~Chapter 54~
“Your Grace.”
Elliot hurriedly followed behind Ricardo.
“A message has arrived from the Crown Prince, summoning you to the palace.”
But Ricardo didn’t stop walking.
“Your Grace!”
Growing anxious, Elliot quickened his pace. When he finally caught up to him, he suddenly froze.
His heart dropped.
“…Did something happen?”
“Tell His Highness I’ll arrive shortly.”
A reply completely different from his question.
“And I will interrogate the Orphen spy myself.”
Ricardo’s face had returned to its usual composed state.
“…As you command.”
Even so, Elliot couldn’t take his eyes off him.
A strange sense of dread filled him.
Maybe he was just imagining things.
“Aaaaargh!”
The sound of burning flesh rang out, but Ricardo didn’t blink as he continued questioning.
“I already know the leader was Siren.”
“She’s already dead…”
“Where is that man now?”
He was acting completely normal—just like always.
“I-I don’t know!”
The man refused to talk. Ricardo silently gestured with his hand, and Elliot, holding a torture device, hesitated for a moment.
He didn’t know why.
It just felt like he shouldn’t go through with it.
“I’ll do it,” Elliot said.
But Ricardo slowly turned his head, a chilling air surrounding him. His face was colder than ever.
Rose, standing nearby, nudged Elliot in confusion.
“Cough!”
The man suddenly coughed up blood. His ragged breathing made it clear—he didn’t have much time left.
…No, this isn’t like His Grace.
Elliot looked at Ricardo with uneasy eyes.
Surely he wouldn’t actually let this man die?
“There was no leader. We all acted on our own—”
The man couldn’t finish.
Ricardo quickly covered his mouth as he tried to bite his tongue.
Startled, Elliot hurried to shove a gag into his mouth.
“Your Grace, are you all right?”
Ricardo didn’t answer. He simply removed his black gloves without a word.
“Keep him alive. Just barely.”
Elliot nodded silently.
Rose, watching him, scolded him with a frown.
“Elliot, where the heck is your head at?”
“…Do you think something’s off about him?”
“If not him, then who?”
Her answer made Elliot scratch his head.
Right… I must be overthinking.
This is Ricardo, after all.
***
“The Kingdom of Orphen claims they know nothing about Siren,” Benjamin reported.
“…”
“They say they’re even willing to show us the remains, if needed.”
The only sound in the room was the quiet hiss of Ricardo’s cigarette burning.
Benjamin, who had been reading the message aloud, looked at Ricardo, who still gave no response.
At last, Ricardo put out his cigarette.
“…Nonsense.”
“Exactly. Unless we obtain clear evidence about Siren, Orphen won’t acknowledge a thing.”
“…”
“His Majesty believes this incident could spark a war.”
Ricardo let out a bitter laugh. Benjamin flinched at the sound but quickly regained composure.
“This issue will be brought up at the upcoming nobles’ meeting.”
“…”
“You’ll be attending as Lord Harness’s proxy.”
Benjamin cleared his throat and continued,
“Everything is going according to Lord Harness’s wishes.”
Ricardo paused as he adjusted his tie. Then he let out a dry laugh and gave a small nod.
“…As he wishes.”
“Lord Harness is waiting for you.”
Benjamin gave a polite bow and exited the room.
Left in silence, Ricardo opened a drawer. He reached in, but his hand froze.
“….”
Carefully, he reached again. His fingers brushed against something soft, and he unintentionally smiled.
It was something she had left behind.
What used to be a plain, snowman-like doll had transformed into a white rabbit that looked just like her.
Ricardo lightly touched its green glass eyes.
‘…I wanted to tell you it looked like you.’
He had thought—maybe this could be a topic to continue their conversations. That small hope had made him happy.
But now, he couldn’t do anything anymore.
The dress he had chosen for her, the jewelry he picked to match her—
They had all lost their purpose.
Ricardo pulled a box from the corner of the desk and opened it.
Inside was a necklace, delicate and perfect for her pale neck.
He gently placed the necklace around the doll’s neck.
Her soft pink hair under the sunlight had reminded him of flower petals in spring.
He couldn’t touch her anymore—he could only stare endlessly.
“…You’re beautiful.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Ricardo’s face twisted.
The seed of unhappiness that had taken root in his heart was starting to consume him.
He closed his eyes tightly.
This world had always been cruel to him.
But—she was the only kindness it had ever given him.
He had been so blinded by the warmth of her light, that he hadn’t realized that she was fading in the shadow of his darkness.
Ricardo gave a bitter smile and picked up his pen.
He signed the cancellation papers.
A heavy silence weighed down on him.
For the first time, he had imagined a future.
But now, he was certain—he would never escape the reality he lived in.
He stood up and left the room.
“Duke?”
“Send this to the Roygin estate. As quickly as possible.”
The attendant bowed, receiving the envelope.
“Lord Bluea visited the mansion. Should I send a separate message?”
“…From Roygin?”
The attendant nodded.
“Yes, he’s with Lord Harness in the reception room.”
Ricardo fell into thought, then spoke slowly,
“…Let’s not disturb them. You go now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ricardo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Although they were said to be longtime friends, they had rarely visited each other’s homes.
Something felt wrong.
With that thought, Ricardo made his way toward the reception room.
He had a bad feeling.
Just as he raised his hand to knock, a voice rang out from inside—filled with anger.
“So you want to use my granddaughter as a hostage?”
It was Bluea.
“There’s no need to take it so harshly. I’m sure you had your reasons for taking on Dremokan.”
“You think doing this will bring Veronica back? Get a hold of yourself! Veronica died because…”
Bang!
Someone slammed the desk.
“Then what about Veronica’s revenge? Are you saying her death was meaningless?”
“If you really wanted revenge, you should’ve done it yourself. All this time has passed—who are you even avenging now?”
Coughing followed.
Then Harness laughed and raised his voice.
“Look at yourself now! What a fall for a once-great general…”
“Think of Ricardo.”
“He and I want the same thing.”
Silence fell.
Then Harness spoke again, his voice filled with rage.
“It disgusts me how alike we are. If Ricardo were anything like Veronica, he wouldn’t have turned out so cruel.”
“…”
“The moment I first saw that boy, I knew. He wasn’t family—he was my replica.”
Ricardo’s fists clenched.
“It was his idea to use your granddaughter. Even though he feels nothing, he still wouldn’t cancel the engagement. Can’t you see?”
“What do you mean…?”
“You pity him, but because of him, your granddaughter became a hostage.”
The floor beneath Ricardo seemed to shatter.
He stood there, as if he had no place left to step, before finally collapsing. A small, bitter laugh escaped him.
…He’s not wrong.
The shadow that had stood outside the reception room…
Was now gone.
