CHAPTER 38:
Madness
CRASH!
Upon returning to his palace, Jeremy began throwing whatever he could get his hands on.
Even after hurling everything within reach, his rage hadn’t cooled. He let out a deafening scream.
“Aaaaargh!”
The sight of him roaring in a wrecked room was far from what one would expect of the once-promising crown prince.
Shards of shattered glass lay scattered across the floor, and the debris of broken objects covered every inch of space.
Through the slightly ajar door, a maid caught sight of the chaos—and Jeremy caught sight of her.
Their eyes met. His grotesque face froze the maid in terror.
She tried to flee, but too late—Jeremy had already seized her by the hair.
With a savage twist that looked as if he meant to rip her scalp off, the maid screamed in agony.
“Aaaagh!”
“A lowly maid dares look down on me too?!”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness! I only—I was just… worried about you…”
Trembling lips and desperate eyes—she pleaded with sympathy.
But seeing her twisted face and the bones beneath made Jeremy’s stomach churn.
He had thought, How bad could it be? when he was told his face had been ruined. But now, even he wanted to vomit just looking in a mirror.
When the maid turned her head away and covered her mouth in revulsion, Jeremy released her hair.
She barely had a moment to breathe before Jeremy’s hands closed around her throat.
“DIE! JUST DIE ALREADY!”
The maid fought for her life, but she couldn’t overpower him.
Her limbs soon went limp.
Jeremy stared at the lifeless body of the maid he had just murdered, then shouted:
“Is no one out there?!”
Ten knights burst into the room at once.
They had heard the maid’s screams, but feared becoming the next target.
A few of them glanced at the corpse lying limp among the glass shards, grief flickering in their eyes.
“You, you, and you,” Jeremy growled, pointing. “Gather every imperial knight you can and find Ben, the Empress’s top bodyguard.”
The knights bowed quickly.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“When you find him, do not kill him. Capture him alive. Do you hear me?!”
Bloodshot eyes glaring, Jeremy scanned the room. The knights avoided his monstrous face, staring instead at the debris.
“You two, stay behind and clean up this filth and the room.”
“Yes, sir…”
The knights moved without question, trying not to think too hard.
His face had mutated into something inhuman. Of course his mind wouldn’t be intact.
Whoever had dared poison the Crown Prince would see their entire bloodline wiped from existence.
“The rest of you—go find my mistress and bring her to me. Now!”
The knights hesitated. Even for a crown prince, this was too cruel.
If this had been before his face was ruined, maybe they’d obey without question.
But Celia… she had been everyone’s first love, a woman so beautiful no man could help but desire her.
Now Jeremy, with that monstrous face, was demanding to claim her again—threatening to defile her beauty.
It was shameless.
A wave of quiet resistance stirred in the knights’ hearts.
They weren’t sure if it came from twisted jealousy over what Jeremy had that they didn’t—or from the longing for something pure and untouchable, like a flower blooming on a cliff’s edge.
Their love was one-sided, rooted in desire. But even that felt more sincere than their loyalty to a madman.
“What are you waiting for?! GO FIND HER!”
Normally obedient, the knights didn’t budge.
They had done nothing to stop the maid’s death, but when it came to Celia—they couldn’t bear the thought.
Jeremy let out a hollow laugh.
Of course. If he hadn’t claimed Celia first, she’d have been taken by someone else long ago.
But even so, his insides twisted with fury.
To him, the knights’ hesitation wasn’t out of love or compassion.
They were mocking him—for his ruined face.
“You bastards—are you that desperate to die?! You dare lust after my mistress just because you’re men?”
Jeremy’s roar filled the room.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll kill all of you right here!”
That’s when a voice, gentle and serene, cut through the storm.
“Your Highness.”
The soft rustle of fabric accompanied the calm tone.
A tall figure in flowing white robes entered. It was none other than Eleon.
His long, silver-gray hair shimmered like silk, and his clear blue eyes looked as if they held the sky itself.
Unlike Jeremy, whose face had become monstrous, Eleon remained the picture of elegance.
He wore his usual saintly smile.
Compared to him, Jeremy felt utterly pitiful—his mood plunged even deeper into the abyss.
But he couldn’t harm Eleon—not yet.
Jeremy hadn’t secured the throne, and he still needed Ben captured alive to find out who did this to him… and how to reverse it.
More importantly, Eleon was the head of House Grederick, one of the pillars of the empire.
“How did the Duke enter my palace? My birthday banquet ended yesterday.”
Eleon widened his eyes in polite surprise.
“Has Her Majesty not informed you of my appointment yet?”
“…What?”
Even after seeing Jeremy’s grotesque face, Eleon didn’t flinch. He spoke calmly.
“Her Majesty has entrusted me with organizing Your Highness’s coronation ceremony.”
“…What did you just say?”
“I assumed you would’ve heard by now. That’s why I’ve come to discuss the arrangements.”
Eleon’s eyes curved gently in a warm smile. Jeremy stared blankly.
“That can’t be! Why would you prepare my coronation?!”
“Would I lie to you, Your Highness? Here—Her Majesty even gave me a letter of delegation.”
Eleon pulled a letter from his robes and presented it.
Jeremy’s eyes shook violently as he read the letter.
It bore the Empress Erpia’s unmistakable handwriting—and her red seal.
There was no mistaking it.
Both the penmanship and the seal were undeniably hers.
Jeremy felt as if he couldn’t breathe.
“My mother really… entrusted my coronation to you?”
“Her Majesty must be deeply concerned for Your Highness. To entrust something so important to someone from the same noble house…”
Eleon paused, then added in a tone laced with concern:
“…Who could’ve dared to do this to Your Highness’s face?”
Jeremy hastily covered his face with both hands.
But what difference did it make? Eleon had already seen it.
“Do you plan to show that face to the empire on the day of your coronation?”
Jeremy exploded.
“Are you threatening me, Duke?! So what if you’re planning my coronation?! I’m the only legitimate heir to Avalon’s throne!”
“Your Highness.”
Eleon’s blue eyes gleamed with sincerity.
“I only wish to help you. I’m not your enemy.”
“How can I believe that?! You’re just here to laugh at my ruined face like everyone else!”
Eleon gave him a pitying look, calm and composed.
Then, gently, he said:
“If you’ll allow me… I can seek out a healer.”
“…!”
Jeremy’s eyes widened. Hope flashed in their grotesque depths.
Like a moth to flame, unable to resist the glimmer of salvation—Jeremy reached for it.
Eleon smiled, eyes softening.
“Ten years ago, I heard rumors of a legendary healer in a distant land.”
“Ten years ago?! That’s ages!”
“I recently learned that healer is now in Avalon.”
Jeremy swallowed hard.
The royal physician had already declared his face hopeless, the skin too far gone.
But what if… what if it was reversible?
“You really think this healer can fix… this face?”
“If there’s even a chance, we must try—for the good of Avalon. The empire can’t be left without a ruler for long.”
Eleon offered him warm, comforting words.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ll return soon.”
Suddenly, Jeremy grabbed Eleon’s robe.
A wrinkle formed on the immaculate fabric. A flicker of disgust passed through Eleon’s eyes.
But his expression remained serene. He had long mastered the art of hiding his emotions—even Jeremy, right in front of him, noticed nothing.
“Is there something else, Your Highness?”
“…Duke.”
Jeremy’s eyes shimmered with madness.
“On the night of my birthday banquet… what did you talk about with my mistress after you slipped away?”
