Chapter 63

Freyer poured the translucent brown liquor into a glass. He downed a mouthful of the high-proof alcohol in one go. He didn’t want to feel the sensations weighing down on his heart anymore.

 

“Your Highness….”

 

Freyer turned his head at the gazes directed at him. Bilion and Derek were looking at him with worried eyes.

 

“…….”

 

“Did something happen at the imperial palace?”

 

“Did something happen….”

 

Freyer bit down hard on his lip. He had only heard a story about a hidden truth—that the Crown Prince was not of the Emperor’s blood, and that his mother had lost her life to the Empress’s scheme.

 

Freyer poured the liquor from the deep dark-brown bottle into the glass again and drained the brimful drink in one gulp. Bilion asked him flatly, “Did you meet the Emperor?”

 

“…As expected of the head of intelligence—you’re quick to catch on.”

 

Freyer stared at Bilion with hollow eyes.

 

“What did the Emperor say?”

 

“That the Empress is the one who killed my mother.”

 

“You had already anticipated that, hadn’t you?”

 

“I had.”

 

Freyer took out the seal he had kept tucked inside his clothes and placed it on the table.

 

“This item is….”

 

“!”

 

Freyer’s lush eyelashes trembled. He stared at the seal on the table, then slowly closed his eyes.

 

“He said I am the only one who can inherit the imperial bloodline.”

 

“Then that means—”

 

“Are you saying His Highness Ivailo is not His Majesty’s son?”

 

Freyer nodded. Derek covered his mouth in disbelief. Bilion narrowed his eyes and spoke.

 

“How very interesting.”

 

“The Empress is watching us, and the Emperor said he would be our support.”

 

The Emperor had concealed his mother’s death for his own sake. Freyer had always blamed the Emperor as the object of his resentment. If it hadn’t been for his actions, Mother wouldn’t have been drenched in suffering, crying out in Freyer’s dreams.

 

‘You shouldn’t be making that expression.’

 

Yet the image of the Emperor’s face, consumed by guilt, would not leave Freyer’s mind. His thoughts were a tangled mess of conflicting emotions.

 

“Can I forgive someone just because the person I resented feels guilt?”

 

“What’s certain is that without the Emperor’s information, we wouldn’t have known the Empress was watching us.”

 

“…….”

 

“But whether you choose to forgive him or not is up to you, Your Highness. Whatever decision you make, we will not resent you. We will simply follow you.”

 

“That’s right, Your Highness.”

 

“We will keep an even closer watch on the Empress.”

 

Bzzz—

 

The communication device on Bilion’s table vibrated. He connected it, and Jaybil’s image appeared in midair.

 

—Damn it. I should’ve been faster….

 

“Speak properly.”

 

Jaybil had been tasked with pursuing a northern mage. Using information obtained from Lilithia, they had identified the mage as one from the North, and Jaybil tracked the movements of a mage with blond hair, scars, and heterochromatic eyes.

 

After asking around, he learned that a mage with such distinctive features had been staying in a village about thirty minutes on horseback from the capital.

 

“You said you were infiltrating his residence.”

 

Jaybil raked a hand through his hair in irritation and spoke.

 

—When I entered the bastard’s house, he was already dead.

 

“!”

 

—There were traces of poisoning.

 

“What kind of poison?”

 

—One I’ve never seen before.

 

Freyer and Bilion’s brows lifted.

 

“Collect the evidence and return.”

 

—Yes. And it looks like he tried to erase everything—there was a half-burned piece of paper.

 

Jaybil held up a charred sheet of paper to the communication device.

 

“What does it say?”

 

—‘A mage’s life has ended. Casting magic on that woman—… life is—… perhaps.’ That’s all that’s written.

 

“That woman would be Lady Lilithia Baimery.”

 

At Bilion’s words, Jaybil nodded slightly.

 

—Seems like it.

 

“Your Highness, the mage harbored resentment toward Lady Lilithia. That means Lady Lilithia is connected to his death.”

 

Bilion spoke to Freyer in an extremely firm tone.

 

“You would do well to be wary of her, Your Highness.”

 

For what reason had she become entangled in all of this? Thinking it was all his fault made reality painfully hateful.

 

Freyer poured himself another glass and drank it down in one breath. It was strong liquor, but not enough to cloud his mind.

 

 

***

 

 

It was the dead of night, with only the cry of an owl ringing clearly. Cold air seeped in through the gap in the curtains, making my body shiver. I curled myself up tightly.

 

Bang—

 

A knock thundered through the bedroom. Startled, I shot my eyes open.

 

‘Wh-what is it?’

 

I stiffened, staring at the door. A few seconds of silence passed without a single sound of breathing.

 

Just as I wondered if I’d imagined it, someone knocked again, and warning lights went off in my head. It was late at night—after sunset. The only people who would come to a bedroom at this hour were thieves or burglars.

 

‘What do I do?!’

 

When I lived alone, I’d always kept something for self-defense at home, but I’d never imagined something like this would happen here. Panicking, I hurriedly searched the room for something I could grab. An object on the bedside table caught my eye.

 

‘A hairpin!’

 

It was something Winnie had given me for when my long hair became annoying. It wasn’t something that could knock a thief out in one blow, but it was my best option.

 

“If you’re a thief, you’d better run!”

 

I shouted through the door, gripping the hairpin tightly in my hand.

 

“I’m holding a very scary weapon right now!”

 

The tiny hairpin in my hand felt pitiful. I cautiously approached the door. Had the thief been frightened and run away? There was no sound at all.

 

Still on guard, I peeked through the crack in the door. I flinched when I saw a black shadow cast beside it.

 

“Uh…?”

 

Freyer was sitting there, leaning against the corridor wall. Realizing it wasn’t a thief, I relaxed my guard. I placed the hairpin I’d been holding on the cabinet by the door and approached him.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

As I drew closer, the strong smell of alcohol wafted over.

 

‘He doesn’t look well.’

 

He looked like he was caught in a whirlpool of tangled emotions. His gaze, which had been fixed on the pitch-black void, landed on me.

 

“Lilithia.”

 

Freyer’s face, which had looked utterly dejected, changed. He had only said my name, yet seeing him force a look of composure made my feelings turn complicated.

 

“Why have you had so much to drink?”

 

“Ah….”

 

“Did something bad happen?”

 

Freyer smiled faintly and pushed himself off the wall to stand. He staggered, unable to keep his balance. I grabbed his sleeve. Freyer stared blankly at it.

 

“Is it that obvious?”

 

I nodded slightly, and Freyer smiled with his eyes.

 

“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

 

“Your Highness. I’ll take you to your room.”

 

“Today was too exhausting. I don’t want to be alone.”

 

Freyer shook his head and looked at me with eyes soaked in a dreamlike haze. His strange gaze tangled with mine. I didn’t know where to look and panicked. My heart felt like it was being tickled with soft down.

 

What had happened to make him look so lonely and worn down? If I hugged him, would his sadness fade? The countless emotions reflected in his eyes stirred my heart into chaos.

 

I had resolved to become a bridge connecting Nazlee and Freyer. These feelings betrayed that resolve.

 

‘This can’t happen.’

 

I steadied my resolve and calmed my heart.

 

“Your Highness. You seem very drunk. I’ll take you to your room.”

 

I gripped his sleeve tightly and led Freyer to the room where he was staying. Thankfully, without too much trouble, I managed to lay him down on the bed.

 

“I’ll be going now.”

 

“Don’t go, Lilithia.”

 

At the plaintive voice, my chest ached sharply. Forcing myself to ignore the sensation, I hurried to move away. Freyer sat up and grabbed my wrist.

 

“You’re leaving me again.”

 

He said, “again.” That meant he believed I had left him behind before.

 

Hearing that, anxiety froze my body, and I couldn’t take another step. Thinking back, there had been exactly one time I’d left him behind.

 

The day of my possession—when I’d run away, leaving Freyer behind.

 

‘That can’t be it. He’s just drunk and saying whatever comes to mind.’

 

If I didn’t think that way, my head felt like it would burst from the confusion. I needed to get out of here. I turned around, desperately trying to free my hand.

 

In the dim corridor, something I hadn’t seen before was illuminated by the early dawn moonlight falling over his hand. Seeing the object he held as if it were precious, my eyes widened. It was the garter belt I had undone that night.

 

“I can’t forget the night I spent with you.”

 

“…….”

 

“Stay by my side for just one night, like that day.”

 

My thoughts came to a complete halt in the confusion. Freyer’s gaze, fixed on me, was desperate.

 

“It’s fine if you don’t stop my nightmares. Just one night….”

 

Freyer closed his heavy eyelids, then opened them again.

 

“Please….”

 

With that last pleading voice, Freyer’s eyelashes trembled, and he closed his eyes. The deep, sleeping breaths tickled my ears.

 

‘Freyer remembered me. And he knows that the garter-belt woman was me.’

 

As far as I knew, Freyer loved Nazlee. Yet hearing him say that the night with me was unforgettable brought my thoughts to a standstill.

 

I stayed by Freyer’s side as he slept, then came to my senses around dawn and returned to my room.

 

Without realizing it, I failed to notice that he had already stirred my heart into disarray.