Part 2, Chapter 27
Part 2, Chapter 27
Translation: godsn
"Yes, that drug will gradually make one's temperament rougher. It causes loss of reason and makes one hot-tempered. It makes people suspicious and prone to explosive outbursts over trivial matters."
Laju nodded triumphantly.
"Indeed. It's truly fortunate they came all the way to the strait. My love, it means the gods are on our side."
Had it been the Royal Castle of Valdina, finding an opening would have been difficult, but this was the Detached Palace.
In this new land of Elamuz, there were countless outsiders coming in seeking opportunities. Laju had barely managed to plant an assassin by Pelleus's side by disguising himself as one of them.
Though Pelleus had won on the plains, he had killed countless people in the process.
War may wear the face of the victor, but it is not always kind to the victor. Even now on those plains, there remained defeated soldiers who had lost their homelands, praying for Pelleus's death while harboring poison in their hearts.
Laju had secretly made contact with them.
From among them, he had the most skilled one administer the drug to Pelleus.
"Don't worry, my love. Pelleus won't be able to hold his position much longer."
The affection in his gentle voice made clear just how much Laju cherished Catherine.
"......"
Catherine stared intently at her lover.
Laju was completely different from her husband who would yell at her or her son who was kind yet disregarded her. She kneaded Laju's tense shoulders.
"I worry I'm making you push yourself too hard."
"It's alright, my love. For you, nothing is too difficult. Whether it's Virna, or even your husband and son."
Catherine wiped her tears. Love and gratitude for Laju filled her chest.
"Don't even speak the name of that pathetic man, Joaquin!"
Over the past three years, all she had seen was the wretched, cowardly face of her husband.
While Samon groveled to survive by licking the boots of Kazen's nobility, and Virna struggled under the East Imperial Consort's torment, he did nothing but drown himself in alcohol to escape the situation.
"That so-called father just guzzled alcohol to run away! He doesn't even deserve the title!"
What had appeared to be at least a stable marital relationship had lost even that minimal form after the collapse of Duke Claudio's house.
Joaquin no longer respected his wife, and Catherine, having seen her husband's true nature, looked down on him in turn.
What had sustained their marital harmony had been their noble status as royalty and the overflowing wealth that had been handed to them.
Now that all of that was gone, all that remained between them were their ugly, bare selves.
"Catherine, I'm always prepared."
Laju had informed his lover that divorce was an option.
More than these secret nighttime meetings, he wanted to rightfully hold his lover under the morning sun.
Catherine hesitated. She bit her lip.
"I want that too. But the children..."
How would they take it? And how could she explain it to Virna?
That Count Laju, whom you despise as vulgar, is actually your real father?
Blind love may be fleeting, but its consequences are reality. Catherine still didn't feel capable of bearing that weight.
Seeing her troubled expression, Laju kissed Catherine's cheek again.
"I know. I understand."
Though he sensed she would ultimately never leave Joaquin, Laju pretended not to know and held her in his arms.
"Robert, I love you. My love will always be yours alone."
Catherine too felt guilt.
So the only thing she could promise him, she whispered her love.
As gentle hands traced the rough surface along his spine, the two embraced each other without an inch between them.
A humid heat rose between them.
On the Night of Saint Augustine, perhaps the blessing of Saint Augustine—said to bless star-crossed lovers across the ages—was what these two needed most.
Valdina's Detached Palace.
Contrary to Laju's expectations, the security at the Detached Palace wasn't so easily overcome.
"After the celebration banquet, we deliberately lowered our guard to lure out those targeting His Majesty. We separately managed all new recruits with less than three years of service. That's how we caught the tail."
The spy Neril brought in was already dead.
"We caught him red-handed trying to drug His Majesty's food. But... he had a poison pouch hidden between his teeth."
Eyes wide open, his complexion turned a purplish hue. The moment his identity was exposed, he chose death to conceal his master—proof that he was a trained operative.
In this process, Zeta, the guard sent by Facade at Gallo's request, played a crucial role.
She traced the spy's infiltration records and uncovered not only the dead spy but also others who had secretly entered the Imperial Palace.
However, the moment their identities were revealed, they all chose to take their own lives.
Neril bowed her head.
"I failed to capture them alive. I have no excuse."
"It's alright. Sir Hertos, can you identify this?"
Medeia spoke calmly.
Hertos, the royal physician, who had dabbed his pinky into the white powder the spy had carried, frowned.
"It's Mon-ga Leaf. It's an herb used to regulate cold energy, but it has the side effect of gradually making one's temperament more violent."
He remarked that it was fortunate they had discovered the poison early.
"With prolonged use, patience wears thin, temper flares easily, and eventually, one becomes prone to explosive outbursts. It slowly alters the blood vessels—had this continued, even I wouldn't have been able to accurately diagnose His Majesty's condition."
"What kind of scoundrels resort to such filthy methods?"
Neril seethed with anger.
Since they couldn't strike Pelleus down in one blow now that he had become Emperor, they had chosen a slow, insidious method to eliminate him.
"Your Highness, I will find out who did this."
"No need. I already know."
"Who else would target me if not Claudio?"
Pelleus answered in Medeia's stead.
His indifferent face was as cold as ice. But his assumption was slightly off the mark.
'Laju has expertise in rare plants.'
Even in her past life, Laju had used his extensive knowledge to eliminate Iason's political enemies. Occasionally, he had even informed Medeia about which plants he had used.
'Laju, you're hastening your own demise.'
Medeia's green eyes turned icy.
She slid the paper containing the white powder across the table.
"Neril. Send this to Umberto. Tell him to feed it to Laju."
Umberto was currently disguised as Samon's butler, managing Claudio's estate.
Thus, it would be easy to slip the poison to Laju, who frequently visited the estate.
"Laju? You mean Iason's vassal?"
"Yes. He and Claudio have been in league for a very long time."
Medeia nodded.
"Aren't you curious how this poison changes a person?"
"Indeed. Now I'll get to witness it firsthand."
At Neril's reply, Pelleus frowned.
After all, turning Laju's own scheme against him wasn't the ultimate solution to their problems.
"Dea, I still don't understand why we must let those vermin live."
Pelleus, who rarely brought up past grievances, asked Medeia directly.
"Now that the strait belongs to Valdina, there's nothing holding us back. They're creatures incapable of remorse or knowing their place. Their bloodstained nature won't change until their heads roll."
Pelleus didn't know the depths of Claudio's layered depravity.
But as someone who had spent years on the battlefield, he instinctively knew that their ambitions could only be quelled by death.
"Dea, surely you haven't softened and pitied their wretched state?"
Medeia burst into laughter.
Her clear, bell-like laughter was incongruously bright for the conversation's dark undertone.
"Don't be ridiculous. Pelleus, you know how I brought Claudio down."
Having just returned from the battlefield, Pelleus had heard all about how his only younger sister had purged the kingdom's parasites.
Yet, he still acted as if she were some naive seven-year-old, unable to hide his concern. It was almost amusing.
"Sorry, brother. I shouldn't have troubled you with such a request."
"Don't say that. Dea, if it's your wish, nothing is impossible. A life we could take at any moment—letting it linger a little longer is nothing. Don't dwell on it."
Worried he might have upset his sister, Pelleus soothed her.
"Don't worry. Now that all the prey has gathered in one place, there's no need to wait any longer. It's time to open the hunt."
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Pelleus's mind, making him stiffen.
There was no way his sister didn't know Claudio's true nature. Then...
"Dea... did you lure them here on purpose?"