Chapter 91
When Eleusis asked the question, Ferdin tried to answer exactly as Stern had instructed.
‘Tell them that once Chanel becomes queen, she’ll manipulate the king to seize the country and hand the throne over to Derwin. Say the current king was never in their plans from the start.’
But the words wouldn’t come. The things Stern wanted him to say were lies. Ferdin had never overheard Chanellica and Derwin having such a conversation.
What should he do?
Ferdin was already in the same boat as Stern.
After being arrested at the palace and thrown into prison, Ferdin had resigned himself, thinking everything was over. He never imagined Derwin would abandon the princess he was guarding and come searching for him personally.
At that time Ferdin had intended to tell the whole truth and accept his punishment. He only thought he should apologize first to Derwin, his older brother who had trusted and cared for him. So he refused to speak during the knights’ interrogation and asked only to be allowed to meet Derwin.
Then, unexpectedly, he was released from prison. It was a forced jailbreak of sorts. Later he learned that the princess, afraid that Ferdin’s actions might be discovered, had arranged his release.
Even freed from the prison, Ferdin felt as dry inside as a desert. Although he had joined Stern, he neither wanted to stay with him nor to run away.
But Stern shackled Ferdin by the ankles.
‘If you go back now you’ll only be a fugitive who escaped prison. You say you’ll accept punishment? For what crime? You and I have done nothing wrong. We only tried to eliminate the dragons who manipulate this kingdom as they please. Don’t you feel wronged?’
‘I want forgiveness from my brother.’
‘Derwin will never forgive you. He’s a dragon. If he finds out you tried to kill Chanel, he’ll toss aside the fact you’re his brother. You and I are equally destined to become corpses.’
Ferdin shouted for him to stop with the dragon talk. Stern said he would make Ferdin believe him, then knocked Ferdin out and took him somewhere.
The place was a shabby stable—impossible to guess its location. When they cleared away the piled straw on the floor, a square iron door appeared. Inside, an enormous number of books were revealed.
Ferdin’s first thought there was that Stern must be thoroughly mad. But the more he looked through the books, the more he began to understand Stern’s behavior.
These books were of a different caliber than the trivial volumes about dragons Ferdin had seen at the mansion with Chanellica. The books—seemingly based on multiple experiments—contained details that could only have been written after dissecting dragons. Others meticulously recorded dragons’ every move; the sheer amount of material could not have been fabricated.
‘Our Miaché family has prospered for generations by hunting dragons. We fell into this state now, but we never give up.’
Then Stern proposed they work together. Alone it would be difficult; they seemed to be on the same fated path, so they should proceed together.
‘I can’t betray my brother.’
‘Brother? Do you still call Derwin “brother”? As you say, you’re not even blood-related, are you?’
‘….’
‘I thought Derwin was a good friend too. But I found out he’s a dragon and that he coveted the throne. Why should I have had to use you to force Derwin out?’
‘….’
‘Don’t think the memories the three of us share belong only to you. I started from a deep feeling of betrayal and got here too.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me back then?’
‘You really don’t know? Even now you keep calling him “brother” and whining about it.’
‘….’
‘There’s already a wanted notice across the entire continent with our faces. We’re penniless. At this rate we’ll live as wanderers until we’re caught somewhere and meet a miserable end. Ferdin, think about it. You’re human. Do you need to sacrifice your life for Derwin, who deceived you and isn’t even truly human? Your life is yours. It has nothing to do with Derwin.’
‘…But I can’t kill my brother.’
‘Don’t worry about killing Derwin — I’ll handle that. You just need to help me. I’ll split the profits from the dragons with you. If we just take down two dragons, will money be a problem? His Majesty the King will restore our honor for serving the country with our lives.’
Stern’s sweet whispers eventually convinced Ferdin to join him. There was also self-justification involved. The days of confusion and pain trying to understand why Stern suddenly betrayed Derwin, the days when he had to hate and curse Stern who had once been as close as Derwin — joining Stern felt like compensation for those wounds.
So he came before the king. Whether he confessed everything and threw away his life, or came ready to be arrested by the king — for Ferdin it made little difference. He had known from the start. If the king cooperated, Stern’s plan could proceed. Without the king, it would not. It was a necessary step.
“Why no answer?”
When Ferdin didn’t reply, Eleusis urged him.
He should speak.
But the ‘lie’ Stern had told him to say stubbornly refused to pass Ferdin’s lips. Since living with Stern, Ferdin had developed several doubts, and now those doubts surfaced.
If his brother was a dragon, why would he want to become king? For what purpose?
No suitable reason came to mind. Also, having spent a long time beside Derwin, Ferdin knew that Derwin’s temperament would not lead him to such schemes.
Moreover, Derwin had denied being a dragon in his conversation with Chanellica, deceiving her. That, too, didn’t fit with what Stern had told him.
If he intended to be king, wouldn’t it be better to use the woman? Why hide it?
Then a larger suspicion formed in Ferdin’s mind.
Maybe Stern had invented reasons for wanting to kill dragons.
That was the speculative doubt Ferdin had just before arriving at the palace. That doubt now stopped Ferdin’s tongue from speaking the false answer to the king’s question.
‘…Hasn’t my brother tried to plot rebellion already?’
When asked how he could know the dragons would harm the king, Ferdin ended up saying something different from Stern’s instructions.
“Pfft.”
But Eleusis’s reaction was a laugh of incredulity.
“Ferdin. I never thought those words would come from you. You used to sob in front of me that your brother would never betray you, and now you speak like this?”
His answer must have sounded absurd, because there was still amusement in Eleusis’s voice.
“Did you answer because you truly believe it?”
“…….”
“Then I’m disappointed.”
“…….”
“Even I didn’t believe Derwin led a rebellion, and yet you, who made such a fuss as if you’d give your life, now say it’s true… I find that regrettable.”
“You didn’t believe it?”
“If I believed it, would I have spared him?”
Ferdin’s mouth gaped in surprise. There had been no additional evidence, and Derwin had denied the rebellion to the end, so Ferdin had assumed the knight order had merely expelled him. But Eleusis saying he didn’t believe the rebellion had even happened was unexpected.
“If there’s no evidence, say there isn’t any. Don’t twist even your convictions into falsehoods.”
At the king’s firm voice, Ferdin swallowed. It was already too late to say what Stern told him to say.
“Your Majesty. I will speak honestly. I’m still in a confused state. I can’t even be certain if my brother — no, the Duke Kartel — really is a dragon. Even if they are dragons, I’m not certain they would harm us.”
“So now it’s Ferdin answering, not Stern. Then what would Stern have answered?”
Ferdin felt as if Eleusis could peer straight into his heart.
“…That the two of them conspired to take the throne, I heard such a conversation.”
“Then you must have overheard and reported that conversation yourself. Ferdin. Did you really hear such a conversation?”
Ferdin neither confirmed nor denied the question. Instead, he relayed what Stern had said — words that had greatly shaken him.
“Beasts are cute when they’re young. But once they grow, they harm people.”
“That’s right.”
Eleusis composed his thoughts as he watched Ferdin refuse to supply the desired answer.
“But that’s a beast. Not an intelligent being.”
“…….”
“Humans naturally feel curiosity and fear toward the unknown. Sometimes we shun it, and other times we want to conquer it. That’s human nature.”
“…….”
“Ferdin. I’ll ask you, not Stern. From your time living at the Kartel mansion with those two, if I marry Miss Chanel, do you think she will later betray me and seize the throne with Derwin?”
Ferdin could not answer easily.
“I can’t be certain. But I can’t say she wouldn’t. We’re human, and they’re dragons.”
“Right. And when you’re unsure whether something is dangerous or not, it’s best to cut off the possibility itself.”
“…….”
Eleusis sighed.
“You should have lied as Stern said. Then I would have made a definitive decision now. But the fact you didn’t…”
Suddenly Eleusis came up behind Ferdin and removed his blindfold.
“You want me to judge them once more. Not Stern — me.”
Startled by the sudden brightness in his eyes, Ferdin squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them slowly.
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“I want to see what you truly want, from your eyes. It’s maddening to only see a black cloth.”
Despite the casual tone, the king’s startlingly blue eyes contained a heavy dignity. Ferdin involuntarily bowed his head.
“If I decide to deal with them, how will Stern act?”
“He says he has a way to bait and kill them.”
“The cave you mentioned before? But that already failed, didn’t it?”
Eleusis sounded cynical.
“He says there’s another method. But it will take quite a bit of time until it’s executed perfectly. So I’m asking you to delay the marriage until then.”
“I see.”
Eleusis rose from the sofa and walked toward the door.
“For now, everything is on hold until I make a decision. Ferdin, remain here until then.”
“…Understood.”
Ferdin answered without complaint. If the king decided to eliminate the two, he would be released; if not, he would die here. He had known that from the start, so he was not afraid. Stern’s plan could not succeed without the king’s cooperation. It was a necessary process.
“Ferdin. Before you leave, I’ll give you a hellish gift.”
With his hand on the golden door knob, Eleusis spoke without turning back.
“Derwin once admitted all evidence of treason in my presence. He asked that I free you and the other knights, saying he could die for it. I pretended not to hear.”
“…….”
“Aside from dragons and humans, it’s best if you yourself mention what happened earlier and show contrition.”
Bang.
Behind his despairing face, the iron door slammed shut coldly.
