Chapter 76: You Shall Offer Your Head
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: You Shall Offer Your Head
The Empress Dowager would never understand such suffocating love and affection.
“No, my mommy is prettier!”
“But in Mommy’s eyes, Dia is much prettier.”
“Nooo! Mommy is waaaaay prettier!”
I shouted, stretching my arms out wide in an exaggerated gesture. Veronica burst into a clear, bright laugh.
“The two of you seem to have a truly wonderful relationship.”
“Hmph. My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“I heard Leon also cherishes the child dearly. That is a relief.”
The Empress Dowager smiled, her eyes crinkling. Veronica’s face returned to its usual expressionless mask.
“It wouldn’t be easy to act that way while sharing a room with her real father, would it?”
“…….”
I had heard that Cedric, while serving as the Empress Dowager’s guard, rarely even returned to the mansion.
Even though a Sword Master possessed the stamina of steel and could easily stay by her side at all times, it was clear she was intentionally keeping him at the palace to unsettle Veronica and me.
Hmph. Do you think we’d even blink at that?
I stared defiantly at Cedric. Now that Veronica had finally escaped Cedric’s shadow, I couldn’t afford to show any sign of fear.
“Cedric, aren’t you being too indifferent to the child you haven’t seen in so long? Give her a pat.”
“Empress Dowager, that is…”
“Go on.”
Veronica stood up, looking flustered.
However, she couldn't refuse the Empress Dowager’s command. Though the tone was soft, it was effectively an order.
Soon, Cedric’s indifferent gaze turned toward me.
What are you looking at, punk? I don’t like it either. I said I don’t like it.
Cedric, also unable to refuse the Empress Dowager’s command, reluctantly reached his hand out toward me. I glared at his hand, my eyes wide.
“Grrr, woof! Woof!”
“Oh my.”
Just as Cedric’s hand was about to touch me, Desmond, who had been lying at my feet, sprang up. He bared his teeth at Cedric.
Cedric’s face hardened, and his hand moved toward the hilt of his sword.
“So this is the Direwolf the Ducal Lady of Chernoke gifted you. It seems he is quite devoted to the child.”
“Grrrrrr.”
Desmond growled not only at Cedric but at the Empress Dowager as well. Veronica bowed her head in a panic.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. The Direwolf has not been fully trained yet…”
“Think nothing of it. He is merely trying to protect his master. It is quite alright.”
The Empress Dowager scanned Desmond with a peculiar look in her eyes. At her gaze, Desmond flinched and backed away.
“Though, of course, a beast does require discipline.”
In an instant, the Empress Dowager’s amber eyes turned a deep crimson. Knowing her true identity, I tensed and stared into those blood-colored eyes.
“I shall take my leave for today. I apologize for interrupting your busy schedule.”
“Not at all, Empress Dowager. Please, travel safely.”
Veronica bowed politely. I followed her lead and gave my greetings to the Empress Dowager.
I stole a glance at her eyes, but they had already returned to their original color.
Whew, that was scary.
[Ugh, seriously. That woman is scarier than a demon.]
[Y-you… is that something a d-demon should be saying? Huh?]
Not just Desmond, but Bibi as well was clinging to my shoulder, trembling violently.
I sighed inwardly. I wondered if we could even stand a chance against the Empress Dowager’s demons at this rate.
[It is fine. Once our Master grows, we will become stronger too!]
What do you mean by that?
[The reason we are weak right now is because our Master is young. The reason that Dollens fellow is strong is because his proxy contractor is an adult and a Sword Master.]
Ah, so that’s how it works?
I recalled Dollens, who had been perfectly fine while Desmond and Bibi were struggling at the Temple.
Finally, I understood the real reason why Desmond and Bibi were so frail.
But you know… will there be enough time for that?
[Huh?]
I mean, will the Empress Dowager wait for me to grow up?
[Umm.]
I spoke matter-of-factly. Desmond couldn't find an answer.
In truth, there wasn't much time left. Originally, Veronica and House Winston should have been framed as villains and killed by now, but they had survived, and Dantalion had not become a tyrant.
Because of that, Marianne had become a Saintess early, and the Temple—which surely would have heard rumors about Nathaniel—was ominously quiet.
Many problems remained. It was far too early to feel safe.
[Well, there is a way to make Master’s body grow quickly…]
What?
[Hey, Desmond! What on earth are you saying to Master right now!]
Bibi shouted in horror.
I wondered what it could be to elicit such a reaction. I asked curiously.
What is it? Tell me.
[It’s nothing, Master. This idiot Desmond is just talking nonsense.]
[Y-yes. It seems this great one has made a slip of the tongue this time.]
Hmm.
I narrowed my eyes and scrutinized the two of them. Desmond and Bibi avoided my gaze.
“Dia, His Majesty is busy today, so we have to eat by ourselves.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it seems something has come up.”
“Ooh.”
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Dantalion all day.
Was there a problem on his end too?
I tilted my head in thought.
*
“Where on earth did the prisoner disappear to?”
A chilling air circulated within the cell. Dantalion’s furious voice echoed through the surroundings.
The aides and knights swallowed hard. Since they also had no idea how the prisoner had escaped the cell, they couldn't easily offer an answer.
“What were the guards doing?”
“That is… when the relief shift entered, they were found unconscious.”
“Sigh.”
What kind of bold bastard would break a prisoner out of the Imperial Palace Underground Prison?
There weren't many people in the Empire capable of such a feat.
Dantalion also had only one likely candidate in mind.
“Was this the Empress Dowager’s doing?”
“We… do not know. We found no traces inside the cell…”
“Indeed. Even to my eyes, it was a perfectly clean disappearance.”
The guards on duty were simply found fainted; no one was injured or killed.
Only Rosette, who had been held here, had vanished into thin air. If she had walked out, there should have been at least some trace, but the cell door was closed, and there wasn't a single footprint leading anywhere.
If magic had been used, there should have been at least a lingering trace of mana, but there was none of that either. It was truly a baffling mystery.
“What do you think, Duke Chernoke?”
“T-that is…”
Duke Chernoke, who had come to the prison, was breaking out in a cold sweat. He scanned the inside of the cell where his daughter had been until moments ago with trembling eyes.
“Was it you who broke your daughter out?”
“Of course not! If I had, would I have come here so willingly?”
Smuggling a prisoner of the Imperial Family was an act of treason. If Duke Chernoke had made such a choice, he would have chosen to flee with his entire family.
However, he had no idea his daughter had disappeared, and he had been shocked to the point of fainting when he first heard the news.
Dantalion, unable to detect any falsehood on the Duke’s face, suppressed his rage and curled his lips into a smile.
“When I promised you the title of Duke, I told you never to get greedier than that.”
“O-of course, I remember, Your Majesty.”
Bowing his head low, Duke Chernoke constantly watched Dantalion’s reaction.
The memory of his first meeting with Dantalion was still vivid in his mind.
A young, frail Crown Prince who hadn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony. When he first arrived at the Western Front, Duke Chernoke couldn't hide his disappointment.
He understood the circumstances of the Imperial Family, but being left to be trampled by enemies without any support had made the people of the West excessively cynical.
Duke Chernoke was no different. Having immediately grasped the Empress Dowager’s intentions, he hadn't even properly welcomed the Crown Prince, who had come to the battlefield to die.
He thought the Prince would be killed by the enemy soon anyway. But that was Duke Chernoke’s miscalculation.
‘Promise me, Marquis Chernoke. If I survive this until the end, you will swear eternal loyalty to me.’
Dantalion, returning from his first battle after beheading the enemy commander, had spoken those words while tossing the head before Duke Chernoke. The Duke had no choice but to kneel before him.
The citizens of the Empire today did not know that side of Dantalion. They merely thought of him as a gentle, young new Emperor. But Duke Chernoke, who had spent a long time with him on the battlefield, knew Dantalion’s cruel nature all too well.
“It was truly not me, Your Majesty. You know as well as I do that I am innocent.”
Duke Chernoke spoke desperately. Dantalion’s cold gaze fixed on him.
“If it was not you, then you shall offer your head in her stead.”
At that, Duke Chernoke could do nothing but nod his head frantically.