Chapter 42
Chapter 42. Family or Enemy
Vante clutched the ring tightly in his hand, his face set.
Where did the deep hatred he glimpsed in his sister’s eyes come from? She had only been living in Tessibania for two months since her marriage. What could have happened in that time?
Vante put the ring back on. Small wisps of light swept over his face and then vanished into thin air. Once again, his face was covered with an unremarkable appearance.
As he mulled over their recent conversation, Vante belatedly realized something strange.
“The real owner of the ring is Uncle. Then, how did Sister recognize me?”
Even the servants right in front of him saw him as a commoner with an ordinary face, but his sister seemed to recognize him immediately.
Despite finally meeting his sister, he hadn’t gotten any satisfying answers. He let out a deep sigh.
“How should I explain this situation to our parents…”
Now that he thought about it, it was strange that his mother had suddenly given him one of the imperial treasures, a protective artifact.
Perhaps she had been contacted by his sister first. Unlike his father, his mother was more likely to do so.
“Father thinks so highly of Uncle, there’s no way Sister would have sent him a letter.”
Uncle was a good person, but Father had a particular fondness for his brother.
There was an age difference, and the fact that Uncle had inherited the throne and Father the Grand Duke’s title without any fuss played a part.
No wonder they were rumored throughout the empire to be such close brothers.
Even though he could have sent him far away to keep him in check, he allowed him to build a mansion near the imperial palace.
“…But that was all before Father received the throne.”
Uncle must have been sincere at first. The kind demeanor he showed to his sister and him couldn’t all have been lies.
But what if that became an irreversible past, and a situation arose where one had to choose directly, as his sister said?
If a situation came where he had to stab Uncle’s heart himself, could he do it?
Unlike his sister, who seemed ready to stab at any moment, he was still confused, not knowing what was what.
‘If I really switch the ring with a servant tonight as Sister said, will I be certain?’
The intention behind having a servant wear the ring was clear.
A warning that Uncle would try to take his life tonight.
Only Uncle knew his identity while wearing the ring. If someone really came to kill him, it could only be Uncle.
Vante opened the door with a stern face and stepped out.
Unlike when he arrived, there were no knights guarding the door. His sister was gone too.
“…I should hope not.”
While he trusted his sister, he didn’t want to give up hope. That Uncle wasn’t such an evil person. That we were still family.
* * *
“How is it that Your Majesty the Empress is here…”
He had hurriedly put aside his work and come when he heard that the Veshnu delegation had pointed out some inconveniences and called for the person in charge, but instead of the delegation, the Empress he served was there.
No wonder Lineue, the Empress’s personal maid and secretary, had delivered the message herself.
“Sit down. This conversation might take a while.”
Deron, having roughly grasped the situation, sat down opposite her.
“Do you have nothing to report to me, Deron?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so.”
Vinea briefly sent Lineue, who was in the room, out. As the door closed with a thud, Vinea turned back to Deron.
“Isn’t there something His Majesty told you not to relay to me?”
Deron shook his head, trying to manage his subtly stiffening expression.
“There is nothing, Your Majesty.”
“While I appreciate your loyalty, there’s no need to waste time. I’m asking because I already know everything.”
Vinea, having no intention of dragging this out any longer, got straight to the point.
“Tell me the extent of His Majesty’s current symptoms. Auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations… things like that.”
At those words, Deron bowed his head, realizing his mistake.
“I apologize. I cannot speak freely about information I haven’t been given permission by His Majesty to share.”
“If you truly care for His Majesty, you should tell me. Unless you want rumors to spread that the Emperor might go mad and ruin the country.”
A look of confusion crossed his face. After a long moment of consideration with a steady gaze, Deron finally lowered his eyes and answered.
“There have been sightings of His Majesty wandering the palace alone on nights when he doesn’t share a bedroom with Your Majesty. We’ve silenced those who saw, but…”
Vinea raised her hand, cutting off Deron’s words.
“List the most recent symptoms he’s shown. Nothing else matters.”
She already knew this information. Who saw him where, how it was handled, and how he reacted.
Right now, it was more important to accurately assess his current state.
“Yes. Two days ago, just before dawn, His Majesty swung his sword at two servants carrying laundry. He didn’t respond to any external sounds, and only came to his senses after taking their lives.”
“What else?”
“He frequently stops moving. When not in Your Majesty’s presence, he shows such symptoms about ten times a day.”
“Is that all?”
Deron shook his head with a grim expression.
“He can’t look at mirrors. While this doesn’t seem to bother him when he’s with Your Majesty, otherwise there’s not a day when mirrors remain intact. The most serious issue is…”
Deron sighed softly before continuing.
“He refuses to sleep, even resorting to taking stimulants with toxic side effects. Despite the doctor’s repeated warnings.”
Given how busy they had been with various matters, they had only slept together two or three times a week, meaning he had been staying up all night the rest of the time.
When did this start? This regression? Or the previous one? Had he been like this long before discovering Sefitiana?
Vinea pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.
“Why didn’t you report this?”
“His Majesty ordered it. He said there was only one thing I must not tell Your Majesty, and this was it.”
“Ah, Tetar de Tessibania…!”
At the sound of the Empress irritably spitting out the Emperor’s name, Deron composed his expression as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Vinea gritted her teeth in frustration.
He had been pretending to be fine with a normal face, but he was truly going mad.
He had spoken as if it would be fine to regress several times, but if it really came to that, it was questionable whether he could still exist as ‘Tetar’.
If you do nothing, nothing changes.
That wasn’t it.
While doing nothing, the situation continued to flow towards the worse. Tetar. His world was falling apart.
“Talk to Lineue and make sure my schedule aligns with His Majesty’s as much as possible for the time being.”
“Understood.”
As Deron was about to rise from his seat after the conversation, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I’m not sure if this is one of the symptoms, but there’s something I should mention.”
Deron’s gaze fell on a decorative teacup placed on one side of the room.
“Except when in Your Majesty’s presence, His Majesty doesn’t drink tea. Not even coffee, which he used to enjoy before the marriage. He only drinks water and alcohol.”
Vinea’s brow furrowed.
Tok, tok.
Her fingertips, which had been tapping the armrest of the chair rhythmically, stopped.
“Continue handling things as you have been. Also, keep today’s meeting a secret from His Majesty. If you truly are loyal to him.”
“…Do you know the reason, Your Majesty?”
“I do.”
Of course she did. She was walking the same path as him.
As Deron withdrew at Vinea’s dismissal, Lineue entered without giving her a moment’s respite.
“Your Majesty, Grand Duke Aktavil has arrived.”
The situation unfolding without a moment’s breath was quite displeasing today.
As she stood up and arrived at the dining room for honored guests, Gartan, who was already there, approached her.
“Have you been well?”
Vinea set aside the problem she had been pondering until just now and gently closed her eyes.
What would the original ‘Vinea’ have done at a time like this? The version of herself who had never experienced regression and believed without doubt that Uncle was a good person.
“Please speak comfortably, Uncle. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
“You’re still the same, Vinea. I’ll do that. I have a lot to talk about. And things to tell you.”
“Let’s have dinner first. I instructed them to prepare Veshnu cuisine, worried it might not suit your taste.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
A lavishly prepared banquet. The cutlery moved without a single clattering sound.
Gartan observed Vinea’s movements as she handled her utensils from across the table.
Even as the Grand Duchess of Aktavil, Vinea’s etiquette had been no less perfect than any other noble lady, but now it was different.
The etiquette of Tessibania and Veshnu differs in many ways.
Such as grasping the knife before the fork, or when lifting a wine glass, the fingertips should brush the tablecloth to touch the base of the glass.
No matter how much she might have studied Tessibania’s etiquette before marriage, how could she erase a lifetime of ingrained habits from her homeland so perfectly in just two months?
It was a natural movement, like a habit ingrained in her body rather than a conscious action.
Gartan tried to brush off the unfamiliar feeling he got from his niece and spoke up as the meal was drawing to a close.
“Your parents asked me to send their regards. They also wanted me to ask if you needed anything. And there was something else they requested specifically?”
Vinea nodded as she put down her cutlery and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“I requested materials needed for the restoration of the abandoned temple. It’s better to finish tasks that don’t need to be dragged out as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll make sure that’s delivered separately.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you having any difficulties? It’s a place you’ve never been before. There must be many people hostile to Veshnu.”
“I can’t say there aren’t any. Some things are really… troublesome.”
“Troublesome? Your parents and I took such care when arranging the marriage to prevent such issues! Tell me, I’ll resolve it somehow before I leave.”
Vinea smiled at Gartan as she replied.
“Don’t you already know?”
“What do you mean?”
“The assassins that come whenever I start to forget. I thought you already knew.”
