Chapter 27

"Where is Ruitas?"

In response to Alex's question, Gruek answered without lifting his eyes from the documents.

"Probably wandering around somewhere, gathering information on Sekuto."

Since Ruitas's wandering habit was a common occurrence, it didn't matter where he was or what he was doing.

"More importantly, Your Majesty, about the deployment of troops near the border—"

It was Amon who interjected, as he began to speak.

Recently, the problem of night thieves appearing near the Garantia border had become increasingly serious.

After receiving reports from his subordinates, Amon was about to explain, spreading out the paper with the dates and locations of the night thieves' appearances.

The sound of a knock came, and the guard at the door asked, "May I come in?"

"What is it?"

"Your Majesty, Prince Seltis has arrived."

"Seltis?"

Alex exchanged glances with Amon. This was the first time Seltis had visited the office so early in the morning.

"Wasn't he with Empress Via at the Purple Jade Palace yesterday?"

"That's what I thought."

A bad feeling crept over Alex. He narrowed his amber eyes and looked at the door with a stern expression.

"Let him in."

When Amon called out, Seltis appeared after a moment.

"Seltis, what's wrong?"

Seltis's eyes were red, as if he had been crying all night.

After confirming that the door was firmly closed, Seltis slowly began to speak.

"Big sister has left the palace."

Alex could feel his face change.

"When did she leave?"

"Yesterday afternoon.

When I returned to the Purple Jade Palace at night, there was a note left by my sister."

"Yesterday afternoon...?"

Alex gasped.

"Why didn't you say anything last night! Send the knights immediately...!"

As Alex moved towards the door, Seltis let out a cry-like voice.

"Please, let my sister go free!"

Alex's feet, which were about to run out, stopped. Tears overflowed from Seltis's eyes.

"Please, brother.

My sister was probably waiting for the right moment.

Since she couldn't escape from the heavily guarded Crystal Palace, she waited for the day I stayed at the Purple Jade Palace, which was yesterday..."

Alex took a deep breath to suppress his emotions and stared at Seltis with a fierce gaze.

"Why did you let Via go! Why didn't you try to stop her!"

Seltis wiped his tears with his fist.

"Because I owed her a lot."

"Owed, you say?"

After hesitating a few times, Seltis spoke with great difficulty, looking very distressed.

"My... our father killed my sister's father."

"..."

Amon and Gruek also gasped. "Nonsense," Alex muttered.

"The emperor, who lusted after my mother, ordered the guards to kill my sister's father in front of my mother and sister.

He even tried to kill the young sister, so my mother became his concubine in exchange for my sister's life."

Alex and the others were speechless at the tragic past being revealed.

Seltis sobbed but continued bravely.

"My mother told me this because she was afraid someone else would tell me.

My mother often said that she and my sister were alive because of me.

At the time, my sister, who was three, became unable to speak or laugh after witnessing her father's murder.

My mother thought about killing the child and herself every day, but then she realized she was pregnant with me.

My mother decided to live for the sake of the child in her womb, and after that, my sister... my mother said she started to laugh again when she saw the baby me."

Though they were bright and optimistic, Seltis knew from a young age that they weren't laughing without pain.

"Don't hate, my mother used to tell my sister repeatedly.

You can't be happy if you hate. Be happy instead of hating."

"Though I was the son of the enemy, they truly loved me from the bottom of their hearts.

My mother always told my sister to marry a commoner, but on her deathbed, she told my sister to protect me, which is why my sister stayed in the palace."

I could only be protected, and I couldn't do anything for my sister.

When she protected me from being killed, she almost lost her life.

"Brother,"

Seltis looked straight at Alex with his tear-swollen eyes.

I always thought it would be wonderful if my sister could become the empress.

But that's impossible.

Eventually, the brother will have to marry a princess with a strong political background and good lineage.

"My mother always told my sister to have a happy marriage.

I have seen how concubines are treated by the empress.

I don't want my sister to suffer like my mother..."

Seltis couldn't continue and just cried.

Amon hugged Seltis's shoulder and pulled him into his body without a word.

Since Seltis belonged to Antore, Amon had both the duty and the reason to protect him.

"Anyway, I will let Prince Seltis rest in another room. Is that alright?"

Without waiting for a response, Amon led Seltis out of the room.

Alex couldn't move a step. He had no spare words for his wounded brother.

Alex himself was so devastated that he could barely stand.

Gruek, who had been standing there with documents in hand, as if in a daze, finally remembered his place and put the documents on the table.

"I will prohibit knights from entering this room until noon.

Please calm down by then."

Alex didn't respond and slammed his trembling fist on the table.

His hair was disheveled, hiding his downcast face.

"I will come to fetch you at noon."

Gruek spoke in a businesslike tone and left the room.

Before closing the door, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he couldn't find the right words.

How could he speak to a lord who was crushed and struggling with misplaced anger?

The sound of angry shouts and glasses being smashed against the wall came from inside the room.

Gruek stopped and stayed there for a while, but eventually, he left with heavy steps.

In the afternoon, Alex returned to his duties as if nothing had happened and discussed the Garantia issue with his ministers.

At night, he enjoyed a meal with the princes of Sekuto. He couldn't remember much of what they talked about.

He just thought to himself that it was trivial talk.

Today, he managed to get through the day. Tomorrow will be fine too.

By stacking one day after another, maybe the pain in his chest would fade a little.

While drinking alone in his private room, a knock came.

"What is it?" he called out.

"Your Majesty, I'm coming in," a familiar, casual voice replied.

"What are you doing here?"

Alex gave a suspicious look to Ruitas, who entered with two bottles of wine and his own cup.

"Drinking alone isn't fun, is it?"

It seemed Ruitas had heard everything about the morning incident. Amon was a man of few words, and Gruek, though smart, couldn't say anything comforting.

"Did you get stuck with me as a companion?"

At that, Ruitas laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, I thought you'd be more down than this."

Ruitas poured new wine into Alex's empty cup and his own, then raised his cup lightly to Alex and started drinking on his own.

"I thought you'd be digging a hole and sulking, being the son of the empress's enemy."

Though his tone was light, Ruitas was genuinely worried. Alex couldn't help but smile.

"Via once told me something.

Even if my parents killed Via's family, she would never hate me."

"What's that?"

Ruitas seemed genuinely surprised.

"Even if they killed your family? When did you have such a heavy conversation?"

"It's not a normal conversation," Ruitas said, exasperated, and Alex shrugged.

"When Via was almost killed by the empress.

I said it would be understandable if Via hated me, but she looked very serious and said she wouldn't.

I felt saved by those words, so I remember them well."

"Even if they killed your family..."

Ruitas slowly repeated the words and sighed deeply.

"Actually, Lord Rofman told me something.

He said the emperor who killed Empress Via's father might have been Emperor Parisis.

He had heard that when Empress Via was three, she saw her father killed by the guards in front of her, and her mother became the emperor's concubine to save her.

Lord Rofman thought that an emperor who was so obsessed with Empress Titti would not have been able to leave her husband alive.

It would be more natural to think that Empress Titti entered the harem because her husband and daughter were killed, Lord Rofman told me.

I said it was impossible.

Empress Via genuinely cared for Prince Seltis.

If she knew Emperor Parisis had killed her father, she wouldn't be able to love Prince Seltis, who is his son."

But, Ruitas continued.

"She lived with you knowing everything.

She tried to protect you, knowing everything.

That's just like Empress Via.

She left a message so you wouldn't be hurt when you found out the truth."

"You are loved," Ruitas said, and Alex listened with a flat voice.

"How do you know?"

Alex downed the wine in his cup in one go.

Since Alex was about to get drunk, Ruitas had chosen a less potent wine today.

He thought this wine would be enough for the lord, but with his current state of mind, he might end up with a bad hangover.

"I know. She disappeared for your sake."

"Why can you say that so confidently? I'm not as confident as you."

Alex twisted his lips in self-mockery.

"I went to talk to Evbeck. He had been protecting Empress Via for a long time, so I thought he might know something."

"Did he say anything?"

"At Lord Rofman's fortress, Empress Via said that the emperor had political reasons for making her a concubine.

When asked why she would say such a thing, she said that if the emperor married a new empress and the concubine made her feel uncomfortable or uneasy, it would be better to tell her.

To stabilize your position, it was necessary to marry a new empress with a strong backing, and the concubine, who would be a hindrance, should be eliminated."

Evbeck was shocked when he learned that Empress Via had left.

He seemed to have known something, but it was not something he could accept.

After listening to the story, Ruitas was about to leave when Evbeck stopped him and asked one more thing.

He had always wondered why he was chosen as Empress Via's guard.

Did you have a dream or something, he asked.

So Ruitas told him not to tell anyone and revealed the truth.

He also told Evbeck to forget about Empress Via from then on.

"Empress Via... had no other choice.

Even if you married a new empress, as long as Empress Via was by your side, the new empress would be neglected.

Women are very sensitive to a man's gaze and words, and if they sense that you love someone else, Empress Via would be hated.

And the country would be in turmoil."

"I know."

Alex answered with a voice devoid of emotion.

"Long ago, when the Empress Dowager was still alive, didn't you visit the Crystal Palace at night?"

When asked by Ruitas, Alex said in a dry voice, "I remember. I did visit. The Empress Dowager told me to keep my distance from Via, and I couldn't help but go see her."

"Did you go to talk to the Empress Dowager?"

"What's the point of bringing that up now?"

Alex laughed with a sigh.

"It's too late to bring up that day."

"No, I finally understand."

Ruitas filled Alex's empty cup to the brim.

"I visited the head maid who was close to Empress Via, thinking she might know something.

She told me that after you left that day, Empress Via cried uncontrollably.

She sobbed like a child, cried all night, and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

I was asked if you had said something to push Empress Via to that point...

If that was the case, there was nothing I could do."

Alex looked down at his cup. The wine, which he was used to, tasted bitter.

"No, that's not it."

Alex whispered.

"I didn't tell Via to keep her distance from me."

I just asked her resentfully if she was going to leave me.

"Via said she would forget me and be happy. So I told her I couldn't forget.

I can't give up on you, I told Via."

I can't get drunk... Alex thought. He had been drinking since he returned to his room, but it wasn't affecting him at all.

"That's all.

Via didn't even respond to my words."

I let Via say all the painful things.

If I had let her go, she would have prepared enough to live without worry and said goodbye properly before leaving.

"I should have let her go."

Regret tore at his chest. Alex clenched his fists.

"Because I didn't allow it, she had to leave like she was running away.

She couldn't even say goodbye to her only brother. If I had let her go!"

Alex covered his face with both hands. Tears fell through his fingers.

"Your Majesty, that's enough!"

"It's too late. Ruitas, what should I do?"

His trembling voice fell into the dim room.

Did she have enough money to live without worry? Does she have a place to stay tonight? Is she feeling lonely on her journey alone?

He couldn't stop the sobs, no matter how hard he tried.

All that was left was unending regret.

Knowing he couldn't make her happy, he couldn't let her go and kept her confined. In the end, he let her leave alone.

He couldn't do anything for the woman he loved.

Ruitas was hugging his shoulder and saying something desperately, but Alex couldn't hear it.

He just kept drinking, cursing himself and the world.

"Just today. Forgive me."

As he was about to lose consciousness from being drunk, he apologized to Ruitas, who was holding him.

Lifting Alex's body onto the bed, Ruitas looked down at his lord, who had finally fallen asleep, and whispered, "It's okay."