Chapter 28
“Your Majesty.”
“Is it not so? Even if he is his son, he always keeps such matters a secret from the Marchioness, does he not?”
“…….”
When Count Jerome protested with silence, Leopold swept a hand roughly over his face and burst out in frustration.
“I am asking because I am stifled! Truly stifled!”
He had torn the bodies of the captured Reinhardt agents into tiny pieces and fed them to the dogs, yet his rage remained unquenched.
“What happened to the two wolf cubs we caught? Have they spilled anything at all?”
At Leopold’s question, Count Jerome let out a short sigh.
“As I have told you, they are the sort of men who will not say a word about their master even if their limbs are hacked off.”
“Then pluck out their eyes.”
“…….”
“If they won’t open their mouths even after losing their limbs, then don’t cut them—throw them into boiling oil. If that doesn’t work, flay them alive. I need to know exactly how many wolves are under that bastard, who his subordinates are from top to bottom… only then can I draw a picture of how to kill him!”
Count Jerome clicked his tongue inwardly.
Three Reinhardt agents had already been brutally slaughtered. Whether they threw the remaining agents into boiling oil or gouged out their eyes, he would do it if it yielded results, but at this point, it was nothing more than a futile exercise. No, beyond being futile, it would only serve to provoke Oscar, who was likely already incensed beyond measure.
The problem was that only by killing the wolves in such a manner could King Leopold’s anger be somewhat mollified. And for Count Jerome, that was the better path. Since he had failed to produce results, he had to soothe the King’s wrath however he could.
“I understand, Your Majesty. However, since the torture is already underway, please understand that they may die from shock.”
Leopold pressed his eyes shut before opening them and flicking his hand. The Head Maid, who had been standing stiffly, saw the signal and immediately poured wine. However, she did not present it to the King right away; instead, she used a dropper to place a single drop of the wine onto the back of her hand. Only after she had tasted it for poison did she hand the glass to the King, and Leopold took it with practiced ease.
“If I am to fully possess that steel company, the pillar of Luxen, that man must die properly.”
It was an era where royal families were crumbling.
Land was no longer the source of wealth and power. In such times, if the steel company known as the furnace of East Norfolk were nationalized and became the property of the royal family, he could become a true king with both power and wealth in his hands. He would no longer have to worry about the fall of the monarchy.
But for that to happen, Oscar had to die, and to do that, he had to drag Reinhardt’s wolves to the surface.
Like lava hidden beneath the earth, Oscar had hidden his paramilitary group with uncanny skill. Some days, Leopold wondered if there were only a few of those secret wolves at most; other days, he couldn’t sleep for fear that they outnumbered the entire royal army.
As a throbbing headache spread, Leopold furrowed his brow and drained his wine.
It was then that the Head Maid spoke.
“Furthermore, it appears the Marquis has met with the King of Pelfe. It seems the Baden Grand Duke will soon be dismissed from his position as president.”
“…….”
Leopold’s brow contorted even more fiercely.
About three years ago, Oscar had turned that idiot in Pelfe into something resembling royalty. He had even seated him in the position of president of Pelfe Bank.
Why? What was in Pelfe Bank?
But he could never find out. The ultimate reason Leopold had secretly approached the Baden Grand Duke was for that very purpose, but an idiot was an idiot after all.
“How can he be so utterly ignorant?”
The Baden Grand Duke knew nothing—not who had opened the vault Oscar coveted, nor what was inside it. If anything, the King’s unease had only grown. To make matters worse, the assassination had failed.
His late father, the former King, had always said:
“Reinhardt is a wolf. A wolf is not a dog. They know nothing of loyalty or obedience. They move only for their own purposes.”
He had left a will stating that the lone young wolf must never be allowed to grow to adulthood.
“Never let the lone young wolf reach maturity.”
And yet, it had seemed the boy would die on his own without the need for killing. His family was ruined, and his mother had abandoned him. Since he didn’t even attend the Academy where even low-ranking nobles enrolled, there were days when Leopold had forgotten his very existence.
It had been a fatal mistake.
“So, where is the Marquis now? Is he still in Pelfe?”
“No. We have word that the Marquis’s train is heading toward the capital. However…”
“However?”
“A mysterious woman is accompanying him. They say she is clearly not a maid, and that the situation is rather strange.”
“A woman?”
As Leopold reacted, Count Jerome bowed his head even deeper.
“Yes. I will investigate further and report back.”
Though the King clicked his tongue sharply at the mention of ‘investigating further,’ a twisted curiosity flickered in his eyes.
That Oscar von Reinhardt was bringing a woman?
It was the first meaningful thing to emerge from their tedious and useless conversation.
At that moment, Seo-ah—who had no idea that her existence was piquing the interest of the King of Luxen—was trembling with anxiety inside a magnificent carriage.
Only a few dozen minutes ago, the train that had been running smoothly came to a stop in the middle of nowhere, not even at a station. Then, they had abruptly told her to get off.
When she asked if this wasn’t a station, they told her they would be traveling by carriage from here on. She needed to know something to even attempt a protest, but since she knew nothing, she had no choice but to do as she was told.
When she stepped off the train, a very sturdy-looking carriage was waiting for her, having arrived at some point. Meanwhile, the train departed, and Abel held out a hand as if telling her to hurry and board. All her belongings were with him, and the only remaining option was to get into the carriage.
Seo-ah held her breath and climbed inside.
The interior of the carriage was as well-decorated as the train. As she sat pressed against the window, Abel climbed in and sat opposite her, and soon the carriage set off.
Gazing at the unfamiliar scenery, Seo-ah asked as calmly as possible, “How much longer until we reach the mansion?”
“We’ll arrive in about twenty minutes.”
Nodding slightly, Seo-ah secretly wiped her palms.
With no one she could trust, every minute and second felt as long as an eternity. Unlike the endless plains they had passed through, the carriage was now traveling over dry land dotted with piles of stones. She saw a few old, unpainted houses here and there, and then, all of a sudden, a cluster of houses large enough to be called a village appeared. When she saw children playing among them, her racing heart calmed slightly.
“Is this Vues, the capital of Luxen?”
At Seo-ah’s question, Abel glanced outside and replied.
“No. This is outside the capital. We’ll be crossing the Rotten River soon; that river is the boundary of the capital. Once we cross it, we’ll be in Vues.”
A short while later, just as Abel had said, the river came into view.
Seo-ah sat close to the window and looked down at the clear river water flowing beneath the bridge. It was the highest bridge she had ever seen in her life. While she briefly wondered how such a bridge could have been built, the city she encountered as soon as the carriage crossed the river was enough to make her forget even her anxiety.
The Pearl of Norfolk, the city of culture and art—in Vues, not even a common streetlamp was made without care. Lamps shaped like leaves and flowers stood at intervals, and flower baskets were invariably hung from their middles.
On the sidewalks, which were separated from the roadway by a curb, long rows of shops were each beautifully decorated. People moved freely in and out of the stores, and in the sunny outdoor areas, there were always people sitting at tables, conversing.
But it was too early to be impressed by that alone.
After passing through the long stretch of shopping streets, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a wide plaza. The carriage slowed for a moment to enter the circular plaza before moving again. When they were halfway around the plaza, which felt more refined than flamboyant, its centerpiece revealed its grand form.
Atop a pillar taller than a man stood a bronze statue of a man on horseback. Holding the horse’s reins in one hand and a long sword in the other, the man looked straight ahead with a firm expression. The eyes shaded beneath his military cap gave off an intense yet dark impression.
“That is the statue of the Late Marquis Reinhardt, His Excellency.”
At the sudden voice, she turned her head, and Abel gestured toward the window.
“The Late Marquis…?”
“His Excellency’s father.”
Seo-ah looked back out the window.
Now that he mentioned it, there was a resemblance. Especially that shadowed, intense gaze.
A father who remained only as a statue…
“Then is that building behind it the Reinhardt Mansion?”
“No.”
The voice of denial felt strangely sharp.
“That is the Royal Palace.”
