Chapter 81
Before Antonio could breathe a sigh of relief, the soldiers moved. The heavily armed soldiers dragged Antonio to a separate prison cell.
Hendrick and Carl carefully confirmed the entire process as Antonio was pushed beyond the iron door with a small surveillance window and three locks were secured.
“Please go ahead first, Brother.”
And to the departing Hendrick, Carl spoke. Hendrick looked at Carl once and then glanced again at the corridor where Sian was imprisoned.
“Don’t stay too long. There are many watching eyes.”
“I understand.”
Carl nodded.
Carl stood before the iron bars of the prison where Sian was detained. In the middle of the underground prison, more squalid than any rough environment Carl and Sian had passed through together, Sian sat with bent knees as if accustomed to it.
The hem of the dress that Carl had personally selected and ordered for Sian was ruined by the filth of the underground.
Sian silently watched Carl until he rashly opened the iron bars and entered the prison.
Carl also lowered himself to one knee opposite Sian, unconcerned about his clean trouser leg becoming soiled.
“…Did you really have to reveal it?”
Sian raised her head to meet Carl’s gaze at his question.
“Even if you hadn’t revealed that you were the black dragon’s master, things would have ended up like this.”
“If I hadn’t revealed it, someone else would have. There are no complete secrets in this world.”
Sian calmly responded to Carl’s words.
“If it had been revealed through someone else’s mouth, my intentions in hiding it would have been questioned. Then the black dragon’s honor would have been further tarnished.”
At the end of her words, Sian’s lips curved bitterly as if struck by a thought.
“…Though I wonder if something like the black dragon’s honor even exists.”
Carl’s expression twisted sharply at her self-deprecating tone.
“Since you’re innocent, eventually…”
“What glorious deed did your Idelin do to cause such chaos about becoming Crown Prince against the law of primogeniture?”
Carl, who was about to say ‘you would have been accepted eventually,’ bit his lips hard at Sian’s voice, cutting off his words.
“It’s the same. Whatever I did or didn’t do, they don’t care at all. Just like how you couldn’t save yourself and had to be exiled to Ivarid.”
It sounded like an accusation: ‘You can’t save me anyway.’ Carl lowered his head at the devastating feeling that filled his chest. Watching him, Sian smiled sadly.
“Why such a face? Do you know how liberating it felt to be able to shout that I was the black dragon’s master there?”
Carl raised his head to look at Sian. Her blue eyes were crystal clear, without a shadow. Without hearing it in words, he seemed to understand how free she had become after publicly revealing the secret that had been binding her feet until the end.
Even though it had resulted in her being imprisoned with her dress wrinkled beyond repair. Carl also put on a bitter smile.
“…You certainly shouted it impressively. I thought you were a general at a victory parade.”
Despite Carl’s dejected expression, Sian laughed heartily.
“Did you see everyone’s shocked faces? Especially the Marquis and Antonio—they probably never thought I’d beat them to it like that. They were the ones who fainted in shock, even though they knew!”
“Ha,” Sian sighed tiredly as she stopped laughing.
“…It’s good, I feel so relieved.”
“I’ll try to do something about this.”
Sian’s gaze, which had been directed at the dark underground ceiling without windows, returned to Carl at his words.
“Though they call it absolute imperial power, the royal family can’t completely oppose the nobles’ council’s opinions. Once I’m separated from the royal family and become the lord of Ivarid with an independent castle, it won’t matter anymore.”
“Still, the rumor of the silver dragon associating with the black dragon will follow you as a weakness or shame.”
“I don’t care.”
Carl reached out to grasp Sian’s hand resting on her knee.
“It doesn’t matter what people say. Idelin is Idelin and Yggdrasil is Yggdrasil—why should I give up what I want because of their gazes?”
“I don’t want that.”
Sian cut him off with a firm voice, without removing Carl’s hand covering her own.
“I want you to always be the brilliant morning alone.”
“How brilliant can a morning without night be?”
Carl gripped Sian’s hand tightly and pulled. Unable to resist his strong grip, Sian looked at him with slightly furrowed brows, perplexed.
“The darker the night, the brighter the morning. I won’t give up on you, who are the night.”
Carl stared at Sian penetratingly with infinitely serious eyes, without backing down.
“…Wouldn’t that make me shine even more?”
Carl added.
The words about feeling relieved weren’t a lie. Even being detained in prison with her dress becoming ruined wasn’t actually that sad or painful, but Sian had to forcefully swallow the emotion rising in response to Carl’s unilateral gaze.
“…I picked up something good.”
Sian smiled and placed her hand on Carl’s face.
“When we met in that forest, I actually considered getting rid of you for a moment.”
Carl let out a small laugh. The image of Sian suggesting to draw swords and destroy evidence was vivid in his mind.
“…Actually, I knew this would happen from the moment I decided to follow you to the imperial palace from the dragon’s temple.”
“…”
“The High Priestess who knew who I was told me. Those who deny themselves can’t gain anything.”
Sian confessed honestly.
“Even if it was just a brief dream, it was really wonderful. I lived hiding in that nighttime without even moonlight my whole life, but I got to experience mornings like this.”
“Don’t talk like you’re about to die. There won’t be any execution.”
Carl raised his eyes with displeasure at her meaningful words. Sian laughed softly again.
“…Should we run away? It could be quite romantic. Like an adventure tale of the black dragon’s master and silver dragon’s master, former enemies whose eyes met and left together.”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
She seemed to take it as a joke. At Sian’s casual response, Carl grew serious and firmly grasped even the hand touching his cheek.
“I’m not joking. Consider it seriously.”
Sian blinked. Both her hands were now bound by Carl.
“…I’ll have Max officiate.”
As Sian realized Carl’s words, which she’d thought were just idle jokes, were serious, she stared at him in amazement as he gently kissed her palm while speaking softly.
“The other mercenaries would be enough as witnesses. It wouldn’t be bad to have a small wedding and live as mercenaries, raiding Ivarid’s castle.”
“What nonsense are you saying? I appreciate your affection, but that level of…”
Just as Sian said that, she and Carl almost simultaneously looked toward the empty wall.
As the soft voices that had filled the small prison cell died down, everywhere was enveloped in the most profound silence yet.
Though no sound could be heard, they could feel an infinitely heavy and sharp air ominously rippling through the thick walls. It was an air current that ordinary people could never sense.
“…What’s that?”
