CHAPTER 47:
Confinement
“A medicine that prevents having children.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? Mother, how did you get something like that?”
“As long as you have money, you can get anything.”
Gabriel let out a gleeful laugh, a teasing expression on his face.
“Then Celiya, even if she wants to have children, will never be able to.”
Jeremy put on the golden mask that Eleon had handed him.
Only after the horrific face was completely hidden behind the mask could Jeremy fully look at himself in the mirror.
The golden mask, which covered the melting skin and repositioned the eyes, nose, and mouth properly, was much better than not wearing anything.
Still, Jeremy was displeased that he had to hide behind a mask.
The golden mask felt like it was mocking the brilliant past he once had.
“Damn it! You bring me this junk as a mask? The Duke really thinks I’m a joke.”
Unable to hold back his anger, Jeremy threw the mask to the floor.
Crash!
With a sharp sound, the golden mask shattered into pieces.
“Well, Your Highness, I worked hard making it, so I guess it didn’t please you,” Eleon said regretfully as he looked down at the broken remains.
“Enough. Have you found a healer to fix my face? Before I ascend the throne, this face must be restored.”
“Hmm…”
Eleon, lost in thought, suddenly lifted his head and smiled meaningfully.
“It seems like the healer has just arrived.”
“!”
Eleon smiled brightly as he saw hope flicker on Jeremy’s face.
“Please take good care of the healing. I must take my leave now.”
“Get out.”
“Yes, rest well. Forever.”
‘Forever?’
The added words troubled Jeremy’s mind, but he quickly forgot them, filled as he was with thoughts of healing his face immediately.
Eleon left the Crown Prince’s palace and hid behind a pillar, watching Dietrich arrive with a large number of soldiers heading toward the Crown Prince’s palace.
Eleon’s gaze shifted to Dietrich and Celiya, who was being escorted.
‘I didn’t expect this at all.’
This was completely against Eleon’s expectations.
Until now, Dietrich had styled himself as the Emperor’s mad dog, serving the royal family.
Even if it was fake loyalty, it appeared on the surface that he truly served the Emperor.
Dietrich, however, raised a rebellion for the sake of that one woman.
‘Celiya.’
The name lingering on his lips wasn’t unpleasant. The woman who had kept deep darkness inside looked radiant when with Dietrich.
Though the darkness inside her remained, for a moment it seemed as if it had vanished, enough to fool someone into thinking she was happy.
‘This is not good.’
Eleon whistled softly, like a bird’s song.
Whiiish—
Then, from behind him where there was nothing before, a subordinate appeared.
He was the man who dealt with Ben, who had poisoned the Crown Prince, and a loyal follower of Eleon.
“Deliver this letter to Arthur Cervantes as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Master. But the Duke Cervantes has been locked in his territory for years. Will he even respond to the letter?”
“He will. He’s a pervert who collects all kinds of fancy and shiny things and stuffs them.”
The sound of dozens of heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
As the footsteps drew closer, Jeremy’s hopeful face gradually twisted into something strange.
‘It takes that many people to heal my face? Something’s off.’
Unease crept over him.
Before Jeremy could fully feel his anxiety, his door suddenly swung open.
Beyond the wide-open door stood Celiya, the one he had been searching for, still as beautiful as ever.
But a large hand wrapped around her waist.
The one who appeared escorting Jeremy’s fiancée with nearly a hundred knights was none other than… Dietrich.
“You miserable wretch! Are you really defying me? Me, the royal family?”
Jeremy’s angry voice echoed loudly through the room.
Dietrich’s voice, however, was calm.
“In the name of the Royal Knights Commander, I can no longer tolerate Your Highness harming knights and innocent maids. How can someone insane sit on the throne?”
“You miserable wretch!”
Jeremy glared at Dietrich with bloodshot eyes.
“What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you killing that bastard immediately? You come holding my fiancée, and say you’re harming me?”
Jeremy ordered the knights to kill Dietrich, but not a single one obeyed him despite his status as Crown Prince.
Even Jeremy’s advisors averted their gaze.
“…Have these idiots all gone mad?”
“You have already lost everyone’s trust, Your Highness.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I am the only royal family member. The sole royal blood of Abelon!”
Unable to control his anger, Jeremy lunged at Dietrich.
His melting skin revealed white bones beneath.
Dietrich bent Jeremy’s attacking arm with just one hand.
Crack! The sound of bones breaking as Jeremy’s arm was instantly twisted.
“Aaah!”
Jeremy screamed in pain.
Many watched, but no one came to Jeremy’s aid.
“Since Your Highness is not mentally sound, it’s best to confine you in the tower. There must be no more incidents caused by madness harming people.”
The knights who had been silent grabbed Jeremy’s body firmly at Dietrich’s words.
“Arrgh! Let me go! How dare you, you trash!”
“…”
Jeremy was dragged down the hall by the knights.
His eyes met Celiya’s one last time.
But Celiya did not even look at him.
Anger and frustration filled him.
She seemed so smug, as if being with that beautiful woman made him the most superior being in the world.
But look at himself, dragged through the mud.
His brilliant future was gone, and it looked like he was going to be confined to a tower.
It was unfair. He could not understand why this was happening to him.
Sharp words spilled from Jeremy’s mouth.
“You witch. It’s all your fault I ended up like this! Celiya Brillion! Because of you, I’m this miserable!”
Celiya shook her head at his words.
Dietrich, who was watching Celiya, whispered softly into her ear.
“Don’t take his words to heart.”
Celiya was grateful—no, very grateful—that Dietrich was worrying about her in this situation.
It felt like a weight lifted from her chest.
Jeremy, holding the power of the Crown Prince, had made her his fiancée, bitten her collarbone, and tried to possess her.
Come to think of it, Dietrich was the one who erased those dirty bite marks on her collarbone.
Celiya leaned on Dietrich’s shoulder.
It felt so cozy, it was hard to believe it was the arms of the one who once tried to kill her.
There had only been those who wanted to possess her, but no one else helped her so willingly except Dietrich.
She felt so comfortable relying on him that she thought she might get used to it without realizing.
‘I was supposed to only trust him halfway.’
She felt like she might end up relying on him completely.
Unlike others, he didn’t roughly grab her waist but held her gently, without making her feel uncomfortable, and her heart felt strangely moved.
‘I’m a failure as a mistress.’
Celiya laughed bitterly.
“…Duke Calypso.”
One knight cautiously called Dietrich.
“What are your plans from now on? What should we knights do for you?”
“I can’t leave the throne vacant for long, so I’ll have to appoint a temporary new emperor.”
Temporary.
Though it was said to be temporary, some perceptive knights realized this meant completely excluding Jeremy.
“Are you planning to take the throne yourself, Duke Calypso?”
Dietrich shook his head.
If he declared excluding Jeremy and sitting on the throne himself, the Third Duke would rebel for sure.
And with Eleon openly spreading rumors that Dietrich was the one who poisoned Jeremy, if he took the throne immediately now, it would only strengthen those rumors.
“I, as the Royal Knights Commander, how could I dare covet the throne?”
The knights were wide-eyed in surprise.
“…Then who do you plan to put on the throne?”
Who?
There were those above the royal bloodline who could sit on the throne without anyone objecting.
Though in the past, the Third Duke declared he would serve the emperor, not seek the throne, now that no one was left to inherit it, it was strange they hadn’t stepped up.
Dietrich knew well that Eleon was aiming for the throne.
What about the other two Dukes?
Would they support or oppose Dietrich’s ascension?
No matter what, there was only one way to get the three Dukes together.
“In Abelon, isn’t there the Third Duke, called the Heaven Above Heaven?”
