RVMPT Chapter 114

Chapter 114 

“Treason…?”

Diana swallowed hard at the weight of that word.
It was an outrageous accusation.
She had never seen any suspicious or rebellious behavior from the Baisen family.

When she looked at Harold, even his brows were furrowed in disbelief.

“Unbelievable. Who’s accusing me of something so ridiculous?”

“We can’t reveal their identity, to protect the informant.”

“Then do you have any proof that I’m plotting treason?”

“We can’t disclose that here. Duke, you must come with us to the imperial palace for investigation. This is His Majesty’s direct order. If you refuse, we will assume you are guilty and punish you for high treason immediately.”

The knights under the captain started closing in, as if ready to arrest Harold on the spot.

Harold narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then looked around with a calm expression that didn’t suit someone surrounded by imperial knights.

“So I should take this as the Emperor deciding to treat House Baisen this way?”

“Duke.”

“No need for such grim faces. I’ll cooperate with the investigation.”

Despite being accused of treason, Harold kept his cool, trying to gather as much information as possible during the exchange.

‘The Emperor doesn’t want me dead.’

If the Emperor wanted to eliminate him, he would have fabricated evidence and declared Harold guilty—not just accuse him.

And if the Emperor knew about the people Harold had planted in the training center, he wouldn’t have taken this route either.

‘So what’s his real motive?’

Even if it wasn’t about killing him, it was still dangerous. The Emperor could change his mind at any time.

But resisting now would be even worse.
House Baisen might rival the Empire in strength, and its knights were highly skilled—but they weren’t prepared for this.

It would be foolish to fight back without warning.

So for now, it was better to go along.
He still had cards to play.

“If I want to clear my name, I should obey the Emperor’s command.”

Harold stepped forward willingly. Diana grabbed his sleeve.

‘Why did I grab him…?’

This was just an investigation, not an execution.
Cooperating was the smart choice—refusing would make him look guilty.

Still, some strange fear stopped her from letting go.

Harold met her eyes, and her words slipped out on instinct.

“Come back safely.”

“I’ll return soon, so don’t worry, Diana. I still need to hear the words you didn’t get to say today.”

Diana nodded. Harold smiled warmly before turning away.

She bit her lip as she watched him walk into the snowstorm.

The snow made it hard to see him clearly, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

A cold fear lingered in her heart.
But then again, Harold had always been clever—he’d figure it out.

Diana clenched her fists.

‘He’ll solve it and come back quickly.’

Yes—he definitely would.

***

Harold followed the imperial knights and soon saw Baisen knights facing off against them.

If his knights attacked, it would confirm the treason charge.

Baisen’s knights stood frozen, looking at Harold as if asking for direction.

Harold signaled them to stand down and instead protect Diana.

Then, he continued to the palace.

Knowing how strong Harold was now, the knights bound his arms just in case. A deputy commander, skilled in swordsmanship, was stationed nearby as extra security.

Then, the Emperor himself entered the interrogation room—with his consort, Jaina.

Everyone except Harold immediately bowed.

“We greet the Empire’s only sun.”

“Good work, everyone. I’ll speak with the Duke personally. Leave us.”

“Your Majesty, at least the deputy commander should—”

“Are you making me repeat myself?”

“My apologies.”

Following the Emperor’s order, everyone else left.

The Emperor looked down at Harold with a slippery smile.

“Duke, it’s been a while.”

“I greet the Empire’s only sun. Please excuse me for not standing—I’m bound.”

“That’s fine.”

The two spoke as if nothing serious was happening.

The Emperor studied Harold carefully. The rumors were true—his complexion had greatly improved.

His reddish-orange eyes gleamed as he spoke, voice calm but his tone urgent.

“You look much healthier than when we last met.”

“I recovered as if by a miracle.”

“Yes, a miracle… such a beautiful word. So, what exactly was the cure?”

“Aren’t you here to interrogate me?”

Harold tilted his head, unimpressed.

“I don’t understand. This is supposed to be a treason investigation. Why are you asking about how I got better?”

“So clever… and yet you’re missing something important. Listen closely, Duke.”

“…?”

“Trying to hide your cure from me is treason.”

The Emperor’s gaze was deadly serious. Harold raised a brow in disbelief.

Then, Jaina spoke gently to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, perhaps you should explain more kindly. The Duke shared your pain until recently—maybe he’ll understand if you speak from the heart.”

“Hmm… You’re right, Jaina.”

The Emperor nodded.

He had forgotten in his excitement that Harold might be useful.
After all, once he got what he needed, he had no intention of letting Harold live.

So it didn’t matter what he said now, or how sweetly he tried to manipulate him.

Regaining his composure, the Emperor sat in front of Harold and smiled calmly.

“Duke, you know the horrible feeling of facing death and losing everything, don’t you?”

“…”

“When I realized I would die and everything I built would vanish—it made life feel meaningless. Even if I gave everything to the Empire, once I died, my era, my glory, would disappear. That thought broke me.”

He had begun to understand this more as his son Andrew grew up.

At first, he was proud of Andrew’s development. But slowly, that pride turned into dread—that he was being replaced.

“You understand, don’t you?”

“…Yes. It’s hard not to.”

“Exactly. I knew you would.”

The Emperor chuckled, then suddenly became serious. He clenched his fist and spoke each word with weight.

“Duke, I will be the sun that never sets over this Empire.”

Harold kept his face calm and asked,

“Do you really believe you can become immortal?”

“Yes. I’ve already made progress.”

The Emperor’s murky eyes gleamed like a child in front of a present.

“I just need your help.”