Chapter 11
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Chapter 11
Hiding in the brush alongside Karha, Chesa's eyes widened in astonishment.
What could possibly warrant such a discourteous imperial decree?
To depart for the Capital in the dead of night, no less.
And worse still, the order included me.
As I wore a grave expression, I heard Karha muttering beneath his breath.
"What a nuisance...."
Kieran bore precisely the same countenance.
His face, devoid of any tension, was plastered with nothing but irritation.
Yet he nodded obediently in assent.
"I shall obey the imperial decree. I will make preparations at once and depart at first light."
"There is an order to bring the Count himself."
The Imperial Nobleman showed no sign of retreat.
Now I understood why he'd brought the Knight Order like a swarm of locusts.
He intended to drag Kieran away by force if refused.
"Ah, I see. Then do wait there. The morning dew will make for quite an atmospheric vigil, I'm sure."
With that, Kieran abandoned the Knight Order and slipped back into the Castle as though nothing had happened.
Karha whispered to me.
"He's definitely going back to sleep."
I harbored the exact same suspicion.
After Kieran disappeared inside, the remaining knights dismounted from their horses.
Their eyes gleamed with unwavering vigilance.
Karha skirted around the knights' line of sight and made for the rear entrance.
But something felt amiss.
The Castle's interior was in turmoil.
It wasn't the sort of commotion caused by the Emperor's Knight Order.
The servants were all pallid-faced, rushing about in frantic disarray.
"Miss!"
"Miss Chesa!"
Voices calling for me echoed from all directions.
Their desperate tones bordered on anguish.
With torches lit throughout, the Castle blazed as bright as midday.
Karha blinked dumbly and turned to stare at me.
"Girl, what did you do wrong?"
Uncertain of the truth, I simply shook my head in denial.
Karha formed his mouth into a triangle, let out a thoughtful hum, then strode forward with quickened pace.
Crossing the brilliantly lit Castle, he headed straight toward the main entrance.
In the vast hall, the House of Basilian's knights had gathered.
Kieran stood among the black-uniformed knights.
The man who had received the Emperor's orders with such languor—so bored he seemed half-asleep—was nowhere to be found.
He drew his sword, his expression utterly blank.
The deep black blade drank in the light, swallowing the chandelier's glow whole.
Belzeon and Ishuel stood beside Kieran, and I could see them clearly.
They too wore expressions so devoid of emotion that even I was taken aback.
The same frigid aura that emanated from Kieran rippled through them.
The men of House Basilian each possessed distinct personalities.
I had never once thought them to resemble one another.
Yet why was it?
In this very moment, the three men appeared identical—as if painted with the same brush and pigment.
Like black serpents....
Kieran parted his lips with deliberate slowness.
"Find her."
His voice carried an eerie resonance as he commanded.
"She hasn't left the Black Forest yet. Release the hounds, conduct a thorough search——"
"What are you all doing?"
Karha's voice boomed across the room.
Then he rushed off, cradling Chesa in his arms.
Three pairs of crimson eyes snapped toward Chesa in unison.
The moment Kieran confirmed Chesa's presence, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"...Ah, I see."
He sheathed the sword he had just drawn.
A dark shadow swept across and snatched Chesa's waist, pulling her toward Kieran.
Large hands caught her at once.
His broad chest expanded deeply, then settled.
Kieran exhaled a long breath and spoke softly.
"You were playing with Karha, were you, Chesa?"
He pressed his forehead gently against hers.
Crimson eyes filled my entire vision, gleaming ominously like fractured gems.
"I went to the bedroom and found you gone. I was startled."
His voice came as a serpentine whisper.
"I thought someone had taken you from me."
Goosebumps erupted across my forearms.
This is....
'Is this what happens if I try to escape?'
It felt like I was glimpsing the future.
If I ever did escape, I absolutely could not let my true identity as the demoness Lichesia be discovered.
Otherwise, it would become unbearably, impossibly troublesome.
A strong instinct struck me—this man would cling to me with a persistence rivaling even Hailon's.
Chesa quickly grabbed Kieran's cheeks with both hands.
Hard enough to make a sharp sound.
I wanted to slap some sense into him, but I held back.
Fortunately, even that much was enough to bring a glimmer of awareness back into Kieran's eyes.
Chesa met his gaze and spoke.
"I was bored being alone, so I went outside."
"I see."
Even to such a clumsy excuse—that she'd gone out because she was bored—Kieran slowly nodded in acceptance.
He didn't ask how she'd managed to slip away on her own.
Kieran merely offered his own explanation for why he'd left her alone.
"On days I return from the Black Forest, I have nightmares. I slept separately so as not to startle you."
Now that I thought about it, we'd been sleeping together every night, but tonight he'd slept apart.
Recalling how oddly he'd been behaving all this time, it made perfect sense.
For Chesa, it had been fortunate—it allowed her to slip out undetected.
"The flowers are beautiful."
"My brother gave them to me."
Long fingers brushed against the gerbera petals still clutched in Chesa's hand.
The touch was gentle, as though the slightest pressure might shatter them.
"Wow."
Karha spoke from behind, fingers interlaced at the back of his head.
"You're being awfully sentimental, Father. How embarrassing."
The boy delivered his words with a cutting edge beneath their casual tone.
"Just like you were with Mother. Is that why? Because she resembles her?"
....
In that instant, the hall—filled with dozens of people—froze in absolute silence.
And Chesa finally understood whom Kieran had been seeing in her all along.
'The dead Countess resembles me?'
It was absurd.
That someone as incomparably beautiful as Chesa could resemble her was utterly impossible.
Chesa was a fairy.
No mere human could match the beauty wrought from fantasy itself.
'At most, perhaps our eye color or hair color might be similar. Nothing more than that.'
Chesa clicked her tongue inwardly in dismissal, settling quietly into his embrace as though she knew nothing.
Kieran, whose eyes had widened for a moment, soon let out a soft laugh.
"What's your complaint, Karha?"
He asked with a crooked smile.
"Why? Should I be affectionate with you too?"
"No need."
Karha retorted with obvious distaste.
Kieran, too, laughed as though nothing had happened, dispersing the frozen atmosphere.
"Now that we've found Chesa, everyone prepare to depart."
Kieran commanded with an arrogant tilt of his head.
"To the Imperial Palace."
At their master's command, Count Basilian's retainers bowed in unison.
"Yes, my lord."
Watching those who had lowered their heads, Chesa pondered.
She would accompany them only as far as the Imperial Palace.
'I'm simply curious. Why is the Emperor summoning us?'
Besides, escaping from the Capital would be far easier than fleeing Castle of Serpents.
It certainly had nothing to do with worrying that Kieran might become a traitor.
***
House Basilian rarely visited the Capital.
The serpent that hibernated in the Black Forest had no desire to awaken.
The Imperial nobility stirred at news that the ever-silent House Basilian was suddenly ascending to the Capital.
Rumors spread that Count Basilian was bringing all his sons with him, and had even adopted a daughter, causing even greater upheaval.
Those who had debated the veracity of the rumors soon confirmed the truth.
The Townhouse of House Basilian in the Capital had begun bustling preparations to receive its master.
House Basilian made no effort to conceal their movements.
They ascended to the Capital with black flags bearing a serpent proudly displayed.
The day House Basilian arrived at the Imperial Capital.
Kieran and Chesa had to enter the Imperial Palace immediately, without even time to recover from their journey.
"There is not a moment to spare! His Majesty said this matter is urgent!"
Count Rudin, who had delivered the imperial summons, grew increasingly restless as they approached the Capital, and after arriving, nearly drove them forward with frantic urgency.
Kieran, who had intended to leisurely unpack at the Capital Townhouse and relax, entered the Imperial Palace with Chesa, his face full of displeasure.
The three Basilian brothers watched Kieran being dragged along with delighted expressions.
"The Imperial Palace remains unchanged."
Kieran muttered in a tone of exasperation.
Count Rudin, leading the way, glared at him with sharp eyes.
But Kieran was too busy pointing out various sights to Chesa.
"See that? It's made by gathering the crests of every noble house in the Empire. When a new house is established, a new image is added, and when one falls, it's removed."
Chesa, visiting the Imperial Palace for the first time, nestled in Kieran's arms and observed intently.
Regardless of whether Count Rudin's patience was fraying, they leisurely continued sightseeing until they arrived at the Emperor's Audience Chamber.
'The Imperial Palace is quite impressive, isn't it?'
Chesa smiled with satisfaction.
But the moment they stepped into the Audience Chamber, she changed her mind.
'Actually, it's not....'
Kieran's brow furrowed.
Count Rudin wiped the perspiration from his forehead with a handkerchief and spoke.
"Pay your respects. This is Hailon, the Holy Knight of the Holy Empire Hilderd."
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