Chapter 163 - North Korean rabbit

Chapter 163

The Emperor’s wrath was beyond words.

Arpad, on the other hand, appeared perfectly composed on the surface.

Had I met him not long ago, I would have misunderstood.

I would have wondered how he could be so calm about his own mother’s affairs, questioning if his blood was made of ice.

Now I knew. He was grieving, and he was angry. Like any ordinary person.

He simply did not show his emotions outwardly.

Wanting to comfort him, I tightly wrapped my arms around him.

Arpad’s gaze then turned to me.

Seeing the lingering scars in his deep crimson eyes, I tightened my embrace.

Arpad paid no heed to the fact that this was a formal setting, or that there were many eyes upon us.

As if my warmth alone was solace, he quietly leaned into me.

* * *

While Hilia was comforting Arpad, matters proceeded.

In the meantime, the imperial knights, acting on the Emperor’s command, returned from inspecting the imperial mausoleum.

“The testimony is correct. Portions of the remains of Her Late Majesty the Empress and Grand Duke Ilfenon have disappeared.”

In particular, the remains of Grand Duke Ilfenon, having been used to induce madness in the late Empress and the young Arpad, were severely desecrated.

The Emperor, his eyes boiling with seething hatred, glared at Isabel and shouted.

“I have been… so foolish. To place the murderer of my wife within the Empress’s chambers, and to believe she would care well for my son!”

Isabel writhed, gnashing her teeth.

But no one had any intention of listening to her excuses, her rage, or her words of hatred.

There was no reason for the victim to hear the perpetrator’s justifications.

The Emperor declared.

“I will not depose the Empress.”

“Pardon?”

“What does Your Majesty mean…?”

Even Isabel, who had been trembling with rage and hatred, froze momentarily at these words.

Puzzled reactions erupted, then subsided as everyone nodded at the Emperor’s following words.

“She is a traitor who, in the guise of a lady-in-waiting, murdered her mistress the Empress. Moreover, she is a vile and heinous creature who killed Roxelline and attempted to use her remains to murder the Crown Prince! Had I known of this crime, I would never have raised her to the position of Empress. Therefore, my second marriage is null and void, and I shall erase the name Isabel Ruth from the Golden Record (the imperial lineage chart) and restore it to its original form. No name other than Roxelline’s shall remain by my side!”

The Golden Record was, true to its name, a lineage chart engraved in gold.

Even those who are deposed or exiled for treason merely have a line drawn through their names on the register.

But the Emperor proclaimed that he would gouge out Isabel’s name and fill it in again, making it as if it had never been engraved.

This was not merely deposing Isabel; it was declaring that she had never been Empress.

Evangeline clung to the Archbishop.

“Matters of marriage fall under the jurisdiction of the temples of the Sky Father and the Earth Mother! Surely something can be…!”

The Archbishop coldly replied.

“Do you have the confidence to face the Emperor’s wrath directly?”

“…!”

“Isabel’s crimes can no longer be concealed. It would be better rather…”

The Archbishop whispered into Evangeline’s ear.

Then Evangeline’s expression, which had been contorted with bewilderment, hardened.

“…This is the better choice. At least the Saintess and the child in her womb must be safe.”

Evangeline alternately looked at the Tower Lord, who was smiling shamelessly, and Isabel, who was howling like a beast, then gritted her teeth.

She then approached the Emperor, knelt, and cried out.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I had no knowledge whatsoever that my mother had committed such wicked deeds. The matter concerning this child was also forced upon me by my mother. I should have stopped it somehow…!”

Shedding practiced false tears, Evangeline skillfully shifted all blame, even for crimes she might be interrogated about, onto Isabel.

The Emperor looked down at Evangeline with cold eyes and responded.

“Did I appear such a fool that you thought I would believe that?”

“…Pardon?”

Then came the Emperor’s command, colder than ice.

“Evangeline Ruth attempted to pass off the child she carries as the Crown Prince’s bloodline. The act of attempting to muddy the imperial lineage is also treason. Arrest her at once.”

Evangeline struggled. But she was no match for the strength of the imperial knights.

The Archbishop tried to intervene, but engaging in a struggle with the knights here would mean openly confronting the imperial family, so he had no choice but to retreat.

“It wasn’t me, Your Majesty! It was all, all my mother’s orders! Besides, this child is definitely of imperial blood…!”

As she was dragged away by the knights, Evangeline’s eyes fell upon the Tower Lord.

A man smiling so bizarrely it seemed beyond composure—perhaps madness.

A scream-like howl burst from Evangeline.

“You! Why did you betray us?! You said you’d give me what I wanted! Even if you do this, you’ll die just the same!”

The Tower Lord then shook his head from side to side.

“I won’t die, though.”

“What?”

“Because I made a deal, you see.”

The Tower Lord turned his head toward where Arpad and Hilia were.

No, he tried to turn it.

*Thud.*

In that moment, the Tower Lord’s head was severed and tumbled to the floor.

“…Huh?”

Evangeline, not immediately comprehending the situation, stared blankly while held by the knights.

“You killed my mother, yet you have the audacity.”

The one who had beheaded Tower Lord Gaspard was Arpad.

He had moved so swiftly no one had noticed.

The Tower Lord’s headless body slumped powerlessly to the side.

The sight was bizarre. When a person’s head is severed, red blood should naturally flow.

But what flowed from the Tower Lord’s corpse was not red blood. It was a faintly glowing blue liquid.

It was as if a reagent stored in a flask was being poured out.

Arpad confirmed once again that Hilia had been right.

‘It’s not a human body.’

Exclamations of shock and questions erupted from the surroundings.

“What is that blue blood?”

“How can a person have blue blood when they die…?”

“It’s the Tower Lord. Didn’t he become like that from experimenting on himself with magic?”

Amidst the murmuring, Arpad was certain.

‘It was good to shut his mouth. He was the type to blabber on with unnecessary words.’

He could have mentioned the agreement to receive part of his blood and body.

Arpad’s gaze turned to Hilia.

She was still trying hard not to show fear, but Arpad had noticed for quite some time.

Her attitude when dealing with the Tower Lord.

‘She’s afraid. Terribly so.’

Arpad was sensitive to the fear of others. He paid particularly keen attention to Hilia’s emotional state and reactions.

Hilia had used the Tower Lord for the plan while making a deal, but she couldn’t completely hide the fear that seeped through.

Arpad found it difficult to watch.

That’s why he was glad for Hilia’s request, which had foreseen this situation.

“If it seems the Tower Lord is about to spout nonsense, cut his head off immediately.”

“So you never intended to keep the deal from the start?”

“Of course not? Is there any need to do so for an enemy?”

The word ‘enemy’ wasn’t strange.

To Arpad, Gaspard was indeed an enemy.

But the source of the clear anger and pain in Hilia’s voice was unknown.

Arpad didn’t mind.

That Hilia was hiding something.

That there was still much she hadn’t confessed.

What mattered more was that Hilia liked him and relied on him.

Because of that, he returned to his wife’s side with light steps.

No one paid much attention as the strangely glowing pattern on the Tower Lord’s fallen corpse faded and disappeared as if being extinguished.

Except for Hilia.

While embracing Arpad, she swallowed dryly, her throat tight with tension.

* * *

The criminals Isabel and Evangeline were arrested and dragged to the underground prison.

The palace attendants from the Empress’s Palace, even the vassals and hired servants of the Marquis Ruth family.

They were led away one after another, subjected to severe interrogations.

The Emperor’s wrath was enough to engulf the entire capital.

This was also true for Grand Duchess Axion, who had regained her senses belatedly.

She tried to drag her aged body to find Isabel in the palace basement herself, but had to restrain herself due to the pleas of her grandniece.

The entire palace was in a gloomy state due to anger and devastation.

The Crown Prince’s Palace was no different.

After the events in the grand temple, Arpad shut himself in Sia’s bedroom.

Arpad had been lying with his head on her lap, his mood subdued the entire time.

Hilia quietly stroked Arpad’s head and asked.

“Are you alright?”

Arpad then raised his crimson eyes.

“No, more than I thought… I’m not alright.”

Arpad lost his mother around the age of ten.

The memories and wounds from that time still remained.

Learning the specifics of what Isabel had done made the wounds even larger.

Hilia’s voice was tinged with pity and sympathy.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Arpad rubbed his head against Hilia’s hand as if acting spoiled. Then, staring intently at her, he said.

“Comfort me.”