January 4, 2021
"The Roakin scum have made a move?"
"Yes. They’re acting as if they’re carrying out Your Majesty’s orders."
"My dear little brother certainly is ruthless, using them despite knowing full well how much I despise those savages."
"It seems Roakin is—"
Thud—!
The pen flew across the room, narrowly grazing Peltion’s cheek. A thin cut formed where the nib had scratched his skin, and a small trail of blood trickled down, but he didn’t so much as flinch. He only lowered his head further.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I was careless."
"Not a mistake—a failure."
Jerpeneus growled, and Peltion bowed even deeper.
He had nearly forgotten, having not discussed it in some time, but Jerpeneus always became uncharacteristically irritable at the mere mention of Roakin. To him, Roakin was no different from the enemy that had tainted his very existence.
"My apologies."
"Mere words hold no meaning."
Jerpeneus exhaled sharply, struggling to calm himself. No matter how much he tried to keep his emotions in check, the mere thought of those savages sent his blood boiling.
The imperial family had gone to great lengths to preserve the purity of their golden hair and golden eyes—yet the wretched Roakin had continued their lineage of green-eyed mongrels.
Those inferior creatures should have been wiped out long ago.
"Back then, Cabelenus shouldn’t have stopped."
"..."
"He shouldn’t have halted at Neuschwein. He should have wiped out Roakin entirely."
"..."
"That damn woman was an obstacle in more ways than one. Because of her interference, Cabelenus stopped his advance—and now those vermin have dared to set foot on imperial land again."
Jerpeneus slammed his palm against the table.
Neuschwein, and the countries before it, had only ever been stepping stones to Roakin’s destruction.
But Neuschwein had her.
And she had made Cabelenus stop.
"If not for that woman, my plan would have been complete long ago. I should have slit her throat back then instead of treating her as a passing amusement."
"That doesn’t sound like Your Majesty."
"And what is like me?"
"Your Majesty does not waste time on regret."
"Regret, huh... I suppose you’re not wrong. Even if I could turn back time, I’d still end up on this throne."
A twisted smile curled Jerpeneus's lips.
"Peltion."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Even if I have to go through more trouble because of that slave girl, my goal remains unchanged. I will claim the entire continent. I will be the master of everything."
The great emperors of the past had failed to achieve such a feat—but he would succeed.
At last, a smile returned to his face.
"People call me nothing. They say I stole Cabelenus’s place. That I am defective."
"..."
"But none of them see me. No matter how much effort I put in, no matter what I accomplish—it has never meant anything."
He had never wanted these damned green eyes.
He had wanted to be born like his half-brother—with brilliant golden eyes, as the rightful heir.
But from the moment of his birth, he had been branded flawed.
"Cabelenus is a fool. He doesn’t even realize the value of what he has."
"It’s the arrogance of those born with everything."
"Exactly. The arrogance of the privileged. He’s so naïve that he would stain his own bloodline."
Jerpeneus sneered and leaned back in his chair.
Had Cabelenus behaved himself, he would have had everything handed to him.
But it was far too late for brotherly kindness.
"The High Priest—what’s his status?"
"The temple has sent word that all preparations are complete. They will proceed with the promised plan shortly."
"Good. They're well-versed in these matters—it should be quick. With both the fire Cabelenus ignited and the fuel the High Priest has added, the flames will burn even brighter."
Jerpeneus smirked.
The old man had been insufferable, bringing up ancient tactics in his presence, but Jerpeneus couldn’t deny he was looking forward to the results.
"Once that old bastard’s rumors spread, my dear little brother will find himself in quite the predicament. His flawless successor act will become his own noose, forcing him to follow in our father’s footsteps."
"If he’s unlucky, he might go completely mad."
"That’s fine by me. Whether he loses his mind or not, he won’t obey me either way. If anything, it might be easier to handle him if he’s lost his sanity. A mad dog is easier to leash."
Because, in the end—
The true ruler of this continent was none other than him.
Jerpeneus laughed leisurely.
"If that is Your Majesty’s will, I will keep the soldiers prepared to move at any moment."
"Make sure we have plenty of disposable dogs ready. If they’re going to die anyway, we should make good use of them first."
"Understood."
"Oh, and... it might be time to start mass-producing shackled soldiers."
"You mean—soldiers infused with beast blood?"
"If Cabelenus ascends the throne, sending troops to battle will become more difficult. We need replacements. The research is nearly complete, isn’t it?"
It had been unstable in the beginning, but after numerous experiments, the shackles had reached their optimal form.
For now, they could only prolong life while forcibly drawing out strength.
But one day, they would create warriors as powerful as Cabelenus himself.
"Peltion, if you want to be forgiven for your failure, then bring me the perfect army. Use them to crush anyone who stands in my way."
Of course, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the first thing to be brought before him—
Would be the head of that slave girl.
Jerpeneus tilted his head arrogantly.
Under the flickering light, his eyes glistened—not with madness, nor mere excitement, but something far more insatiable.
***
Alicia stared at the tightly shut door for a long time.
Mikael was inside.
She should knock.
But her hand wouldn’t move.
If she met James, their unfinished conversation would inevitably come up.
She wasn’t sure if she should bring it up at all.
She was hesitant.
How long had she been standing there, simply staring?
Click.
The doorknob turned.
"..."
"..."
"When did you get here?"
"Just now. I was about to knock, but... you opened the door first, so I was caught off guard."
Without some excuse, there would be nothing to say.
Alicia let out an awkward laugh.
She truly didn’t want her relationship with James to deteriorate.
He was one of the few people she considered close.
She couldn’t bear the thought of everything they had built crumbling in an instant.
"Mikael fell asleep earlier. He must’ve been exhausted from drawing. I lost count of how many times he reworked his sketch today."
"Sounds like he was quite a handful."
"It was just a little time spent with him."
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"I still feel bad. You ended up spending so much time because of Mikael and me."
"No, I liked it too. I've been so on edge lately, trying to plan out my new piece. It was nice to take a break."
"If that’s the case... then I’m glad."
Alicia parted her lips slightly, as if about to say more, but in the end, she closed them again. James wasn’t bringing it up, so she wasn’t sure if she should. It only made her feel more cautious.
"Oh, and just so you know, I’ll be focusing solely on my art for a while."
James spoke first, noticing her hesitation.
"It’s about time I returned to my real work."
"...Are you really okay?"
And if I’m not? Then what will you do?
The words rose to his throat, but James swallowed them back down. No matter what happened, he had never changed. He was still afraid of losing things.
"I can’t stay here forever."
"You can, if you want to. Or, if you don’t, that’s fine too."
"If I leave, then it’ll just be you and Mikael left behind."
James clenched his fists.
"You don’t have to worry. He’s changed a lot now."
"You never know when he’ll turn again. He’s that kind of person."
"Maybe. But even so, he’s still the best person to protect Mikael. And..."
Alicia took a deep breath before speaking again.
"To be honest... you’re not entirely wrong. Even after all the pain, I still waited for him. I still missed him."
"..."
"So... maybe staying here isn’t just for Mikael’s sake."
She lowered her head, absentmindedly fidgeting with her fingers.
"I still have lingering feelings."
"Lingering feelings?"
"I thought... I thought my life was something I could give up for Mikael without hesitation."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, fragile and small, as if it could vanish at any moment.
But now... I want to live.
James opened his mouth, about to say something, but when he saw Alicia’s trembling shoulders, he stopped himself.
"He’s always been that kind of person to me. Before and now, he always... makes me want to live."
"..."
"So I’m really fine. You don’t have to worry anymore. You don’t have to waste your life on me."
"...And how do you know what I’m worried about?"
James gritted his teeth.
The woman in front of him looked fragile, yet to him, her calm expression felt colder than a blade.
"Do you even realize? You’ve always told me you’re fine. No matter what happened, you always said it was okay. That I didn’t need to worry. That I shouldn’t do anything."
"James—"
"You probably thought you were being considerate. Drawing a line to protect me in your own way."
James let out a bitter laugh.
"But I was suffocating behind that line. Standing there, unable to cross, not knowing what to do, helplessly watching from the outside."
If she had just been selfish, at least he could have resented her.
But even now, she was sincerely worrying about him.
And that made it unbearable.
"Do you know what your real problem is? You’re starving for affection. That’s why you’re so easily swayed by kindness. That’s why you’re drawn to people who give you unconditional love."
"..."
"But that’s not normal."
His mind screamed at him to stop, that this wasn’t right.
But he couldn’t.
He wanted to wound her.
If she was going to leave him behind like this, then he wanted to hurt her in return.
He knew it wasn’t her fault.
But if not her, then who was he supposed to blame?
"What you’re feeling isn’t love. You’re just desperate for someone to love you."
His voice was raw, filled with venom.
"And honestly, you can’t even see your own son as anything more than that. So what do you know about love?"
"..."
Where was this anger coming from?
Alicia shut her eyes tightly as she faced James, his furious gaze burning red with emotion.
"The Grand Duke of Schwarhan will marry a woman of his status. And he won’t ever truly accept Mikael as his son."
"..."
"You’ll end up no different from my sister. In the end, nobility and commoners don’t mix."
"...That’s just what you want to believe."
"What?"
"You believe what you want to believe, James. And I’ll do the same."
Alicia clasped her hands tightly together, holding back tears.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
***
No matter how much she tried to tell herself it was fine,
It wasn’t.
Not even a little.
She knew how to handle wounds.
She even knew how to react in order to strike back at those who hurt her.
But that didn’t mean it hurt any less.
If it had been from someone she never expected anything from, maybe she wouldn’t have minded.
But she had trusted him.
Believed they had built something together.
And that was why it cut even deeper.
Alicia sank down in front of her bedroom door, biting her lip hard.
Her vision burned, but she couldn’t cry—not with the child sleeping inside.
"...Alicia?"
A familiar voice spoke above her.
Alicia lifted her head blankly.
The figure was backlit by the dim glow of the lights, making it hard to see his face.
But those golden eyes—
They still shone brilliantly, like the sun.
"Why are you sitting here like this—wait, no. That face...?"
Cabelenus stopped mid-sentence and immediately crouched down.
His sharp eyes carefully scanned her face.
Her eyes, reddened from holding back tears, glistened with moisture.
"What happened? Who did this to you?"
His voice was low and laced with anger.
Instead of answering, Alicia reached out—
And wrapped her arms around his neck.
The warmth of another person shattered the last of her resolve.
Tears, which she had desperately tried to hold back, spilled over.
Cabelenus held her in silence, letting her cry against his shoulder.
Then, without hesitation, he tightened his grip and lifted her into his arms.
Without a word, he carried her away.
If the sound of her crying could be heard by the child,
If she couldn’t even weep properly in her own space—
Then he knew exactly what needed to be done.
His arms wrapped around her more firmly.
As if he would never let go.
