Chapter 108
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108
The order was to kill them all and bury the truth forever. The Emperor patted the shoulder of Musetta, who looked utterly devastated, as if she had lost her anchor in life.
"You as well. It would be best if you did not concern yourself with this any longer. I will leave the closing of this case to someone else. You have worked hard guarding my son all this time."
The Emperor hadn't executed Musetta for failing to protect the Crown Prince. Instead, he had given her a chance to find the true culprit. It was wrong to resent His Majesty for this… wasn't it?
"You may leave now."
Dismissed by the Emperor, Musetta stumbled out of the audience chamber. What should she do now? The thought of feigning madness, breaking into the dungeon, and drawing her sword on Evangeline Rohanson didn't seem like such a bad idea. Musetta’s hand drifted to her scabbard. As she walked away from the Emperor's palace, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
"Princess Tenebrae?"
The figure paused at Musetta's call. But as Musetta drew closer, the lavish clothing told her she was mistaken. It was an outfit Tenebrae would never wear.
"...Princess Jeremia."
The lovely girl before her was not Tenebrae, but Jeremia.
"Oh, Dame Musetta. It feels like it's been a while since we last met at the funeral. Have you been busy lately?"
Musetta averted her eyes from the girl's innocent demeanor, which seemed completely untouched by the turmoil in the imperial palace. Despite being identical twins, how could their circumstances be so vastly different?
Of course, she knew the reason was the Crown Prince she had once served. His Highness had always feared Tenebrae would one day be his undoing, and so he had brutally disciplined her with a whip. Ironically, it was that very abuse that drove Tenebrae to resent and ultimately murder her own father—a truly cruel twist of fate.
"Yes... I have been busy investigating Princess Tenebrae."
"Is there something strange about Tenebrae's death? She was simply punished for trying to flee after murdering Father."
"Please do not speak of her that way. She was your sister, Princess Jeremia."
"My sister? His Majesty has already stripped her of her title. How could she possibly be my sister?"
Musetta bristled at the blatant insult. If the girl were not a member of the imperial family she was duty-bound to serve, she would have drawn her sword then and there. The princess, sensing Musetta was powerless to act, mocked her ruthlessly. Her innocent face contorted, the corners of her mouth curling into a smirk.
Musetta felt a sudden wave of déjà vu at that expression. Her surging anger vanished in an instant.
"...Princess Tenebrae?"
It made no sense. The girl standing before her couldn't be Tenebrae. Tenebrae was dead. His Majesty the Emperor had personally inspected the corpse, and Musetta herself had attended the funeral.
"You keep calling me Tenebrae."
The girl stared at Musetta without blinking. The sheer disgust in her eyes was something Jeremia could never muster. Musetta nearly bit her tongue in shock.
"It is highly unpleasant to be mistaken for someone else."
As if possessed, Musetta's gaze drifted down to ‘Jeremia’s’ neck. The girl was scratching at the nape. It was not a casual itch; she dug her fingernails in as if trying to gouge out her own flesh, leaving deep red marks.
Even as blood began to seep from the skin, she seemed entirely unaware that she was harming herself. Unlike the high-collared garments Tenebrae usually wore, Jeremia's dress left her neck completely bare, making the raw, reddened skin stand out all the more.
"You are... scratching your neck."
"Ah, dear me."
When Musetta pointed it out, the girl feigned dismay. Anyone else might have missed it, but Musetta would never fail to recognize that habit. With a stiff expression, the girl lowered her hand. As always, her hands were clenched into tight fists to hide her fingernails.
"Now that Father is dead, there's no one to stop me. I suppose I lost control without realizing it."
Realizing she had been caught, the girl—no, Tenebrae—smirked.
"It's a bit of a problem with Jeremia, since any scratches on her neck are so visible. Still, it's a relief I can use as much holy water as I want now, isn't it?"
The girl glared at Musetta. That hate-filled, resentful gaze superimposed itself over the memory of the young girl who used to stare at her while enduring the Crown Prince's whippings. How could she ever forget that look?
"When Father was whipping me, you just stood behind him and watched. Now that he's dead, are you finally feeling guilty? Ha, don't make me laugh. Did you ever so much as hand me a tub of ointment, Dame Musetta? Did you ever try to stop my father? And yet, now that she's dead, you offer your pity? What did you just say? 'She was your sister'?"
Tenebrae's sharp gaze sliced through Musetta, who felt as though she were suffocating. Facing the living Tenebrae filled her with a guilt far heavier than any ghost could inspire. What was she supposed to do?
Is it really Princess Tenebrae?
The memory of Tenebrae's corpse was still vivid in her mind. If Tenebrae was truly alive, then whose corpse was that...? In that moment, Musetta realized what she had just called the girl standing before her.
The one who died was Jeremia. Tenebrae had survived by stealing her sister's identity.
Just as the legends foretold, Tenebrae had truly become a monster who slaughtered her own kin. She had not stopped at murdering her biological father for revenge; she had killed her twin sister as well. The way she feigned complete innocence was chilling.
"So, now that you know, are you going to run to His Majesty and tell him Tenebrae is alive? If you do, I'll truly die this time."
Tenebrae spoke as if expecting Musetta to run to the Emperor that very second, but Musetta found herself unable to move.
It was terrifying. She knew full well that Tenebrae was a monster who had murdered her own flesh and blood. And yet...
Musetta could not speak the truth. After all, she had played a major role in driving Tenebrae to this point.
"I will not report this."
"Feeling sorry for me? Now of all times?" Discerning her motive, Tenebrae's face broke into a wide smile. "Dame Musetta. If you truly feel sorry, then use that life of yours for my sake."
Musetta nodded. Instinctively, she realized that the more she suffered for Tenebrae, the lighter her own guilt would become.
"I will ask His Majesty to give you to me. The world is in chaos right now anyway, so it won't look strange for me to take on a guard."
Tenebrae patted Musetta's cheek. The gesture was humiliating, but at the same time, it brought a strange sense of peace. It felt as though a weight had been lifted from her chest.
* * *
"Your Majesty! The Temple's interference has crossed the line!"
"We must summon the Archbishop to stop Bishop Marik!"
"Your Majesty! My daughter is absolutely not a pagan! Do you have any idea how devout she was? This is all a frame-up!"
Lately, the Emperor had been plagued by headaches. Nobles flocked to him day and night, chirping like birds to demand he stop the Temple's tyranny.
As the Emperor remained completely unmoved, the nobles gathered among themselves and whispered speculations.
"His Majesty seems to have no intention of listening to us."
"Perhaps the Temple's sudden movement was His Majesty's idea to begin with. He has a history of this, after all. Wiping out those who oppose him..."
"Shh. Keep your voice down. You'll lose your head if you're not careful."
"The daughter of Viscount Uvala, who died recently—I heard she was one of the Crown Prince's people."
"Wasn't the Crown Prince's faction hostile to the Temple? Perhaps the Temple fabricated a pretext to sweep away those eyesores once and for all?"
"But if they were hostile to the Temple, there is a chance they really were pagans."
"Viscount Uvala wasn't a bad man, though."
"Watch your mouth, or you might get lumped in with them."
Although the Temple's forces ran rampant, anyone who opposed them was branded a heretic, making it impossible for anyone to stop them.
"Your Majesty. Why are you not taking any action?"
It was not that he was refusing to act. Rather, there was simply nothing the Emperor could do. Bishop Marik knew better than anyone that the Emperor had purged opposing factions under the guise of a pagan massacre to secure his legitimacy. She knew the inner workings of the empire too well for him to recklessly provoke her.
Was this the absolute power he had so desperately desired? Was the authority he had built by abandoning his siblings and his own son worth only this much? He had become far too deeply entangled with Bishop Marik.
He should have disposed of her long ago, once she had served her purpose. The only way left for him to deal with Bishop Marik was to use Tenebrae.
Bishop Marik had pointed the finger at Evangeline, but the Emperor was convinced that the one who had truly helped Tenebrae murder his son was Bishop Marik herself. This was the conviction of someone who had worked alongside her for a long time. The memory of Bishop Marik’s sly smirk during their private audiences was seared into his mind.
That was why he had tasked Musetta, the Crown Prince's former guard, with the investigation. He needed her to determine the extent of Bishop Marik's involvement, assuming someone loyal to his son would investigate with utmost sincerity. But it had been a miscalculation.
"To disobey my orders, swayed by such a low-class trick... I misjudged her."
He tossed the letter, reportedly found in Tenebrae's room, onto the table. The letter was a trap, as unsubtle as the weapon used to kill the Crown Prince. The handwriting and the mention of cherry blossoms practically screamed that Evangeline Rohanson was the culprit, which only made it less credible.
In the empty audience chamber, the Emperor pinched the bridge of his nose. Every recent event had slipped entirely from his control, and just thinking about them gave him a massive headache. Now, even Musetta had dared to displease him. He had thought of her as an obedient dog, but it seemed she had forgotten who held her leash.
"...Your Majesty. Why are you shielding Evangeline Rohanson?"
To think she would disobey his explicit warning and dig into Rohanson... Bishop Marik's influence was truly formidable.
Why was he shielding Rohanson? It was not what the Emperor wanted, either. It was entirely due to his deal with Gabriel.
* * *
Gabriel had brought Tenebrae's corpse and requested a private audience with the Emperor. When asked about Tenebrae's last words, he had made an utterly absurd claim.
"Princess Tenebrae claimed that she was Jeremia."
"Jeremia...?"
At those words, the Emperor examined Tenebrae's corpse once more.
For the Emperor, distinguishing between Jeremia and Tenebrae was incredibly easy. He only had to look at their necklaces or check for the crest. However, the girl's abdomen had been stabbed, wounding the area where the crest would be. The necklace wasn't bound to her, making it useless as proof if they'd been swapped.
He could not be certain which of the two it was. The Emperor found himself completely swayed by Gabriel's words.
"Princess Jeremia said that Your Majesty would not be able to tell them apart. She was right."
Gabriel offered his observation in a flat, indifferent tone.
"Yes. The corpse before you is indeed Princess Jeremia. Of course, Your Majesty will only be certain once you verify the absence of the tattoo on the princess currently claiming to be Jeremia."
The girl's body, cold and lifeless, lay neatly arranged before him.
"Is that the truth?"
"Yes."
Gabriel spoke without a moment's hesitation, his steady voice filled with absolute conviction. Watching him, the Emperor leaned back against his throne, no longer able to maintain his rigid, dignified posture. He could guess, more or less, what had transpired.
"Bishop Marik played her hand..."
It was Bishop Marik who had suggested killing Tenebrae.
"Yes. Bishop Marik's guard swapped the two of them."
Having his suspicions confirmed, his head felt incredibly heavy.
Until Bishop Marik had framed Evangeline Rohanson and Tenebrae as the culprits, he had only vaguely guessed that the bishop was planning something using the Crown Prince's death. He had assumed her intention was simply to murder the imperial grandchildren one by one to place Gabriel on the throne.
Since Tenebrae held relatively little value, trading her life in exchange for keeping Gabriel's princely status a secret had seemed like a profitable deal. He had thought it would be fine even if Tenebrae died, since Oratorio and Jeremia still remained. But to think the one who had actually died was the granddaughter he cherished, in his own way…
But why go to the trouble of swapping them just to keep Tenebrae alive? Did Bishop Marik intend to place that girl on the throne instead of Gabriel?
And wasn't Gabriel one of Bishop Marik's people? Why was he revealing this to the Emperor?
Gabriel didn't give the bewildered Emperor a moment's peace.
It had to be now, while the Emperor was still reeling. Gabriel instinctively knew that this was the perfect moment to ask the question he had harbored for so long.
Thinking of his scar, Gabriel placed a hand over his heart. It was beating rapidly.
"Your Majesty. Why are you not surprised that I know about the tattoo?"