RVMPT Chapter 132

[Second Last Chapter]

Chapter 132

“Harold…?”

Kaiden, unable to believe his eyes even as he looked, called his name. Harold answered lightly.

“You don’t call me ‘brother’ anymore, Kaiden.”

Even amid the roar of the crowd, that infuriating voice came through loud and clear.

Kaiden could no longer deny it—Harold hadn’t died. He was alive.

“…How are you still alive?”

To make sure of the kill, Kaiden had coated the arrow with the strongest poison he owned—an antidote scarcely obtainable. Yet Harold wasn’t just alive; he looked perfectly healthy. Why? This shouldn’t be possible.

“Answer me!”

Harold replied to the furious shout,
“A miracle.”

Miracle. The same hateful word people used when they said Harold had been cured of his illness. Kaiden snarled.

“Don’t spout nonsense, Harold Vaisen!”

Why did the miracle come to one man alone? What was Harold, that he alone received it?

Kaiden jerked; the shackle around his ankles pulled taut.

“Nonsense or not—what does it matter? You’ll die here today either way.”

“Harold!”

“As your elder, I’ll watch your end.”

His manner sounded like a show of mercy and respect, but Kaiden knew what lay beneath.

Harold had come to show him: the companion Kaiden thought was joining him on the road to the underworld was alive—and only Kaiden would be the one going there.

With the other man’s intent so plainly displayed, Kaiden couldn’t calm down.

He had failed to kill Diana as planned, and now Harold lived too. A future of the two of them living happily flashed before his eyes; his blood boiled backward in rage.

The composure he’d had in the face of death blew away like a storm. He couldn’t just die like this.

With his neck fixed in the guillotine, Kaiden thrashed to break free. Chains groaned as if about to snap. Startled by the strength in a body wrecked by torture, nearby guards rushed to hold him down.

The executioner shouted,
“Prisoner Kaiden Vaisen!”

He began to read out Kaiden’s crimes one after another. Kaiden kept struggling to escape the whole time.

“…Therefore the sentence will be carried out!”

Kaiden felt the executioner moving to release the rope attached to the blade and ground his teeth.

It was unfair. Why were miracles granted only to Harold? What sort of miracle wouldn’t come to him? Questions and grievances piled up—then, suddenly, an image blazed in his mind: Diana kissing Harold.

At the same time, he heard in memory Diana telling Harold, “Stay awake and talk with me for just ten minutes.”

Ten minutes. And the kiss. Harold surviving—whole. Their sudden marriage after being at each other’s throats. Harold’s illness cured in less than a year of marriage.

No way…

Kaiden’s lips moved without him realizing, and he stared at Harold.

Harold’s mouth curved into a long smile.

At that moment the rope holding the guillotine blade was cut. Kaiden’s vision flipped upside down.

Waaaaah!

Amid the cheers, Harold looked up at Kaiden’s corpse.

The red eyes, glaring wide with lingering attachment, proved Kaiden hadn’t gone peacefully.

Harold’s face was expressionless as he watched. In truth, he felt little about Kaiden’s death.

No joy, no relief—but neither discomfort nor disgust.

Only the faint thought that what was bound to happen had happened.

With no reason to remain, he pulled his cloak back on.

He worked his way out of the crowd toward a carriage waiting at a distance, and stopped where it thinned.

“Your Highness, you can come out now.”

Andrew stepped forward from behind him.

“How did you know it was me?”

“You didn’t exactly try that hard to hide.”

“I can’t deny it. When I heard Kaiden call for the Duke, I guessed you’d be here. How’s your body?”

“I still need to rest at the estate.”

Harold answered shamelessly, though he was already healed. Andrew had no way to know the truth.

The only ones who had learned of Diana’s ability were the Emperor, Jaina, and Kaiden—who had just died. The Emperor and Kaiden were dead, and Jaina had been rendered unable to speak by Evan’s Black Hawk Knights who took her away.

“I see. Then I won’t keep an injured man.”

“The next time we meet, you won’t be ‘Your Highness’ anymore,” Harold said.

“I can’t leave the throne empty. Once I finish the urgent matters, we’ll hold the coronation at once.”

Many had started calling Andrew “His Majesty,” but the formal ceremony hadn’t yet been held.

He shrugged and looked at Harold, then spoke with weight.

“I truly owe you, Duke. Thanks to you, I realized my father’s atrocities before it was too late and could put an end to them.”

“If it helped, I’m glad—as your vassal.”

Harold hadn’t acted for Andrew’s sake, but he didn’t bother to undercut praise.

“By the way, is Duchess Diana well?” Andrew asked.

Harold’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes. Well enough that Your High— that you needn’t worry, despite your busy schedule.”

“I’m glad you’re both well.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Harold departed first. Andrew stared at the space where he had stood.

“Still insanely jealous,” he muttered.

If even a single word set Harold off like that, mentioning the interest he’d once had in her would obviously not end well. Clicking his tongue, Andrew turned away.

I visited Maloney’s grave for the first time in a while.

I laid a bouquet of lilies and gently brushed the snow from the headstone with a handkerchief.

Hello, Maloney.

I greeted her inwardly, looking at her name carved in stone, then spoke to her in my heart.

Did you hear the news today? The people tied to Diana’s misfortunes are to be executed this time. The real her might not be there—but if there is an afterlife, I wondered if she might meet Kaiden.

I took a deep breath and clasped my hands together.

And I asked Maloney, over and over, to please stop Diana from “picking up” Kaiden.

Only then did my heart feel a little lighter. Well, if there is an afterlife, Maloney would know better than anyone to sort Kaiden out.

As I was thinking that and looking up at the sky, a dog barked somewhere.

I turned my head and saw a white dog—an adult, but still with a young look.

Woof! Woof!

“Joy! I told you not to bark at people!”

Woof!

Huh? The dog looked familiar. I stared for a while, and then the memory struck me; my eyes flew wide. The dog bounded toward me just as the owner lost their grip on the leash.

“Are you that dog from back then? The one who shared bread with me.”

“Woof!”

The dog circled me excitedly as if to say yes. The owner ran up, grabbed the lead, and bowed.

“I’m so sorry! She’s not usually like this!”

“I think we’ve met before, that’s all.”

“Huh? Were you her previous owner? She was a stray, so I took her in…”

“No, no. I saw her on the street when she was a pup, that’s all.”

When I denied it, the girl’s face brightened—she’d been worried I might be the owner come to take the dog away.

“I won’t take her, don’t worry. Just promise you’ll take responsibility and raise her to the end.”

“Hehe, yes!”

She led the dog away. Judging by her clothes, she was from a wealthy family.

She clearly adored the dog, too, so I didn’t worry about the life ahead for that pup.

Good.

I’d thought of that puppy from time to time since I used to keep one myself; now I could be at ease.

I stopped by a dessert shop on the way back and returned to the estate by carriage. When the door opened, Harold held out his hand to me. Had he already come back while I was buying pastries?

“Welcome home, Diana.”

“I’m back.”

“You stopped by the dessert shop, I see.”

“Yes! If you have time, shall we have tea in the greenhouse?”

“Gladly. Shall we go straight there?”

“Oh, good idea. I have good news, and I want to tell you right away.”

Harold handed the dessert box I was carrying to the butler. Having already heard, the butler bowed and said he would prepare everything in the greenhouse.

On the way there, I told Harold the story about the dog.

We chatted on and on, all the way into the night.

And that night, I saw Diana in my dreams.