At that sharp, cutting voice, I closed my mouth and quietly looked at him.
The man who always wore a gentle mask to everyone had a face that seemed to have drawn out all the deep resentment, anger, and all sorts of negative emotions.
I had seen eyes similar to his before.
‘You are no longer my emperor.’
In the past, when he drew his sword against me.
‘I will surely kill you with my own hands.’
When he vowed he would kill me.
‘You, and everything you couldn’t protect, all of it.’
Even then, Niel had looked at me with exactly those eyes.
‘Is sending Yuria away something to be so angry about?’
I thought as I stared at Niel with blank eyes.
His pale green eyes, which always held a gentle light, were now fiercely seething.
Niel stared at me coldly with a face that seemed to be suppressing anger, then abruptly turned away.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
I scratched my cheek as I watched his retreating back.
Well, whatever.
He originally disliked me anyway.
The buoyant feeling I had just moments ago seemed to return to reality, but…
‘He originally disliked me, so why should I feel bad about it now?’
I suppose I found his cold attitude unfamiliar because he had shown me the same kindness he showed others a few times these past days.
But this was Niel Alpenhayer’s true face when dealing with me.
The luminous stone I couldn’t return remained in my hand.
I alternated looking at Niel’s luminous stone and the necklace I received from Yuria, then grinned and put them in my pocket.
‘Since I’m a wonderful person, I should only think about good things.’
***
Under the dark night sky.
Cail stood quietly, gazing in one direction.
Jella. The north, where she would be.
‘I’ll go with you.’
‘No. Having more people would make it more dangerous.’
‘But…’
‘This task is something I can handle alone.’
He wanted to follow her, but she wouldn’t allow it.
He didn’t have the courage to force something she hadn’t permitted.
Being hated by her was, after all, what Cail Aleret feared most in the world.
Of course, she would be safe on her own.
Although the master of the imperial palace was interfering with her, he wouldn’t put her in danger, even if he might do so to Yuria.
Nevertheless, Cail couldn’t sleep easily and waited for her.
[Wow, Jella is meeting with the emperor right now!]
At that moment, a taunting voice was heard beside him.
[Niel Alpenhayer, the man who was Jella’s fiancé! That man who was noble from birth, unlike you!]
“……”
[A man like that suits Jella. Better than a slave who betrayed his master.]
Cail ignored dragon Helasio’s voice, which was snickering and taunting.
Helasio often provoked him with stories about her like this, enjoying his reactions.
It was a nasty hobby.
[How long are you going to wait?]
Perhaps bored by Cail’s lack of response, Helasio yawned and asked.
[No matter how long you wait, Jella won’t appreciate it. Poor Cail Alere… Aaaack!]
Eventually, Helasio’s tail was caught by Cail.
[What are you doing, you cursed human!]
As Helasio, dangling in midair, growled at Cail, it happened.
[Huh?]
The dragon twitched his nose, then immediately shouted with a broad smile.
[It’s Jella!]
At those words, Cail let go.
The dragon disappeared silently.
Jella wasn’t visible yet.
But her scent was carried on the breeze.
Cail stood silently facing that direction, waiting.
Not long after, she returned.
“You’ve come back, Jella.”
“Oh? You’re still awake?”
Jella’s eyes widened when she spotted Cail.
Then, she smiled brightly.
“You waited for me, Cail.”
With that kind and affectionate face she used to show him long ago.
Ah…
A small groan escaped between Cail’s teeth.
Cail really loved that smiling face of hers.
He wonders if something good happened to her.
Her mood seemed a bit different than usual.
Who made her mood so buoyant like this?
Was it Yuria? Or was it Niel Alpenhayer?
Whoever it was, he wasn’t pleased.
Seeing her happy because of someone other than himself wasn’t very pleasing. Cail Aleret was a man who harbored such ugly jealousy…
But, at the same time, he was glad.
Because she was smiling. Yes, because she was smiling. That was enough. He too was glad.
“Did everything go well?”
“I took Yuria there safely.”
Jella answered.
But Cail wasn’t interested in that woman.
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“I’m not asking about that woman, but about you.”
Cail said, staring directly at Jella’s face.
Under that persistent gaze, Jella awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and replied.
“Nothing happened; that’s why I’m back.”
At that answer, a faint smile bloomed on Cail’s face.
“I’m glad.”
“……”
It was a warm smile that could melt the cold night air.
Jella stared blankly at that smiling face for a moment, then looked around and asked.
“Where are the others? They didn’t even wait for me to return?”
“Shall I deal with them?”
At that calm question, Jella quickly raised her voice.
“Deal with who? Don’t say such strange things!”
“Yes, Jella.”
Cail replied with a voice containing a gentle laugh as he followed her toward the building.
Then suddenly, his eyes caught a golden light lingering beside her.
When Cail noticed it, his eyes narrowed, and at that sharp gaze, the light scattered with a ‘poof.’
Cail silently watched it, then followed her into the underworld organization’s building.
In the place where the two had disappeared, the scattered light gathered again, hovered around, and then flowed away with the air.
***
Yuphe sat by the wide-open window, staring into the darkness.
The warm golden light returns to him through the air.
Only then did a relieved smile finally settle on his face, which had been expressionless all along.
She had returned home safely.
But at that moment, the door flung open with thundering footsteps.
The golden light that had gently lingered in his hand instantly disappeared.
“Your Holiness!”
Damian shouted with a flushed face.
“You’ve returned safely?”
Yuphe turned to him and smiled, gently closing his eyes.
“You’re really too much. I heard you tell the imperial guards they could dispose of me as they saw fit?”
Damian grumbled his complaints.
“Oh, how did you know that?”
“It’s already all over the imperial palace. They say a subversive element who sneaked in using Pope Yupheon’s carriage was caught by the imperial guards, and the Pope cut ties, saying he knew nothing about it.”
“A perfectly true rumor.”
“They say the emperor will personally interrogate the criminal. You know the emperor’s personality, right? He’s extremely thorough. He definitely won’t conduct the interrogation like an ordinary person.”
“Yes, yes. Being thorough is better than doing things carelessly… Wait a minute.”
Yupheon, who had been nodding with a pleased face, suddenly tilted his head and asked.
“You’re here now, so who’s the one who was caught in prison?”
“I don’t know.”
Damian shrugged and replied.
“While escaping, I bumped into a man wearing priest’s robes, and they seem to have caught him instead. Both of us had our faces covered, so the guards must have been confused.”
“Don’t tell me you pinned your crime on an innocent imperial citizen?”
“Were you planning to make an innocent me a criminal, Your Holiness?”
Instead of denying it, Yupheon brazenly said.
“If you were truly innocent, nothing bad would have happened even if you were caught.”
“Well, if that person is truly innocent, nothing bad will happen to him either. But there’s something more important, Your Holiness.”
Damian, who was as shameless as his superior, took out a rolled paper from his chest.
It had arrived from the Senate of the Holy Nation.
“The elder priests are taking issue with Your Holiness overturning the oracle on your own authority.”
Originally, when making a proclamation in the name of the Grand Temple, the consent of the elder priests was required. But Yupheon had violated the procedure and arbitrarily reversed the oracle.
“This is troublesome.”
“I don’t think it will end with just being troublesome. You might have to relinquish your position as Pope. You know, those elder priests who harbor resentment toward Your Holiness.”
Yupheon, who had been listening quietly, glanced at Damian.
“You seem very excited right now.”
“…W-what? M-me?”
“The corners of your mouth are turned up.”
“Ahaha… Oh yes.”
“Oh yes?”
“No, I mean, oh, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
Damian quickly lowered the corners of his mouth and awkwardly moved his facial muscles as he changed the subject.
“Anyway, I think you should hurry back. If you delay, those strict old men will just find more fault with you.”
“Hmm.”
At those words, Yupheon looked out the window again.
He didn’t want to leave this place where Jella was, but it seemed he needed to visit the Grand Temple once.
“Alright. But before that, there’s one thing I need to do.”
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SadBeech
I don’t get Niel at all. Like ok yeah sure he was pretending to love Yuria or whatever but why was he such a nasty prick to the woman he truly loved? Like what was gained from that? I really can’t like him.