Chapter 43
Elseze and Tezet departed for the orphanage, while Cassian left with Lancelot to investigate the “Masked Gathering” mentioned by Count Rort.
Astaire, on the other hand, had other matters at the temple and was absent.
Left alone, Count Gale went to the underground prison of the temple where Count Rort was held.
Naturally, he pulled out a few gold coins and tried to hand them to the guard at the prison entrance, intending to enter directly.
However, the guard stopped him and returned the coins.
“I’m sorry, but you cannot enter without His Excellency’s permission.”
Gale, looking slightly annoyed, emptied his thick pouch into the guard’s hand.
Receiving the pouch of gold, the guard stepped back, as if he had never blocked Gale’s way in the first place, clearing his throat.
“You must come out soon.”
Gale nodded absentmindedly and strolled into the prison.
Inside, Count Rort sat dazedly.
“You don’t look well.”
Hearing that voice, Rort approached the bars quickly.
“Hamston, please let me out. I didn’t say anything, as you instructed, didn’t I?”
Earlier, when Elseze’s group interrogated Count Rort, Gale had gestured to him to remain silent.
But now, Gale clicked his tongue as if that had never happened.
“Nothing at all? You babbled on about the gathering and now you say you didn’t? Can you really claim to have said nothing?”
“Well, I thought… it would seem more credible if I let out some details rather than pretending I knew nothing…”
Gale, looking at Rort with disdain while twirling his mustache, spoke.
“Anyway, His Excellency said he would show mercy this time. So keep quiet, just like before.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
Rort answered desperately.
He wanted to betray the Crown Prince who had tried to kill him, but he couldn’t.
Even though the temple and the empire kept each other in check, the temple wouldn’t easily believe all of his testimony.
If he spoke the truth, it would only put his wife and son in danger.
Gale silently observed him, then, recalling Cedric’s orders, moved on to the main topic.
“By the way, Feydan. I want to ask about that day…”
“What is it?”
“On that day, did the Crown Prince visit you?”
Rort’s eyes widened.
“How do you know that…?”
Gale stepped closer with an intrigued look.
“What happened that day?”
“Well…”
Rort hesitated briefly, then recounted everything honestly: the sudden visit of a masked man presumed to be the Crown Prince, the order to open the dimensional gate, and the attempt on his life.
Gale spoke after hearing the story.
“His Excellency was at the royal palace that day.”
Rort’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s impossible. I’m certain the person who visited the mansion was him.”
“I saw the red eyes under the mask. Only one person in this empire possesses those eyes. If it wasn’t him, then who else?”
The red eyes, possessed only by the imperial line and born with immense mana, belonged solely to Crown Prince Cedric.
But at that time, Cedric was in the palace.
A person witnessed at the same time, in a different location.
‘So that day, someone impersonating me appeared at Count Rort’s mansion. Find out if that’s true.’
Cedric, not trusting Astaire, had sent Gale to verify the matter.
And Rort’s statement confirmed Astaire’s words.
The implication was clear:
‘Someone is acting as the Crown Prince and interfering in this incident.’
Gale’s habitual mustache-twisting turned into a sharp, vigilant gaze.
Even though it was still daytime, the dense forest blocked much of the sunlight, casting a dim shadow over the clearing.
A magic circle appeared on the ground, and a masked man emerged above it.
As he turned to cast another spell, the magical light suddenly vanished.
“Stop following. Seems like I’ve been chasing you long enough.”
A voice came from behind the man, from the darkness.
A shadow emerged from behind a tree.
Under the faint light filtering through thick leaves, a face appeared: Pers.
“Lord Rasiel.”
The masked man, Rasiel, finally turned to him.
Pers stepped closer but froze when he met Rasiel’s cold red eyes.
“Are you really planning to destroy the empire?”
“Why does that interest you? Does this empire matter to you?”
“The empire doesn’t, but your actions do. If the late Empress saw you now, she’d surely be saddened.”
Rasiel chuckled, seemingly amused.
“It’s your freedom to hope the abandoned child grows up grateful for the mercy shown. But to assume they will is selfish, isn’t it?”
His red eyes were icy as he stared at Pers.
Pers said nothing, trembling.
Rasiel, staring at him silently, cast the spell again.
When the blinding light of the magic circle cleared, he found himself at the entrance of a large mansion—his private residence somewhere on the continent.
“Welcome back, Lord Rasiel.”
He nodded briefly to the butler and went straight to his room.
He removed his cravat, carelessly placing it on the table, and noticed a small flower decoration beside it.
What appeared pink to others seemed merely gray to him.
He recalled the events of a few days ago.
He had failed to kill Count Rort, who had defected to Astaire’s side.
Whether Rort joined Astaire out of fear from mistaking him for the Crown Prince, or out of lingering loyalty to the prince, the result for Rasiel was the same.
‘No time to waste.’
Since Astaire was involved, he could not delay.
Moreover, if the Crown Prince discovered his identity, maintaining the disguise would be impossible.
If he had killed Rort and successfully opened the dimensional gate that day, he wouldn’t need to worry.
The one who ruined his plan was the woman wearing the hairpin with the flower decoration.
‘Things won’t go as planned.’
He had assumed she was an agent of the Crown Prince when they met in the forest.
But the woman he encountered at Rort’s mansion was moving with Astaire.
She clearly belonged to Astaire, not Cedric.
Later, when Rasiel followed, she entered the Rohain family estate.
Only one noblewoman lived there: Elseze Rohain.
Tezet’s fiancée, who should have been aligned with the royal family, was moving with Astaire’s faction.
A suspicious woman indeed.
When she disappeared using teleportation magic, she had stared blankly at him, moving her lips slightly.
Rasiel couldn’t see her lips clearly, but he saw the emotion in her eyes: shock and deep longing.
For some reason, that gaze lingered in his mind.
“….”
Unconsciously recalling Elseze, Rasiel slowly closed and opened his eyes, as if erasing the memory.
He then summoned his butler and ordered:
“Find out about Elseze Rohain. That woman.”
Elseze pretended to enjoy the wind while staring out the carriage window.
Tezet’s piercing gaze from across the seat made it difficult to focus.
‘I followed because he asked, but…’
Why doesn’t he speak, this guy?
Before Elseze could endure the awkward silence any longer, he unexpectedly spoke.
“I hate sharing what’s mine.”
“Huh?”
“Who is it? The one of the two you’re planning to marry?”
‘Two…?’
Elseze paused to understand, then realized what misunderstanding he had and gave a bewildered expression.
“We’re not like that. I met them… no, them only because of work.”
“Then why are you trying to break the engagement?”
Tezet genuinely seemed confused.
“Not enough money?”
He sat cross-legged, looking arrogantly as if money could solve everything.
‘He thinks money can fix everything.’
Elseze frowned at Tezet’s lack of consideration, but replied calmly.
“The reason is simple. I do not love His Excellency. Naturally, he doesn’t love me either.”
“…Love?”
“Yes, love. Though marriages for love are rare among nobles.”
Having lived in Ruel for years, but spending more time in the modern world, she found a loveless marriage strange.
Tezet silently regarded her, eyes unreadable, then spoke.
“You liked me, didn’t you?”
