CHAPTER 98………………………….
Poison.
It was similar to the symptoms Kyle knew appeared when taking the poison used by the healer.
A small amount only made one feel drowsy, as Alaine did.
“At some point, I was awake, but I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“Is that when you sold the mansion and the land?”
The sound of clenched teeth grinding filled the silence.
“Yes. They made me stamp my seal while my mind was hazy. After that, I stopped eating the food Joanne gave me.”
Kyle, who had been gazing off into the distance, suddenly turned his head.
“You stopped eating?”
“I wander around the mansion like a senile old man, stealing leftovers the servants leave behind. Sometimes, when I take walks like this, I buy food from passersby.”
As the conversation went on, the tension seemed to fade, and Alaine’s back hunched lower.
His bent back looked pitiful.
“Better to die of hunger with a clear mind than to die poisoned, a fool dancing to their schemes.”
“Why didn’t you report it? You could’ve gone to the authorities.”
Alaine let out a short, bitter laugh.
“I’m known as a greedy old man who only cares for money. My son-in-law, on the other hand, is seen as a kind man caring for his late wife’s father with utmost devotion. Tell me—who would believe me?”
Alaine’s empty eyes turned toward Kyle.
The expression of a man who had lost the meaning of life after losing his daughter, Dora, was not unfamiliar.
It was the same expression Ruber had when he lost Anish because of his own mistake.
“Tell me, Your Excellency. If I report them, will anyone save me?”
“You’re alive, but not truly living.”
The look of a man who had given up on himself was the same in any era, any circumstance.
“There was a time when I only wished for death. Because I had lost my reason to live.”
It was a feeling Kyle had never confessed to anyone since regaining Ruber’s memories.
“The ones who should be punished are them. Yet, I foolishly thought even that was meaningless. But looking back, I regret it.”
He had believed that in a new life, everything would be better.
With vague hope, he abandoned his life and was reborn as Kyle—but reality was far different from what he expected.
Anish, whom he thought would always be there, was gone.
He had never wanted to be Emperor, but he had also never imagined a royal family living in disgrace, begging for their lives.
Kyle thought and thought again.
In a way, Ruber had given the enemies exactly what they wanted.
Would things have been different if he hadn’t given up, if he had fought to punish them to the end?
Alaine said nothing in response to Kyle’s confession-like soliloquy.
“Your eyes… they look just like mine back then—waiting only for death. I won’t tell you to ‘stay strong.’ I know better than anyone that such words are useless.”
Kyle pulled his hood low over his face once more and spoke slowly.
“Just don’t… give them what they want.”
He turned his back to Alaine’s withered frame.
“One last thing. You asked who would believe you? I do.”
The sound of quick footsteps faded, leaving behind a heavy silence.
Alaine stood up abruptly and looked toward where Kyle had been standing.
Tears welled up in his empty eyes.
“Please step down, Lady Kestariqan.”
A man dressed entirely in black extended his hand with an exaggerated gesture.
From inside the carriage came a woman’s cheerful laughter, and another woman—also dressed in black—stepped out.
“I suppose I was destined to be Lady Kestariqan. The name suits me perfectly—Joanne Kestariqan.”
Chad and Joanne, both dressed in mourning black, were radiant with joy that didn’t match their somber attire.
“At last, it’s our mansion.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Joanne.”
“Joanne? Please, call me Lady Kestariqan.”
Her playful tone made Chad’s heart soar.
“Took longer than expected. That old man was more perceptive than I thought.”
“Exactly! When he realized he was being poisoned and stopped eating, I was terrified he might report us.”
Chad chuckled slyly.
“Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. I spread word he’d gone mad after losing his daughter. Who would believe a lunatic?”
“You’re so clever, my lord.”
Returning from the burial of the late Lord Kestariqan, the two were giddy, finally free to express the joy they had suppressed before others.
“My lord, who are those men standing by the front gate?”
A group of men in black cloaks stood before the mansion.
“Here to pay respects to the old man, perhaps?”
Chad clicked his tongue.
“I’ll have to punish those useless servants. I told them to lock up properly after the coffin was taken out. Why let strangers loiter around the house?”
“Fire them all. I can’t stand those who served that old man for so long.”
But as Chad swaggered closer, his pace slowed.
From afar, the men had seemed like ordinary mourners—but up close, something was off.
Joanne gripped his arm tightly.
“My lord… are those swords?”
Every one of the men carried a sword at their side or across their back.
The garden, which had felt so vast yesterday, now seemed much smaller.
Chad’s mind raced. Maybe they should turn back and come again tomorrow.
“Say something! What are they doing in front of our house?”
Annoyed by Joanne’s nagging, Chad shook her off roughly and marched forward.
“Hey! Who are you people? What are you doing on my property?”
The men lined up and blocked his path.
“Stop.”
“Stop? Have you all gone mad? Do you know who I am? I’m Lord Kestariqan! You lowlifes shouldn’t even be able to look me in the eye!”
Chad shouted furiously, but the men’s expressions didn’t change.
Their silence enraged him even more, and he tore off his coat, throwing it to the ground.
“I’ll call the authorities! Don’t move an inch until they arrive—and we’ll see if you still look so smug then!”
Joanne picked up the coat and began edging backward.
“There’s no need to call anyone.”
The mansion door opened, and an old man’s voice echoed out.
“Who dares trespass on another’s home…?”
Chad’s eyes widened as he shouted,
“What are you doing here?”
It was Heinz—Lord Kestariqan’s long-time friend and legal representative.
“You weren’t even at the funeral! What business do you have in my house?”
“Your house? This isn’t yours.”
“What nonsense! Of course it is!”
Behind Heinz, Everett appeared.
“And who the hell is she?”
Chad tried to storm inside but was stopped by the swordsmen at the entrance.
He struggled to push past them but couldn’t move them an inch.
“I’m the late Lord Kestariqan’s only son-in-law! With his passing, the title and estate are rightfully mine!”
Everett turned to the lawyer.
“Tell him whose property this really is.”
Heinz opened his case and pulled out several documents.
“This is the will of Lord Alaine Kind Kestariqan. As you know, I am his long-time friend and legal representative.”
“His will? My name’s on it! I was there when he wrote it!”
Chad’s voice grew louder, almost hysterical.
“That was the old will. He revised it two days before his death. This is the final version.”
“Revised? Without my permission, who—”
Chad’s angry growl stopped short as he pointed at Everett.
“Ah, so it was you! You tampered with it, didn’t you?”
Ignoring him, Heinz continued calmly.
“Lord Kestariqan stated that all his rights and property are to be inherited solely by Lady Everett Gronzy.”
Chad shoved past the knights and snatched the papers from Heinz’s hand.
The name written there was not his.
“This… this is impossible…”
After his daughter Dora’s death, Lord Kestariqan had drafted a will.
It stated that his wealth would be divided among his relatives and the Empire upon his death.
Joanne had later made him ingest poison and forced him to rewrite the will, naming Chad as heir.
He had checked it several times himself.
But now, it bore another name.
“Everett Gronzy…?”
He murmured the name, slowly raising his head.
“Yes,” Everett said calmly. “I’m the heiress of House Kestariqan. Now do you understand why this isn’t your home?”
Chad couldn’t comprehend it.
From the moment he targeted Dora Kestariqan, everything had been part of his plan.
Even when the cunning old man realized the food was poisoned and stopped eating, Chad had been certain he’d soon break from hunger.
