Chapter 140 - Book Rabbit

Episode 140

Yulken was bewildered.

Why was Ludwig suddenly being brought up?

Ludwig had been the primary target for containment and surveillance, but that was now a thing of the past.

Ludwig could no longer be considered Arpad's political rival.

This was entirely thanks to Hilia.

For over ten years before marrying Hilia, Ludwig had been Arpad's greatest rival.

Yet, less than half a year after marrying Hilia, he had become so insignificant he wasn't even worth keeping an eye on.

Yulken once again swallowed a long hymn of praise for 'Her Highness, our Princess'.

'Indeed, the greatest thing His Highness Arpad ever did was bringing Her Highness here...'

In truth, it wasn't just Yulken; the palace servants of the Crown Prince's Palace held similar thoughts.

Before Hilia's arrival, the Crown Prince's Palace had been a precarious place, like walking on a cracked glass bridge.

There was always the fear that Arpad might erupt in a fit of madness and spill blood at any moment.

Even setting aside the madness, it was also largely because their master, Arpad, was by no means a man who put those around him at ease.

Into this, Hilia appeared like a goddess of spring arriving suddenly in the heart of winter.

She melted the ice that was sharp as blades and caused a soft, warm wind to blow.

And recently, she had become the goddess herself, a miracle worker who even made pink flower petals flutter everywhere!

'Aaah! Save me, Your Highness!'

While inwardly calling out to the goddess, Felix Yulken moved his mouth like a competent vassal.

"...He is still in the capital. He is still trying to file appeals with the courts. It seems he is not receiving any help from the Marquis Ruth family or the Empress either."

It was fortunate he had checked on Ludwig's recent situation in advance.

But Arpad was not satisfied.

With his elbows fixed on the table and his hands clasped just before his sharp nose, his posture was motionless.

The glint in his eyes, visible between his clasped hands, was in a state of 'just give me one thing to latch onto.'

"Not that useless information. His current location."

"Ah! I heard he is currently a guest at the residence of a baronial family, a collateral branch of his maternal family, the Count Beren household. His Grand Ducal residence was confiscated, you see."

A grinding sound was heard.

"He hasn't been dragged off to penal servitude?"

*Crunch!*

No, wait. Yulken was startled to see Arpad's elbow punch a hole through the ebony table.

"Eek! Ludwig is making every effort to avoid penal servitude. But he can delay no longer and will soon be taken away. The courts are discussing the specific labor camp details."

Yulken rapidly spewed out words.

'It's not my fault! So please don't get angry!'

...was his desperate struggle.

But then came a response and an order Yulken had never anticipated.

"Bring him here."

"...Pardon?"

* * *

Arpad did not bother to suppress the murderous intent, rage, and fury he had painfully forced down during his conversation with Hilia the previous night when he was in front of others.

If it had been solely her own issue, he would have gladly endured and waited.

Or, if Hilia disliked or feared him because of past mistakes or harsh words, he wouldn't have been this angry.

He could have just cursed his own thoughtless actions from when they first met.

But this was not that kind of problem.

'She has a rejection of men themselves due to bad past memories.'

Even without deep thought, there was only one person who could have implanted such trauma regarding men in Hilia.

Ludwig.

After the trial, Arpad had completely lost interest in that wretch.

He hadn't genuinely hated or been wary of him from the start; he had merely despised the fool who didn't know his place.

And that fool had dared to leave deeper scars on Hilia than imagined and was still exerting influence.

Because of that, despite having affection for him, she hesitated and was afraid.

It felt like all the blood in his body was flowing backward.

'How dare a creature worse than vermin...!'

Arpad commanded, chewing out each word filled with murderous intent.

"Bring him before my eyes immediately."

Yulken, who had hesitated for a moment, asked.

"Uh... You're not telling me to pay his compensation and bring him here, are you?"

Arpad's killing intent thickened, and his eyes flashed.

"Am I mad? Why would I do such a thing?"

Yulken shut his mouth tightly.

Arpad's merciless command was issued.

"Bring him here without a trace, so that not even a mouse or bird knows. It would be even better if he became a shameful fugitive, fleeing in fear of punishment."

He muttered in a low voice.

"This punishment is still insufficient for the one who wounded my wife."

"...I shall obey your command."

Yulken bowed deeply, sweating cold sweat.

That night, a guest vanished without a trace from the baronial residence of a collateral branch of the Count Beren family.

* * *

As the sack over his head was removed, Ludwig finally caught his breath.

"Gasp! Wha, wha, what is this?!"

In a wretched and filthy state he couldn't have imagined months ago, with half his face swollen, Ludwig looked around with fear-filled eyes.

He was certain he had fallen asleep in the room of the baronial family he was staying with.

But in the middle of the night, something was thrown over his face, and he was dragged here.

It was strange that Ludwig, who possessed monstrous strength due to his dragon blood, could be so perfectly subdued.

As his eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, he understood why he had been brought here so helplessly.

Ludwig saw dangerously gleaming red eyes in the dark.

"Arpad!"

Calling his cousin's name, he trembled violently from the intense killing intent.

Though he had known Arpad for quite some time, this was the first time he had felt such chilling murderous intent.

It felt as if he were being flayed alive.

"What on earth... is this?! If the Emperor finds out, even you...!"

"That won't happen."

"What?"

Arpad drew a dull dagger from his robes.

At a glance, its edge was not properly sharpened.

Expressionless, Arpad spun it around with his fingertips.

"You simply disappeared. No one will know where you went or why you vanished."

"...Tha, that's impossible. The Imperial Family will soon look for where I am..."

"It means you no longer have value as my spare."

Arpad began with the words Ludwig would find most horrifying and fear.

"Last Crimson Moon, I had a very strong fit of madness for the first time in a long while."

Ludwig's distorted expression brightened momentarily.

"Tha, that's right! You have no right to be Emperor! A madman like you!"

"And it completely subsided in two days. Even with the Crimson Moon still in the sky. Even under its light, there was no problem."

Ludwig's dull reddish-brown eyes widened.

"That's impossible!"

"It's the truth. All of it, thanks to my wife."

The dull tip of the blade scraped against the old wall, emitting a chilling sound.

"Hi, Hilia?"

"Yes. So now, His Majesty the Emperor has no reason, not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance, to keep you as my substitute."

This was tantamount to a death sentence for Ludwig.

The only thread of hope left for him was that Arpad would go mad from his fits and an opportunity would arise.

"If I had just killed you or gotten rid of you earlier, none of this would have happened."

The beast-like scream of a man plunged into despair rang out.

"That can't be! It's impossible!"

Struggling, as Arpad approached his feet, Ludwig, engulfed in terror and despair, shouted wildly.

"N, no! Still, I'm your cousin! I didn't even really steal the Crown Prince position from you! I never hurt you either! You can't do this! This is unfair!"

Before the fear of death, Ludwig became infinitely weak.

Then, Arpad declared in a voice colder than ice.

"Do you think I dragged you here because you, not knowing your place, coveted my position? I'm not that idle."

"Then...?"

Tears, snot, and saliva smeared Ludwig's face as a question arose on it.

The dull blade approached before his eyes.

"Because you wounded Hilia."

"...What?"

Ludwig didn't immediately understand what he had just heard.

Arpad showed his cousin the first and last kindness he would ever receive.

"Everything you will experience until you die will happen because of the crime you committed against Hilia."

"Huh? Wha...?"

"So regret it deeply, very deeply."

Soon, a desperate scream began to echo in the dark basement.

* * *

Reading one of the reports from the intelligence agency that had properly started functioning again, I was somewhat taken aback.

"They still haven't found Ludwig's whereabouts?"

Ani answered with an awkward expression.

"Yes, Your Highness. I apologize."

Reports from the new intelligence agency came to my hands through Ani.

But Ani was not the one commanding the agency itself.

So this wasn't Ani's responsibility.

"It's alright. I'm not blaming you."

The first report of Ludwig's disappearance had come a few days ago.

Immediately afterward, I had ordered a thorough search for his traces.

It was an order given both to test the agency's capabilities and to monitor Evangeline's schemes.

If they had failed to properly collect other information as well, I would have judged the agency wasn't functioning properly.

In that case, I might have briefly regretted the Delphin family's assets allocated to the intelligence agency.

But that wasn't the case.

'Regarding Espitola, they are doing much better than expected, and other information is also substantial.'

Yet, only Ludwig's case remains a complete mystery.

'They couldn't find even a trace to this extent?'

It was unnatural.

As if someone had erased it.

Amidst this, one piece of information caught my eye.

Upon reading the report written in cipher, I almost let out a curse without realizing it.

"What is this? Arpad has a lover?"