Chapter 109
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109
Gabriel stared intently at the Emperor. The Emperor swallowed dryly. She had never been this tense, not even on the day of her coronation. She knew all too well what his next words would be.
"Only members of the Imperial Family know about the tattoo, correct?"
His blue eyes locked onto the Emperor, unwavering. The Emperor—his mother—was captivated by their vivid hue, unable to look away.
Black hair, blue eyes. The Emperor could see a strong resemblance to the late Crown Prince in Gabriel. It was only natural; they shared the same blood. More than that, they both resembled the consort the Emperor had once loved.
"You already knew I was your child."
Gabriel spoke with absolute certainty, as if he knew she was already aware. The Emperor's reaction confirmed his suspicions. He was indeed the child she had abandoned—a son cast aside by his own parent, left to fend for himself.
"...I only found out recently."
"I figured as much. If you had known from the beginning, I wouldn't be standing here today."
His meaning was clear: she would have had him killed long before he could ever become a Paladin. His tone, as he stated this simple fact, was devoid of resentment or hatred.
The Emperor, for her part, felt much the same. She did not regret trying to kill the young Gabriel. Her only regret was her failure to eliminate him completely, leaving a loose end that had now returned as the man standing before her.
"So, why reveal this now? Is it because the Crown Prince is dead, and you want me to give you his place? Did Bishop Marik put you up to this?"
Hostility laced the Emperor's voice as she mentioned Bishop Marik. She was under the impression that the bishop had hidden Gabriel away and secretly raised him within the Temple.
"Bishop Marik?"
From the Emperor's words, Gabriel deduced that Bishop Marik also knew his true identity. Gabriel himself had only realized it after hearing what Princess Jeremia said, so how did Bishop Marik…?
Gabriel recalled the mysterious maid with the scarf covering her mouth who had helped him dress. She was one of Bishop Marik's people. If she had seen the scar on Gabriel's body, it made sense that the bishop would know.
"Are you not one of Bishop Marik's people?"
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Gabriel had aided Bishop Zabaniya in every way possible to repay a debt, and Bishop Zabaniya was now a follower of Bishop Marik. Though he was now on hostile terms with Bishop Zabaniya, that connection had allowed him to remain hidden from the Emperor's eyes until now.
"If I were to belong to anyone, it would be Lady Rohanson alone."
Gabriel's denial was utterly sincere. Perhaps things would have been different in the past, but the moment he met Evangeline in the forest last night, his mind had been made up. Surprisingly, the Emperor seemed to accept his claim quite easily. Perhaps she simply didn't want to complicate matters further and chose to let it go.
"...Then if not for Bishop Marik, why go to the trouble of revealing this truth?"
After all, neither of them harbored any affection for the other. The Emperor swallowed the rest of her words. Surely, Gabriel's resentment must run far deeper than her own.
"If you grant my request, I will take the secret of my parentage to the grave."
"Do you dare threaten me? Your own mother?" the Emperor sneered, her displeasure at his insolence plain to see.
"If you do not grant my request, I will begin calling you 'Mother' in public."
"Who would believe you? It means nothing as long as I deny it."
"Wouldn't the rumor be enough? After all, Your Majesty abandoned me out of fear of scandal. Lady Rohanson herself mentioned I bear quite a resemblance to the late Crown Prince."
The very blade she had discarded was now pressed against her throat. Dealing with Bishop Marik was already a headache, and now a son she thought long dead had reappeared to turn her world upside down. This was precisely why one should never leave loose ends.
"So, what is it you wish to ask of me, Sir Gabriel?" the Emperor demanded, glaring at her son with a sharp gaze.
"Pardon Lady Rohanson."
It was an incredibly brazen request. Yet, she could not afford to reject his bargain. The Emperor could not act herself, but she could arrange a plausible scenario to make it happen.
* * *
Gabriel waited for the Emperor to fulfill her promise. But even after the funerals for the Crown Prince and Princess Tenebrae had concluded, there was still no sign of Evangeline being pardoned.
Gabriel couldn't even go to see the Emperor again, as he was preoccupied with his duties at the Temple.
‘Princess Tenebrae used a spell circle to assassinate the Crown Prince.’
The impact of that single sentence shook the Empire to its core. Chaos erupted as rumors spread that the heretics, thought to have been eradicated twenty years ago, had resurfaced. Hearing the news, some shamans who had long lived in hiding began to creep back into the light.
Some of those who had attended the banquet, possessed by the crest, began drawing spell circles. However, because Saraka and Azazel had subtly altered those circles, it was impossible for them to summon a demon. At most, when someone harbored an exceptionally dark desire, the circles would merely resonate and leak foul remnants.
Having waited patiently for sorcery to become the talk of the town once more, Saraka finally began her purge.
Instead of participating in Bishop Marik's heretic hunt, the Order of Pararos Knights, led by Gabriel, was primarily tasked with dealing with the remnants summoned by sorcery. The best they could do was move as quickly as possible to minimize casualties before Bishop Marik's division could intervene.
Just as Gabriel and the Order of Pararos Knights were at their busiest, an opportunity finally arose for Evangeline to be pardoned naturally, exactly as the Emperor had promised.
* * *
"Madame Toten, you're back?"
"Melek. Please, call me Mother."
"...Yes. When others are present, I will be sure to."
Kinder hadn't meant for him to call her that only in public, but she understood it was too soon for him to be comfortable with it and didn't press the matter.
"Did you have fun with Weather?"
Kinder stroked Melek's hair. Although Melek was not a child, perhaps because he was in her son's body, Kinder always treated him like one. Melek felt embarrassed, yet he couldn't bring himself to brush her hand away. It was a selfish thought, but as a former orphan, he wondered when else he would ever experience an adult's affection.
"Yes. We went for a ride... Ah! I'm sorry. I wandered the estate without permission... Do you think anyone saw?"
Normally, Melek would leave Ryder's body safely in Weather's care and slip out to roam. However, he had taken Jelly's advice that leaving Ryder's body vacant for too long was harmful, so he now tried his best to remain inside it. As a result, he had been riding and playing with the horses in Ryder's physical form.
Seeing Melek's worry, Kinder reassured him.
"It's fine. Dies is locked away, and since Ryder will soon be the master of this estate, who would dare look down on you?"
"The Marquis Toten Estate belongs to you, Madame Toten, not me."
Kinder smiled softly at his response. She knew Melek wasn't trying to create distance but was simply showing her his respect.
"Then, as the mistress of this estate, I give you my permission to wander as much as you like. As long as you don't go to the basement, of course."
Melek nodded vigorously. She had specifically warned him away from the basement, where a scene that Melek should not have to witness was unfolding.
Kinder had locked Dies in the basement. The elders, who had previously watched her like hawks and constantly found fault with her, acting as if they would hand the title of Marquis to Dies at any moment, completely reversed their attitude once they learned that Ryder's body had recovered enough for him to ride horses.
Ryder's only flaw had been his weak constitution, as holy water had no effect on him. But ever since Melek began using Ryder's body, the boy appeared to be recovering, leading the elders to believe the rumor about the holy water had been a mere misunderstanding.
Compared to the violent and foolish Dies, it was obvious who was better suited for the title of Marquis. Even when Kinder announced she would lock Dies in the basement to punish him and make him reflect on his actions, the elders did not stand in her way. Thus, with their silent consent, Dies was imprisoned.
She was only keeping Dies alive because Melek, the one using her son's body, had begged her not to kill him. In truth, she'd had no intention of granting him an easy death anyway. No matter how much he was tortured and whipped, a single vial of holy water would heal him completely.
Fortunately, the Marquis Toten Estate had an abundance of holy water, all of it stocked up for Ryder. Kinder had gathered as much as she could in her desperate hope that her son might live a little longer, and now, those reserves were being used on Dies.
She was truly envious of a body that responded so well to holy water. For the sake of Melek, who had become her new pillar of support in place of Ryder, she would keep Dies alive.
"Did your day go well, Madame Toten?" Melek asked, seeming to change the subject.
"Yes. I only attended a tea party."
Lately, at Gabriel's request, Kinder had been circulating through high society to keep an eye on the movements of the shamans and the Temple. Whenever she sensed anything suspicious, she immediately informed Gabriel. With any luck, they could rescue the targets before Bishop Marik's forces purged them.
This was only possible because she had made a show of immediately severing ties with Evangeline after her arrest. Lady Rohanson herself had instructed her to act as if she'd been abandoned, and fortunately, that advice had allowed Kinder to maintain her standing in high society.
Kinder hoped that what she was doing now would be of some help to Gabriel and Lady Rohanson. During the late Crown Prince's banquet, she had failed to play her part properly. She had assigned the Duke to Lady Rohanson, but it had caused a commotion and even resulted in Gabriel getting hurt. Although Gabriel was grateful to Kinder for bringing him information, in truth, Kinder was merely repaying her debt.
Once Kinder finished dinner with Melek, Weather brought in the mail.
"My Lady. Here are the letters."