#138. Deceiving and Being Deceived (3)
Pavel wanted to leave a deeper, hotter mark on Sasha’s heart than anyone else.
At the same time, he never wanted to see Sasha hurt.
He wished she would miss him after he was gone, but he also didn’t want her to be endlessly sad or empty—a contradiction he found strange and difficult to understand.
That was why, until now, Pavel had avoided looking too closely at his own feelings. He thought it would be alright for a little longer.
But he couldn’t delay any further.
Tomorrow, perhaps, he wouldn’t have the chance to worry about these things anymore. So—
After a long chain of thoughts, Pavel opened his eyes. Then, with familiar movements, he took out a sheet of stationery and picked up a pen.
He was used to writing letters, but this one was different from his usual correspondence.
He sealed the short letter—barely a fraction of what he usually sent—in a sturdy envelope, then stood up.
When Pavel stepped outside his tent, the first person he saw was Igor, standing guard at the door.
“Your Grace.”
Having been shocked by Naina’s secret intrusion, Igor had tightened security and was now standing watch himself.
“Do you need anything?”
Pavel stared at Igor in silence. Igor was someone he could trust, perhaps more than anyone here.
But Pavel did not give the letter to him.
“Where are the new knights?”
“If you mean the new knights, they should be on duty in their respective sectors. Are you looking for someone in particular?”
“I’d like to see your son and his friend.”
“Ah! The two of them should be resting. I’ll take you to them.”
Following Igor toward the barracks for new knights, Pavel soon saw Andrey and Nikolai standing around a campfire, talking.
“Ahem!”
At Igor’s pointed cough, both Andrey and Nikolai jumped in surprise, then quickly noticed Pavel.
“Your Grace.”
“Milord!”
The two hurried over and saluted respectfully.
“I have a task for you both. Could I have a moment of your time?”
“Whatever you command, sir,” Andrey replied at once.
“This is an important matter, and it needs to be kept strictly confidential. You must be careful not to let anyone else find out. Can you do that?”
He needed to prepare the plan he and Sasha had devised, but if Pavel moved personally, it would attract too much attention. The same was true for Igor.
It was certain Gregory and Naina were both watching him as well.
If they wanted to deceive everyone completely, the task needed to be handled by others.
People Pavel could fully trust, whose movements would not draw suspicion even if they were busy.
And for him, that meant these two knights, who had been with him since childhood.
“Whatever it is, just leave it to us.”
“It will be done, Your Grace.”
After confirming the sound-blocking spell was working, Pavel began to explain.
He laid out the simple plan, drew out the necessary relics from the pocket space, and impressed upon the two knights the importance of secrecy.
“As I said before, you must not let anyone find out. Keep this utterly secret. Is that possible?”
Next to the saluting Nikolai, Andrey even dropped to one knee.
“That’s enough—get up. I trust you even without that.”
At Pavel’s words, Andrey sprang to his feet, eager to carry out his orders.
But Pavel didn’t leave immediately.
“And… there’s something else I need to ask.”
He glanced between the two, then made a decision.
“Nikolai. Come here for a moment.”
Nikolai followed, looking puzzled.
Once they were alone, Pavel stopped and handed him the letter he’d prepared.
“If something happens to me, if I’m unable to open my eyes again, deliver this letter to Sasha.”
“Milord!”
Nikolai’s eyes widened in shock.
“What do you mean? That can’t happen—surely—”
“I said if, didn’t I.”
Even so, Nikolai couldn’t compose himself.
“If I return safely, there will be no need. But if I’m not in one piece, you must make sure Sasha receives it yourself.”
After a pause, Pavel added,
“Please. I’m asking you.”
Holding the letter, Nikolai stood frozen.
Since childhood, his young lord had only ever softened around his wife—never with anyone else. Even with his closest attendants, Andrey and Nikolai, he’d always been blunt and curt. Especially with clever Nikolai, Pavel was even more brusque.
But that didn’t mean he mistreated them. In fact, they could sense that he truly trusted them.
‘Has he ever said something so honest before?’
It was awkward but moving—a surge of emotion Nikolai hadn’t expected.
He bowed deeply.
“No matter what, I will carry out my duty.”
“Good. I trust you.”
What came next was something you’d never hear from Pavel on a normal day.
‘…But for him to suddenly change like this—it’s strange.’
Nikolai couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to Pavel.
“Your eyes look suspicious. What are you thinking?”
“N-no, nothing!”
Nikolai quickly shook his head.
“But why me, sir?”
“Well.”
Pavel stared at him for a moment, then explained.
“Because you’re the kind who would survive no matter what.”
Nikolai blinked. He scratched his neck and tried to defend himself.
“I might be a little slippery, but I’m not a coward who’d abandon my comrades on the battlefield, sir.”
“I never thought you were.”
Pavel frowned and clarified.
“This must be delivered to Sasha no matter what. You’re resourceful.”
“I am… yes, that’s true.”
Nikolai thought back to all the times he’d been scolded for being too cunning.
‘Well, being clever is just another way of saying I’m resourceful. Of course my lord recognizes his vassals’ strengths!’
Nikolai brightened even more at what Pavel said next.
“And your advice about Sasha has often helped. I thought you might be the best one for this.”
Not all of Nikolai’s advice about Sasha had been useful, but it had never been completely worthless, either.
So this time, Pavel vaguely hoped leaving it to Nikolai would work out too.
“It’s an honor, sir, that you trust me so much.”
Nikolai beamed with pride.
“…Looking at your face, I’m losing faith in this plan. Give it back.”
“W-wait, what? Please, believe in me! I’ll risk my life to prove it!”
“Give it back.”
“No matter what, I’ll deliver this to madam—”
“Give it here.”
Nikolai dashed away with a sly grin, but Pavel didn’t chase him down. He only threatened, not meaning it.
Sometimes, seeing Nikolai act like this made Pavel doubt his own judgment, but his trust never truly wavered.
With a click of his tongue, Pavel turned and walked back to his tent.
He still had things to do.
“Call an emergency meeting,” he said to Igor, deactivating the sound-blocking relic.
From this moment on, all conversations were meant to be overheard.
The next afternoon.
Naina, just as she had promised, became the bait.
“Ahhh! Help me!”
Knights rushed toward the sound and saw Chernomor holding his daughter Naina hostage, blade pressed to her throat.
“What’s going on? Why is he doing that?”
The knights were baffled—nothing about this fit the image of the affectionate father and daughter they’d always seen.
“What’s happening? Has he lost his mind? …Wait, what’s that?”
Chernomor’s face began to contort. His skin started to melt.
At the grotesque sight, the knights recoiled in horror.
At last, the shell of Chernomor sloughed away, revealing the monster within.
“Khuhuhu.”
His distorted voice returned, grating and unpleasant.
“Good, good.”
Gregory’s eyes gleamed as he swept his gaze around.
“I’m back! I, your true master—Gregory Volkov—have finally returned!”
Shock rippled through the knights.
“Gregory? The Count of Tula? I heard he was dead!”
“And what is that ghastly form? He doesn’t even look human. Ugh, it’s revolting…”
Gregory grinned at the murmuring crowd.
“Idiots. You didn’t know who I was, or what I’d done, and you all fell for it—how entertaining!”
He burst out with a loud, ugly laugh and continued, almost singing.
“The villain behind this war—the one who gathered monsters to attack humanity, who started all this—was me.”
Gregory thumped his chest hard.
“I’m the one who brought you suffering, who killed your comrades, and who will soon kill all of you. It’s all me. Kuk, me!”
“…”
As he swept his eyes over the stunned knights, Gregory’s gaze landed on one person and lingered.
“Still, Pavel, my dear nephew, you should be grateful to me. I’m the one who made you Grand Duke at such a young age.”
To the one person meeting his gaze without flinching, Gregory shouted viciously,
“Because I killed your father, Dmitri, you were able to inherit the title! Isn’t that right?”
The soldiers, shocked by the revelation, murmured among themselves. Even the officers who had heard the truth at Pavel’s meeting yesterday were shaken.
“Naina was right! That really is Gregory Volkov…”
“A monster deceived us. Damn, look at that terrifying face!”
Crack.
‘That monster killed the lord…’
Even Igor’s breathing was rough with agitation.
Only Pavel looked at Gregory with calm eyes.
“So it was true.”
He had doubted, but now there was no question.
The creature before him was exactly as he had seen in Dmitri’s memories.
The moment Dmitri died flashed before his eyes, filling him with tension, but Pavel forced himself to stay aware of the entire situation.
‘Now.’
He knew it was his turn to act.
Up until this point, everything had happened exactly as Naina had predicted. But from here on, it would be different.
“So?”
Pavel spoke.
Gregory sensed something strange in Pavel’s unflinching composure, but was distracted by the conversation, missing the signs.
He made a fatal mistake.
“Did you come to ask me to kill you?”
“No, you fool. You should have died long ago. You’ve only survived this long by luck, but your time ends today. Like your father, you’ll die by my hand!”
“Is that so? I think otherwise.”
“What?”
While Gregory was distracted by their exchange, Pavel triggered the trap.
“The one who will die is you.”
“Wha—Kuaaaagh!”
The relics that Nikolai and Andrey had so painstakingly hidden released their magic the moment Pavel snapped his fingers.
