Episode 97
“Phew.”
Feeling unnecessarily tense, I took a deep breath and opened the blank page.
As I placed my finger on the embossed pattern, the diary entry was revealed.
No. That can’t be.
What have I done wrong?
Although it was only two lines, I felt as if my heart had dropped.
This was undoubtedly the diary entry from the day Moghold read my stars.
‘Could it be that the future seen by that blind fortune-teller came true?’
Anxiously, I turned the next page.
Applying my finger again, thankfully, another diary entry was revealed.
Perhaps because a day had passed and her mind had calmed somewhat, this entry contained more detailed thoughts.
I thought about Moghold’s words all night.
From the very beginning, he said that as a member of the Magic Tower, he could not practice astrology falsely.
So, unlike his advice to trust only his stargazing, he ultimately didn’t tell me my fortune.
It must be because, as the seer said, I was fated to die.
Thinking back now, he seemed terribly flustered from the moment he looked up at the stars.
“Fate is a matter of overcoming,” he said, forcing a smile…
But if there hadn’t been a problem to overcome, he would have had no reason to say such a thing.
Not everyone born into the royal family lives happily and enjoys life to the fullest.
At least I never have, and it seems God was reluctant to grant me even this much life.
It was a diary entry so depressing it made me nauseous.
As I closed the diary and caught my breath, a knock was heard.
Knock knock.
The door opened, and Ernst appeared.
“A message came from the royal castle. Today is the day of Duke Damiani’s trial.”
As he delivered the news, he narrowed his eyes and looked at me.
“Rue, are you okay? Is your stomach upset?”
“Uh, a little…”
It felt as if the sadness from the diary was constricting my throat.
While Ernst hurried off to call Phoebe, I ended up vomiting all the food I had eaten for breakfast.
The attending physician was summoned immediately.
After examining me, Physician said, “The baby is getting heavier now, which can slow your digestion. Please don’t be too alarmed. Just eat small amounts frequently.”
The physician’s voice and the concerns of those around me scattered faintly at my ears.
‘I am here. Even if I was fated to die before, it has nothing to do with me now…’
I didn’t know why my heart ached so much.
On the night before his fiftieth birthday celebration, the Emperor woke from sleep, sensing a strange presence.
At first, he thought the窗外 was so red that there must be a fire.
“H-hey, someone!”
The Emperor rubbed his eyes and looked outside again.
Torches burned densely along the castle walls, and beyond the crimson torches, something black undulated.
An army, too numerous to count.
“R-rebels…!”
The moment the Emperor threw off the covers and rushed out, he spotted someone standing tall in a dark corner.
The Emperor gasped.
Unfortunately, he felt no presence of the Imperial Guard at all.
As he gasped and fumbled along the wall for his sword, his eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, finally recognized the man.
“…Rurik!”
The Emperor wiped his chest and approached him, grabbing his arm.
The cold, metallic sensation from his son’s arm hammered against his dazed brain as a warning, but he tried to comfort himself that it couldn’t be.
“W-what is the meaning of this? Did Damiani finally make his move?”
Rurik was not surprised by his father’s foolishness.
He simply corrected his error in a calm voice.
“Last week, the Imperial Judge confiscated the Damiani family’s mansion, lands, and private soldiers. Your Majesty gave that mansion to me to console me for Louise’s suffering at the hands of Gideon Chad Damiani’s schemes, absorbed the lands into the Imperial estate, and the soldiers into the Capital Defense Force.”
“Th-then who…?”
The Emperor’s hand, clutching his arm, trembled violently.
He repeatedly denied the answer rising in his head, hoping it was wrong, but Rurik indifferently moved one hand, shaking off his father’s attempt to lean on him.
It was a cold touch, like swatting away a bothersome summer fly.
Then, he noisily unrolled the thick scroll he held in his other hand.
An impassive voice began to slowly read the text written there.
“One. Emperor Charles Frederic Brentania, hereinafter Emperor Charles, neglected a mere twelve-year-old prince to endure the side effects of a demonic sword alone, which constitutes abuse of a direct descendant under Imperial law.”
The Emperor breathed heavily and shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t intentional…!”
But Rurik did not stop.
“Two. In committing the aforementioned abuse, Emperor Charles broke faith by causing the former Magic Tower Lord to violate the Mage Code of Ethics, thereby damaging the foundation of the master-servant oath between the Imperial family and the Magic Tower established at the nation’s founding, and further endangering the entire Empire, constituting negligence of duty by the sovereign under Imperial law.”
“Who…?”
The Emperor seemed to try to evade, but his sole remaining son continued the merciless recitation.
“Three. Emperor Charles was aware in advance of Empress Dorotheus and the Damiani family’s vicious schemes towards the sickly youngest princess but failed to prevent them, constituting neglect of a direct descendant and turning a blind eye to the crime of assault on a member of the Imperial family.”
The list of charges continued.
“Four. Emperor Charles suspected the truth behind the poisoning of Second Imperial Consort Frisia poisoned twenty years ago but did not investigate the mastermind, which is also a shameless crime against humanity.”
Finally, the Emperor shouted.
“Nonsense! Without evidence, how dare you bring up stories from back then!”
At that moment, a woman dressed in finery entered the room, gracefully holding the hem of her dress as she bowed.
“Your Majesty, there may be no evidence, but there is a witness. At the time, in exchange for the Empress’s promise of Prince Rurik’s safety, you agreed not to investigate the suspicious death of the Second Imperial Consort. Was I not the witness to that promise between you two?”
“First Consort! That was, as you said, to protect Rurik…!”
The Emperor trembled and yelled, but Rurik didn’t even listen.
“If we were to list every minor transgression, such as the unjust arrest of the annex head maid, the Emperor’s crimes would be endless. Therefore, I, Rurik Silderic Frisland Brentania, impeach the Emperor for the sake of justice. The supporters are as follows.”
This time, a long list of names followed.
“First Imperial Consort Victoria Nersa Tata, First Princess Zenias Zoe Tata Brentania, King Mariano Ceset Hal Flavius of Flavi, King Hashtind Prieuro Cluni Hashed, Grand Duke Grizz Neon Wetz of Wes, Marquess Gentley Pereira…”
Following the names of Imperial family members and the leaders of three vassal kingdoms, the list of Imperial nobles seemed truly endless.
“…Imperial Guard Captain Noah Derpel.”
When the enumeration finally concluded with the Guard Captain’s name, the Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
Then, he finally glared at Rurik.
“…You wretch! How long does your old father have left to live anyway! Did you covet the throne so badly!”
Rurik looked directly at his father for the first time since entering the room.
“I never coveted the throne in the slightest. I merely devised the method that would cause you the greatest suffering, Father. I must repay my debts, after all.”
The Guard Captain walked in, stepping heavily, a sword in one hand.
The Emperor’s feet shamefully grew damp, and he collapsed to his knees on the floor.
“Are… are you going to take my life? How many days does an old man have left…!”
“Of course not.”
Rurik sneered.
It felt like such a waste—all the countless lives he had cut down wandering battlefields his whole life for this man.
“I have no intention of dirtying my hands further for you now. Live miserably until the day your life ends. You may go to the place where you tried to abandon me.”
The Guard Captain dragged the Emperor away.
Though the sun had not yet risen, the Imperial castle was as bright as day.
Countless spectators watched the Emperor’s fall from beyond the fences.
As the Emperor, still in his nightclothes, was locked into a transport carriage without a proper seat, the Empress was also dragged out.
She struggled and screamed.
“Just kill me, you bastard! Even in death, I will die as the Empress…!”
