Chapter 64 Part 2: Upheaval, Crisis

It had been a week since Caron left.

His absence was deeply felt.

Rosa thought of Caron all day long.

She would curl up on the bed for no reason, and sometimes she would sigh deeply.

‘…I miss him.’

Without even realizing it.

Rosa had been completely smitten by Caron.

She had grown accustomed to his warm presence.

So it was no wonder.

That she felt lonely, that she missed him.

But time passed inevitably.

That fact, at least, was a relief.

As time went by, the day she would meet Caron again would also draw closer.

In the mornings, the maids came to work at the Archducal estate.

Then things got a little better.

Her personal maid, Freya. And the Bariang sisters, Wendy and Rudy.

Having a simple tea party with them.

“The weather has gotten quite warm.”

Freya said with a bright expression.

It was already well into summer.

It was the last weekend of the sixth month.

Delicious desserts. Quite a sunny day.

Wendy, who was putting a soft Mont Blanc in her mouth, mumbled.

“This is the best time in Elchen.”

“Is that so?”

Rosa asked back.

Her twin, Rudy, answered.

“Actually, there are very few sunny days in Elchen.”

For the past couple of months, the weather had been consistently cool.

Winter had its own charm.

A cool, sublime beauty. It felt like the beauty of nature.

And not long after Rosa arrived, spring came.

‘It didn’t really feel warm, though…?’

But it did feel like spring.

Now it was summer. And a month had passed.

“It’s nice that it’s sunny.”

Wendy continued.

“But on the other hand, it also means that the long ‘it’ is approaching.”

“It…?”

Freya chimed in.

“Ah, you mean the rainy season?”

“That’s right.”

Wendy nodded.

The unusually long rainy season of Elchen.

“It’s full of dark clouds all day. Heavy rain continues for days.”

That gloomy and damp feeling.

Even the quiet Rudy made a groaning sound.

The conversation continued after that.

“I guess… I’m just not cut out for it. Her Grace was really amazing.”

The Bariang sisters had started learning horseback riding.

But because she was so clumsy, Wendy almost fell off the horse.

Freya had recently visited her family home.

“Things have stabilized a lot.”

The family, which had gone through internal strife, had become stronger.

And now they had recovered their strength.

“There’s still one big event left. Once that’s over…”

The topic naturally shifted in that direction.

The distant, or perhaps near, future.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure the Archduke will be victorious.”

“When I went to my family home this time. My father didn’t seem particularly worried either.”

Rosa was curious about the maids’ words.

Of course, she believed in Caron.

But how could the maids be so sure?

The opponent was the First Prince. Not an easy opponent.

To be precise, his forces were not.

‘Of course, not the entire Empire is the enemy.’

Fortunately, her family was in the north.

‘So if Father opens the way for the Elchen army…’

It would be a straight highway to the capital.

They would have to deal with some of the First Prince’s forces in the central region.

If that happened, even if a war broke out, it would be decided quickly.

Of course, that was if everything went in the best-case scenario.

Suddenly, Freya clasped her hands together.

“Your Grace. Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.”

Rosa was grateful for those words.

Where was Caron now?

He might have already arrived in the capital.

Rosa missed him.

As much as she missed him, she believed in Caron.

And it was the following week.

The long rainy season of Elchen began.

Heavy rain poured down.

Dark clouds gathered.

Was it because of the gloomy weather?

Rosa felt uneasy for no reason.

But she soon shook her head and thought of what she could do, what she had to do.

The rain didn’t stop for a long time.

The flowing blue river.

The Sainpohtia River.

A river that felt like the beauty of time, and the setting of a certain tale.

Gentle sunlight shone upon it.

Beyond the river, a city that looked like a painting.

“It’s the capital.”

Delphinad.

A name that meant the jewel of the center.

Caron’s cool red eyes looked down at the view of the capital.

Around his neck was the cravat Rosa had made. The necklace she had given him hung with it.

“Let’s go.”

About fifty horses slowly began to descend the hill.

The knights of Arnad following behind Caron.

Their hardened expressions clearly showed their resolute determination.

They didn’t know what might happen.

But they would protect the Archduke.

“I’m worried about how he’s doing. Since the situation is what it is…”

The one who spoke was Max.

A knight who had followed Caron since he first conquered a castle in Elchen.

Max Erwell.

A fallen noble, and a condemned prisoner falsely accused.

‘…I’ll probably die like this anyway.’

Because they were practically discarded.

Thrown into such a battlefield to die.

But Max, who was pessimistic about life, saw it on the battlefield.

A boy who never gave up.

The young prince he had ignored.

If he said there were no materialistic thoughts at first, it would be a lie.

‘He’s a prince, after all.’

Wouldn’t there be some scraps to pick up?

But as they went through successive battles, that superficiality turned into sincerity.

Max had met someone he could serve for the first time.

He was able to become the true knight he had once dreamed of being.

Caron looked at Max.

He was a knight who had followed him like a limb.

But Pavel wasn’t there.

He was also a long-time confidant of Caron.

Max’s expression was hardened.

Not because of his own situation, but because of a completely different worry.

Caron answered Max’s concern.

“It’s Pavel.”

Did he need to say more?

“…I see.”

Max’s expression slowly relaxed.

Pavel was not among the group that came to the capital.

He was a strategist, and at the same time, the vice-commander of the knights.

He had to carry out another very important task in secret.

It was none other than Caron’s decision.

‘If we’re going to move the troops, now is the time.’

None other than the Emperor’s funeral.

While everyone’s attention was focused here.

They would prepare for the coming war.

Caron knew very well.

His coming to the capital wasn’t just out of a sense of duty.

He knew the First Prince Leon’s temperament.

‘It won’t end peacefully.’

So he intended to simply fall into that trap.

That would be the justification for starting the war.

‘And…’

Finish it quickly.

By the time they realized their movements in the capital.

A significant number of troops would already be at the northern border.

After that, there would be a mobile battle.

The warhorses of Elchen didn’t tire easily.

They were fast and had great stamina.

‘So I’ll decide it within a week.’

Caron actually hoped.

That the First Prince would give him an excuse.

And as he expected.

“Halt-!”

There was a clash right from the main gate.

A cold atmosphere settled in the grand hall.

Empress Savina sat on the throne.

It had been ten days since the Emperor died.

Those who were to gather had already gathered.

The funeral was already over.

Now only the interment remained.

The lords were seated in the grand hall.

“You’re late.”

The Empress spoke.

A heavy silence filled the hall.

Radiant reddish-blonde hair, snake-like golden eyes.

The First Prince, Leon, wore a sneer.

“His father died, but he didn’t even show his face.”

His faction echoed his words as if they had been waiting for it.

“It’s a very suspicious situation. Don’t you agree?”

“I heard he reigns like a king in the north. I fear to imagine what he might be plotting in his heart.”

The neutral nobles remained silent.

In reality, Elchen was quite far from here.

It would have been right to wait and hold the ceremony, but the Empress and the First Prince had already conducted the ceremony.

Now, only the final interment remained.

But no one was bold enough to point that out.

Marquis Gallia, who had been silent, slowly opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, the Empress. If I may be so bold as to offer my humble opinion, this should be dealt with severely.”

He had contacted Caron before.

But he hadn’t been found out, thanks to his meticulous acting over the years.

“This is, at the least, unfilial, and at worst, treasonous. If he does not arrive by noon for the interment…”

Everyone knew what would follow those words.

Empress Savina stared at the Marquis as he spoke.

Whenever she saw the Marquis’s face, she felt a sense of regret.

[It’s unfortunate what happened to Dorothea.]

Because she was the one who had said those words.

As a woman herself.

Savina knew the injustice of an unwanted relationship.

A loveless marriage.

Savina hated the consummation nights the most.

But what was the reward?

She had gained a supreme position and enviable power.

It was the natural goal of every noble, who had been held up since birth.

Savina had no intention of letting go of power.

With a thoroughly aristocratic mindset.

She judged that she had gained more than she had lost.

In front of that, a woman’s emotions were truly insignificant.

Naturally, there would be a suitable compensation.

Dorothea becoming the First Imperial Consort, and her father, Marquis Gallia.

The Empress thought she had made a reasonable offer, even while feeling regret for the two.

Didn’t the Marquis accept it too?

Every action has a consequence.

So it was the same in this case.

“I see.”

Savina answered.

In reality, whether the Second Prince came or not, she didn’t care.

If he didn’t come, she would just send an envoy to Elchen.

And she would summon the Second Prince to the capital to investigate his intentions.

“If he refuses to be escorted, I will exercise my authority as regent.”

She would strip him of his title of Archduke.

She would declare his absence from the ceremony and his refusal to be escorted as treasonous intent.

Then everything would be over.

Even if he came, Savina had a plan.

‘Unfortunately, he’s not incompetent.’

Unlike her son, Leon, it was embarrassing to even compare.

The Empress was cool-headed enough to acknowledge that fact.

But why would she have left the tiger cub alone?

It was because the Emperor was alive, and because she was confident she could deal with him at any time.

She had let him run wild, and when the time came, she would just eliminate him.

“…”

A suffocating silence.

A tense atmosphere filled the grand hall.

Soon, a servant would come and announce the start of the interment ceremony.

Then it would be over.

There would be no turning back after that.

The fate of the Second Prince depended on the short time remaining.

Everyone in the grand hall thought so.

And.

Thud-thud-

Between the wide-open doors.

The sound of faint footsteps could be heard.

Someone was walking towards the grand hall.

Everyone’s gaze turned towards the door.

Soon, the silhouette was revealed.

A black and splendid formal suit. A deep red cloak draped over his shoulders.

A noble and cool demeanor.

It was the Second Prince, Cayron.

The Emperor’s interment ceremony began.

A long procession emerged from the Imperial Palace.

Imperial Guards in silver armor.

Twelve knights carried the coffin.

Black mourning flags hung on every building.

A funeral dirge played on the main street.

A large crowd gathered on the main street to watch the Emperor’s splendid final journey.

The Emperor would be buried in the imperial family’s tomb.

It had been the royal family’s tomb until his accession.

The scene of nobles offering their silent prayers.

For a long, long time.

His achievements were recited.

The procession slowly made a full circle around the capital.

Meanwhile, flowers piled up on the coffin.

Most of them were placed by people as a sign of mourning.

After circling the capital, the procession finally came to a stop.

It was a vast area on the outskirts of the capital.

The priests of the Church had already arrived.

Cardinal Emilio was their representative.

“Lastly, there will be a ceremony to bless His Majesty, the Emperor, who is departing this world.”

The ceremony was, as most ceremonies are, conducted in quiet contemplation.

A bay leaf. Items the Emperor had favored in life.

The food he had enjoyed.

“Then, may you rest in peace in the land of abundance.”

Cardinal Emilio personally concluded the ceremony.

The land of abundance was a metaphor for the afterlife.

Figuratively, it was the concept of a land where divine beasts, or gods, resided.

Then the items used in the ceremony, along with the coffin, were lowered into the ground.

That was the end of the short interment ceremony.

Of course, it wasn’t the end of everything.

Immediately after the interment ceremony ended.

A group of knights surrounded Caron.

“We are the Inspection Unit under the Imperial Guard. Your Highness. You must come with us.”

A sudden silence fell.

“What?”

“The Inspection Unit…?”

Whispers spread.

“If you refuse to accompany us, we will have to escort you by force.”

One of Caron’s closest aides, Max, was furious.

“What is the meaning of this! So suddenly.”

The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant.

It was as if a fight could break out at any moment.

Caron raised his hand to stop Max.

And he stared at Empress Savina in the distance.

Two cold, indifferent golden eyes.

The Empress quietly looked at him.

The head of the Inspection Unit continued.

There were reports that the Second Prince, Cayron, was using the power of a demon, or some equivalent black magic.

“By the strict order of Her Majesty, the Empress, we will use all means to uncover the truth. The Church will cooperate in this.”

Something had gone seriously wrong.

Caron’s gaze sank deeply.