Chapter 123
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123.
"The Heresy Inquisition...."
Those men who had suddenly confronted me came to mind—the ones I had dismissed so easily.
The Temple, as it stood now, was thoroughly rotten through and through, save for Wesley Morel.
Looking back across history, the Temple was an institution where, aside from those called the "Holy Maiden," there had never been a single truly righteous soul.
And yet the Temple could not be ignored, for it was a space one could blindly lean upon when life grew weary and burdensome.
Though they were a collective that coveted power and wealth above all else, the false prestige of their pretense to love and embrace anyone possessed tremendous force.
The more people who relied upon the Temple, the more their individual faith became the Temple's strength.
Thus, those in power could not reject the Temple and had no choice but to tread carefully around it.
Moreover, temples both great and small had been erected across nearly every land.
Yet despite possessing such tenacious vitality, the one place the Temple had never set foot in—unlike even the Snowland—was here, the Liarden Duchy.
"I understand the Liarden Duchy still has no Temple."
When Cassian Artez pointed out this fact, Parker nodded in agreement.
"That is correct. We too were suddenly alarmed when the Heresy Inquisition arrived, fearing what turmoil might befall the Duke's House."
"...Did the Temple do something to the Duke's House?"
"No, they came to the House and met with the Duke before departing. But despite bringing the Knight Order with such fanfare, they left quietly."
At Parker's words, I too nodded softly.
Both Cassian Artez and I already knew the official reason for the Duke's House's destruction.
"Then was it after that—when people kept coming with demands about excessive taxation or announcements of territorial inspections?"
"Yes, and even then the previous Duke was bewildered. The Imperial seal was affixed, but he questioned whether this truly reflected the Emperor's will."
Parker paused briefly before continuing.
"Of course, I thought it might be uncomfortable for you to hear, given that it concerns your father, the Emperor."
"I'm fine with it."
Cassian Artez dismissed the concern with ease.
He even smiled, which seemed to surprise Parker instead.
'Well, as a matter of public record, Cassian Artez volunteered for the dragon expedition out of concern for the Emperor, so that's the narrative that's been circulated.'
To outsiders, he likely appeared quite the dutiful son.
Even if his true nature was fire.
"To speak frankly, those who work in Liarden, as well as the previous Duke, held no favorable view of the current Emperor. He promised to protect the young Duke, yet sent only such results."
That phrase—such results—contained not merely sorrow for Maribel, who had died bearing Cassian Artez.
It also harbored resentment toward the Emperor, who under the guise of political prudence had taken a Concubine merely three years into his marriage.
And his first child had not even been with Maribel, but with the Concubine Scaletti.
Of course, I could not know what the circumstances between those two had truly been.
But it was more than sufficient reason for the Liarden Duchy, which had permitted Maribel's marriage despite great opposition and danger, to feel betrayed.
"However, regardless of our feelings, we harbored no intention of acting against the Imperial Family. The previous Duke said it was unavoidable."
Parker explained that after Maribel's death, the Liarden Duke's House had wished to live quietly as before.
"Except for one thing, she sent His Majesty the Emperor multiple letters stating that the Young Duke's infidelity was absolutely impossible."
"Even the Temple has acknowledged that I am the Emperor's own son."
At Cassian's words, Parker's eyes narrowed.
"I am aware of that, but His Majesty the Emperor said the Temple was lying to bind him to herself."
"Only now is he acknowledging you as his own child."
Cassian spoke as if it were nothing, yet Parker's eyes betrayed a wounded expression.
I understood that feeling all too well.
Every time he spoke casually of his childhood, I felt the sting of it myself.
"In any case, whether the Temple manipulated things or not, such a thing would be absolutely impossible."
"Why is that?"
Cassian asked as if genuinely curious.
It was common knowledge that after Maribel became the Late Empress, the Liarden Duke House had made no demands of the Imperial Family, nor interfered in any way.
They had only come to the Capital City on the wedding day itself.
Originally, a visit had been planned after Cassian's birth, but that too fell through when Maribel passed away.
"That is because all the direct descendants of Liarden have been the same."
"All of them?"
"Do you know, the Young Duke rejected His Majesty the Emperor's courtship several times over."
We knew this from seeing the past, but we pretended ignorance.
"Because once something is decided, it cannot be undone—that is why the previous head of the house reluctantly gave his consent."
"Cannot be undone?"
Cassian still looked confused as he addressed Parker.
"Those who carry Liarden blood can only love one person."
"...What?"
"...I beg your pardon?"
Following Cassian's stunned reaction, I too gasped in surprise, staring at Parker with a foolish expression.
Parker merely offered a gentle smile.
"The Liarden Duke House has never had a mistress throughout all these long years. Well, there are those with very diluted blood from distant branches, but even so."
It was a distinctly otherworldly trait that truly made the dragon's blood feel real.
"Can you imagine yourself, Young Master, loving anyone other than the young lady?"
At the sudden question, Cassian glanced at me briefly before his gaze slipped away.
"If the relationship between you two were truly strategic in nature, as the early reports suggested, then perhaps it would be different."
At Parker's words, I felt a sudden catch in my throat.
Cassian covered half his face with his hand as if embarrassed, gently patting my back as I coughed.
"In any case, you have already decided, have you not? You cannot even imagine a future with anyone else."
Cassian gave a short hum and opened his mouth.
"...That much is true."
His answer came as lightly as possible, as if merely going along with it.
Yet despite that, my heart seemed to drop—a sensation that caught me off guard.
Even as I shed much of the weight, a heavy emotion settled over me.
I found myself gazing at Cassian, wondering, hoping it wasn't so.
Cassian pulled me into his embrace as if to evade my gaze.
To Parker, it must have looked like an affectionate couple trying to conceal embarrassment at finding themselves in such an unexpected situation.
"How could someone who doesn't even think of such things engage in improper relations with others?"
Unlike our circumstances, the Manager spoke with unwavering conviction, as if to prove his point.
"The previous head of this house once mentioned that even when escorting someone other than his lady out of courtesy, he would develop hives on his body."
"Mm...."
From Cassian came a voice tinged with difficulty.
And my own mind was growing equally complicated.
Had Cassian Artez ever touched anyone else so easily, besides me?
He rarely attended social gatherings in the first place, and with female knights, he'd only crossed swords....
Wait, didn't he also rarely accept service from male attendants?
He was even famous among the nobility for not dancing at balls.
I'd thought he'd simply grown accustomed to physical contact because we so often had to pose as husband and wife, or lovers.
'...But the decisive point is that I'm now resting in his arms without any discomfort.'
Cassian showed no sign of unease.
Rather, cradled in his embrace, I found myself acutely aware of his heartbeat.
Regardless of our complicated circumstances, Parker continued speaking.
"Therefore, the young duke's infidelity was never plausible to begin with. I truly wished to convey that as well."
"...Truly, I'm grateful."
Despite his words, his tone suggested nothing of the sort.
Parker seemed to interpret it merely as embarrassment.
Cassian released me and washed his face with his hands, then hastily changed the subject.
"Well, was there a reason you told me this? A reason my grandfather—the previous head—left this for me?"
Like someone desperate to escape into work.
But I sympathized deeply with his sentiment.
I'd been slowly piecing things together, but suddenly it felt as though someone had crashed into me.
As a result, my thoughts wouldn't properly reorganize.
I wanted to arrange everything more logically and rationally, but my mind had been scattered like hastily scribbled writing.
'After the conversation with the Manager ends, there's so much I need to discuss.'
The priorities I'd carefully organized seemed to have become as illegible as drowsy handwriting.
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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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