Chapter 415: Chapter 415 Heinz’s Decision_1
After entering the wine cellar, Heinz locked the entrance from the inside and then placed the lantern on the table.
"This place is completely soundproof, isn’t it?" Aiden asked.
"What exactly are you plotting?" Heinz suddenly asked.
"After I’ve shown such sincere intentions, do you still doubt me?" Aiden spread his hands in feigned innocence, "I have directly brought you the assassination target you wanted."
"No normal person would do such a thing," Heinz said, glaring at Aiden, "Letting a prisoner die outside? Are you planning to land yourself in prison? Or are you planning to seek political asylum with Gistas right on the spot?"
If Aiden were to hand Sera directly to them, it would be the ideal situation for the royal police preparing to execute the assassination, but for Aiden himself, it was tantamount to suicide.
A prisoner’s death within his managed prison leaves him a hundred ways to cover up the truth. But killing a prisoner after taking them out, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself even with a hundred mouths. When Sera removed her mask, Heinz was completely caught off guard, because he couldn’t have anticipated Aiden doing such a thing.
"I specifically arranged this rare meeting opportunity for the two of you star-crossed lovers—don’t waste my painstaking efforts. The one who actually wants to talk to you alone is her, not me." Aiden pointed at Sera, "From the moment we met, you’ve been talking only to me but avoiding her."
Heinz fell silent, and after a long while, he finally shifted his gaze towards Sera.
"It’s been a while..." He hesitated, but in the end, he chose not to call her by name, "Your Highness."
"Am I still a ’Highness’ in your eyes?" Sera retorted without hesitation, "You’ve disappointed me greatly!"
He was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh, "I have no excuses, and I didn’t have the power to protect you, nor did I fulfill my oath. These are my debts to you that I cannot repay. You have every right to hate me..."
"You couldn’t come to terms with dying alongside me in a moment of passion, could you? Knowing you couldn’t protect me, you chose to abandon me to save your family’s honor?" Sera said, laughing sarcastically, "You’ve always been so rational, knowing what to prioritize."
"You are important to me, but the family’s honor isn’t something to be taken lightly, and there’s the entire country... The kingdom is now splitting apart."
"Your family’s honor was earned through generations of loyalty to the royal family. But I am also a member of the royal family, you fool!" Sera interrupted him before he could finish.
"Sera?" Heinz was taken aback.
Sera’s tone and assertive demeanor were quite different from the lover he knew. If it weren’t for the fact that Aiden had consumed the divine word for "presence," he would have suspected that this Sera had been switched.
"People change. She’s had her share of hard times in prison," Aiden intervened in a timely manner, "Let’s halt your grievances right there, Earl Hofman. I’ve brought Miss Rexcian here because there’s a proposal I want to discuss with you."
"What proposal?"
"Miss Rexcian is preparing to contest for the throne herself. She hopes you will support her as her staff," Aiden said succinctly, "Of course, not as a puppet of the opposition or a tool for a political marriage, but as someone truly holding power and ascending to the throne!"
Heinz’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Sera; this was a decision he would never expect the Sera he knew to make.
Sera just nodded at him.
"You must be surprised, after all, you certainly know her. In fact, Miss Lekshia also hesitated for a long time in prison before she made this decision... Don’t look at me with that skepticism, I have no interest in meddling with the mess of your country. The main reason I support Miss Lekshia’s decision is that I want to settle this matter peacefully and without issues—secondly, I don’t want it to become a future problem for me." Aiden said, "Whether you believe it or not, this is the only chance you have to save her."
Heinz was somewhat dazed for a moment, he struggled to suppress the surging emotions inside him, maintaining his composure as he tried to think.
The new King already had his own faction within the kingdom, destabilizing him was not difficult, the opposition was a force, but they were not truly intent on supporting the bastard daughter of the old King to take the throne, some just wanted the new King deposed, others wished to prop up a puppet in the chaos to seize more power...
He had indeed thought about supporting Sera to ascend the throne, but what he could foresee was only Sera being coerced by the power of the opposition, eventually becoming a political sacrifice or a tool for alliance through marriage—just the thought of such a future drove him insane.
Sera did not want to be manipulated into taking the throne, and it wasn’t impossible, but even with his support, it was a very difficult path. Moreover, once Sera began her struggle for the throne, the division and infighting amongst the kingdom’s nobles would be inevitable.
"Miss Lekshia said you would change your mind for her," Aiden suddenly said, "But I’m not willing to bet my life and fortune on something so uncertain. Depending on your decision, I will take corresponding measures."
That was his warning, he had a backup plan; if negotiations broke down, he would use force to compel Heinz to comply.
"This isn’t something that can be simply talked about," Heinz said, his expression serious.
"Is killing her that simple for you?" Aiden asked.
Heinz was at a loss for words.
"When faced with a dilemma, something must be sacrificed. But compared to before, at least now you have a choice, don’t be ungrateful, make a decision quickly." Aiden urged, "She made this decision for you, don’t you have your own thoughts?"
His own thoughts... Heinz mulled over in his mind.
The concept had appeared too infrequently in his life; always, as the Family Head of the Hofmann Family, he had lived with the priority of honor and rules, loyal to the Royal Family, loyal to the Kingdom.
Once loyalty was pledged, sometimes it was necessary to relinquish "one’s own thoughts," even if it meant doing the reluctant dirty work, as the leader of the secret police, he had to carry out his duties with cold ruthlessness.
This was the way of life he was accustomed to, he had thought he would always continue this way, until someone succeeded him or he walked into his grave. But everything changed after the old King gave him that mission, it was as if his previously black and white life had been painted with color, a young girl had pried open his hard heart, teaching him about feelings.
Protecting the young girl was originally just the King’s command, merely the loyalty he was accustomed to, but at some point, this mission had become... his own thought!
Heinz turned his gaze towards Sera, just as he made eye contact with her.
"Heinz, please," Sera pleaded as she looked into his eyes, "for me, for us."
Looking into those eyes, Heinz suddenly felt an invisible wave slam into him head-on, washing away all those tangled emotions, leaving only the pure voice at the bottom of his heart that kept calling out, as if... nothing else mattered.
Without even realizing it himself, he responded, "Okay."
No sooner had the words left his mouth when an explosion suddenly erupted, the shockwave invading the entire underground in an instant.
