Chapter 16
—Again… my lady.
The knights guarding the office looked flustered when they saw me. They whispered among themselves, their words too quiet to catch—except for one word I heard clearly.
“Again?” Did they mean the duke was absent once more, and yet I had come looking for him?
I froze and glared at them. One of the knights was the first to speak.
“My lady, what brings you here at this hour?”
“I came to see His Grace.”
The moment my words left my mouth, their faces stiffened. A bad premonition stirred inside me. I had the distinct feeling he would not be in the office. If he were, there would be no reason for them to react like this.
I tried to move past them to check for myself, but one knight blocked my way. Suspicion grew heavier in my chest, hardening like ice. Was the duke really inside?
“My lady, please wait a moment.”
“Is His Grace in the office?”
I asked bluntly. Their faces broke into cold sweat, their expressions clearly troubled. My fingertips went numb and cold. To hide my trembling, I clenched my fist tightly.
“Well, that is…”
“I won’t ask three times. Is he inside?”
Strangely enough, even though I kept my voice soft and even smiled while asking, the knights looked terrified.
“My lady… His Grace is not here.”
Finally, the most nervous of them blurted it out. I turned my head toward him.
“Where is he, then?”
“T-that, we do not know.”
It didn’t seem like a lie. Yet, how could the duke’s own knights, sworn to protect the fiar estate, not know their master’s whereabouts? By rights, that alone was negligence deserving punishment. But the Piarr knights were known for their discipline and loyalty.
‘Their behavior is suspicious.’
So—the part about him not being here was probably true. But claiming ignorance of his whereabouts? That had to be false. Judging by their tense faces, someone had ordered them to keep silent. And in this household, the only one above me… was the Duke himself.
I had always trusted his devotion, believing that whenever he was late, it was because of his endless work. Even when he didn’t return to bed, I assumed he was buried in his duties.
But this… this was different. He had even ordered his knights to hide the truth.
‘Something is going on.’
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be this shaken. After watching their clenched fists for a moment, I turned away. Pressing them further wouldn’t yield anything. I would have to uncover it myself.
“My lady, where are you going?”
One knight called anxiously, but I didn’t stop.
“I need some fresh air. Just a short walk in the gardens.”
What secret was the duke keeping? I had to find out.
‘Where could he have gone?’
I had fallen asleep before dinner, and now it was deep into the night—plenty of time for him to have left the estate.
‘If he left, he must have taken a carriage or horse.’
As the duchess, I was familiar enough with the number of carriages and horses in the stables.
‘Of course, I memorized them in case I ever had to escape…’
The stables and carriage house were at the far end of the garden. I set out, nerves trembling as I walked through the night. If I counted what remained, I could tell whether he was in the estate or not.
Occasionally, I encountered patrolling knights. Each time they saw me, they reacted as if struck by lightning.
“My lady! What brings you here?”
“If you require something, you need only summon us. It is dangerous at night—please return to your chambers.”
They were so desperate to send me back inside. Normally, I would have taken it as a sign of concern for my safety, as the duke had instructed them.
But now? It only deepened my doubts. I brushed them off politely and continued.
“Then at least allow us to escort you.”
“That’s all right. I appreciate the thought.”
“His Grace will worry if you are out here.”
Worry? That very duke was the one I was searching for right now.
I almost snapped at them, but swallowed the words. This wasn’t the time. Venting at the knights wouldn’t help me.
‘I’m nearly there.’
The damp grass bent softly underfoot. My lamp lit only a few steps ahead—until I saw another light flickering in the distance.
‘Someone’s there.’
It looked like another lamp. Quickly, I snuffed mine out before they noticed me.
Could it be him? My pulse quickened.
As I drew closer, the silhouettes grew clearer—tall and broad-shouldered, unmistakably familiar.
‘It must be the duke.’
Few men had such a figure. But he wasn’t alone.
Beside him stood a smaller form, one I had also come to recognize all too well these past days.
At such an hour, in such a secluded corner, the two of them meeting in secret…
Chills ran down my spine.
‘So this is why the knights were panicked.’
Did everyone in the estate know—everyone but me?
I hesitated, torn between confronting them or simply walking away and pretending I’d seen nothing.
‘No. I came this far. I’ll face it.’
Steeling myself, I crept closer. Their raised voices carried in the night—they were so absorbed in their argument they didn’t notice me.
Both were people I knew.
“Your Grace. Sophia.”
I spoke first, before they could notice me.
They froze, startled, whipping around to look at me.
“Luen!”
“My lady!”
Both turned pale as death. My blood surged, boiling up like fire, then drained all at once. My hand went limp, dropping the lamp.
It shattered against the ground, glass scattering in pieces.
The broken lamp looked so much like me in that moment—shattered, helpless—that I couldn’t say a single word.
The Hidden Story of the Original
The Emperor suppressed a bitter laugh. The whole affair was absurd.
The rebels who had stormed the palace so ferociously had surrendered at once the moment the Emperor appeared. Clearly, it had been by their leader’s orders.
‘My soldiers are left looking foolish now.’
The rebels hadn’t inflicted a single wound. They had only created an air of danger, and then were absorbed into the imperial army. In fact, their addition only made the imperial forces stronger.
‘Utterly ridiculous.’
The Emperor’s gaze fixed on the man at the center of it all. A traitor who had dared incite rebellion—yet wore a calm expression.
“Please… end me.”
His request for death was steady, unwavering. No matter how shaken the men around him were, he alone remained firm.
“I cannot.”
Emperor Christoan Noah refused without hesitation. He knew too well that this so-called rebellion was merely Behan’s ploy to secure execution.
“Your Majesty suspects as much already. That is why you sent me to the battlefield.”
Bihan spoke of their past—a truth the Emperor himself had never been able to voice. A boyhood curiosity had led them both astray.
At the time, following the Crown Prince’s tale, Behan had sought out the Flame Sword. And there, he had been claimed by it. The cursed sword had seized him, driving him to massacre.
“…Yes. I suspected.”
The Emperor faltered, grief and regret lacing his voice.
“I never wanted to believe it… that day turned out like that.”
“What’s done cannot be undone. We can only salvage what remains.”
Two reckless boys had birthed a calamity. Now, at least, they shared the burden. They were accomplices in tragedy.
The Emperor clenched his jaw, shame biting deep.
“I still… could not be sure. Was it truly the founder’s spirit that bound you?”
Of course. To any eye, Behan had seemed normal. Even the Emperor, busier now than ever, had not noticed.
Yet guilt weighed heavy on him. His childish curiosity had been the spark. And his closest friend had paid the price.
“Yes. And I know, Your Majesty, you bear guilt for that.”
Bihan’s words struck home. They sounded rehearsed, as if he had prepared them long before.
“So let this be my punishment.”
Punishment. The Emperor’s eyes widened.
Behan would embrace every sin and end it here. He was resolute.
“Kill me, and free me from this endless torment. Please… end it. Instead, bear your guilt. Remember it forever. Become a ruler worthy of it. Never forget how a single careless act of a sovereign can yield catastrophe.”
“…There must be another way.”
The Emperor grasped desperately for hope. Perhaps some forgotten magic, some ancient rite. The towers of mages, the lost wisdom of sages—surely somewhere there was an answer.
“There isn’t.”
Bihan shook his head. He knew himself better than anyone. The brief calm he enjoyed was fleeting.
“If not now, then the Flame Sword will seize me again. Next time, no one will stop it. Use the cause I’ve given you.”
It was true. There was no warrior alive who could withstand Kael, the founder’s spirit, when it controlled Behan’s body.
“This is my failure. I was not strong enough to resist.”
He smiled faintly, as if he had predicted the Emperor’s despair.
“…Please.”
My friend. My Emperor.
Please… live happily with her.
He swallowed the last words and knelt.
The Emperor closed his eyes, unable to look at him. When he finally raised his head, his gaze was cold, hard as a ruler’s must be.
“Bihan fiar, guilty of high treason for inciting rebellion and throwing the Empire into chaos, is hereby sentenced to immediate execution.”
Still kneeling, Bihan bowed deeply. Relief softened his features.
Thank you.
The words seemed to ride the night wind.
The Emperor could not bear to watch. He turned away.
