The carriage, which had been racing along at full speed, came to a halt amid a cloud of dust.

Whether they were serving as escorts or guards was hard to tell, but the knights reined in their horses at once. When their leader signaled that they could rest, most dismounted and sat down a short distance away. Yet not a single gaze strayed far from the carriage.

Though lacking in ornamentation, the vehicle was clearly not intended for an ordinary passenger. Its solid frame and fine wooden finish betrayed a level of craftsmanship far beyond the ordinary.

However, unlike most carriages of such quality, this one had no proper windows. Instead, there was only a narrow slit in the door that could hardly be called a window; it could only be opened from the outside. From a distance, the carriage could easily have been mistaken for a prison on wheels.

Indeed, that is what it was. The only difference was the prisoner within an unusual one.

As Allen, the knight assigned to guard the carriage during the halt, fixed his sharp gaze on the closed door, a light knock broke the silence.

When he slid open the small hatch, a young man’s voice drifted out from the dim interior.

“It seems we’ve stopped. Would it be too much to ask for some fresh air?”

“…You may step out.”

Allen, already under orders, bit down on his lower lip before opening the carriage door. From the dim interior emerged a man with radiant golden hair, his movements unhurried and composed.

At once, the knights who had been resting shifted their gazes toward him, their vigilance unbroken.

The golden-haired man—Gerard—gave a faint, bitter smile. By now, such watchful eyes were nothing new to him. After all, he was a traitor. A man condemned for high treason, an illegitimate son who had dared to challenge his half brother, the rightful heir and now Emperor himself.

The fact that he was still alive could only be called a miracle.

Closing his eyes, Gerard drew in the cold air, its bite sharp against his skin. Then, from beside him, Allen spoke abruptly, his tone clipped and harsh.

“Sir Duran was not a man who deserved to meet such an end.”

The venom in the knight’s gaze stung more than the cold did. Gerard’s brow ached faintly where the wound had not yet fully healed.

Because he was under tight surveillance, he hadn’t been able to accompany his mother to her death. Rather than executing him, the new Emperor had granted him lifelong exile, a mercy, some might say. He had therefore abandoned any thought of ending his own life, although the scars from his ordeal still lingered, both physically and emotionally.

“You must have known Duran well.”

Gerard said quietly, raising a hand to his brow as he met the knight’s hostile stare. Of all his escorts, this one struggled the most to hide his emotions.

Duran. He was the man who had urged Gerard to surrender and had died on the battlefield instead. A spear had pierced his shoulder and abdomen as he shielded Gerard with his own body. For a knight of such honor, it had been a pitiful end.

“Of course. We were both knights, how could I not know? Do you have any idea how exceptional he was? Sir Duran’s grandfather used to say that he was destined for greatness and that he would protect the realm and bring honor to their house.”

“….”

“I believed that, too, everyone who knew him did. He was the very image of a perfect knight.”

“….”

“But what does any of that matter now? He was heir to a noble house, now he has been cast out. His name has been stripped, and his honor has been taken away. And more than that…”

“….”

“He’s gone from this world.”

Allen ground his teeth, his face contorting with hatred. The cause of it all was a b*stard prince who was still alive and breathing freely. His commander had lost everything, dying in disgrace for the sake of a man who didn’t deserve to live.

And it wasn’t only Duran whose life had been destroyed.

“My sister… she’s half out of her mind. Father wanted to send her to the temple, but Mother and I barely managed to stop him. I don’t even know if she’ll ever recover.”

Gerard blinked, taken aback by the abrupt confession, until realization dawned. The reason for Allen’s hatred and the source of his pain became painfully clear.

“My sister was to marry Duran next spring. They truly adored each other, embarrassingly so to watch.”

“….”

“Even though you were his lord, my father immediately agreed to let Duran marry her because of his character and abilities. Mother and I did not oppose it either, we knew him well. We knew how my sister felt about him. How could he—”

Allen’s voice rose. He spoke like a man who had loved and respected the same man his family trusted, a friend who, despite serving different masters, had shared an honest heart.

“…Do you know how much he cherished my sister?”

He had always thought they were perfect for each other, two people who would spend their lives caring for one another. But it had been a mistake.

“That fool of a man rejected my sister and chose you instead. He left her in tears, without a final embrace or kiss. All he did was send a notice of broken engagement and leave without saying goodbye.”

Madman. B*stard. If Duran hadn’t died, I would’ve killed him myself. If he was going to cut ties so coldly after all those years, then he should’ve done it properly, left the ring with the letter, too. Why keep wearing it? Why drive her insane to the very end?

“Aagh! Duran! Duran! Open your eyes! Please… It’s me! It’s me! Aaaagh!”

His sister clung to Duran’s decaying body, screaming until her voice broke.

Despite having been laid to rest in ice, the body had already begun to rot. Only through the desperate efforts of his loved ones, including Allen himself had the body been preserved at all.

Most of the knights who had followed the traitor were left to rot where they fell, their corpses stripped of anything valuable and left to swell and fester.

Even so, Duran’s body was a ghastly sight. Yet his sister seemed blind to it. She clasped the hand that still bore his ring and screamed as if her lungs would tear apart.

Ignoring the stench, she buried her face in his chest and wept until those trying to pull her away had to force her to let go. She fainted in their arms.

“Allen, tomorrow I’m going to see the hydrangeas with Duran. It’ll be warm, what should I wear?”

After that, she was never the same. With her hair unbound, she wandered the halls, muttering to the ghosts of a bygone era.

Allen’s voice trembled with rage.

“When the late emperor wrote his will, you must have realised that a b*stard like you stood no chance of winning.”

If only you had never existed. The hatred intended for Duran had shifted to Gerard instead.

Allen had always known that Duran would never betray the lord to whom he had pledged his allegiance. This unwavering loyalty was what Allen most admired about his friend. So, when that same devotion led to Duran’s downfall, Allen had no one left to blame but the man his friend had served so faithfully.

“You killed Duran, you killed him and so many others with your mother. They all died because of you. And yet here you stand, alive and blessed with mercy.”

Mercy had been granted. Rather than ordering his beheading and public execution, the decree had opted for permanent exile. What’s more, he was sent off with enough gold to live comfortably in exile.

“So you truly are of noble blood, even if only half shared with His Majesty the Emperor.”

Allen, incensed by the current state of affairs, finally let slip something dangerous.

It was only then that Gerard spoke.

“Is that how I look to you? Like someone still alive?”

At this, Allen felt his fury give way to emptiness.

What had become of those who had followed the traitor and his mother? They had lost everything: their wealth, their honor, and even their names, which had been absorbed into the imperial registry after their entire families had been executed. Those who survived had no future to speak of.

And yet here he was, with his limbs intact and flanked by guards, daring to speak like that.

“The land beyond the border may be barren, but people live there. The journey will be perilous, but you will be accompanied by me and His Majesty’s knights.”

“You think I’ll survive there.”

“Then what? After using Duran and all those others as stepping stones to save your own life, are you planning to kill yourself?”

“……”

“What a convenient way of living. If that’s truly your plan, why not end it here and now?”

He was unaware of the great privilege he was enjoying. Finally losing his patience, Allen yelled. At the same time, he fumbled for his sword at his waist.

“Or perhaps I should—”

“Allen.”

A stern voice stopped him dead in his tracks. Only then did the knight come to his senses, spot his superior, and lower his head.

“…Captain.”

“Return immediately. Your punishment for this thoughtless behavior will be decided shortly.”

Dian Gard. As the Emperor’s closest confidant, he was a superior whom his subordinates both respected and feared deeply. At Dian’s command, Allen immediately bowed and paid his respects without saying a word or offering an excuse, then turned away. Dian watched his subordinate for a moment, then turned and bowed at the waist towards Gerard.

“Lord Gerard, Please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness.”

“Lord Gerard? To a lawless traitor?”

“..…”

“He’s too upright. He’s too soft-hearted to follow the Count. It’s best to leave him out of what’s to come.”

Gerard’s cryptic remark drew silence from Dian. Then, with his eyes on Allen as he walked away, Gerard laughed briefly and murmured.

“Go easy on him.”

“…..”

“He said his sister is suffering. But if that man breaks under the strain, it won’t just be him. His whole family will be at risk, too.”

“..…”

“He seemed close to Duran. If it comes to that, I won’t be able to face him.”

His tone was calm, but Dian didn’t miss the tremor in his voice. Regret, sorrow, and guilt flickered across Gerard’s face for a moment, darkening so deeply that its depths were unreadable.

“How much farther?”

After a pause, Gerard asked quietly. Dian gauged the distance and answered at once.

“At this pace, another fifteen days.”

“Tell His Majesty I’m grateful. At the very least, he’s allowed me to stay by my mother’s side.”

Fifteen days. Long or short? Gerard murmured as he reached into his coat. His mother, now reduced to a handful of ashes, rested in a pouch close to his heart.

“And there’s something else I’d like to ask. I’ve been thinking it over, and I believe the Count might agree. Will you hear me out?”

Gerard turned to Dian, having just recalled his mother. His tone bordered on the shameless, but Dian remained silent, inviting him to continue.

Gerard rummaged in his pocket and pulled out something small and shiny.