

“…Were your eyes always like that?”

Gale suddenly asked, finding Ian’s gaze strange. It was always unusual, but how should I put it? The current Ian was a bit more…

“It seems like you’re the master of the palace.”

“Your Highness’s neck condition is not good enough to add unnecessary remarks.”

It meant to shut up and only answer the questions asked. Gale giggled and let go of everything.

“I didn’t directly exchange letters with the Hayman family. They and I both know the right people. They promised to support me in stopping Mariv, including providing mana stone armor, and in return, I would make Melania the empress. Not only that, but tax benefits for the Hayman family, key positions for that person’s nephews, and trade benefits for the kingdoms with blood ties.”

“You were trying to divide it up very meticulously.”

Ian took a moment to organize his thoughts. Apart from the position of empress that Melania would have, a considerable portion was promised to Hayman. But why didn’t they help Gale in the end?

“It seems like the support from the Hayman family was insufficient.”

“Didn’t you close the city gates?”

“Entering the palace and preparing before carrying out the plan is the basics of the basics. According to the testimonies of the survivors, you received about half of what was expected.”

Gale avoided Ian’s gaze. His appearance seemed to indicate that he knew the reason but couldn’t say it.

“Moreover, Lady Melania seemed to adore Your Highness.”

“Adore? Me? Have you never met a woman before?”

“…”

Ian frowned. There was no particular counterargument, so that was why. But if the appearance he saw at that time wasn’t that of lovers, then what was it? Didn’t it seem like they couldn’t live without each other?

“Melania doesn’t adore me.”

Gale muttered with conviction.

“Wesleigh made it that way.”

“How does Wesleigh’s name come up here?”

“Were you curious about her curse?”

Then he flailed the table as if searching for a cigarette. He seemed to have no awareness that his neck was injured. Ian only handed over the cigarette and had Romandro take away the lighter.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Didn’t I tell you once? It’s a personal curse.”

“That’s right. You proved it with the truth serum.”

“I will never receive someone’s love in the future.”

‘Gale, you arrogantly trampled on me, so you will never be loved like me forever.’

“So I knew from the beginning. What Melania wanted was not me but the position of a prince. That’s why I said I was preparing. So it turned out like this.”

Gale chewed the cigarette between his teeth. If that was the case, it meant that the author himself couldn’t clearly define the change of heart of the Hayman family. Ian got up from his chair, brushing off his seat, and then snatched the cigarette away.

“Get well soon. Actually, just the fact that Your Highness woke up is good news for me.”

It meant that he had gained a move to directly suppress, keep in check, and pressure the Hayman family. Because there was no evidence as definitive as Gale’s testimony.

“What about Mariv?”

“You will meet him soon.”

In the courtroom.

Ian turned his back without hesitation and went outside, and Gale closed his eyes with a sigh. Now that they knew he was awake, they would start 24-hour close surveillance to prevent him from dying. Even if he wanted to end it, he was in a position where he couldn’t easily do so.

Click.

As soon as he came out into the corridor, Ian firmly instructed the guard.

“Increase the personnel and guard him without any gaps. Contact the Imperial Palace Guard if possible.”

“Do you mean the Imperial Guard?”

The guard asked back in puzzlement. They only needed to prevent Gale’s self-harm, so why would they call the Imperial Guard? There was already a shortage of people for the reconstruction of the palace.

“Does an order need a reason?”

“Ah, I apologize. I will correct myself.”

Instead of giving a long-winded explanation, Ian elicited an answer through a reprimand. As soon as Romandro followed him and got into the carriage, he asked back.

“Is it because of the Hayman family?”

“That’s right. Now that the prince has safely woken up, there is a possibility that Hayman will make a move.”

Since it has come to this, the prince who will die anyway. They can kill him before the trial to superficially sever ties with Hayman.

And above all, if the princes die here from an external attack, the chaos that has barely subsided can swell up again.

“Go to where Duke Hayman is waiting.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Neigh!

Ian informed the destination and checked his watch.

Seven hours and forty minutes.

It was the time the duke had waited to meet someone after entering the palace. For the duke, who was noble and called the backbone of Bariel, it must have been quite a long wait to endure.

“Have you ever seen Duke Hayman? Lord Romandro?”

“Didn’t we see him once at the New Year’s banquet? Or not?”

“I think I saw the ceremony at that time.”

Duke Hayman didn’t stand out in his memory. Ian remembered that the Duke Hayman he saw when he was the emperor was the 11th, but he became a little curious about what kind of person the current head of the family was.

‘They say blood doesn’t lie, so if anything, he’ll be similar.’

With that thought, Ian rushed to the building where the duke was detained. In the distance, the soldiers guarding the entrance gate could be seen.

“What’s the atmosphere like outside the palace?”

“It seems like baseless rumors are spreading little by little. It’s the first time that those who entered the palace don’t come out, isn’t it? We’ll have to make a position statement soon.”

It was not something that could be prolonged. Ian vowed to finish the work roughly within three days, just three days, and looked out the window. The Hayman family’s carriage was waiting.

Creak.

“Is Duke Hayman inside?”

“Yes. Lord Ian. He’s waiting.”

“Inform him.”

Ian entered the building, guided by the soldier.

The doors of the reception room opened to the left and right.

Ian faced Duke Hayman, who was sitting upright.