Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Translation: godsn
The white rose mansion in District 2 of Valdina.
While the royal castle was in an uproar over unprecedented events—the Regent's rebellion and the victory on the plains—this mansion alone remained isolated, as if buried in the dead of night.
The joyous cries of victory echoing through the streets and the cheers for the royal family could not breach the mansion's towering walls.
The pristine white exterior stood in stark contrast to the unprecedented darkness that now filled the interior.
Cesare leaned against an antique bed, his face expressionless. Around him, a desolate chill lingered as if he stood at the gates of hell.
The overwhelming presence befitting someone who had ruled the battlefield his entire life clashed chaotically with the raw ferocity of a man facing his limits, neither refined nor restrained.
The sharpened jawline, accentuated by illness, made him look more like a finely sculpted statue.
Only his face remained untouched—every other part of his body was already engulfed by the black curse.
Around the bed, traces of wiped blood and still-drying crimson stains were scattered everywhere.
"...It failed."
Beside him, Terence lowered his head with a devastated expression as he examined his condition.
"Even the Tears of Dawn... were useless."
Their last hope, barely obtained from the Valdina Royal Palace, had also come to nothing.
When they had first acquired the Tears, they had trembled with excitement.
They had believed without a doubt that the ancient curse would finally be broken, that Cesare would rise again.
"You said it could cleanse everything! That it could erase everything! It was all bullshit!"
Gallo grabbed an empty rolling bottle and hurled it. With a sharp shattering sound, the bottle exploded into fragments.
He turned his back, bracing himself against the wall. Tears streamed down silently, wetting the tips of his feet.
"Why... why?!"
Gallo slammed his fist against the wall.
Would it have been better if they had never had any hope at all?
It was the wretched feeling of soaring to the heavens only to crash down and shatter into pieces.
Terence, too, removed his glasses and wiped his dry face. Then he clenched his fists, stained with deep exhaustion.
The despair-stricken young man couldn't bear to meet his friend's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Cesare. It's my fault. If only I... had been more capable..."
If only he had tried harder, if only he had been skilled enough to surpass even his master and reach the primordial truths—perhaps then, he could have saved him.
"Pointless arrogance."
Cesare coldly dismissed him with an indifferent tone.
In this place where everyone had crumbled, he alone remained composed.
Even when the last bastion of hope—the Tears—had failed, and death was now certain, he neither collapsed nor struggled in desperation.
No—he couldn't.
Because he still hadn't prepared himself to accept anything yet.
But the cold reality spoke for itself. This was truly the end.
The word "death" forced its way into his mind, refusing to let him move forward or retreat.
'Is this as far as I go?'
Cesare looked down at his blackened hand.
His expressionless face seemed as tranquil as undisturbed water—yet also as precarious as a volcano on the verge of eruption.
His outstretched fingers clenched and unclenched in the air as if grasping for something.
Hope. Ambition. The formless things he had once called dreams—he watched silently as they slipped away without a sound.
"......"
Then, the fluttering sound of a bird's wings sliced through the pale silence.
Cesare raised his head.
By the window, Gallo was scowling as he stuffed something into his back pocket.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing, Boss. Just some dust on the window—"
Gallo hastily made excuses, his face still wet with tears, his eyes bloodshot.
"Bring it here."
Cesare flicked his long, straight finger. Huffing, Gallo reluctantly handed over the parchment and let out a sigh.
"It's a message from the homeland. In exchange for releasing the Claudio family, Valdina has demanded the Elamuz Strait from the Empire."
It was the result of Samon Claudio's desperate plea for clemency after his meeting with the Fourth Imperial Princess.
'So the Princess didn't just let them go easily—she was aiming for the Strait from the beginning.'
As expected, she had her own agenda.
A fleeting image of a small figure with shimmering green eyes passed through his mind, and before he knew it, a hollow laugh escaped him.
But Gallo's face was still flushed red.
His seething, crimson expression—as if barely containing his anger—made it clear that the news delivered by Facade's spy wasn't the whole story.
"Continue."
"Grand Duke Castulo's territory has been reclaimed... and Count Kensington is... dead. And..."
Gallo hesitated.
"The Emperor has also reclaimed Romagna and Alphanon... Your Highness."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Even Terence was at a loss for words. Now he understood why Gallo had been barely containing his fury.
"How—how could this be?! How could His Majesty do this to you?!"
Perdiccas II was now making a full-fledged move to dismantle Cesare's power.
Romagna and Alphanon were just the beginning.
Cesare could see his father's true intent—to absorb not only the territories but also the exceptional talents and loyal vassals he had painstakingly gathered.
His sculpted lips twisted slightly.
"So, after dealing with Iason and Kensington, I'm next, am I?"
"The Emperor has no right to treat you like this! Does he even realize who's kept the Empire standing all this time?! If he's your father, then at the very least—after a lifetime of pressure and denial—he should show some decency in the end!"
Gallo roared as if spitting blood, his rage boiling over.
Memories of the years spent alongside Cesare flashed through his mind like a whirlwind.
It wasn't the Emperor who had cut down countless enemies and crossed the line between life and death.
Nor was it the Emperor who had forged the infamous legacy that made the entire continent bow before the name Kazen.
It was all Cesare. Every drop of blood and every sacrifice had been for him, his lord.
Even if Cesare had acted for his own sake, the fact remained—the Emperor had reaped the greatest benefits.
Cesare shrugged lightly.
"His Majesty has no interest in discarded pieces. It's hardly unexpected."
"Who's a discarded piece?!"
Even as Gallo exploded, Cesare remained composed.
His father's ruthless betrayal was nothing new to him. The bonds of blood had long since withered away.
"Don't worry, Gallo. Your anger is premature."
A graceful hand extended, tossing a small scroll toward Gallo.
"Boss, this is... the list of the Empire's Observers?"
"The Senate will convene soon."
Observers were those granted the Emperor's privilege to attend Senate meetings.
After ascending the throne, Perdiccas II had introduced this system to draw in rising regional powerhouses by offering them a stake in central politics.
Thus, the twenty-three existing "Observers" were the Emperor's carefully selected future power brokers—his staunch supporters.
"It's a hunt, Gallo. It won't be difficult."
The soft command that slipped from his lips, now devoid of his usual faint smile, was colder and deeper than ever.
Gallo froze. A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
"...You really mean to eliminate all of them?"
"Yes. Every last one."
A memory surfaced—the time when all the vassals who had once tried to kill Cesare had been systematically poisoned.
That boldness, which had solidified the precarious position of the First Prince and seared terror into people's minds for the first time, remained unchanged even now, with death looming over him.
"Since His Majesty has made the first move, I must repay him with proper filial piety—right to the very end."
Once the Observers were wiped out, the Emperor would realize:
If he dared to take anything from his most exceptional son, he would pay the price in full.
Cesare turned back to Gallo.
"And once that's done, tell Facade to withdraw from the Empire. Whether he stays in Valdina, goes to the Holy Kingdom, or anywhere else—it doesn't matter."
What? Gallo's head snapped up. The royal seal of Facade flew toward him.
"You're free. Both you and Facade."
Unlike Terence, who was of Kazen noble blood, Gallo wasn't even Kazen-born. His ties to the Empire existed solely because he had chosen to follow Cesare.
"B-Boss. Are you—are you out of your mind?! Right now—"
"Terence, you too. Return to the Magic Tower."
This is far enough for wandering.
The languid command made Terence stiffen. Return? That wasn't the answer he had expected.
"You... surely you're not... giving up?"
It wasn't like Cesare. If it were, he would have told them to keep searching for a way.
Indifferent eyes met Terence's.
"Who knows? Should I struggle pathetically until the last moment, or would waving my hand gracefully be slightly less unsightly?"
I'm still deciding.
Yet his voice remained as unhurried as ever. So much so that no one would believe he was a man facing death.
Even as the black curse ravaged his body, his elegance remained untouched.
"Cesare!"
"And Alpha—when you return to the Empire, omit Princess Valdina from your report."
He turned away.
"The Princess is merely a beneficiary who inherited the prestige of her bloodline. The one who crushed the rebels, the true architect of the plains' victory—was King Pelleus."
"...My lord, are you saying we must conceal even the Princess's past actions?"
"Yes."