Chapter 116

116: The Way to Live by Dying (3)

That night, two men secretly slipped into the central temple, their faces hidden under black masks as they carried a large, heavy sack.

Samuel Dorfman, who had dismissed everyone early, saying he was going to bed, opened the back door to greet them.

“Where is Shayla?”

“This way.”

The high priest led the two men to a secluded prayer room.

In the prayer room, there was a coffin that the priests had brought. Shayla was to spend the night here and be buried in the cemetery the following morning.

“Hurry up; the patrol priest will be around soon.”

At the high priest’s urging, the men opened the coffin lid. Shayla lay inside, looking exactly as she had in the afternoon.

“Quick, take her out.”

As Lucid lifted Shayla, Julian placed the sack filled with stones into the coffin, secured it so it wouldn’t move, and nailed the coffin shut.

“Did you bring the carriage?”

“It’s parked at the back door. Thank you for your help, Your Holiness.”

The men slipped a large gold bar into the high priest’s pocket and headed out of the temple towards the waiting carriage.

“Hurry, get her in.”

Julian laid Shayla in the back of the carriage, removed the seat, and covered her with planks to avoid any potential inspections.

“Lirkan, drive at full speed to the border. Failure is not an option.”

“Understood, Commander. I will contact you as soon as we arrive.”

“Take good care of Shayla.”

Lirkan set the carriage in motion. The carriage quickly disappeared into the darkness.

“Let’s go back.”

Julian, after watching the carriage fade away, turned and left.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The capital was abuzz for days with the news of Shayla Lephisto’s death.

The fact that a woman who was about to attain the highest status in the empire had taken her own life shocked many.

Reactions varied. Some said the greed of Duke Lephisto brought about this tragedy, while others blamed the Emperor, saying how miserable she must have been to take such an action.

“Tragedy of a Woman Who Almost Became Empress – The Full Disclosure of Shayla Lephisto’s Will”

Adelaide frowned as she skimmed through the newspaper. Ever since the news of Shayla’s death broke, the newspapers had been filled with gossip and rumors.

Today’s paper was no different. The twelve-page newspaper was entirely covered with Shayla’s name.

“Now they’re even publishing her will.”

A few days ago, Lucid had made the contents of the will public, but the impact of printing the full text was different.

Shayla’s will, written by herself, contained her feelings of despair so vividly that even strangers couldn’t help but feel pity.

“It’s effective, though.”

Although it was bitter to see someone’s death reduced to mere gossip, there was no better news to expose Elkius’s misdeeds.

Adelaide sighed and turned the page of the newspaper.

“I’m back.”

“Your Grace.”

Adelaide put down the newspaper as Callion entered the room. Callion, who had gone out, was holding a letter.

“Were you reading the newspaper?”

“Yes, although today’s article is a bit too much.”

“Still, it seems to be having an impact.”

Callion slumped onto the sofa.

“According to Duke Howard, everyone he meets is talking about it. Even the palace servants are quite agitated.”

“What about Elkius?”

“They say he’s holed up in his quarters and refuses to come out. Only his aides are struggling to clean up the mess.”

“It’s understandable. They’ve spent tens of thousands of cels preparing for the national wedding, and now they’ve lost everything without achieving their goal.”

Callion nodded in agreement and glanced at the newspaper.

As Adelaide mentioned, the newspaper also pointed out the enormous budget spent on preparing for the national wedding.

Hundreds of people were mobilized for the preparations, and indirectly involved were countless others selling fabrics or delivering jewels.

Now that the wedding was canceled, all the payments due to these people were at risk of being lost.

“They must have thought they caught a break during the recession, but the losses will be substantial.”

“All the jewelry and dress orders placed by the nobles have been canceled. The economy of the capital could be completely ruined if things go wrong,”

Adelaide said absentmindedly, her eyes drifting to the letter in Callion’s hand. As if remembering, Callion handed her the letter.

“It’s a message from Lirkan. They’ve safely left the capital.”

“That’s a relief. Is Lady Lephisto alright?”

“There’s no word on her waking up yet, but she should be fine.”

“It must be tough traveling to Tiflis in this weather.”

“The road is smooth, so as long as they avoid inspections, they should be fine.”

“That’s a relief, but…” Adelaide trailed off, looking out the window covered in frost.

Shayla’s final destination was the Kingdom of Helenia.

They had considered several places, including the south and Tiflis, but nowhere within the empire was guaranteed to be safe. If Shayla’s fake death were discovered, the entire territory harboring her would face retribution, so sending her to the kingdom was Adelaide’s suggestion.

“I’m worried because the kingdom’s situation is chaotic.”

“The second prince has taken control of the palace, so it should be fine. And Zeke has promised to help.”

At the mention of ‘Zeke,’ Callion frowned.

“I didn’t know you were still in contact with that brat.”

“We just exchange pleasantries sometimes. It’s also to keep an eye on the kingdom’s situation.”

“With so many spies in the kingdom, do you really need to contact him?”

“There’s no one better than Zeke to get news from inside the palace. He’s a prince, after all, even if he is immature.”

No matter how skilled the spies were, there were limits to what they could find out from within the palace. In that regard, Zeke was a fast and accurate source of information.

“Well, if you say so, then it must be.”

Callion grumbled, displeased, and his gaze fell on her wrist.

Adelaide pretended not to notice and hid her hand behind her back. The bandages wrapped around her wrist, hidden by the elastic band of her dress sleeve, went unnoticed.

To avoid suspicion, she quickly changed the subject.

“But why did you send Lirkan?”

“Lirkan speaks Helenian.”

“Oh.”

Most of Callion’s knights were from the lower nobility or commoners and didn’t know Helenian. Lirkan, being a Cocasian, spoke the best Helenian among them.

“Julian or Lucid couldn’t be sent, so Lirkan was the best choice.”

Callion added that it was unavoidable since the two closest to him and Shayla would arouse suspicion if they disappeared.

“By the way, have you heard from Sir Lucid?”

“I told him to return slowly since the duchy must be in chaos.”

“And Duke Lephisto…?”

“I heard he’s regained consciousness, but his condition isn’t good.”

Callion said with a heavy expression. Adelaide silently nodded.

It was a complicated feeling. While Duke Lephisto had brought it upon himself, she didn’t want the duchy to fall, especially for Lucid’s sake.

‘Maybe this news will ease my father’s mind a bit,’ Adelaide thought, closing and opening her eyes slowly, recalling that day’s memories.

Earl Cornwall’s goal was to get revenge on Duke Lephisto.

He had offered enormous wealth to Duke Roxus to gain his title and had tried to make Adelaide the empress, all to destroy Duke Lephisto.

Although her father’s wish wasn’t fully realized, Duke Lephisto had been punished, so perhaps this was enough.

Adelaide pushed away her uneasy feelings and turned her attention back to the newspaper.

Just as she was about to read the article she hadn’t finished, an unexpected guest knocked on the door.

“Pardon me, Your Grace. It’s Lucid.”

“Lucid?”

Callion opened the door himself. Lucid, looking haggard, bowed in greeting.

“You said it would take a while. How did you manage to come?”

“I couldn’t rest at the mansion, so I came to get some sleep.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Adelaide offered a seat. Lucid, with a faint smile of gratitude, collapsed onto the sofa. Callion asked with concern.

“Are you alright?”

“To be honest, no. It’s like a funeral over there.”

“You must be having a hard time. How is the Duke’s condition?”

At Callion’s question, Lucid’s gaze shifted to Adelaide. She sensed his discomfort and was about to get up when Lucid spoke.

“He has regained consciousness, but it seems difficult for him to live a normal life.”

“What about treatment?”

“The doctors say it’s unlikely he’ll recover his health.”

“He must be very distressed.”

“It’s the punishment for what my father did. He was a coward to the end.”

Lucid added bitterly with a wry smile.

“So I am now the head of the duchy in his place.”

“You?”

“Yes. I’m the only child left.”

“I see. I’m not sure if congratulations are in order, but congratulations nonetheless.”

Callion patted Lucid’s shoulder in encouragement.

Although the duchy had suffered considerable damage, Lucid becoming the head was good news.

As the head of the Lephisto duchy, Lucid would automatically join the Imperial Council, becoming a strong ally for Callion.

Adelaide beamed and offered her congratulations.

“Congratulations, Duke Lephisto.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. But please, just call me as you used to.”

“You’ll have to get used to it, as you’ll hear it often now.”

“Even with a title, I’m still the same person.”

“But you’re now officially the head of the duchy… Ugh!”

“Adele!”

Before she could finish her sentence, blood suddenly gushed from her mouth.