~Chapter 78~
His steps toward the Imperial Palace were heavy.
For Richard, a place he once visited as often as his own residence now felt strange and uncomfortable. Still, he came here out of guilt as a son.
“Your Majesty, Prince Richard has arrived.”
When he reached the Emperor’s chamber, the chamberlain announced him.
“Come in.”
The voice from behind the door was rough and weak, as if filled with iron dust.
Biting his lip, Richard forced himself to step inside.
The Emperor’s chamber was full of strange incense, thick enough to blur vision.
“It has been a long time, Your Majesty.”
Through the smoke, Richard finally faced his father, the Emperor. He almost let out a sigh of sorrow.
With the chamberlain’s support, the Emperor barely sat up. His eyes were sunken, lips cracked and dry. Once filled with strength and dignity, he was now wasting away.
“Yes. You seem busy these days.”
“There are still missing and murder cases happening downtown, so I am investigating them.”
They skipped personal talk. They had always lived more as Emperor and Prince than as father and son.
“I heard victims keep appearing. Witnesses are also hard to find.”
As the matter was serious for the Empire, the Emperor tried to sit straighter.
“That’s true, but this time we obtained one of the crossbow bolts they use. We’re investigating it.”
“It should be solved quickly before the capital fills with fear. Only then—cough, cough!”
The Emperor suddenly burst into coughs, his frail body shaking. Richard tried to support him, but the Emperor raised a hand to refuse, covering his mouth with a handkerchief.
When the cough calmed, blood had splattered across the white cloth. Richard’s face darkened.
“Your illness seems worse. You didn’t cough blood before.”
“With this old body, how could I hope to recover? All I can do is wait quietly for the end.”
The Emperor accepted death calmly. Richard, though heavy-hearted, spoke not as a son but for the people.
“Please don’t say that. The people of the Empire still wish for Your Majesty’s recovery.”
“My time as Emperor is over, Richard. The people must also sense that it is time for me to step down.”
Richard clenched his teeth. He knew best that his father had little time left.
“…Richard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you truly have no desire for the throne? Can you fully accept Bastian as your lord?”
The Emperor’s sharp voice carried a desperate edge.
“My answer has always been the same. Even Your Majesty should not doubt my decision.”
“Kenesha will not give up the crown. Will you still not waver?”
Grabbing Richard’s arm, the Emperor spoke with rare strength. Richard understood and clasped his father’s hand.
“I will not waver. I swore on the honor of Viender and your name to serve my brother faithfully.”
For the first time, the Emperor smiled faintly, withdrawing his hand.
“Good eyes you have.”
Relieved, he exhaled like a sigh. They spoke no more, but the time was enough to share feelings.
“Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience.”
Richard’s eyes grew cold. The peaceful moment shattered. The Emperor hesitated before answering.
“Let her in.”
Soon the Empress entered, smiling kindly at both men.
“How moving to see father and son together, Your Majesty.”
“I was just about to let him go. I can’t keep him too long.”
“Even if busy, he should have more time for his father. Don’t mind me, stay longer.”
“Forgive me, but I must go. I will return another time, Your Majesty.”
How disgusting.
Richard coldly pushed aside the Empress’s hand holding his arm and stood. As he left the chamber, the Empress followed.
“Leaving already, after so long?”
“Do you know why I rarely come here? Because whenever I do, you are this happy to see me. Your true intentions are too obvious.”
With those harsh words, Richard turned his back and left the palace.
“You grow more rebellious by the day, Richard.”
The Empress murmured, glaring at his back.
Back in his office, Richard collapsed into his chair. His father’s illness weighed heavily, but what disgusted him more was his mother, always scheming to display herself as the “favored son’s mother.”
Knock, click.
A maid suddenly entered without waiting for permission. Richard tilted his head sharply.
“You returned from the palace? …Why are you looking at me like that?”
Closing the door, Lux asked quickly. Richard’s eyes were fixed on her maid outfit.
“That outfit—what is it?”
“Too many of the Empress’s spies are around these days. I disguised myself.”
“…I’ll have to set poison for the rats soon. What is the matter?”
Clicking his tongue, Richard asked.
“The Crown Prince sent me with a secret message. It concerns the recent missing persons case.”
“What did you find?”
Richard recalled the woman suddenly killed by a crossbow bolt.
“As you thought, it was a crossbow. But the arrowheads cannot be found anywhere in Viender.”
“Then where?”
“Not certain yet, but they seem to come from the Western Continent.”
The Western Continent—far from the Southern Continent where Viender lay, and with little trade. All the more reason for a deeper investigation. Crimes tied to unknown places became harder to trace with time.
“And about Wudian Montorre, I found more.”
Lux handed Richard the gathered information.
“Despite appearances, during his study abroad he was addicted to gambling and alcohol. He quickly spent all the money he took and kept asking for more. After the former Count Montorre died, he lost the family fortune through gambling too.”
A predictable ruin for a gambling addict. Later, he suddenly appeared with a huge sum, only to lose it all in a well-set gambling trap. That “huge sum” was clearly the debt he mentioned.
And right after losing everything, Wudian returned to Viender.
“So that’s it… He’s approaching Amelie and suddenly talking about their engagement—because of money.”
The pieces fit together.
Richard’s clenched fist trembled, veins bulging as if they might burst.
