Chapter 30
“Thank you.”
Leinhardt answered calmly, and the familiar sound of his footsteps came closer.
Celine tensed. She could still sense Herpez, who must be in a daze.
When will he leave?
Celine bit her lip anxiously. Herpez had said he had something to tell Leinhardt.
If Leinhardt stayed in Topien too long he might attract suspicion.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
But instead of leaving the prison, Herpez plopped down wherever he assumed a sofa to be and began sighing loudly.
“Hurry up and go! Please!”
Celine screamed inside her head, but there was no way Herpez could hear her.
And even if he did, that would only make things worse.
“My word, these monsters never rest!”
Herpez’s deferential manner—one that would have reminded anyone of an imperial attendant—was nowhere to be seen; he complained loudly.
“And this roast duck… how hard Mitchell must’ve worked for this.”
Celine swallowed hard, her unease spiking.
No—surely not—
And then the thing she dreaded happened. Herpez began to gobble down the roast duck.
“If you’re going to eat, go outside!”
Celine buried her face in both hands.
If it weren’t for that guard, by now she’d already be riding away on Leinhardt’s horse and leaving Livron Castle behind.
But confronting the guard outside would be foolish.
Wasn’t the whole charade Leinhardt staged for her sake?
Cold sweat soaked her palms; she fought the urge to curse Herpez. Just then, finally, he left.
Listening carefully, she judged he was at least not nearby the prison.
“…Phew.”
Celine let out a sigh of relief and stepped out from the wardrobe.
After being shut in a moldy wardrobe that smelled of dust and old wood, the clean air outside felt life-giving.
I must get out of here quickly.
She hurried into the corridor. On the way here she had noted several windows that might serve for an escape.
Leinhardt would be waiting near the main gate, but Celine couldn’t afford to dither.
She reached the nearest suitable window and, with a flick of her hand, shattered the glass and made an ice ladder.
After ensuring no one approached, she quickly climbed the ladder.
—Whooooosh!
The wind whistled. Celine looked down at the dizzying drop below.
‘….’
She couldn’t bring herself to take the ordinary stairs. She’d probably collapse halfway down and be stuck.
‘This will do.’
She took a deep breath.
An ice tunnel large enough for a person had formed from the dizzying height she was at all the way to the ground. If the situation were different, it would have looked like a water slide at a water park.
Celine hurried to sit astride the tunnel.
Seconds later—
“Ugh… Aaaah…!”
She clamped her mouth shut to keep her scream in, but her chattering teeth betrayed her.
‘I should’ve made it thicker!’
Maybe it would’ve been better to walk down the stairs, even if she was terrified.
After reaching the ground she stayed curled up for a little while, eyes tightly closed.
Her head spun and she couldn’t summon the will to stand.
Suddenly, a worried voice called out.
“Celine? Are you hurt?”
“No.”
She shook her head and tried to get up, but Leinhardt gently sat her back down.
“You came down like that?”
His tone was incredulous.
“I regret it.”
“People make mistakes. Still, we should erase it for the moment. It stands out a lot.”
Only then did Celine understand how Leinhardt had found her so precisely.
She nodded slightly, and the ice tunnel vanished into the air.
“Can you ride?”
“Yes.”
With Leinhardt’s help she cautiously mounted a horse.
He rode carefully, but Celine felt so unwell she kept her eyes shut and lay half over the horse’s neck.
They had no idea where they were going.
Maybe I should’ve rested a little longer.
But Leinhardt would want to get out of Livron Castle as quickly as possible—there’d be no time to rest.
At last the jolt of travel ceased.
“We’re here.”
“Already…?”
Celine blinked. It should have taken a long time to get out of the castle.
“Leinhardt, th-this place is….”
She stammered, stunned.
A magnificent building rose before them—the main hall of the Crown Prince’s palace.
“Why are we here?”
“What do you mean?”
Leinhardt looked genuinely puzzled.
“Obviously, to see Prince Ricardo.”
“Why the Crown Prince…?”
Celine felt faint from Leinhardt’s behavior, which defied all common sense.
“To petition him to lift the ban on my activities.”
“I see.”
Celine gave up trying to understand. His actions completely contradicted her shallow assumptions about medieval protocol, but Leinhardt was no ordinary man—maybe exceptions applied.
Perhaps he’d done something like this before.
‘Trust Leinhardt. It turned out the way he said it would in the prison.’
She gripped his arm. He flinched slightly but did not pull away.
“It will be fine.”
“You don’t even ask if it will be fine.”
“Because I trust you, Leinhardt.”
Leinhardt didn’t reply, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
“Ricardo, I hope I didn’t cause trouble.”
“Not at all.”
The Crown Prince answered his mother, the Empress Triphylla Unsollem, respectfully.
“You are always welcome here.”
“Oh my.”
The Empress smiled.
“I heard you were attacked and was worried, but it seems you’re unharmed. Thank goodness.”
“Attacked…?”
The Crown Prince gave a hollow laugh.
Even though he’d hushed his immediate subordinates and even booted some servants from speaking, distorted rumors had spread for some reason.
“It was only a small misunderstanding.”
“We must make sure such misfortunes don’t recur. Whatever happened to the Duke…?”
The Empress clicked her tongue. She had felt compassion for Leinhardt since the day the young boy first lodged at the prince’s palace.
“Perhaps it was too heavy a burden for a child.”
“When do you plan to stop speaking as if he were still a child? He’s grown into a man.”
The Crown Prince’s tone had a sharp edge. The Empress’s kindness and charity were famed, but at times they made him uncomfortable—like now.
“You even expelled the Duke’s retainers—was that necessary?”
“My son…”
The Crown Prince sighed. Though it was for duty, he could not condone someone of royal blood being treated so harshly.
If the culprit wasn’t Leinhardt Bernui, the execution date would have been set already.
“Where did you imprison him? Did you use torture? Do you regret sending him away from his home?”
The Empress continued, her voice threaded with pity and reproach.
“And that young lady.”
The Crown Prince let out a low, pained sound.
“You claimed she was Leinhardt’s lover—that’s only a rumor!”
“You said so yourself. How can that be a rumor? Those who spread it should be imprisoned for insulting the royal family.”
It was true; the Crown Prince had no grounds to deny it.
The Empress went on gently.
“You’re right in a way. Even if she were his lover, sending her back to where she came from was not wrong. But it will leave a wound in Leinhardt’s heart.”
“……”
The Crown Prince could not bring himself to say in front of his mother that perhaps he hoped for that wound.
Silence did not last long.
A breathless attendant burst in, out of breath.
“Your Highness!”
The Crown Prince rose, trying to hide his pleasure.
“What is it?”
“The Duke—sir—he requests an audience.”
The Crown Prince and the Empress’s identical eyes widened. He urged the attendant to speak.
“Did the Duke escape from Topien?”
“No. He is requesting an audience with you.”
“Oh, then it’s nothing serious.”
The Crown Prince exhaled in relief.
“Tell him I’m busy and will visit Topien when I have time.”
“It’s not that! His Excellency is waiting right outside your office!”
“…!”
Before the Crown Prince could react, the Empress cut in.
“Bring him in.”
The ebony door opened slowly.
Leinhardt entered with an imposing air, as when he had dared draw blood from the Crown Prince’s hand in the past.
And the woman beside him was—
“My lady…?”
The Crown Prince muttered, stunned. He seldom forgot a face.
A woman with hair as black as Leinhardt’s and wearing tattered clothes stood beside him—Celine Hunt.
Leinhardt paid no mind to the Crown Prince’s astonishment and strode forward to kneel.
“Leinhardt, son of Frederic, presents himself to Her Majesty the Empress and to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Rise.”
The Empress answered kindly. She helped Leinhardt to his feet and regarded him with warm eyes.
“It’s been a while—three years, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Have you fared well?”
“Yes.”
Leinhardt answered briefly and turned to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, I apologize for troubling you and the Empress with this visit.”
“Pitiful if you think apologizing will help.”
Leinhardt’s face did not move.
“But I have a petition I must present.”
“What kind of petition would make you escape Topien to make such a request?”
“I ask that you lift my ban.”
“…Ha!”
The Crown Prince sprang up.
“You overstep, Leinhardt Bernui!”
Even the Empress seemed to agree with the prince.
She looked at him with a mix of pity and reproach.
Leinhardt replied calmly.
“I don’t ask lightly. If you lift my ban, I will destroy Agathirsus.”
“…!”
The Crown Prince’s face flashed with pure astonishment.
Agathirsus.
A monster’s lair that had plagued the imperial capital for decades.
It had grown too enormous with time; even Leinhardt had previously said its destruction seemed impossible.
“You mean the Agathirsus I know—not some petty thing with a similar name?”
“Yes, the very place you think of.”
Leinhardt’s tone was resolute.
“If I return having failed to destroy it, reimprison me.”
“That is only fair.”
The Crown Prince’s voice brightened suddenly. He looked at Leinhardt with approval.
“If you return, I will lift the ban and revoke the exile order.”
“My companions have all gone north. Even if you lift their exile now….”
The Crown Prince gestured toward the woman at Leinhardt’s side.
“Your lady.”
“Celine Hunt, Your Highness.”
Her clear voice, mismatched with her filthy clothes, rang out in the office.
“Very well. If she is Lady Celine, I will also lift her exile. I won’t even ask why she never left for the north.”
“Your Highness, I have one more request.”
“What is it?”
The Crown Prince’s mouth twisted. Destroying Agathirsus would cost Leinhardt his life or worse. Titles, lands, and wealth could be granted.
“I escaped Topien because several administrators deceived me. Please do not punish them.”
The only person in the office not surprised was Celine Hunt.
The Crown Prince fell silent for a moment, then recovered his composure and answered.
“Understood. Destroy Agathirsus and you shall be rewarded. Any further requests?”
“No.”
Leinhardt bowed respectfully and left the office with Celine.
Their light steps betrayed a sense of triumph.
