Chapter 12
“Those nobles are utterly useless. How can they just sit by and do nothing while the king is like that? Do they only care about their own safety no matter what happens to the country?”
Of course, until recently, we were those same nobles.
Nobles who knew the tyrant was abusing the people, yet did nothing—and could do nothing.
I carefully spoke up in agreement with my mother-in-law.
“…It seems more and more people will end up watching His Majesty’s mood from now on. He even turned a perfectly fine ducal house into this state…”
“…”
Tremble, tremble.
My mother-in-law’s fist shook with anger.
Our family had been used as an example by the tyrant.
A warning to other nobles.
There was no force in the kingdom capable of opposing him anyway.
Even the council was powerless before the emperor.
The tyrant’s army had become even stronger, now reinforced by troops once taken from noble houses and absorbed into his forces.
“How long are we supposed to live under such a tyrant…”
I let out a helpless sigh without realizing it.
It was unlikely the tyrant would ever bother us again.
We had already lost too much to be worth further destruction.
And yet, the fact that such a monstrous man still existed under the same sky felt unbearably bleak.
Somewhere, even now, he was probably committing atrocities against someone else.
This secluded house suddenly felt like a safe refuge, but I couldn’t ignore the concern for those still suffering under him.
“Still, don’t worry too much, Mother. Tyrants never end well. If you look at history books, a hero always appears at times like this.”
“A hero…? You really do spout novel-like nonsense even at times like this.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be satisfying if someone appeared and took the tyrant down? I think I’d be really happy.”
“Why don’t you just buy a lottery ticket instead? A hero? They must all be on vacation—no sign of them anywhere.”
My mother-in-law clicked her tongue and went back to eating her potatoes.
Though she quickly set the spoon down, clearly unimpressed, and drank honey water instead.
As I silently watched her, my gaze drifted toward my husband.
“…”
He was quietly looking at me.
Since when had he been watching me?
Feeling a bit awkward, I looked back at him.
He didn’t seem like he had anything to say.
Ah… maybe I said something careless.
Even if I wished for a hero, my husband was far from being one—or even pretending to be one.
I worried I might have hurt his already fragile self-esteem.
After thinking for a moment, I spoke softly with a faint smile.
“A hero taking a vacation, you say? Come to think of it, we already have a hero right here.”
“Hmm?”
My mother-in-law looked at me, then followed my gaze.
I smiled warmly at my husband.
“Allex is our hero now.”
I beamed at him.
He froze, unsure what to do, staring at me in silence.
He’s flustered.
Of course he was.
I wanted to encourage him.
I didn’t think he was useless, exactly… but from now on, I wanted to support him more than resent him.
So he wouldn’t do anything reckless again.
He had secured this home for us and protected me in his own way—so I wanted to protect him too.
“Well… I suppose… he is my son after all…”
My mother-in-law reluctantly agreed, though her expression suggested “hero” was still a stretch.
My husband held my gaze for a long moment, then slowly looked away.
At that moment, my mother-in-law spoke again.
“Allex? Tell me honestly.”
“Yes?”
“Did you, by any chance, obtain this house through some kind of illegal slave contract, like in those books you read?”
“…?”
My eyes widened at the unexpected possibility.
I had considered that he might have paid some kind of price, but…
Still, I hadn’t expected that.
My husband didn’t seem like someone capable of such dangerous things—but also not someone who would try to take his own life.
“Ah…”
Allex hesitated, then put down his fork.
Please don’t tell me he really did something terrible just to get this house…
But what he said next was completely unexpected.
“It’s nothing like that. Information brokers pay surprisingly well, actually.”
“Information brokers…?”
“An information broker…?”
Both my mother-in-law and I were confused.
“What information did you sell?”
“…”
He fell silent for a moment, as if thinking.
Was it something he couldn’t easily say?
Eventually, he spoke carefully, like it was difficult to explain.
“…Are you aware of the missing prince in the imperial palace?”
“The missing prince? You mean Prince Ridet?”
Of course I had heard of him.
Prince Ridet was the late emperor’s youngest son, and the rightful heir four years ago when the emperor died.
But he had only been three years old at the time.
The emperor’s nephew, Axen, had seized the throne by force, claiming he would only rule as regent until Ridet came of age.
After that, the young prince was confined in the palace—and then disappeared.
No one knew what happened to him, but most believed he had been killed by the tyrant.
My mother-in-law clicked her tongue.
“There’s no way that child is still alive.”
“Everyone thought so. But he was actually hiding somewhere.”
“…Is that true? Prince Ridet is alive?”
My mother-in-law looked shocked.
Allex continued seriously.
“Recently, there have been people trying to find him. It seems they plan to use him to start a rebellion.”
“I see…”
It was a shocking story.
So there really were people willing to rise against the tyrant.
“…I already told them where Prince Ridet is.”
“You did…? How would you know that?”
“How do you… Allex?”
His eyes wavered slightly.
“That is…”
My mother-in-law stared at him intently. I did the same.
After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke.
“You may not believe this, but I read about it in a book before.”
“A book?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Yes. It’s a book that can no longer be found, so I can’t check it again, but I remember reading about Prince Ridet there.”
“Oh my… what a strange book. Maybe it was a royal diary or something?”
“I’m not sure who wrote it…”
He trailed off, genuinely unsure.
A book with no known author?
My mother-in-law looked intrigued.
“I see. At least it’s reassuring that you’ve been reading so much. And your speech has improved too—it all seems too unbelievable, so I was starting to suspect things.”
“…Anyway, I hope Prince Ridet is safe. He’s the only remaining heir now, right?”
My mother-in-law answered for him.
“Yes, Luize. But don’t get your hopes up too much. Do you really think that mad emperor will give up his throne because of a child?”
“…”
I wanted to believe otherwise.
My mother-in-law continued.
“Anyway, tomorrow we should have a small party to celebrate Allex’s recovery. He’s finally recovered from that stutter after all this time.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Mother. Right, Allex?”
I smiled brightly at him.
Tomorrow would be busy—cleaning, cooking lamb…
Then a small voice came from somewhere.
“…Is it good?”
My sister-in-law peeked into the dining room from behind the wall.
Right, it was about time she got hungry.
I pulled out a chair beside me.
“Come sit. If you say you won’t eat again, I won’t save you any food next time.”
Her lips puckered slightly, eyes teary again.
She hesitantly approached and sat down, glancing at the table.
“There’s already not much left…”
“You should eat too.”
Reluctantly, she sat down.
“Did something happen?”
“No. Eat up, Eloy. I’m going to rest now.”
The first to leave was my mother-in-law.
After she left, my husband wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
“I enjoyed the meal.”
Meanwhile, my sister-in-law focused on peeling potatoes, showing little interest in Allex.
“Alright, dear. Go ahead. I’ll clean up and rest.”
“….”
I smiled at him like the happiest woman in the world.
Allex simply nodded silently in response.
