78. I Will Take Everything From You

As Edward left his office and headed to the audience chamber, his steps alternated between slow and quick.

Herwen had already arrived in advance and was waiting for Edward in the audience chamber. Edward passed by Herwen without so much as a glance and sat down in his seat. Watching this, Herwen’s eyes narrowed, and a mocking smile flickered across his lips before disappearing.

“I greet His Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”

Today, the greeting he always heard from Herwen sounded extremely unpleasant to Edward. It did not sound sincere; instead, it sounded as if Herwen was mocking him.

“Yes. What brings you here?”

Edward asked coldly, in a tone completely unlike how he usually spoke to Herwen. His hurried manner, as if trying to hide his emotions, only piqued Herwen’s interest. Seeing Edward’s tone and attitude, Herwen felt even more at ease. In his mind, Edward still seemed easy to handle, as if he were in the palm of his hand.

“I came to see you, brother. Your younger brother just came to visit, so why are you speaking so coldly?”

Herwen’s shameless words and disappointed expression made Edward frown.

“Are the preparations for your engagement to Lady Nox going well?”

“Yes. Well, my mother is working hard on them.”

As soon as he heard those words, Herwen’s demeanor instantly turned cold, and, of course, he thought of Larael. At the same time, anger began to rise within him.

“You took my fiancée, and yet you talk so casually about my engagement?”

Edward was at a loss for words for a moment and stared into Herwen’s eyes, burning with anger. He could no longer tolerate any mention of that matter.

“I’ve already apologized and compensated you enough.”

“Ha… The estate that Your Majesty gave me as compensation suffered a drought this year, and all the crops died. Well, I’m sure Your Majesty didn’t do that on purpose to spite me, so never mind. Since you mentioned the engagement, I’ll give this to you now. The real reason I requested an audience today was to deliver this invitation.”

Herwen, with a nonchalant attitude, handed Edward an invitation sealed with the Grand Duke of Vellaus’s crest. Edward stared at the invitation for a long moment before speaking.

“…If there’s something you want as an engagement gift, tell me.”

“If I asked for the magic stone mine in the Kayaneuman Mountains, you wouldn’t give it to me, would you?”

“Herwen! Even as your brother, my patience has its limits. Watch what you say.”

“And if you don’t indulge me, what will you do?”

Today, it was obvious that Herwen was deliberately provoking Edward. Edward clenched his fist slightly, his heart pounding faster. He took a deep breath, slowly, trying to suppress his anger.

“Herwen, you know I was attacked not long ago, right? Larael was attacked with me.”

“I heard the gist of it.”

Herwen tilted his head to the side.

“If anything had happened to Larael, I would have found the culprit and killed them, even if it meant destroying half the Kazel Empire.”

“…Wasn’t the culprit already executed?”

Herwen looked directly at Edward, his gaze intense.

“Yes, I executed them.”

Edward smiled faintly as he spoke. That smile sent chills down Herwen’s spine.

Unable to withstand the quiet gaze of Edward’s teal eyes, Herwen quickly turned his head away. His chest heaved with anger. Just moments ago, he had felt as if he was towering over Edward, but now he felt as if he’d been dragged down to the ground in an instant. Edward made him feel like a loser, and he wanted nothing more than to pull Edward down from the throne immediately.

‘It won’t be long. I’ll take everything from you.’

In front of Herwen, he saw a vision of Larael, resting her hand on Edward’s shoulder and nodding at him. Forgetting his earlier anger, Herwen smiled gently at her.

***

News that Larael had returned to the county spread throughout the entire territory in an instant. The people, remembering her loveliness, flocked to the count’s manor to see Larael, who had become the imperial consort. Larael, who had been enjoying a brief moment of peace, heard the news and couldn’t ignore them, so she stepped outside.

As soon as Larael appeared, cheers erupted. Memories of the time when she was loved by everyone in the county came back vividly. Her lips trembled and curled into a smile.

With so many people on her side, she felt foolish for having thought of herself as a loner in the capital and for relying so pathetically on someone like Herwen.

Everyone wanted to give something to their princess; one child even brought a basket of freshly laid eggs. When Larael accepted the basket from the shy child, her nose tingled and her eyes grew misty.

Except when she was with Edward, Larael had always been plagued by self-doubt and self-blame, but now she was overwhelmed with emotion. She realized she’d forgotten that there were places where she was welcomed like this.

It was the same at dinner with her childhood friends.

Larael thought it would be awkward since it had been so long, but that awkwardness lasted only a moment. Soon, she was immersed in the familiar atmosphere, chatting and enjoying the meal as if they had met just yesterday. She was not alone. Though her friends weren’t from prominent families, they shared precious memories with her and still treated her just as they had when she was young.

It was a meaningful day that allowed Larael to reflect on her time in the county.

The next morning, Kali and Joy arrived at the county with Dean.

“What brings Dean with you?”

Larael tilted her head, seeing Dean standing beside Kali and Joy.

“He insisted on coming with us because he wanted to say something to Your Highness as the building owner.”

Joy stepped forward and quickly explained, glancing at Dean with disapproval.

Joy was annoyed for three reasons: first, Dean had joined them, claiming he was just passing by; second, Dean kept glancing at him with wariness; third, he just didn’t like Dean.

“I mentioned it in the letter, but I wanted to meet you soon and thank you for lending us Dean’s building.”

“I didn’t do it to show off that the building is mine. I just wanted to ask Lady Layton if I could accompany you all for some research I’m doing.”

Kali nodded in agreement. Dean wanted to clarify that he hadn’t just tagged along uninvited, as Joy implied. When Kali nodded, Dean looked at her and smiled in relief, but then quickly turned serious, remembering why he’d been upset with Larael before. Of course, he’d gotten angry and run away for no real reason, but he didn’t want to hear such things from Larael ever again.

Feeling the sharp gaze directed at him, Dean turned his head. He locked eyes with Joy, who was standing next to Kali, looking at him disapprovingly. Dean resolved to uncover the identity of that boy no matter what. He gave Joy a meaningful smile.

Seeing that smile, Joy frowned deeply and turned his head away.

“Sasha, please show Dean and Joy to the guest rooms.”

Since Dean and Kali were known to be nobles, it was fine to give them guest rooms, but Joy’s status was unclear, so Larael felt a bit awkward. Still, she couldn’t have Joy stay with the servants or send him out alone in a place where he had no connections.

Sasha hesitated for a moment, then sighed and led them to the guest rooms.

“Kali, let’s talk. Come to my bedroom.”

“Yes.”

When Kali entered Larael’s bedroom, her eyes widened as she looked around. Anyone who knew Larael’s usual self would have reacted the same way. The room was filled with pink, creating an atmosphere so sweet it made one’s heart flutter. Seeing Kali’s surprised expression, Larael’s cheeks flushed lightly.

“I’d forgotten, but I guess this really is my taste.”

Since the bedroom at the count’s manor, where she’d stayed temporarily in the capital, had also been all pink, Larael wasn’t surprised to see her old room again. But now that she had guests and saw their surprise, she felt a bit embarrassed, as if her weakness had been exposed.

“You say that as if you’re not Her Highness.”

Kali laughed. In fact, this made Larael seem more approachable to her. She realized Larael was just a young lady her own age.

“Come, have a seat.”

Larael sat on the sofa and continued.

“How are things progressing?”