“Tell me more.” Wishit, who had risen from his seat, asked urgently.
Seeing the future requires great power. That’s why even though Wishit can enjoy the abilities of all spirits, he’s never directly glimpsed the future even once to conserve his power.
“If I tell you? Revealing this fact to the contractee would break the taboo. You’re a king with no remaining power, so it would lead to an immediate contract termination.”
“I know.”
Wilkin had known she couldn’t get anything through the king’s head. Wishit, whose top priority was Rubette’s safety, would want to stay by her side, even if he knew about any disaster in advance…
That’s why he could never open his mouth even if he knew about any catastrophe in advance.
“But still, tell me.”
“Fine, then.”
As Wilkin reluctantly disclosed the grim future, Wishit’s expression gradually hardened.
***After Wishit suddenly ran away yesterday, I didn’t let it bother me and slept peacefully, waking up at ease.
‘That fool must have exhausted his power by meddling with Lord Reuben,’ I thought.
Unfortunately, he had done something without being asked, but it had already happened. Since he had easily disposed of the fanatic fan, I should at least enjoy some peace of mind.
“Hmm, the weather’s nice.”
Sunlight poured through the window.
Stretching, I headed to the kitchen on the second floor. As expected, our second brother, Victor, who was punctual as a clock, was having breakfast.
“Now, it’s time to apprehend the grand duchess. It’s been quite a while since Victor disappeared, so she might have already sensed something strange. I’ll send the guards. But before that…”
“I know, I should tell Victor not to get overexcited, right?”
“…That’s right. It could be troublesome if there’s a commotion in court.”
What if Victor, who had gone crazy just knowing I was troubled, found out everything?
‘Oh, how dreadful.’
I approached Victor, gently stroking my shivering arm. It was my responsibility to inform him of the truth and soothe him.
“Brother~” I pouted and playfully touched Victor’s shoulder, which made him look disgusted.
“What is it?”
“Since you worked hard yesterday, how about taking a day off today?”
“…? Where does that come from?”
“Right here. I’m the boss here.”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear that I get special treatment because I’m the boss’s brother.”
“Stop that and let’s have fun today. I already told the manager yesterday that you’d only work until yesterday.”
Victor turned to me abruptly. “So suddenly?”
“You promised to return to the Order of the Imperial Knights, didn’t you?”
“I said I’d stay for a month since I received my salary.”
“Don’t worry. You haven’t filled a full month, but I’ll give you the money. I’m not that stingy of a boss.”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Oh my, my brother’s shoulders are as hard as rocks, they’re rocks…”
“Hah.” Victor looked incredulous, clicking his tongue as I rambled on, tapping his shoulders.
“Rest for a few days and have fun with me, then let’s return to our main jobs.”
“Ruby.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Victor’s tone turned serious. His mood, gripping my hand as I massaged him, took on an eerie quality, making me nervous.
“Wh-why?”
“There’s more I don’t know about the grand duchess, right? Did she harass someone else?”
…What’s my brother suspecting? Victor’s unexpected perceptiveness took me aback.
“Actually, I had a conversation with Father yesterday.”
“Oh, mhm.”
“I said I didn’t plan to go home until he expelled the grandmother and the twins.”
“He did, huh?”
“He said that wasn’t enough. He said he’d kill them. It didn’t seem like empty words; it looked like he’d really murder them.”
Wow, Dad might be the angriest person, but…
“So, I thought it over carefully, and it seems she’d harassed someone else. Else, he wouldn’t have said such things.”
“Umm… really?”
“Is there anything else? Anything I don’t know about?”
“…”
Victor, with his head tilted back, met my gaze.
I held his cheek in silence and stared into his golden eyes. Unlike before, his gaze had matured a lot, quiet and composed, allowing me to relax.
“You know it’s my birthday soon, Brother.”
“Yeah.”
“I want to receive a birthday present.”
“What is it?”
“Listen to what I’m about to say, and don’t go jumping around like a wild colt. If tears come, just cry until today. Dad said he’d kill her, so wait quietly until then.”
“…”
He seemed to understand that what I was about to say wasn’t ordinary, and Victor’s eyes trembled slightly.
“Can we start?”
After a moment of silence, he spoke, “…Yeah.”
***
I stayed at home all day.
I sent Victor back to his room on the third floor, the one we switched for a day, and just in case he got too agitated, I had my guards and escorts stationed nearby to watch the house.
Victor’s room remained closed throughout.
Occasionally, there were screams and cries of frustration and the sound of something being broken, but that was it.
Satisfied that he didn’t come rushing out with a knife, I gave Victor the time to collect himself.
“Sigh.”
It was already dawn, and I couldn’t sleep, thinking about Victor, who had finally calmed down.
Knock, knock.
I approached the sound of someone knocking on the window, and there was Lark.
“Hello, I have something to tell you.”
“Why don’t you just come in through the front door?”
“I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Just come over here through the window. You’ll get caught by Victor like last time.”
“Huh?” Lark, who was startled by my suggestion, hesitated. “If I get caught in that room, won’t it be even worse?”
“Do you think he would kill you?”
After contemplating, Lark chuckled and leaped over the window into my room. “Excuse me.”
“Hehe.”
“Princess, Nathan might move as soon as tomorrow. So, I’m sorry, but we plan to send the guards to the duke’s residence sometime this week. About the grand duchess—”
“Oh, please go ahead. I’ve already told Victor everything today.”
Lark was surprised. “Really?”
“Yes.”
He raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling. “Is he up there quietly right now?”
“Quietly… I’m not so sure about that. He sort of self-isolated in his room, cried and yelled all day, and you know, that kind of stuff.”
“I see. It must have been quite a shock,” Lark said with a sympathetic expression.
“The emperor might be greatly shocked. What did he say?”
“Oh, well…” Lark, who had sat beside me on the bed, had a grim expression. “He… did say something.”
Lark had informed the emperor of all the various crimes committed by the 2nd Prince up until now, as the emperor’s cooperation was needed to send the 2nd Prince to the execution platform.
“Father was more than shocked by what Nathan had done… Still, because he’s his own son, he seems hesitant and suspicious, thinking whether he should go as far as to kill him.”
“Hmm, I see. Well, that’s understandable.”
In the Descarde Empire’s aristocracy, it was not easy for a death sentence to be passed.
Nevertheless, there were two legal ways for someone from the imperial family to face execution:
- Murdering a fellow imperial member.
- When it could be proven that they posed a threat to the life of the empire’s highest leader, the emperor.
So, to send the 2nd Prince to the execution platform, we had previously coordinated with the emperor and sought his assistance.
I had set a trap for the 2nd Prince when I was kidnapped.
The trap… wasn’t anything special. I simply gave the 2nd Prince a choice.
“What do you think? Do you think the 2nd Prince would be the type to poison even his father’s teacup for the throne?”
“…”
I asked a question with an obvious answer, and Lark looked at me silently for a while. Eventually, he nodded. “It’s sad, but it seems likely.”
“His Majesty the Emperor probably hopes the 2nd Prince wouldn’t go that far, even for the throne.”
“Perhaps?”
But unfortunately for the emperor, there was no doubt that the 2nd Prince would not hesitate to step into that trap. He had even ruthlessly used his biological sister, the 1st Princess, so this would likely feel like a good opportunity to him.
“You look a bit down.”
“Me?” Lark, lost in thought, tilted his head slightly with a reassuring smile as if telling me not to worry. “No, not really.”
“You’re lying.”
“Yeah, actually, I am lying.”
He sighed and ran his hand back through his hair, leaning back and groping the air with a tired look. “Just as Father is shocked right now, I also have a great sense of doubt about this Imperial family.” He began to speak slowly, as if he were talking to himself. “Because of the need to produce as many summoners as possible, many consorts have come to the palace. They are tormented by a sense of obligation to produce pure-blooded imperial. If they can’t, they are stigmatized as unnecessary members of the imperial family.”
“Lady Endelturn was like that, right?”
“Yes.”
She’s now treated like the emperor’s mother, but I heard that her life in the palace was quite harsh, given her commoner background and the fact that she couldn’t bear a child.
“Women, that is, princesses, have a difficult time fulfilling the obligation to produce many imperial blood. So even if they have the legal right to succeed, it doesn’t mean much. They’re often pressured to yield the position of heir to the prince, even if they were born first. There have always been princesses who were unhappy with that…”
“…”
“All those imperial family members were created in this way; it’s perhaps natural that they start to resent each other. And since there are so many of them, there are also many who covet the throne, like Nathan…”
“…”
“He wasn’t the only one causing problems. Even in my father’s generation— even in my grandfather’s… There has always been strife among siblings, and the emperor had to ascend to the throne drenched in the blood of his kin.” Lark paused for a moment, sighed, and closed his eyes. “And I, too…”
“…”
“… turned out like that.”
Becoming the ruler ‘peacefully’ in the Descarde Empire’s imperial family is almost unheard of.
Lark, too, would only gain access to the throne securely after cutting the throat of his brother, the 2nd Prince, one way or another…
“Was the protection of the Spirit King a blessing?”
Doubt was evident in his murmuring eyes.
I gently placed my hand on Lark’s hand. He turned to me quietly.
“When Your Highness becomes the emperor… maybe you can change something.”
“…”
“It’s unfortunate for the 2nd Prince, but it doesn’t mean you have to kill innocent siblings to ascend to the throne.”
“That’s true.”
“So don’t weaken your resolve or blame yourself. Try to do something once you ascend to the throne, Your Highness. You’ll be able to do well.”
He smiled and gently placed my hand on his cheek. “Alright.”
I placed my forehead against Lark’s and comforted him. This was also a habit he often did.
“Hehe.”
“Haha…”
***
Amidst the eerie moonlight filtering through the tangled branches, Wishit watched over Rubette and Lark inside the room.
“Hmm.”
Observing the weary duo with a mix of pity and embarrassment, he cleared his throat and suddenly turned his head, as if exasperated.
‘These two sure have mood swings… Is it because they’re young?’
It had started as a touching moment of mutual comfort, but suddenly it seemed like they were about to kiss passionately.
“Sigh.”
Rather than the passionate young ones, Wishit directed his gaze toward the bright yellow moon in the night sky.
Seeing them struggle like this amid everything left him feeling even more perplexed.
The conversation with Wilkin came to mind once again.
“Who will die?”
“Landian’s contractee.”
This was the future that Vista had seen.
“This empire’s crown prince.”
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