Chapter – 55
Hiten’s birthday banquet had become, quite literally, a complete disaster.
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince appeared. The Crown Prince really appeared! He even whispered secrets in my ear that only he and I could possibly know…”
Even in his battered condition, Nix wept uncontrollably as he rambled incoherently.
“And I saw it! That faint silver hair shining in the moonlight!”
Hiten immediately turned to his adjutant.
“Maier. Find that old man. And figure out where the holy relic is, no matter what it takes.”
It would take years, but a Sword Master could alter their appearance to some degree. Besides, the Crown Prince had once been quite chubby, with his features nearly buried beneath the fat on his face. What if he had lost weight and changed his appearance over the years so that no one could easily recognize him?
And if that were true, then naturally he would seek out the holy relic in order to reclaim the throne.
Only after the second incident did the reality of the situation begin to sink in for Hiten.
“B-But last time, even when we pushed him to the brink of death, he never said anything…”
“Then push him again! Push him harder! Kill him if you have to!”
Hiten snapped furiously.
For six years, he had searched for Edmund.
Blue eyes were rare, making him easier to track than most people. Yet despite turning the continent upside down, they had found nothing.
And now he suddenly appeared?
The fact that both Orca and Nix were telling the exact same story made it even more unsettling.
Rodrigo moved closer and spoke quietly.
“Nix was drinking heavily from the very beginning of the banquet, Your Highness. He’s probably just babbling nonsense while drunk.”
“But his injuries are very real.”
“I’ve heard there are many people who resent him for becoming captain of the First Guard despite lacking the ability. Perhaps one of them attacked him.”
Despite his own father, Duke Purves, being injured, Rodrigo remained beside Hiten, focused on reassuring him.
“After the chandelier incident, someone probably wanted to give him a thorough beating. Then, fearing the consequences, they pretended to be the Crown Prince.”
Hiten felt Rodrigo was being overly optimistic.
“Your Highness, Nix never actually saw the attacker’s face. The silver hair could have been a wig. As for the secret, perhaps it was simply something Nix blurted out while drunk.”
Still…
Those were exactly the words Hiten wanted to hear.
When people were cornered, they naturally wanted to cling to hope.
“…You think so?”
Yet the deep unease inside him refused to disappear.
He felt nothing but anxiety.
Of all days, this had happened at his birthday banquet.
Everyone was talking about the Crown Prince.
This was already the second time.
Some were even beginning to suspect that something had happened during that hunting picnic.
That same night, not long afterward, Hiten’s adjutant finally extracted the location of the holy relic from Maier.
Surprisingly, the man who had stubbornly refused to talk before now readily spilled everything, saying it was fine to reveal it.
The important thing was that they now knew where the relic was.
Previously, Hiten had merely thought:
“Someday I’ll find it and destroy it.”
But after the Crown Prince had been mentioned twice, that was no longer enough.
Now he felt he had to eliminate it no matter what.
“I’ll go myself. Right now.”
So Hiten personally rode to Alford Harbor.
Though it was the middle of the night, he believed the holy relic was something he had to retrieve himself.
Following the directions Maier had given him, he stood before the statue of the Goddess.
The statue overlooked the sea.
Hiten first checked the moon’s position.
Then, taking a deep breath, he pressed the fish scale illuminated by the moonlight.
At midnight, the ancient statue seemed almost alive.
During the brief moment of waiting, Hiten muttered unconsciously:
“I want the easy path.”
He wasn’t particularly religious.
The words simply escaped him due to his anxiety.
“So please hand over the relic without resistance, Goddess.”
A short while later—
Click.
A note popped out.
“W-What is this? Why is it another note?”
His heart nearly stopped.
Any member of the Taillys imperial family had reason to fear notes.
A prophecy passed down since ancient times immediately came to mind:
“The note received by Taillys shall show the way.”
His hands trembling, Hiten unfolded the note.
Meanwhile…
Although the Marquis family’s carriage had been waiting at the rear gate, it still took quite a while to reach it.
And there was also the matter of Julius, who was injured.
In the end, Joshua reluctantly helped Julius onto a horse.
“We’ll head to the Frellay Duke’s estate first.”
Grandfather was nowhere to be seen.
Given the chaos, he was probably delighted and busy thoroughly beating up Duke Purves.
“I will safely escort Lady Kiana home.”
Cesare spoke politely and respectfully.
Joshua and Julius both stared at him for a long moment with obvious displeasure.
Still, Cesare had been Kiana’s partner for the banquet that evening.
Traditionally, it was his responsibility to escort her home afterward.
Meanwhile, Kiana desperately mouthed words toward Joshua and Julius.
“Pebble ore! Pebble ore!”
It was a signal that she intended to discuss the Pebble Ore Mine deal once she had a chance to speak with Cesare alone.
Joshua finally looked down at her suspiciously.
“Kiana.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t attend banquets anymore.”
Clicking his tongue, he glanced at the devastated imperial palace.
“You barely attended them before anyway. I stopped going too, and it never affected me.”
Hearing that, Kiana clutched her chest dramatically and cried out mournfully:
“So you’re telling me to live like you? Why are you placing such a terrible curse on me when I’ve already suffered enough from all the horrible things the Purves family said to me throughout my childhood?”
At her words, Julius grabbed his splinted waist and exploded in anger.
“Those damned bastards! Cutting off the warm-stone trade isn’t nearly enough!”
I agree completely, Kiana thought, nodding inwardly.
Ending relations was only the beginning.
Considering how the Purves family had played a decisive role in bringing down the Frellay family in the original story, she still ground her teeth whenever she thought about it.
“You should experience collapse yourselves.”
In any case, Joshua and Julius departed for the ducal estate.
Since it wasn’t far away, they would arrive quickly on horseback and receive treatment from Cailon.
“Well then.”
Cesare elegantly extended his hand.
“Shall we go as well?”
“Let’s.”
Kiana took his hand and climbed into the carriage.
The interior was luxurious, but traffic congestion forced them to remain inside for quite some time.
“Ugh.”
Kiana crossed her arms and sighed.
This wasn’t something that had happened in the original novel, nor had it been part of her plans.
Even though the outcome benefited her, it was still startling.
“Why the sigh?”
“I’m just wondering what kind of disaster this has become… Do you really think the Crown Prince appeared?”
“I wonder.”
Cesare quietly looked at her.
His gaze was strange.
For some reason, it felt as though he were seeing straight through her.
“What do you think, Lady Kiana?”
The question itself was perfectly ordinary.
Yet an odd tension filled the carriage.
Kiana fidgeted with her fingers before answering.
“I don’t know. But if His Highness the Crown Prince really is taking revenge…”
“Yes?”
“I hope Rodrigo is the very last one.”
“Why?”
“The later someone is dealt with, the longer they’ll suffer from fear and anxiety.”
Cesare stared at her for a moment.
Then he let out a soft laugh.
“How clever.”
The corners of his eyes curved slightly with amusement.
The clubhouse.
The slum loan-sharking operation.
Alford Harbor.
Even knowing he was a hopeless delinquent, Kiana couldn’t stop paying attention to him.
The power of good looks was truly extraordinary.
