Chapter 9 Part 5
The conditions for being acknowledged as a successor to Mahart were twofold. One was the manifestation of sacred power. The other was receiving baptism in the temple. The former was an act of recognition as a successor, and the latter was a procedure promising to protect the territory upon becoming the head of the family.
The Duke mentioning a successor to Aksion for the first time was unprecedented. After all, he had never treated Aksion as a person.
“I will not annul the marriage.”
Red eyes flickered, as if watching an amusing comedy. The Duke, as if anticipating this response, proposed another idea.
“If you like the princess so much, I will help you bind her.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“People’s hearts change anyway. Seat the saint as your wife and find a reason to keep the princess. So she cannot leave you.”
It was not a normal way of thinking. The Duke’s words brought to mind an old past.
The Duchess of Mahart died of illness. But that was just the official reason; the more accurate reason was different.
‘A child with black hair and red eyes.’
The Mahart family traditionally had silver hair and blue eyes. Everyone treated Aksion as a cursed child, except for the Duke.
“You are not of Mahart’s bloodline.”
Duke Tartan firmly believed that Aksion was a child born from his wife’s infidelity. True love turned into hatred in an instant. After that, Tartan distanced himself from the Duchess and became more obsessed with collecting swords. While it was true that his wife died of illness, it was precisely because she could not overcome her heartbreak.
The young child continued to grow. Some doubted Aksion was illegitimate, but as he grew, those doubts faded. The faces of the Duke and Aksion overlapped. Even if the Duke later realized the truth, he could change nothing.
“It’s truly your kind of thinking.”
“I will make sure to discuss it well with the royal family.”
The Duke seemed not to understand Aksion’s sarcasm at all, which made him feel a sense of futility.
“Duke.”
Black magic swirled around Aksion. A crouching tiger was showing its claws for the first time.
“It’s too late for that now.”
It was time to show everything he had prepared. Originally, Elia was not part of the plan. Initially, she piqued his interest, and later he desired to possess her. But now, she had become an irreplaceable existence.
Everything about Elia. She was the only one Aksion desired.
“This is a warning. Do whatever you want with the saint, but do not involve me and my wife.”
If you wish to maintain the title of Duke until your death. Aksion had refrained from rebelling until now because of a promise to his mother. The dead do not speak, but he had an obligation to honor the Duchess’s dying wish. It was his final tribute to her.
‘But if you touch my wife, things will change.’
In such a case, even the Duchess in heaven would understand.
Duke Tartan’s blue eyes grew murky. He had lost the right to govern anyone. The Duke turned and left the room. Today’s visit to Aksion’s quarters would be the first and last.
* * *
Shortly after, Aksion went to Elia’s room.
‘How will she be sleeping?’
He had spent many nights watching her sleep. Not a single night was the same. Her slightly mumbling lips, her twitching eyes, even her gentle breathing.
All of it was etched into Aksion’s mind.
He entered Elia’s bedroom. Contrary to his expectation, she was awake. Her violet eyes, without a hint of sleep, smiled brightly. Like the aurora of the night sky. Capturing the sparkle of starlight.
Aksion’s eyes widened. To capture even a bit more of her appearance.
“You thought I’d be asleep, didn’t you? On the contrary, I knew you’d come. I stayed awake because I wanted to see your surprised face.”
Elia laughed as she pulled him close.
“I made you worry today, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
Elia’s magic had already permeated every corner of the Mahart territory. Watching the shimmering, absorbed magic, he made a decision. He would protect this land imbued with his wife’s power.
“I want you to be whole.”
“I already am.”
They were speaking of different things. Aksion wanted her to always be safe, to only look at him. It was a feeling no different from Duke Tartan. But that wasn’t truly having Elia.
‘She wouldn’t smile like this.’
A bird with tied wings lived a life no different from being stuffed. To protect Elia as she was, Aksion would become her new wings.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For letting me know these feelings.”
Aksion’s goal was to gradually bring down the Duke. There was no room for meaningless emotions in that process.
A breeze blew through the open window. The dim moonlight illuminated the two.
Under the moon, their lips met. The soft kiss made the thread connecting them shimmer even more.
* * *
Late at night, with everyone asleep, Aksion watched her sleeping form for a long time.
“Rien.”
“I am here.”
A figure slipped out from behind the balcony curtain. He had brought the information Aksion wanted.
“The Duke is assembling troops.”
The northern region was like an extraterritorial area of the Empire. To govern this vast land, knights had to be stationed throughout the territory. The Duke was gathering these knights in one place. This information meant…
“Summon the leaders of Valunize.”
The leaders of Valunize numbered five, including Rien and Jacob.
“As you command.”
The miser Rien swore loyalty only to Aksion. The night in the north deepened. When the crescent moon was fully rounded, only one of the two forces would survive.
* * *
During the preparation period for the subjugation, Elia’s task was to inspect the flood-damaged areas.
‘Though it’s actually about setting up the formation.’
Initially, it was groundwork to lay the foundation for sorcery. The plan was to create a storage for power, cleanse it, and then cast protective spells over the area. Protective spells expel malicious entities and bring good fortune. Once the formation was complete, the land that had withered in winter would become more fertile.
‘If I could open it a bit more, I might even change the weather.’
At that moment, an invisible line constricted around Elia’s body.
‘This is what a restriction feels like.’
A limit that doesn’t affect lifespan. Crossing this line could consume an unknown amount of vitality.
She could feel this only because she had become stronger than before. Slowly, she was accepting the words Sasha had whispered to her.
To complete the formation, she needed to cast spells in three more places. Her goal was to store magic there and operate the formation permanently.
‘Let’s start from the east.’
The remaining places were the west and north. It would take at least three days. She had to move before participating in the subjugation again.
When Elia set foot in the backyard to join the knights, she saw Duke Tartan and Sharon standing opposite each other behind a large camellia tree. Startled, she hid behind the wall and watched them.
‘What are they doing there?’
She knew that Duke Tartan had been attending to Sharon. But today, the atmosphere seemed different. Sharon leaned against Tartan, whispering in his ear.
“Please make me real.”
“I will act as you command.”
No matter how she heard it, it wasn’t a conversation the Duke of the North and a saint would have.
‘Make her real? Then does that mean she isn’t?’
Tartan kissed Sharon’s hand. Sharon looked down at him, smiling benevolently.
“I want to be perfect. So that no one knows me.”
Sharon withdrew her hand. The soft smile that had graced her lovely face froze into a cold expression.
