Chapter 129
“Damn it!”
With Jessica’s commotion followed by the concubine being dragged away, he felt cornered.
This way, it was a situation where only he and the concubine would draw all the attention.
Cesare ordered the knights beside him.
“Hurry and find that bastard Pierre!”
He had hoped to locate him quickly and sort out the mess, but.
Even as the founding festival event concluded, Pierre was nowhere to be seen.
A short while later, Cesare, who had checked beneath the stage to eliminate any potential evidence just in case, clenched his fist tightly.
“You damned son of a…”
A curse burst from his lips.
The ice dragon egg that should have been there was gone, and instead, an ostrich egg greeted Cesare.
As if deliberately meant to rile him up, the ostrich egg had eyes, a nose, and a mouth drawn on it.
And with a cheeky expression, tongue sticking out playfully.
“Aaaargh!”
Cesare stomped on the ostrich egg in a fit of rage.
“You take in a lowborn wretch, and he dares betray the imperial family?”
Realizing too late that Pierre had betrayed him, Cesare’s eyes rolled back in fury.
He snarled ominously at the knights who had followed him.
“Find him by any means necessary! You have permission to kill!”
* * *
Pierre had already escaped the scene and was at the Magic Tower.
Bound with restraints and locked in the top floor, no less.
Right after dispelling the spell on Jessica Miranda, he had been sent here.
‘Stay put quietly here until the event ends.’
Pierre fiddled with the restraint tightening around his neck.
A device designed to decapitate him the moment he tried anything foolish.
‘To go so far as to put on such a terrifying restraint, yet still worry unnecessarily.’
It was a situation he had brought upon himself in the first place.
Rather, he felt dazed that the punishment was lenient compared to what he had done.
All of this was probably thanks to Edwin, who was watching him right in front of his eyes.
Feeling the obvious gaze, Edwin said coldly.
“Even if you resent me, it’s no use.”
“I’m not in a position to resent anyone. With the duke already aware of everything, just surviving is fortunate enough, isn’t it?”
Edwin felt uneasy at the resigned tone.
“Do you think I blocked your dream, Pierre?”
“Well. Thinking about it now, it seems like it was a futile dream anyway. Serak is already long gone and destroyed.”
Even if they seized the throne with Cesare at the helm, it wouldn’t be the Serak of old.
The thought that it might instead tarnish the name of the Serak dynasty made Pierre long indifferent to things like revenge.
“Once this is over, it would be good for you to recuperate with me in a quiet place. The Tower Master has promised to arrange that as well.”
Pierre blinked at the sudden suggestion.
It seemed he had helped the duke on the condition of sparing his life.
“And what about that blonde woman?”
When he brought up Summer Clopen, Edwin replied flatly.
“She was never interested in me to begin with. They say first loves never come true anyway.”
He spoke as if it were nothing, but he couldn’t hide the heartbroken expression on his face.
In the sense of never being able to have what he desired, their situations were similar.
“Yeah. I’ll do as you say.”
Even after the two had aired their grievances, quite some time passed before Alferen and Rodellia arrived.
“Did you see it too, Ren oppa? Cesare stamping his feet at the sight of the ostrich egg’s face.”
“Delly’s drawing skills are impressive, that’s for sure.”
“Ahem. That’s what happens when you poke a sleeping lion’s nose hairs.”
Their voices were exceedingly cheerful, as if they had just pulled off something amusing.
Soon, they led Pierre and Edwin to the place where the ice dragon’s corpse was stored.
Pierre watched quietly as intricate magic was engraved all over the body.
A moment later, Alferen removed Pierre’s restraints and held out the ice dragon’s dragon heart.
“Begin.”
* * *
The founding festival event had a bit of commotion before it started due to the argument between Cesare, Jessica, and Nanael, but it concluded without further issues.
The emperor, who learned late about the concubine being taken away amid that disturbance, was furious.
“Did you order the knights to detain the concubine?”
In response to the interrogating words, the crown prince sent a calm gaze.
The emperor frowned at the demeanor that neither denied nor affirmed.
“This seems unusually aggressive for you. What on earth prompted this?”
“There is suspicion that she attempted to kill the crown princess, who is carrying the imperial grandchild.”
“But word from the palace is that both the crown princess and the child are healthy.”
Contrary to public concerns, the crown princess had not miscarried and was currently resting peacefully—that was the report.
The emperor had already grasped that it had all been a feigned act to deceive the concubine from the start.
He looked at the crown prince with displeasure.
Unlike the greedy Cesare, this son was so upright he seemed bland as water.
That aspect had displeased him, so he had encouraged Cesare to foster factional strife.
If that could awaken his eldest son, it would be all the better for the Barnard Empire.
But it didn’t mean he was giving permission to challenge his authority without fear.
The concubine was undeniably his favored consort in name and reality.
Detaining her without consulting him felt like a direct challenge.
“To imprison the concubine without discussion. Release her immediately.”
Despite the emperor’s sharp command, the crown prince didn’t even blink.
“The concubine used Serak sorcery to curse the crown princess.”
“What?”
“I nearly lost both my child and my wife. I cannot release her.”
Instead, he withstood the emperor’s killing intent and met his eyes directly.
The emperor let out a hollow laugh at that resolute appearance.
It seemed the concubine had truly touched the crown prince’s sore spot.
As he said, her actions this time had crossed the line.
Knowing this, the emperor was reluctant to cast her aside.
Though greedy and foolish, she was still a woman with much utility.
“So, what do you intend to do with the concubine?”
He planned to soothe the crown prince well and smooth things over if possible.
But.
“Before that, there’s something I want to show you.”
As if anticipating the emperor would protect the concubine, the crown prince presented decisive evidence.
The recording orb showed the concubine and her maid smuggling a curse doll out of the crown princess’s palace.
A clear attempt at evidence destruction.
When the emperor was left speechless, the crown prince spoke.
“I apologize for not consulting Your Majesty due to the urgency of the matter.”
It was a brazen excuse, but the emperor willingly accepted it.
“…Very well. I will meet with the concubine and hear the details myself.”
Now that it had come to this, he intended to coordinate stories with her and pin the blame on a third party, but the crown prince was not so easily swayed.
“No. Since the evidence is clear, I wish to discuss her punishment here and now.”
The emperor furrowed his brow at that firmness.
“Both the crown princess and the child are healthy, so must we go this far?”
“If I hadn’t discovered it in time, I would have lost not only the child but my wife as well. I have no intention of letting this slide.”
The crown prince reacted staunchly.
At least, out of consideration for the emperor, he had detained the concubine discreetly.
‘Sorcery, huh.’
In truth, the emperor had long since discerned that the concubine harbored improper ambitions.
At some point, a Serak clansman had attached himself to her side, and he had knowingly overlooked her renewed reliance on sorcery.
Thanks to that, he had gained leverage over Alferen Ainluk, so it was only natural.
But who could have predicted that Davin Ainluk, who had served as Alferen’s leash, would come back to life.
The emperor was quite flustered by this unexpected turn.
And then, attacking the crown princess on top of that.
Even the emperor couldn’t unconditionally defend the concubine in this matter.
If this led to the Davin Ainluk affair being brought up, the complications wouldn’t end with just the concubine.
The emperor decided to step back.
“I understand your point. I will confine the concubine to the detached palace.”
He thought that would serve as a good example, but the crown prince disagreed.
“No. That is insufficient. She is a serious criminal who attempted to assassinate the crown princess and the child. Strip Rosaria Barnard of her status as concubine.”
