Chapter 138
* * *
‘The Emperor is getting married?’
Dale—no, the Emperor.
The Emperor—no, Dale.
‘No. It doesn’t matter anymore whether he’s the Emperor or Dale. I know now it was all my misunderstanding. There’s no need to separate the “original Emperor” from him.’
The last thought I had was that I needed to apologize to Dale.
But…
‘Marriage?!’
“Her not waking up until now is a problem. We may need to summon a physician from outside.”
“Our family doctor is sufficient. If rumors spread that something happened to the young lady, the Duke’s plan will be halted.”
I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, but inside I was boiling and ready to jump up.
Who is doing what? A marriage? The Emperor’s royal wedding?
“Just marry anyone already!”
“I hope His Majesty lives happily with someone other than me.”
‘…’
Who said to grant that wish right now?
Now that I knew the truth, even though the wish I’d longed for had come true, I felt anything but relieved. I wanted to go argue with the heavens.
‘And marrying a Hexagon daughter? That’s not right. That’s just pushing him down a road of suffering all over again.’
I had to escape and let them know I was safe. Only then could I stop this marriage.
‘There is a way to escape. This doesn’t seem far from the capital.’
Surprisingly, I didn’t seem to be in some remote countryside but somewhere within the capital.
Based on how Duke Hexagon and his men went to the imperial palace in the morning and returned quickly, that was my guess.
He wasn’t generous enough to give teleportation scrolls to all his subordinates.
‘And if this is the capital estate, then that person must be here.’
I hoped the person I wanted would come.
They would have to come at least once.
If only to check on my condition.
The door opened, and I heard the click of heels. The brief exchange with the guard confirmed it was a woman.
She approached my bedside.
I opened my eyes slightly and looked at her.
“Magical residue…?”
Rosaria Hexagon.
The Hexagon family’s eldest daughter.
‘She’s here.’
She scanned from my face down to my hands, muttering about lingering magical energy.
“It’s all over your body. That means you used a teleportation scroll. An admirable attempt.”
It seemed Rosaria had figured out what I tried to do.
“You used it in a confined space, so there must have been another collision. How did you—ah!”
I didn’t miss the opportunity. I lunged up and tackled her to the floor.
“Be quiet for a moment.”
“Mmph!”
“From now on, you’ll answer everything I ask. Honestly.”
* * *
From interrogating Rosaria, I learned the following:
- Duke Hexagon proposed a deal to House Lockhart and the Emperor, claiming he had me in custody.
- The exact details of the deal were unknown to Rosaria, but a marriage alliance had been concluded.
- The bride was not Rosaria, but her adopted younger sister. The Emperor had approved it.
- The wedding would take place in five days at the imperial palace.
“I was imprisoned too… I opposed Father’s plan.”
Rosaria claimed she had also been confined to a corner of the estate and had only just escaped. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter—if I wanted to reach the palace, I needed her.
“He said I’d interfere with his plans too.”
“This is the Hexagon estate, right? In the capital?”
“Yes. You disappeared from the carriage and were found nearby.”
She shook her head.
“You used a scroll? Then why did you come back?”
“I don’t know.”
In any case, five days wasn’t much time.
Rosaria glanced at me nervously.
I removed the shackles from my wrists and bound her instead.
“Hey—if something happens to my father and his close aides, save me. I had nothing to do with this. Before or now.”
I ignored her while studying the estate’s internal map.
“I’ll do anything you want. I have many teleportation scrolls in my room. You can take them all. Any magical items you want.”
“You weren’t planning to do nothing, were you? You just had a different method from Duke Hexagon. You were still planning to approach the Emperor through me.”
“……”
Rosaria subtly averted her gaze.
So that had been her intention after all.
“But I only wanted to rebuild our collapsing house. I never intended to threaten your life or blackmail His Majesty.”
“Can you prove that?”
“I’ll help you. With anything.”
I looked at her carefully.
Right now, I needed her magical tools. She was useful.
Then something occurred to me.
“How did you recognize His Majesty’s face at Duke Hexagon’s return party?”
“I’ve met him before. Both you and His Majesty, when you were children.”
“Where?”
“That is…”
Rosaria Hexagon made a quiet proposal.
“If you remove these restraints, I’ll answer.”
* * *
“Looking at me like I’m a bug wounds my heart. Soon I’ll be Your Majesty’s father-in-law.”
Duke Hexagon’s voice came from behind Dale as he stood staring out the window.
With an ingratiating smile, he appeared and disturbed the Emperor’s temper.
Enya Lockhart had gone missing.
And Duke Hexagon had boldly stepped forward, claiming responsibility.
“I asked to see the young lady’s face.”
“Not yet. And didn’t I show you two days ago?”
His casual smile as he told him not to rush only worsened Dale’s mood.
“If anything happens to her, don’t expect your future to remain intact.”
“Of course. This is a deal with Your Majesty, and it concerns Lady Lockhart’s life. Do you think I would jest?”
“……”
“I’ve already been thoroughly burned once. I have no intention of crossing swords twice.”
There was a sharp edge hidden in Hexagon’s words.
Under normal circumstances, Dale would have dismissed him without listening. The only reason he endured this was because Enya’s life was at stake.
His mind was filled with worry for her.
“I shamelessly extended my hand because I require Your Majesty’s assistance. Please do not be angered.”
For the first time, Dale turned to look at him.
“I will return the young lady. After the wedding.”
“And you think your neck will remain safe in the hands of Duke Lockhart after that?”
“Certainly. I trust Your Majesty will protect me.”
Hexagon lifted his thin lips in a sly smile and bowed politely.
More scheming courtier than gentleman.
Dale’s expression remained icy.
‘Why did I let Enya go back then?’
He had been informed the moment she entered the palace. In truth, he had known even before that.
He had secretly assigned guards to watch over her.
But with all the nobles gathered, it was dangerous for her to remain. So he had hoped she would leave and pretended not to see her.
“This all happened because of my mistake.”
Overcome with deep regret, Dale struck his own head.
The dull ache lingering for days flared into sharper pain.
“I almost killed Enya. Twice.”
Thud. He hit himself without mercy.
“Why is it always…”
Smack!
His hand struck something else instead of his skull. Flesh against flesh.
“What are you doing?”
Enya stood there, clutching her reddened hand and staring at him.
Dale’s eyes trembled.
It was unbelievable.
Enya—who should have been imprisoned at the Hexagon estate, who he had failed to protect—was standing right here?
“…Enya?”
“What are you doing? Why are you hitting your head? Is your headache that bad? Does it hurt that much? Huh? What’s wrong with you?”
“……”
“Are you sick—or have you gone crazy? Is that why you agreed to marry a Hexagon daughter and started beating your head?”
“……”
“No wonder. It didn’t seem like a sane decision—”
Her words were swallowed as she was pulled into his arms.
