The Traitor's Dilemma

After receiving unexpected news from the enigmatic Yulken, Lux had gone about his daily life while doing his utmost to avoid any contact with Vincent. However, for the past four days, it was Vincent who had been noticeably seeking him out, which only left him feeling frustrated.

‘What a shortsighted old fool.’

If he acted exactly as they wanted, what did the man expect to happen? Had age simply hardened his mind into rigidity? Still, among the retainers, he was one of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the few who carried some weight, which was why Lux had cooperated with him. Yet now he couldn’t help but think the man would only become a hindrance.

But starting from the fifth day, Vincent’s movements had grown strangely quiet in a way that felt almost ominous. So much so that Lux even began to worry the old man might have already been purged. Two more days passed like that, and this afternoon, when Lux returned from a brief outing, he was told that Vincent had visited his room.

“Did he leave any particular message?”

Lux asked while downing the glass of water his attendant had brought, his eyes scanning the room. The attendant, who had been carefully recalling the earlier encounter, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“He… he asked whether you kept any letters separately stored away.”

“Letters?”

Lux repeated the word with a tone of puzzlement. The letters in question were undoubtedly the ones they had exchanged while discussing the details of their plot. By nature, Lux was not the type to trust others easily, so he had kept every letter as insurance in case things went awry later. They were hidden in a secret location known only to him, prepared for the possibility of discovery. There should be no problem even if something unexpected occurred.

Yet he couldn’t understand why Vincent was suddenly asking about them now.

“Yes. Actually, he asked me not to mention this to you, but…”

“Hmm… I see.”

Lux tilted his head slightly, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. It was one thing to inquire about the letters’ whereabouts, but why had he asked the attendant in secret instead of approaching Lux directly? If he had simply wanted to confirm their existence, asking Lux himself would have been the logical choice.

‘This is strange.’

For nearly two days the man had been unusually quiet, and now he was behaving in this incomprehensible way. Lux fell into thought for a moment, trying to discern Vincent’s intentions, but no clear answer emerged.

“Ah, and this was apparently sent by His Excellency.”

“Hm?”

Lux looked puzzled as a single envelope was suddenly placed on his desk. Yulken himself had sent it? At a time like this? Wondering if someone might have forged it, he checked the seal stamped on the envelope. It was indeed from Yulken.

“Leave me for now. I’ll call if I need you.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The attendant bowed, refilled the empty glass with fresh water, and quietly left the room. Lux watched his retreating figure from the corner of his eye, then glanced once more toward the window and door before tearing open the letter from Yulken.

For some reason, even before reading its contents, his heart began to pound violently.

‘There’s no need to feel anxious.’

Perhaps it was because he had heard those words not long ago, but it seemed a lingering unease still remained deep in his chest. Lux steadied his mind and casually pulled out the letter inside. The message that met his eyes was far too short for a letter, and far too shocking.

The formal address “Lord Vincent” and any respectful tone had vanished completely from the message. While the content itself was shocking, what struck Lux most was the realization that Yulken now knew every detail of their scheme.

Bang!

Overwhelmed by a rising sense of betrayal, Lux slammed his trembling fist down hard on the desk. The glass that had been resting on the edge fell to the floor and shattered into pieces, but he had no attention to spare for it.

He briefly wondered if this letter was merely a ploy to sow discord between them, but the attendant’s earlier words came back to him, and he ground his teeth.

‘So that’s why he asked about the letters.’

From Vincent’s perspective, since most of the work had been left to Lux, there were plenty of ways to create an escape route. The problem was that if any physical evidence remained that could tie him down, he would be dragged into the abyss alongside Lux. And among such evidence, the letters the two had exchanged were the most definitive proof of the entire plot.

Lux assumed that was why Vincent had come looking for him early that morning. As long as those letters existed, Vincent could never create a situation where only he escaped unscathed.

‘So that’s why he went silent.’

Vincent had hounded him relentlessly for four days. Then suddenly his presence had vanished, leaving Lux puzzled. He must have confessed everything to Yulken during that time and thrown in his lot with him.

Of course, Lux couldn’t know the exact reason. The one thing that was certain was that if he didn’t act now, he would be the only one left holding the blame.

‘I can’t die alone.’

Since the matter had already been exposed, the only options left were to drag Vincent down with him or somehow reduce the severity of his crimes. Raising private troops or doing anything reckless would only be a fatal mistake in this situation. After all, the reason an egg shatters against a rock is because it is only an egg. If he crossed the line any further, he couldn’t even guarantee the lives of his entire family.

Lux decided to assess the situation as coldly as possible.

‘First, gather every piece of evidence. Midnight gives me enough time.’

Moreover, even if this incident had been discovered, the chance of actually losing his head was extremely slim. That had been the conclusion he and Vincent had reached long ago. After all, the man named Edgar had never been Ariel’s true fiancé; he was nothing more than a fleeting lover who had passed through her life. The two conspirators had been confident that if Yulken had any sense, he would not push the matter to such extremes. Since the attempt had failed and the target had not even died, if they prostrated themselves and begged earnestly, they should at least be able to preserve their lives.

With the thought of finding a way to save his own skin first, Lux began rummaging through his desk drawers as if searching for lice.

“Just what…?”

When Vincent opened his eyes, all that filled his vision was pitch-black darkness. To be precise, nothing at all was reflected in his eyes. This scene, devoid of even a single ray of light, could not be adequately described by the word “darkness” alone. It was so complete that even though his eyes were open, he couldn’t tell whether they were actually open. In this place where not even the faintest fragment of light could reach, the concept of dark adaptation simply did not apply.

At some point, both his hands and feet had been tightly bound. From the metallic clinking sound and the cold sensation of metal against his skin, he could tell they were iron chains, but that was all he knew.

His memories were hazy. He remembered being summoned before Yulken, but nothing after that. He had no idea how much time had passed since then, nor where this place was. He knew nothing at all.

Except for one thing: the reason he had been bound here.

‘To think he would go this far.’

The reason for such humiliation was obvious. Yet he had never imagined that Yulken would treat him with such contempt. He had expected at most to be dismissed from service.

One question remained, however. Why had he been locked away here without a single word, without any proper punishment being pronounced? Normally, wouldn’t the lord come in person to demand an explanation for such treason? At the very least, one would expect to be told what punishment awaited.

Flash.

“Ugh…!”

Just as he was pondering this, a sudden burst of light blurred his vision. Having spent so long in total darkness, his eyes had lost their resistance to brightness.

“Have you waited long, Vincent?”

“……”

The person who entered the iron cell with measured footsteps greeted him with a bright smile, as if merely arriving a little late to an appointment. It was a face very familiar to Vincent. He simply hadn’t expected to see it here, which was why surprise filled his eyes.

“…So it was you.”

“Have you discarded the title ‘my lady’?”

“You know there’s no point in using it in this situation, don’t you?”

Vincent sneered at Ariel and replied boldly instead. Having already been branded a traitor, there was no longer any need to weigh his words.

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

She shrugged lightly and nodded without much concern, then slowly approached him. Though her small frame could be described as tiny compared to Yulken’s, the aura of authority radiating from her body felt, to the current Vincent, almost equal to his own.

“How did you find out?”

“At first it was only suspicion. On the very day I returned to Hespania, I saw several faces that I wouldn’t normally encounter.”

“…So that incident really was a trap.”

He had found it strange that the event of that day had never been made public, but he had never imagined they had already identified an enemy within and set a trap.

“How did you obtain evidence…?”

“I didn’t. From the beginning, I never thought you two would leave evidence behind or hide it somewhere easily accessible.”

“That makes sense.”

Whatever Lux might have done, Vincent had burned every letter and every object that could possibly serve as evidence. That was why he had let his guard down. Without physical proof, everything would remain mere suspicion.

“Then are you saying you intend to persecute me without any evidence?”

“Hardly. Look at this.”

“That is…?”

He had noticed Ariel carrying a small wooden box and wondered what it contained. What she now revealed was a thick bundle of letter envelopes. The moment Vincent saw them, he immediately recognized whose they were. It seemed she had somehow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠obtained the letters Lux had failed to destroy. Because of that idiot, their entire plan had collapsed. In the end, it seemed he had misjudged the man after all.

“Ah, if you think your scheme was exposed because of Lux, you’re mistaken. You played quite the role yourself.”

“……?”

Played quite the role? Vincent looked at Ariel, who was clearly mocking him, and felt confused. He believed he had carried out every step with absolute thoroughness. Where could a crack have appeared?

“Whose letter do you think the one sent to you was?”

“It would have been from His Excellency… No, in this case, from my lady.”

At some point the honorific had returned, but neither of them paid it any mind.

“Correct. But did you never consider that the letter might be fake?”

“Of course I did.”

The conversation continued in surprisingly casual tones, despite one of them being bound hand and foot while the other stood proudly opposite him.

“Whether that letter was true or false, what problem could there be with my actions…”

Vincent genuinely could not understand. Even if the letter’s contents had been false, the actions he had taken afterward should not have drawn any particular attention. At most, he had desperately tried to meet with Lux. That alone could hardly be called evidence.

“That’s because, thanks to you, Lux ended up confessing everything.”

“…Pardon?”

At Ariel’s following words, his eyes widened in shock. That had been the cause? How?

“Actually, before sending you that letter, I asked Father to summon Lux separately.”

“So that was when he confessed…?”

“Not at all. This is what I told him at the time.”

Though not Yulken’s exact words, Ariel had recited them with a similar tone. As Vincent mulled over her statement, wondering what was wrong with it, his eyes gradually widened. He knew that Lux was not truly a fool. If the actual culprit heard such words, would he really believe them without question? At the very least, Vincent did not think Lux was that carefree.

Then what action would Lux take afterward? There were two main possibilities, but in Vincent’s eyes they narrowed to one.

“So the reason he blatantly avoided meeting with me… was because of that?”

“Exactly.”

Ariel clapped her hands with an utterly refreshing smile and praised him for guessing correctly. It was precisely as she said. After hearing those words from Yulken, Lux had decided he needed to be even more cautious and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had avoided even trivial conversation with Vincent. On the other hand, Vincent, who had received no such message and only the letter designed to sow discord, had reacted in the opposite way. He had tried desperately to contact Lux to verify the letter’s authenticity. Lux, who already held the view that “old men have hardened minds and cannot see far,” had resisted by avoiding him even more obviously.

After roughly four days of this, Vincent had gradually come to believe the letter’s contents. Several days ago, when he had gone directly to Lux’s room and asked the attendant about the letters, it had been to prepare for any unforeseen developments.

“And this is the letter we sent to Lux afterward. Would you like to see it?”

“……”

Since his hands and feet were bound, Ariel had no choice but to approach and show it to him herself. But she said that since he was old and his eyes might be failing, she would gladly read it aloud. Standing at a considerable distance, she opened the envelope and read the message written inside.

‘This is the letter that arrived on the day you visited Lux’s room.’ Ariel smiled as she spoke. The moment he heard those words, Vincent’s head drooped powerlessly. He could easily imagine what would happen next.

“To think you would create evidence when there was none…”

“It was crucial to tie the two of you together. That was also what I requested from Father.”

There is a concept known as the prisoner’s dilemma. It commonly arises when two accomplices are offered reduced sentences in exchange for confessing the other’s crimes. If both exercise their right to remain silent, their sentences will be lighter, but most criminals, seeking only to reduce their own punishment, end up betraying their partner. For this to work, it is essential to prevent the two from contacting each other, and that was exactly what Ariel had exploited.

Of course, there were differences in the finer details. But the clear commonality was that neither of them had cared about the other’s safety. Rather than trying to minimize the scale of the incident, they had focused solely on saving their own lives and had willingly gone looking for evidence with their own feet. As a result, Ariel had been able to easily root out the internal enemies who had rolled right into her hands without even needing a proper investigation.

“…What do you intend to do with me now?”

“How bold for a criminal. Don’t you value your life?”

“Of course I do. But looking at this situation, it seems unlikely to end with mere dismissal from service.”

It was heartbreaking to think that he had failed to purge the cunning little ant that had infiltrated the Robeheim family and would now let it slip away, but he knew there was nothing he could do. As Vincent closed his eyes tightly, as if he had already accepted his fate, Ariel let out a small laugh and called someone inside.

“Bring him in.”

“Yes, my lady!”

The man who had been waiting outside brought in a neatly dressed individual who appeared to be in his early thirties. With his vision still blocked, he was dragged forward and thrown into the iron cell, placed directly between Ariel and Vincent.

“Who… is this?”

“You don’t need to know who he is. From now on, I’m going to give you one chance.”

“A chance?”

What kind of chance could be given to someone who had essentially planned a rebellion? While Vincent stared at the man seated before him in utter bewilderment, Ariel smiled faintly and removed the blindfold that had covered the man’s eyes.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“……!”

The moment his vision returned, the man saw Vincent’s face and tried to move, his expression one of shock. The gag was so tightly fastened that even his screams barely leaked out. Yet Vincent’s face remained dazed.

Suddenly throwing an unknown man in front of him and offering a chance, he could not begin to guess what Ariel was thinking.

“You don’t know who this man is, do you?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll give you this chance now.”

Ariel received a single dagger from the large man waiting outside and slowly approached Vincent, placing the weapon in his hand. Even if he lunged at her, it wouldn’t matter. She possessed more than enough strength to subdue him.

“Until this man dies, carve off one part of his body at a time. But do not kill him. Eyes, ears, mouth, anything is fine. For each piece, I will grant you one more year of life.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Vincent understand why she had given him the dagger, and he let out a low sigh. Did she really think he would feel tremendous guilt over killing a complete stranger? For someone who had spent decades on the battlefield, taking a life was hardly a novel experience.

Clank.

The shackles binding Vincent’s body were released. Ariel smiled at him as if offering him an opportunity, gestured lightly, then closed the iron cell door and stepped out into the corridor. The two of them were now left alone without any interference.

A bitter smile formed on Vincent’s lips as he looked at the nameless man. The blade of the dagger gleamed with a colder, sharper light. He had no way of knowing why she had offered such favorable conditions, but in this extreme situation, he had no leisure to question it further.

And so Vincent slowly approached the bound prey. The man’s hair, reminiscent of his own from his younger days, sparkled as it caught the light.