Chapter 109
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Chapter 109
The sunset over the Imperial Palace is always much the same.
Originally, Dale despised the hour when daylight faded into darkness, but lately he found himself anticipating it.
It was around that twilight hour when Enya's maid would secretly deliver letters to him.
"Your Majesty, it will soon be time for the Magic Tower Master's visit. Shall I prepare a light refreshment?"
Soho spoke up while reviewing the schedule, but Dale cut him off cleanly.
"There's no need. They'll be leaving shortly anyway."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Then I shall wait outside. Please call if you require anything."
"Very well."
Dale's words rarely extended beyond brevity—unless Enya was near.
Everything felt meaningless to him otherwise. His work as Emperor was something Enya desired, something directly connected to her safety, and so he devoted himself to it. Without that, he would never have claimed this throne.
That was certainly true of his younger self.
The Previous Emperor had never trusted him.
Not once.
"...."
He pressed his throbbing temples with weak pressure. After keeping his eyes shut for a long moment, Dale exhaled a sigh.
He had sensed someone entering his office.
"I told you not to slink in here like a mouse."
"My, does the young lady know? That Your Majesty uses such colorful language?"
Cassion appeared with a grinning face.
It was hardly a welcome encounter, but Dale did manage to sit up properly from his reclined position.
"Shall I guess why you sought me out?"
"Go ahead."
"How to reconcile with the young lady now that the engagement has been broken, correct?"
"Wrong."
Dale disliked Cassion mentioning Enya. He disliked anyone speaking her name, but Cassion especially.
Cassion was aware of this to some degree. He understood the reason well enough.
Yet Cassion maintained his cheerful demeanor nonetheless.
"I'm curious what might have transpired between you two."
"Your curiosity is your own affair, and answering is not my obligation."
"...."
Cassion clicked his tongue and settled onto the sofa positioned at one side of the office. On the table lay several pink candies—hardly befitting an Emperor.
"May I have one of these?"
"They belong to the young lady. Don't touch them."
"How harsh, truly."
Cassion chuckled and shook his head, then straightened his posture.
His smile faded slowly, and his gaze grew composed.
"Duke Hexagon remains quiet, keeping a low profile for now."
"Not entirely quiet, though."
Dale rose from his desk and approached the sofa, settling across from Cassion with a sharp gaze fixed on the empty air.
"He's left his confined residence and come to the Capital."
"Well, yes, that's true."
Yet contrary to expectations that he would move swiftly to recover his authority after such a prolonged house arrest, his actions had been remarkably subdued.
Which made it all the more suspicious.
Surely he was scheming something beneath the surface, yet on the surface everything appeared perfectly peaceful.
Moreover, Duke Hexagon had sent a letter to The Emperor—one filled with remorse, tearfully regretting his past deeds and beseeching mercy.
Dale handed the letter to Cassion.
"It bears no magical enchantment."
Cassion ran his fingers across the letter, examining it carefully, and murmured a nullification spell in case any sinister magic lay dormant within.
Since no reaction occurred, it appeared to be nothing more than ordinary paper.
"The fact that it reached my hands at all suggests there's nothing inherently problematic about it. It passed inspection."
"Then why...?"
Cassion knew Duke Hexagon to some extent—the arrogant figure basking in the Previous Emperor's favor, and his pathetic collapse in the courtroom.
"Has he simply aged over these ten years?"
"What does that matter?"
"They say sensitivity deepens with age. Perhaps Duke Hexagon has experienced that as well?"
"..."
Dale's eyes narrowed as he snatched the letter from Cassion's hands and tossed it onto the desk.
"I wasn't asking you."
"Was summoning me here just to ask this one thing?"
Cassion doubted it. When Dale summoned him, it was almost always to discuss matters concerning Enya.
Cassion, who remembered the childhoods of both The Emperor and Enya, tapped his knee lightly.
"You're concerned about protecting Enya from Duke Hexagon, aren't you? I've been considering it as well."
"Yes."
Dale didn't deny it.
"But I've discovered something unusual about Enya."
"Enya is always unusual... what is it?"
"This book."
Cassion blinked at the book thrust before him.
"A romance novel?"
His eyes reflected surprise—did she have such tastes?
Dale pointed calmly to the contents of the book.
"Look at the content. This is a book Enya owned."
When Enya departed for House Lockhart, she hadn't taken all her belongings. The bulky, heavy novels she'd left behind at Grunvalt Residence.
"The Young Lady's tastes are remarkably consistent..."
As Cassion glanced at the title and skimmed through the pages one by one, his eyes narrowed.
"...?"
Cassion picked up the next book.
He flipped through several pages, then moved to the next volume even faster. This one didn't even have a proper title and appeared to be incomplete.
Upon examining the books, he realized they were all published by the same author.
Cassion lifted one of them and tapped the cover repeatedly.
"Is something like this permitted to circulate in public?"
"You felt it too."
"This story is...."
Cassion's expression betrayed a rare moment of confusion.
"Isn't this something almost no one would know unless they were from the Imperial Palace—or better yet, the Imperial Family itself?"
"Look at the author's name."
"I did. They're all the same name. Could it be that The Emperor wrote...? No, that can't be right."
Under Dale's piercing gaze, Cassion scratched his nose awkwardly.
"Then who is it?"
Cassion composed himself and asked respectfully, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Who could possibly know these details as if they witnessed it firsthand?"
"The Former Duke Lockhart's Daughter."
"Enya's aunt?"
Cassion searched his memory.
"I've heard there was a young lady from House Lockhart who severed ties with her family and left long ago. So it was her. But this is something even Enya shouldn't know about."
"I thought it was mere coincidence."
Dale spoke in a low voice.
His expression grew grave, as if he had given this considerable thought.
"But recently, Enya shared a mysterious story with me."
"What was it?"
I felt reluctant to carelessly reveal the secret I had shared only with Enya.
"What she told me was a story about another world."
"Another world?"
"I don't believe what Enya told me is fiction. However, there are inconsistencies."
In a space where only the two of us existed, I lowered my voice even further.
* * *
I pushed away the Hexagon Duchess, who clung to me desperately, and escaped outside.
It would have been dangerous if Emma hadn't sensed something amiss and opened the door immediately.
"I'm so sorry, Miss. I truly didn't know...!"
"If you take me to another strange place, you'll be in trouble!"
"Of course! Never, I won't. Never! Never!"
Once I returned safely to House Lockhart, I recalled what had just happened.
It did seem as though the Hexagon Duchess had something she genuinely wanted to tell me.
"But why did she approach me in such a suspicious manner?"
It was very strange.
She acted as though she were welcoming me, and the words she had brushed against me with as I escaped—they were probably....
"Help me kill my father."
That's what it seemed like.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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