Chapter 57
What Arteon took out was the pocket watch that Jeffrey always carried with him.
The item he had even before his brother set out on the subjugation.
The gift Reina had given him to celebrate his twentieth birthday.
Her heart sank with a thud.
With trembling hands, Reina took the pocket watch and opened the lid.
[May good fortune always accompany Jeffrey on his path.
– Reina]
Confirming that it was Jeffrey’s possession made her dizzy.
For so long, she had chased traces of Jeffrey, enduring her grief.
How long had she cherished the items he left behind in the imperial palace like treasures, opening them and longing for him?
And yet, here in her hand was something he had carried before he went missing.
This meant one of two things.
Either it was a memento of the dead, or proof that he was alive.
Reina steadied her shaking legs and stared at Arteon.
“I’ll ask just one thing.”
Her lips trembled, making it hard to force out each word.
Arteon spoke with a confident expression.
“Yes. Ask anything.”
His attitude was markedly different from before, so she caught her breath.
It took a while before she could ask.
“…Is my brother not dead?”
She had said these words countless times.
And those around her always said he was dead.
That the suddenly opened gate to the demon realm had taken his body without a trace.
So searching for a dead man was just a waste of time.
She had always denied what they said.
She alone had cried out for Jeffrey’s survival.
The feeling of speaking words no one listened to started with sorrow, then loneliness, piercing torment, and confusion.
Perhaps they were right.
Maybe Jeffrey was already dead.
Accepting reality was the smart thing to do.
At that moment, Arteon said.
“He is not dead.”
“….”
“I believe that. The watch Your Highness is holding is proof of it.”
No one had ever told her that her brother was not dead until now.
“Jeffrey is alive.”
No one had ever asserted his survival with such certainty.
Reina trembled like a terrified person.
It was the words she had always longed for, words she had half given up on.
Was that why?
The moment she heard Arteon’s words, this thought came to her.
‘I’m glad I didn’t forget my brother.’
‘See, I wasn’t wrong.’
It felt like the denial she had faced from the world all this time was finally being rewarded.
She had thought this moment would be jumping-for-joy happy.
Strangely, it felt like she was dying of sadness, her insides aching.
Like a delayed storm from pent-up resentment, Reina was overwhelmed by emotions she couldn’t handle.
“Your Highness?”
Arteon called out cautiously as Reina’s complexion visibly worsened.
At that very moment, Reina collapsed to the floor like a soulless person.
“Your Highness!”
The startled Arteon supported her, but Reina slumped limply and began to cry.
* * *
“Waaah!”
Out of nowhere, the duchess sank to the floor and began to wail.
Those present at the luncheon alternated their gazes between the duchess, who was crying out loud, and Arteon, who was flustered in front of her.
Reina wailed like a child. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to look around.
The buried sorrow surged all at once, overwhelming her like encountering a massive tidal wave, making it hard to maintain her sanity.
“D-Duchess…!”
Arteon was bewildered, not having expected her to be this shaken.
Especially since she had maintained such a calm demeanor throughout.
‘Hah, this is driving me crazy.’
If he left it like this, he might end up with some strange misunderstanding.
It was unfortunate timing that Kaiden returned to his seat just then.
Kaiden’s aura was fiercely sharp upon witnessing Reina crying.
“What is going on here?”
His chilling voice echoed through the room, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
Arteon felt like he was truly going to die.
“Ugh.”
Unable to withstand the killing intent, Arteon braced himself against the floor.
It was energy precisely aimed at attacking him, so he was defenseless against it.
Blood trickled down from between Arteon’s clenched teeth.
Seeing this, Alfredo tried to dissuade Kaiden.
“Duke, first let’s understand the circumstances…”
But his words couldn’t reach their end.
It was because of the terrifying aura bearing down.
“Throw that man into the underground dungeon.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
At Kaiden’s command, the knights seized Arteon.
Arteon, suddenly treated like a criminal and dragged away, was followed by Alfredo.
“Oh no, young master!”
But no one stepped forward to help them.
Instinct warned that they shouldn’t intervene.
The merchants attending the luncheon turned pale.
Those who had subtly looked down on him as a mere young upstart now felt their legs go numb and collapsed to the floor.
Feeling the Duke of Crencia’s power with all their senses, they dared not resist.
Meanwhile, Ben’s legs were trembling just the same.
‘What on earth happened?’
It had occurred in the brief moment he had stepped away.
This was the first time Reina had cried so sorrowfully.
Because of that, Kaiden seemed already out of his mind.
It hadn’t been long since the madam had been injured due to the northern territorial disputes, and now another incident had erupted.
And for the madam to be crying so heartbrokenly in front of others.
In a way, it was natural for him to be thoroughly enraged.
The madam’s sobs, from someone who always suppressed her emotions, flustered everyone.
‘Hah, what to do about this.’
At this rate, the rare harmonious gathering would turn into a mess.
First, before grasping the situation, getting them out of here was the priority.
To prevent anyone from getting hurt by the aura leaking from Kaiden.
“Come, everyone follow me. If you stay here any longer, you’ll have nightmares tonight.”
* * *
Even after everyone had left the room, Kaiden couldn’t approach Reina recklessly.
His mind went blank.
This was the first time seeing a crying woman had stirred his emotions so intensely.
“Reina.”
“Hic, sob.”
Reina continued to wail, paying no heed even though he had come.
Her expression, as she clutched something and pounded her chest, was utterly grief-stricken.
Tears streamed ceaselessly down her cheeks, scattering in multiple trails.
“Stop it.”
Unable to watch anymore, he grabbed her wrist, and Reina looked at him with resentment.
Her cheeks, glistening with tears, were pale.
Reina now sobbed silently.
The sight of her forcibly swallowing her emotions was even more piteous.
Kaiden knelt on one knee to meet her eyes.
The hand he held was so cold. Kaiden enveloped her hand as if to warm it.
“What on earth happened? Did that guy do something bad?”
Reina shook her head wordlessly. Kaiden wiped away the flowing tears with his large hand.
“Then why are you crying?”
“….”
“You’ll collapse if you keep this up.”
“Hic, sniff.”
It felt like her heart was being torn apart. As if someone was gouging it with a sharp knife.
Like drowning in water, her breath was stifled, and all sounds came muffled.
Even to Kaiden’s question, Reina couldn’t say a word.
She simply clenched her fist and leaned against his chest, crying.
It was behavior like someone who had lost their words from a great shock.
He couldn’t fathom what had broken her down like this.
If he could, he wanted to bear it in her stead.
Kaiden silently embraced Reina.
She began to sob loudly in his arms.
And when she fell asleep from exhaustion, he quietly carried her to the bedroom.
