Chapter 99: [Chapter 099] Adrien was there
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Even though he tried to ignore it, Roardnes couldn't remain still.
"How could he be thinking of seeing Noevian Trovika again?"
He stepped outside to cool the burning sensation in his head and to avoid the young ladies who were slowly approaching him.
It was a complex emotion, too complicated to simply label as jealousy.
Even though he had heard Adrien's almost confession, Roardnes had always felt uneasy.
Even if it was a love built on deceit, love was love.
The word 'love' that Adrien had so easily used to describe Noevian, when he had merely wanted to become closer, to be friends, had been like a thorn stuck in his throat.
When Adrien had mentioned meeting Noevian on the terrace earlier, he could have taken the opportunity to watch from a distance if he had only reacted a little more calmly.
But it wasn't a topic he could remain calm about.
He ran his fingers through his platinum blond hair that shimmered in the moonlight.
His feet carried him far away from Atilchard Hall.
Noevian's path back after seeing the Emperor was clear. He would inevitably have to pass by the Crown Prince's chambers. Even though he knew he shouldn't, his feet led him there, driven by his unease.
"...Roan?"
Suddenly, a rough, hoarse voice startled him, and he turned his head.
Doris, dressed only in her nightgown, was running towards him from the direction of the Crown Princess's chambers. Her almost naked state made Roardnes's face harden noticeably.
"Roan, Roan. Oh, my Roan!"
"!"
Doris, who seemed almost out of her mind, called his nickname repeatedly, looking overjoyed to see him.
"There are people watching. What are you doing?"
Though his words expressed concern, his gaze was cold and condescending.
Roardnes simply looked down at the messy, fluttering sash of her robe, without any intention of helping her.
"Today is the day of my wedding with the Crown Prince."
Doris quickly grabbed his hand that was within reach.
"Let go, Your Highness. Didn't you hear me say there are people watching?"
"You give such cold, murderous looks to the men who cling to lowly women, yet you don't bat an eye at the fact that I, a noble, am marrying a good-for-nothing Crown Prince?"
"There are ears listening. Why are you doing this?"
"You've spent your whole life worrying about what others think, and you've even lost your first love, haven't you?"
Doris pulled Roardnes's hand to her chest.
Even though he tried to pull his hand away, she clung to it tightly, rubbing it against her body.
Doris's expression turned pale as she slowly raised her eyes, her gaze filled with a seductive smile.
It was because Roardnes's eyes were not the least bit shaken, but instead looked down on her coldly.
"Brothers, you're really playing with people... What's the matter with you, you cursed blood of the Rontas?"
"Are you finished?"
Roardnes let go of her hand, as if to say that he was done with her. Doris felt an extreme sense of humiliation. The redness that had crept down her face quickly spread throughout her body.
"Please, Roan. I wanted you from the beginning. If Bardenal hadn't been the Crown Prince, I would never have been with him. Please, please, hold me. I'll do anything. Blonde, black, whatever you want, I'll do it!"
Not even caring if anyone might hear, Doris tore open her clothes further and shouted,
'What's the problem? What is it?! I'll be your first love! I'll even be your fake lover! That woman doesn't love you, Roan. She said so herself! No matter how much everyone envies you as a husband, what good is it if she doesn't love you?'
Her voice, filled with desperation, echoed through the corridor.
Doris, who had taken extra care of her appearance today, was undeniably beautiful.
But Doris despaired at Roardnes's impassive face.
'Go ahead and try harder. Even if this wasn't a public place but our private bedroom, I would never feel anything for you.'
At his blunt words, a crack appeared on Doris's face.
'Don't tarnish your brother's reputation. Get out of here before someone sees you.'
It was a complete rejection.
****
"Damn it!"
I'd lost the Crown Prince.
Even though I'd managed to get into the Crown Prince's chambers, there was no sign of him. It had been surprisingly easy to enter the palace, thanks to my position as his advisor.
"I hope I was wrong."
As I ran through the empty corridors, I prayed.
I burst open the doors of the audience chamber and the reception room but was stopped by a guard at the door of the bedroom.
"You absolutely cannot enter the bedroom."
"Move aside. I have something urgent to tell His Highness."
"Even if you're the wife, it's not possible."
"It's an urgent message about Noevian Trovika."
The two guards exchanged glances, looking surprised. They knew exactly who Noevian Trovika was to the Crown Prince, and what I was to Noevian. They were his personal guards, after all.
"Even so..."
Their eyes, filled with doubt, scanned me.
"Isn't the Second Prince coming as well? Has he not arrived yet?"
The men's faces turned pale at the mention of Roardnes.
"There's no need for two of you to guard me alone. One of you should go and get the Second Prince. It would be a problem if he collapsed somewhere after getting drunk at the party. It's urgent."
Finally, after exchanging glances, one of the men sighed and went to fetch Roardnes.
"It's urgent. I don't want to stay out here for long either. What will people think if someone suddenly comes to see His Highness? Won't they think I'm loitering here to seduce the Crown Prince?"
"Well, that..."
There was no way the guard didn't know the gossip about the Grand Duke, Roardnes, and Princes Epero and Elacon. It was entirely possible that those scandals would reach the Crown Prince's ears.
"I'll take responsibility. When the Second Prince arrives, we can prove that we had a prior arrangement."
With one man gone, the remaining guard couldn't withstand my argument. Hesitantly, he stepped aside.
The door opened.
The entrance to the bedroom, with three additional doors, came into view.
My heart pounded.
I quietly entered and quickly pushed open all three doors. The room was in disarray, as if someone had smashed everything. But there was no sign of the Crown Prince.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"Your Highness, Your Highness...?"
There was no answer.
I felt like a small animal being stalked by a silent predator.
A nameless dread welled up in me.
"Since I've come this far and gone this far... I can't turn back now."
That's when it happened.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A dull thud, as if something heavy was being slammed down, sounded from beneath my feet. I flinched at the vibration, which felt like a small earthquake.
"Below... my feet?"
I followed the trail of broken glass and a feather-filled pillow, traversing the wide bedroom. A portrait of Her Majesty, Empress Retinia, hung in the corner of the wall.
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Bang! Bang! Bang!
The vibrations beneath my feet grew stronger. A wave of tension washed over me, and anger surged.
"What the hell is going on? What are you doing? Where are you, Bardenaldo?"
I pounded my feet on the floor in response to the vibrations. I touched and felt every inch of Retinia's portrait. And then, a miracle happened.
With a gentle push...
Retina, smiling sweetly, opened her arms to me as if to embrace me. The painting slid back, revealing a door that opened into endless darkness and an underground passage.
And then I heard it clearly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The damned sound that had been pounding beneath my feet.
For a moment, I hesitated. If I went out and called for help, could I catch him in the act?
Or would I even be able to enter this room again?
"What are you hesitating for? Do you have the guts to keep running or delaying any longer?"
I took a trembling step forward.
The encroaching darkness suffocated me, but the thought of turning back and never knowing the truth filled me with even greater dread.
I stumbled and trembled as I descended the stairs.
Unlike the warm bedroom, the deeper I went into the underground passage, the colder it became, sending chills down my spine.
"I'm scared of the palace. I'm scared of the Crown Prince too."
"The Crown Prince's chambers have bad energy."
Why did the terrified voice of the wretched Empress Grace suddenly come to mind?
Did she know about this secret room beneath the Crown Prince's chambers in the heart of the palace?
A faint light leaked through from nearby. It was both comforting and terrifying at the same time.
Don't run away. Don't run away. I repeated these words to myself over and over, but as I stepped into the dim light, I couldn't stop my mouth from gaping open.
Bardenaldo was there, shirtless and drenched in sweat, in this cold and eerie place.
He was holding a glass case, the same kind I had seen before.
Bardenaldo, who had been smashing one of the glass cases with both arms, slowly turned around when he sensed my presence.
Without his shirt, the gold chain around his neck was even more visible. There was no denying it; it was my mother's necklace.
Bardenaldo ran his hand through his wet hair, his face flushed with fever.
"...Oh, you saw."
Sweat droplets flew in every direction, and his wild, unkempt appearance was shocking.
I covered my mouth with trembling hands and stared at the glass case he had been smashing.
"Ah, living people... they're such a nuisance."
And there, where she should have been buried, was Adrien's corpse.
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