Chapter 34

"Lady Cordelia, thank you. I am deeply grateful that you have come to such a place."

"Please stop, Duke Arvad. There is no need for you to be so formal with me."

Cordelia's plea echoed through the cold, dreary cell.

Ten days had passed since Zayed's death.

Today, after the turmoil had finally subsided somewhat, Cordelia visited Duke Arvad, who was imprisoned in the cell.

The cell contained only a rough bed and a table.

It was a shabby room, far too modest for a nobleman, but it was the duke himself who had requested to be placed here.

"But I am now a great sinner, having murdered Prince Zayed."

"Zayed was stripped of his royal status and branded a traitor before his death. The punishment being discussed for the duke will likely settle on a year or two of house arrest."

"Even so, at the moment I struck, he was still the crown prince. Moreover, he was the lord whom I and the ducal family served. Having committed the great sin of taking my lord's life, I remain a sinner."

The duke's unwavering loyalty to the royal family was characteristic of a man who had devoted himself to the kingdom for decades.

"To think that you, a great sinner like me, would petition for my leniency, Lady Cordelia, is truly humbling."

"I have long heard of your contributions to the state and your noble reputation. Losing someone like you would be a great loss to the country. If it weren't for your support and assistance to Zayed, who is your nephew, he would have been stripped of his position as crown prince much sooner."

"………… Perhaps that was my greatest sin. While doubting Zayed's qualifications as a royal, I followed him because he was the crown prince and my sister's son. That mistake has now fallen upon my daughter."

The duke smiled weakly, his eyes shimmering with pain.

"My daughter, despite being your age, was an incredibly selfish and foolish girl. But the responsibility lies entirely with me, her father. My misguided love ultimately led to Catherina's death."

"That's not true, it's not at all――――"

"You are a very kind person to think of even a sinner like me. ……… I suppose it's because you had good parents, unlike me."

"……………… That's not the case. On the contrary, that's why I………"

In a voice so low that no one could hear, Cordelia whispered.

While she had offered to petition for the duke's leniency partly because of his noble abilities, it was not the only reason.

She was moved by the duke's unwavering love for his daughter.

"Lady Cordelia, I may be an unfit father, but I still have the pride of the ducal family. I will never forget your kindness, and after I am released from prison, I will serve you and Prince Leonhardt and dedicate myself to the state."

That, he said, was the only way he could atone for causing Catherina's death.

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"Help me, Cordelia!! Get me out of here quickly!!"

The next place Cordelia visited was Toppak's cell.

Sighing, she saw her ex-fiancé clinging to the iron bars, reaching out to her.

The contrast between the penitent Duke Arvad and Toppak was stark.

"Toppak, your punishment has been decided. You will spend the rest of your life in prison."

"Until I die?! That's too cruel!!"

"Consider yourself lucky that you weren't sentenced to death."

"Death?! What crime did I commit?!"

To Toppak's shouting, Cordelia calmly listed his crimes.

"Kidnapping me, attempting to frame Prince Leonhardt, and participating in the plot to destroy Zayed's aqueduct, which is treason. ……… Any one of these is a serious crime."

"B-but all of that was because I was coerced by Prince Zayed……!!"

"Do you really think that excuse will work? Prince Leonhardt was there that day as well. If you were truly threatened by Zayed, you could have sought help from Prince Leonhardt. But you continued to follow Zayed because it was more convenient for you, didn't you?"

"…………!!"

"Besides, if you hadn't kidnapped me that day, Prince Leonhardt wouldn't have been injured by an arrow, and none of the subsequent turmoil would have happened."

"I'm not guilty!! I did nothing wrong!! I just followed Prince Zayed's orders……!!"

"Still don't understand that that is your crime?"

Cordelia looked at Toppak coldly.

"Following someone's orders, being swayed by others. I don't think that is necessarily wrong."

"Then why……!!"

"Because you followed the wrong person. You lived a peaceful life, a decent life as a commoner, until you met Priscilla, because you followed your parents' wishes. You lamented not being expected to succeed the earldom, but in reverse, it meant you didn't have to bear the pressure and education of being the heir."

"What does that have to do with now?!"

"Don't you understand? Your parents, despite their shortcomings, truly loved you. But Zayed and Priscilla are different. They can only love themselves."

"Can only love themselves……"

"How could they ever consider your happiness? By refusing to see this fact and being swayed by sweet words…… you made a terrible mistake."

As she spoke, Cordelia remembered the sorrow of Toppak's parents.

"We are deeply sorry for the trouble our son has caused, following the cancellation of the engagement."

"We hoped that you, a strong and politically astute person, would be a good match for our somewhat weak and dependent son."

"But then, that foolish son of ours fell for your sister."

"Although it was regrettable to you, we allowed the engagement to be broken off at his request."

"Only now do I deeply realize that it was a terrible mistake……"

"And there is one thing I would like to ask. I know it's not my place, but……"

Toppak's parents, completely exhausted and bowed, were a painful sight to see.

"Toppak, I'm here today because your parents asked me to."

"My parents……?"

"You will be imprisoned for the rest of your life and not allowed to see anyone. I came to hear the last words you want to convey to your parents."

"……!! Then tell them!! Get me out of this prison quickly!! If they truly love me, they can do it, right?!"

"………… Are you serious?"

"Of course!! My beloved son is being treated like a criminal!! It's only natural for a parent to help!!"

"If that's all you have to say, I will leave now."

Turning her back on the cell, Toppak's pleading and curses followed her.

Cordelia remembered the words of Toppak's parents.

"Putting our son in prison is like a knife to the heart…… But he committed an unforgivable crime. Perhaps the proper punishment is the last act of love we can show him……"

Toppak's curses seemed to mock their parents' thoughts as they chased after her.

―――――――――― A man who was swayed by others and only listened to convenient words ended up in prison.

Thank you for reading.

I will be a bit busy tomorrow and the day after, so the next chapter will likely be on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Thank you for your understanding.

Below is a bit of additional information about this chapter.

Regarding Duke Arvad's treatment

I struggled with how to handle his punishment.

Zayed, though no longer the crown prince, was still a prince, and the duke clearly killed someone with intent.

Moreover, the duke himself felt deep guilt and self-blame for raising Catheria incorrectly, so it was possible that he might have wished for the death penalty as a form of atonement.

However, I thought that would leave a bad aftertaste, and since the duke has a strong sense of responsibility as a noble, it was also possible for him to atone by living and working for the country, which led to his current treatment.

Regarding Toppak's path

As mentioned in Cordelia's dialogue, Toppak was a decent, if somewhat unreliable, person until recently.

However, Toppak is easily swayed, and he is the type of person who will be influenced by those around him.

He was swayed by Priscilla and incited by Zayed, leading to increasingly abnormal actions and a downward spiral.

However, unlike Zayed and Priscilla, Toppak, deep down, realized that his actions were wrong.

That's why he repeatedly shouted, "I'm not guilty," to avoid the guilt and regret.

Toppak is someone whose character changes based on the people he associates with. If he hadn't been swayed by Priscilla and had married Cordelia, he would have likely had a relatively happy life, albeit under his wife's control.

Unlike Zayed, who was a bundle of narcissism and destined for destruction, Toppak, with a slight change in choices, could have been happy. Personally, I find Toppak's downfall more cruel.