Chapter 111
“Were you surprised that I know what happened that day?”
Marlon was pale as a corpse, trembling violently.
Ash looked at him with a mocking smile.
“It’s true that I, along with the Academy’s Knights Department students, attacked Rivan Featherpole that day. At the time, the Knights Department had produced an unusually large number of talented students—strong in appearance, but inside, they were just cowardly kids.”
“……”
“That’s why they were terrified at the thought of killing the Crown Prince. Their hands faltered because of hesitation….”
Marlon could not bring himself to continue speaking.
“I know what happened afterward. My father ran away, after all.”
“Exactly! That’s how Rivan Featherpole disappeared! Not a single day since then went by without someone questioning his whereabouts!”
Officially, it was said that Rivan Featherpole had stayed at his own villa near the imperial border before vanishing.
But that was only the last place he had stayed in the empire.
Rivan had even considered living in Kaizeria if the royal family refused to acknowledge his marriage.
So he hid a significant amount of belongings in the villa and stayed there for a while to avoid suspicion.
Then he planned to cross the border quietly.
All to meet Lilian.
“Even if Rivan Featherpole survived, it would be strange! He was mortally wounded, and the forest at night was pitch dark. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had been killed by wild animals!”
The next day, they searched the forest thoroughly. Yet Rivan left only traces of blood.
During the search, they encountered a nearby vigilante group that protected the forest, panicked, and fled.
Even when they returned to the empire, they trembled with fear.
It felt as though everyone knew of their crime. Yet no one suspected them. No one even tried to find Rivan.
Rivan’s disappearance only became public knowledge about two weeks later.
A massive search was launched, but no one found him.
“Didn’t you find it strange? The light of my father’s name never went out. That magical device that shows the royal genealogy and the survival of the royal family—my father’s name never disappeared there.”
“At first, we were scared. Especially Anne, because it gave her a neurosis!”
Marlon muttered, his mind blank.
“In the first year, we all feared whether Rivan would return. The next year, the fear peaked. But after three, four years… we gradually lost that sense.”
In the meantime, the health of the late Emperor worsened, and Riot’s position as Crown Prince became very secure.
Riot was extremely grateful to Anne, who had inspired him.
After that day, Riot and Anne’s relationship developed into a romantic one.
Before Rivan disappeared, Riot had been a minor figure, almost like an appendix to the royal family—insignificant.
No noble family considered him as a marriage candidate.
Thanks to that, despite the difference in status, Anne could marry Riot with ease.
Immediately after Riot and Anne married, the late Emperor passed away, and Riot ascended to the throne as he had long desired.
Marlon, now the Emperor’s right-hand man, also received a path to success.
Those who had participated in the attack on Rivan benefited from the power and opportunities under Marlon’s rising name.
The fact that the light marking Rivan’s name never went out bothered them, but they thought it might have been a rare magical malfunction.
Over time, Anne was the only one who remained sensitive about Rivan’s existence.
Although they could not touch Rivan’s property, they now had the leisure to profit from the name of the ‘lost, tragic Crown Prince.’
Merchandise related to the mysteriously disappeared handsome Crown Prince sold like wildfire.
Ten years after Rivan vanished, even Anne no longer mentioned him. She even seemed happy.
“Were you afraid my father would return and take revenge?”
“The one who actually returned was his son! To think Lilian even had a child at the time.”
Looking back, everything made sense.
Rivan had taken the extreme step of secretly marrying, betraying the wishes of the country.
Since there had been a child in Lilian’s womb, it was not unreasonable.
“Who knows? Maybe from that moment, I realized my destiny. I was born to slaughter, kill, and take revenge on all of you who left my father half-dead before I was born.”
“……”
“Maybe that’s why I was born.”
“Even if I am fated to die like this, I will satisfy my curiosity. Just what exactly happened to Rivan Featherpole back then?”
Trembling with fear, Marlon could not suppress his curiosity and spoke.
“My father? It turned out as you wished.”
Smack!
Ash struck Marlon’s cheek again with her gloved hand.
“Unfortunately, he fell into hell—deep, deep hell. If I were to speak of his tragic life, killing you a hundred times would not suffice.”
Ash whispered, gripping Marlon’s neck. Slowly, her strength tightened in her hand.
“Eek…! W-what…!”
Marlon started screaming in suppressed terror. But Ash did not stop.
“Isn’t it strange? That woman Anne… Now she is an empress, but was she really clever? Besides her greed, did she have any genius?”
“Well, Anne… she went neurotic after Rivan Featherpole disappeared… so…”
“So she became stupid? Wrong. How could a woman full of greed plan such a thorough scheme?”
The border between the empire and Kaizeria was completely connected.
There were two border checkpoints between the countries. One was a large checkpoint open to civilians. The other was a nearly unused, closed small checkpoint.
Even the closed one had guards from both countries, but the security was lax as it was abandoned.
In reality, it was more like a small side gate. With bribes, Empire citizens could pass through easily.
Anne had given them information about this loose security. She even instructed them to hide the bodies there after the attack from Kaizeria.
“It was a plan that only someone both evil and clever could devise. Was Anne that kind of person?” Ash continued.
Marlon knew the answer. No, Anne could not have been that person.
Ash let go disdainfully. Marlon collapsed to the floor, clutching his neck, wheezing, screaming like a pig.
“You mean someone was behind Anne?”
“Correct. Anne had joined a strange group while attending the Academy. The same type of group you liked… Remember? Night Shadow.”
“How could I forget! I ended up in this mess because I trusted them and took on the assignment.”
“Kaizerians wouldn’t even be surprised by such things. There are all sorts of bizarre religious groups, each with its own code of conduct.”
“Anne was part of Night Shadow…”
“Worse than that. She belonged to an even worse group. They gave her the scheme…” Ash said.
At that moment, Marlon felt more fear from Ash’s calm tone than ever before.
“What will you do with me and my son? My son is detained here too!”
“I’ll throw you into hell. After getting every confession from you, I’ll detain you for a year or two…”
“……”
“After scaring the Emperor into silence, I’ll enjoy every day deciding when to reveal it all.”
“Release Bluedin at least! Please, spare my son.”
“Why would I? That’s your weakness. Besides…”
“……”
“Bluedin—he touched someone he should never have touched.”
Ash smiled with her eyes as she spoke.
“Congratulations on coming to hell, Knight Commander. Aren’t you excited for what comes next?”
Ash slowly left the interrogation room, her hands stained with Marlon’s blood.
She frowned, removed her gloves, and tossed them to the floor.
Moving slowly, she could feel the commotion on the lower floors.
Ash descended two floors.
“What’s going on?”
The research clerics were all standing and applauding.
“Wonderful, Violet-sama!”
“Thanks be to the Lord!”
They stepped aside, and Ash caught sight of Violet whispering something to the children with a smile.
The building had deliberately tiny windows.
Sunlight poured through them, making Violet look exceptionally sacred.
For Ash, recalling past memories while seeing her was like refreshing rain on a parched day.
“Violet?” Ash approached. Violet rose from her seat, smiling softly at him.
“Ash.”
No words were needed.
Just hearing his name, with her usual gentle smile and tender voice, was enough.
Her mask-like expression had lifted, revealing a heartfelt smile.
The first time Ash had truly looked at Violet, watching her run alone at the Academy, he had thought he wanted to save her.
Meeting her again, understanding her, watching her, he realized…
Perhaps, this woman was his salvation.
“Listen, Ash. Incredible news! Ah, these are the siblings you know. You saw them briefly at the orphanage yesterday, right? But these kids…”
Even such small things could make him happy, and her genuine smile made it so easy.
Just the name Violet.
If that isn’t salvation for Ash, then what could be?
