Chapter 126
* * *
“What did you say? Nella is to be publicly executed!”
BANG! The table shook violently as it was struck hard.
Duke Balkyrino’s beard trembled as he rolled his eyes and shuddered, unable to contain his rage.
“Urgh! How could this be…!”
“Master! Please calm yourself!”
The head butler supported the Duke and tried to calm him. The Duke gasped for breath and clutched his chest.
“This cannot be, it can’t! Nella is my only flesh and blood!”
“Master…”
“When did they say! When is the execution date!”
To the Duke who shouted with a face turning bright red, the head butler bowed his head and answered.
“…Two days from now.”
“Huk…! Hah!”
The Duke’s breathing became labored. His heart, already weakened by old age, seemed unable to function properly due to the extreme shock.
The head butler offered him a glass of water.
“You must take care of yourself, Master. Only then can you save the young lady.”
“Hoo… Yes, I must.”
A grinding sound escaped through the Duke’s clenched teeth.
Watching the Duke containing his anger, the head butler couldn’t bring himself to share the next piece of news.
The news that the Deache family had regained their ducal title, and all the nobles involved in the incident from ten years ago had been imprisoned.
Moreover, the Balkyrino family was no longer a ducal household. They had become criminals, and arrest warrants had been issued throughout the country.
“I must act as quickly as possible. I cannot lose Nella, my only daughter, like this…!”
Murderous intent filled the Duke’s purple eyes.
It was a madness that looked as though he would tear apart the Emperor and Ashaella right then and there.
The head butler decided to withhold the rest for now. He would find out soon enough anyway.
“Gather the Jesentia army. Two days isn’t enough time! We must move immediately!”
“Y-yes, Master!”
The head butler swallowed hard and left the Duke’s room.
He headed to the basement of the hideout. A place where tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, reborn as soldiers with their emotions erased.
‘If they are unleashed, the empire will descend into chaos.’
Fear clouded the butler’s eyes.
He thought how fortunate he was. That this terrifying army was on his side.
Of course, the Emperor’s martial prowess might be the strongest on the continent, but he’s still just one person.
“The One” had agreed to deal with the Emperor, so while the Emperor was thus occupied, they would seize the imperial city.
The regular knights would not be able to withstand the Jesentia army.
‘Hehehe, then I’ll rise from head butler to head servant! A position where I can command all the palace servants beneath my feet!’
The head butler opened the basement door with a sinister smile.
He was self-congratulatory about the importance of aligning oneself with the right people.
He was able to think this way because he didn’t know that Royal Head Servant Deril wrote and erased his resignation letter dozens of times every day.
* * *
“Asha, are you really alright?”
I smiled at Hadel’s question as he stroked my cheek.
“The Lady’s fingertips didn’t even touch me. You’re worrying too much, Hadel.”
“That may be true… but your mind must have been shocked.”
Hadel lowered his eyebrows and put on a dejected expression.
At that moment, the sound of intense coughing came from somewhere.
Hmm, perhaps the imperial knight who shadows Hadel like his shadow had caught a cold.
I smiled, holding Hadel’s cheeks.
“I’m fine, really. More importantly, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, Asha. What is it?”
How should I say this so that Hadel would be happy without being too surprised?
Actually, such a question was pointless. No matter how I phrased it, Hadel would be surprised and… would probably shed tears of joy.
So I decided to say it without any embellishment.
That I was pregnant. That our child was alive and breathing inside me.
“I…”
Just as I opened my mouth, feeling slightly nervous—
“Y-Your Majesty! It’s Leravel!”
An urgent voice called for Hadel from outside.
Perhaps because our time together was being interrupted, Hadel frowned and said:
“If it’s not urgent, come back later.”
Apparently Leravel had expected to be invited in immediately, as he called out to Hadel again in a flustered voice.
“B-but Your Majesty! Suspicious movements have been detected from the East that you warned us about! And not only that…”
Hadel’s expression instantly turned grim. When I squeezed his hand tightly, his expression gradually softened.
“It is urgent. I should attend to business first.”
I smiled brightly and gave Hadel a light kiss on the cheek.
He kissed me back with an expression that suggested it wasn’t enough, then raised his head and said with a sigh:
“Come in. Report quickly.”
Leravel, who entered through the door, looked quite haggard.
He immediately knelt at the Emperor’s command and quickly began to speak.
“I report, Your Majesty. As you ordered, we moved to strengthen the eastern border, but in the process, we confirmed that several territories were attacked and completely taken over!”
“What do you mean? Territories were taken? Are you saying the East has invaded?”
“It seems… that’s the case. It happened so quietly and secretly that even neighboring territories didn’t notice.”
“…This is absurd.”
Hadel’s expression turned savage. I too closed my mouth at the severity of the situation.
It had been a long time since a peace treaty was signed with the Eastern Empire, pledging non-aggression between the two nations.
Even though the eastern border was far from the capital, how could several territories be completely taken over without anyone noticing?
“…It’s my fault. My lack of attention was the root cause. It’s not surprising that something like this happened.”
Hadel’s deep pink eyes momentarily sank. His gaze was distant, as if regretting the past.
I held his hand firmly.
“The territories on the eastern border aren’t governed by nobles who reside in the capital anyway. Besides, if it happened recently, it’s understandable that no one knew. More importantly, now that we know, we need to resolve this.”
Since the eastern territories were mentioned, there was one thing that had been bothering me.
One person who filled my thoughts.
I continued speaking.
“Leravel, which family did the territories conquered by the East belong to?”
I kept thinking, “I hope not,” and wished for once that my intuition was wrong.
But until now, my intuitions and speculations had been quite accurate, and—
“…Hamolli and Chechen, Your Highness.”
Sadly, it seemed my intuition was correct this time as well.
‘I need to go see Dobae.’
She had the answers. The puzzle pieces I hadn’t yet found.
As I was lost in thought, Hadel, who had gathered his wits, said:
“So the head maid betrayed us. Or perhaps she was never one of us to begin with.”
“Are you referring to Dobae Hamolli?”
“Yes. Baron Hamolli was certainly sincere to me. He was truly loyal…”
That’s why he trusted the Baron’s daughter too.
Hadel’s softly muttered voice was full of self-reproach.
Seeing Hadel like this, Leravel tilted his head to the side.
“Your Majesty, I investigated when the Hamolli territory was taken by the East, and there was no record of Lady Hamolli ever coming to the capital.”
“…What does that mean? You’re saying there’s no record of Lady Hamolli traveling here?”
“That’s correct, Your Majesty. It’s certain there was none in the past year.”
This was another issue I hadn’t considered.
Could it mean that Dobae wasn’t Lady Hamolli, but someone else?
Hadel seemed not to have thought of this either and said in confusion:
“Then who on earth is that woman!”
His voice carried a hint of irritation.
I was equally troubled.
Were all the kindness and emotions she had shown me nothing but lies?
No, that couldn’t be.
Though there were certainly suspicious elements here and there, Dobae had always been… to me…
“Hm. I’ll have to ask her directly. Anyway, there’s sufficient circumstantial evidence that Duke Balkyrino has joined hands with them.”
Hadel stopped pondering and said to Leravel.
“Balkyrino and his collaborators will certainly target the day of the criminal’s execution. He won’t abandon his daughter.”
“Then, should we not perform a public execution and just execute her privately? I don’t understand why we need to risk danger with a public execution.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Hadel looked down at the prostrated Leravel as if he found him pathetic.
“Where else would we find such good bait?”
“B-bait, you say?”
Hadel curled his lips into a deep smile.
“Prepare to cast the fishing line. We’ll catch a string of big fish.”
Two days until Nella’s public execution.
Only after completing preparations with Hadel to catch the remaining fish did I finally have the chance to meet Dobae.
What should I ask her first?
Yes, that would be most appropriate.
Imagining our meeting, I slowly made my way to where Dobae was.
MrsHokage
All these delusional power hungery people butler you die with that army