Chapter 050
Chapter 50: The Capital (5)
“The king isn’t anything special; after all, the eight families take turns ruling.”
“In the past five hundred years, only one person from the Vasquez family became king.”
“What a pity. The Vasquez family needs to try harder.”
“Really!”
It was such a lackluster response that it seemed absurd. Without realizing it, a smile slipped from Cordelia, easing her tension slightly.
Meanwhile, the carriage stopped, and a palace servant opened the door.
At that moment, Cordelia’s nervousness returned, and her body stiffened. Leonard stepped out first, then extended his hand to her.
“Come.”
Cordelia quickly grabbed his arm, clinging so tightly that she leaned half her body against him. Even so, her tension didn’t subside, and her legs kept trembling.
“Why don’t you step back a bit?”
“I’m borrowing your arm for a moment.”
“This doesn’t feel like borrowing; it feels like you want to take it.”
“Sorry. His Majesty is waiting for you inside, Duke and Lady.”
The servant looked in surprise at the woman acting so casually with Leonard. Even more astonishing was that Leonard, believed to be dead, had entered the palace with her.
“By the way, do you see that crate behind the carriage?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
“It’s a gift for His Majesty. Make sure to handle it carefully.”
“Understood.”
They followed the servant deep into the palace. The garden was filled with freshly bloomed flowers, and the interior was adorned with gold and jewels, but Cordelia couldn’t see any of its beauty.
Finally, only one door remained. When the servant tried to open it, Leonard didn’t wait and pushed it open forcefully. Cordelia took a deep breath and followed him.
“I wanted to ensure the white snake emblem wasn’t fake.”
“Duke Attili.”
“…Attili.”
Inside the room were not only King Gabriel of Irshe but also Diana Sarson, head of the Sarson family, and Anton Imbly, head of the Imbly family.
King Gabriel, seated on the throne, looked surprised to see Leonard in perfect condition and expressed his astonishment.
“I never imagined I’d doubt my own eyes. Is this really you, Leonard Attili?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems today’s meeting isn’t as private as I thought.”
Leonard glanced at Sarson and Imbly, then Diana, who had been observing him closely, spoke.
“I was truly wondering if the sign you sent into last night’s sky was real. Thanks to His Majesty’s kindness, he allowed Anton and me to enter the palace together.”
“No matter. It’s only been four months since I last saw Sarson, but it feels like I haven’t seen Lord Imbly in ages. How are you?”
“…There’s no reason I wouldn’t be well.”
Anton Imbly avoided Leonard’s gaze with a grim face, as if chewing stones.
“If you’ve been alive all this time, why didn’t you show yourself?”
“Before I answer, I have someone I’d like to introduce to Your Majesty.”
Until that moment, Cordelia had been standing behind Leonard, trembling. Leonard grabbed her shoulders and pushed her forward.
Cordelia quickly recalled the etiquette she learned yesterday and bowed before the king.
“It’s an honor to pay my respects to you, Your Majesty. My name is Cordelia Abrams. Before marriage, I was from the Vasquez family.”
“Vasquez?”
‘It’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. They’re the sword of Irshe that’s nearly vanished.’
Gabriel, who had sat on the throne for nearly ten years, had only seen the head of the Vasquez family a few times. If the previous lord hadn’t died, this woman must be his daughter.
King Gabriel looked at Leonard as if asking: Why are you introducing her now?
Leonard stepped forward and said:
“She’s my apprentice.”
It was a very short statement, but its impact was profound. Shock struck everyone in the room.
“What? Attili, did you say you took an apprentice?”
“It’s hard to believe. Your apprentice, Attili? Didn’t you even refuse the Grand Duke?”
All sorcerers wished to become Leonard’s apprentices, but it was well-known that he had declared he’d never take one. And now, suddenly, he accepts a grown woman as his apprentice?
All curious eyes turned toward Cordelia. Feeling embarrassed, she lowered her head deeply. When Leonard sat down, she quickly sat beside him.
At that moment, they heard a light knock on the door, then the king’s servant approached Gabriel and whispered in his ear. Gabriel frowned and asked:
“What have you brought, Attili?”
“It seems my gift for Your Majesty has arrived.”
Gabriel gestured simply to bring the gift. Two strong men struggled to carry a large crate inside.
For the first time since entering the palace, Leonard smiled.
“You asked why I didn’t show myself all this time, didn’t you?”
He stood beside the crate and clenched the air with his fist. At that moment, the crate shattered into pieces, and a foul smell filled the room.
“This is my answer.”
“Oh.”
“My goodness. What in heaven’s name is this?”
“What have you brought to the palace?”
Inside the remains of the shattered crate was a person barely retaining a human form.
Cordelia couldn’t even recognize Maximilian due to his wretched appearance—his hair matted from not washing for a long time, his body emaciated, and his clothes torn in many places.
Gabriel, covering his nose with his sleeve, asked, “What is this thing?”
Leonard dragged his brother from the crate and threw him into the center.
“He’s the murderer who tried to kill me. My brother, Maximilian.”
“What are you saying?”
The king couldn’t close his mouth from shock, while Anton Imbly couldn’t believe that this filthy, animal-like person was Maximilian, unable to take his eyes off him. Maximilian couldn’t even open his eyes properly due to the sudden light and crawled on the ground.
“Ugh…”
Leonard said, “My brother dug up our mother’s grave, took her remains, and used them as bait to trap and kill me. That’s why I couldn’t appear all this time.”
Sarson, not understanding, looked between Leonard and Maximilian and asked, “Kill? You mean he caused you a serious injury that nearly killed you?”
“No. I mean he literally killed me.”
“So the person before me is your ghost?”
Leonard replied, “When Maximilian stabbed and killed me, the bond between my soul and body broke, and at that moment, I used soul transfer magic to temporarily move my soul to another body before returning to my original one.”
“Soul transfer? What?”
Except for Cordelia, the other three couldn’t comprehend even half of what Leonard said. He waved his hand as if bored with explaining.
“Just understand that this bastard killed me, but I came back to life.”
“Is that possible?”
“Don’t ask me, Sarson. Even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand.”
Despite the direct insult, Sarson wasn’t fazed and agreed without hesitation.
“True, that’s not what’s important.”
The king said, “Alright, I understand you went through an unpleasant experience over the past three months, Duke Attili. But why bring him before me? You could’ve dealt with him yourself.”
“Of course, I brought him for a trial. I request Your Majesty to convene a session of the Noble Council to try him.”
The Noble Council holds regular meetings every three months to address matters, but convening a trial session as Leonard requested requires a special summons from the king.
Everyone’s expressions changed at the word “trial.” Gabriel sighed as if it were exhausting, Sarson looked curious, and Anton Imbly glared at Maximilian with resentful eyes.
“A trial? Is that really necessary?”
“Yes, it’s necessary.”
“It’ll open a trial that’ll last at least a year with defenses, evidence, and tedious procedures?”
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
“Why?”
Gabriel pointed at Maximilian with a look of boredom and said, “Just take him and kill him. Do whatever you want with him at Attili Castle. Or cut off his head; I won’t object.”
“Of course, that would be quicker and easier, but if I want to punish the accomplices who helped him, I have no choice but this way.”
“Accomplices?”
“What do you mean?” Anton asked after a long silence.
Leonard looked directly into Anton Imbly’s eyes, and tension began to rise between them.
“I mean someone helped Maximilian and meddled in Attili family affairs.”
“…”
“I plan to hold that person accountable with their blood.”
Anton bit the inside of his mouth hard, and eyes began turning toward him, as Leonard’s gaze clearly indicated he was accusing him.
But Leonard didn’t reveal the person’s identity, instead turning to Gabriel and saying, “That’s why I request a trial, Your Majesty.”
“…I will summon the Noble Council at Duke Attili’s request.”
Leonard’s request was reasonable, and there was no justification to refuse. Gabriel announced the summoning of the Noble Council, showing signs of extreme boredom.
