Chapter 116
“To be so two-faced. How filthy, truly filthy.”
As soon as the Queen Dowager finished speaking, the Baldinians swarmed out of the hall. It was a clear declaration that there was no room for negotiation.
Someone spat on the floor. Iason’s face flushed at the blatant insult.
This couldn't be happening. Far from gaining the favor of the Baldinians, he had earned their resentment. It was the very thing he had hoped to avoid most.
With Jared gone and the envoy group turning their backs on him, wasn't this kingdom of Baldina his only remaining hope?
“Brother Iason, please return to Kazen as soon as possible. I hope there is no further disgrace.”
“Angelique, do you think I don’t know you did this?”
Iason couldn't contain himself and glared at her. The 4th Imperial Princess snorted.
“And do you think I didn’t know? That you intentionally tried to hold my weaknesses over me?”
“....”
“Iason, just live the way you’ve always lived. Don’t dream useless dreams. No, actually, even that will be difficult from now on. Because I have no intention of letting you have a peaceful dream.”
The venomous 4th Imperial Princess was triumphant.
On the other hand, she thought she had done well to follow Medeia’s words and make Iason the scapegoat. How shameful was the charge of being expelled for trying to harm the Princess of Baldina? Thanks to this, the duel where she was robbed of the relief supplies would also be overshadowed.
The 4th Imperial Princess’s eyes flickered toward Medeia. Their gazes met, but as if her pride were wounded, the 4th Imperial Princess quickly turned her head away with a huff.
“Grand Duke, please prepare to depart.”
The Royal Knights approached him. They did not even try to hide their aggressive and threatening aura.
“Let go. I will leave on my own feet.”
Iason shook off their arms. His handsome face was violently distorted.
* * *
In the evening, as the sun was slowly setting, the Royal Knights' horses came to a halt at the edge of the Baldina Royal Capital.
“We will end our escort here. Then, Castulo Grand Duke. May we never meet again.”
The greeting, polite yet filled with antipathy, was the minimum courtesy they could offer. The sound of galloping hooves as they turned back without looking, as if they hated to stay a moment longer, left a deep scratch on Iason’s pride.
His eyes turned red from trying to suppress his surging rage. With malice and anger added to his naturally red eyes, he looked extremely fierce.
“Damn it—! Curse it all!”
Unable to overcome his fury, he repeatedly punched the carriage door.
This shameful moment was not his first. Whether it was when he surrendered the imperial throne to his uncle, or when he bit his inner cheek to endure the rising humiliation while pretending to be dull to lower his uncle's guard, Iason had always endured.
However, he never imagined he would be made miserable even in this remote, small nation of Baldina.
“Y-Your Grace, please calm yourself.”
The skin on his hand tore against the iron door, but he couldn't stop.
“I cannot leave like this.”
He muttered with bloodshot eyes.
“I didn't come all this way just to return empty-handed.”
Baldina was supposed to be his brilliant beginning, not another point in a cycle of disgrace.
“Turn the carriage around and send word to Raju Count.”
“Pardon?”
The strategist asked back in surprise, then faltered upon seeing Iason’s ferocious eyes.
“I said we are going to the Claudio Duke Family.”
Not long ago, Raju Count had reported that the Duke's house seemed to be secretly preparing a coup without their knowledge.
“I shall personally assist their rebellion.”
If this foolish country ungratefully rejected him, Iason had no reason to hesitate either.
* * *
Baldina.
At the top of a canyon hidden by dense forests and trees, several men on horseback stood.
“That dot visible in the distance must be the Baldina Royal Capital.”
A middle-aged man on horseback muttered. With red hair and a face full of competitive spirit, he was the leader of the Rebels, Horols.
“The bastards in the Royal Capital will lose their wits in shock when they see us.”
He chuckled.
“You are right. Everything you say is correct, Leader.”
His subordinates chimed in flatteringly.
Horols looked down the mountain, lost in a sweet dream. The black dots filling the plains were all his Rebels.
Though most were ordinary commoners who used to hold farm tools, mercenaries were scattered among the groups to incite and manage them.
“It is sufficient strength to reclaim the Royal Capital and capture that leech-like Princess to hang her up. That witch will now experience firsthand how terrifying the people's wrath is.”
The leader said triumphantly.
“Isn't that right, Theo?”
Horols asked the brown-haired boy riding beside him. He was a rare, handsome boy with sharp features, a build close to that of an adult, and shining masculine lines.
“Theo?”
“....”
Only then did the boy turn around.
“What are you thinking so hard about that you didn't even hear me calling?”
“Ah... yes. Those soaked in luxury and pleasure will surely come rushing out in a panic.”
Horols laughed heartily and patted Theo on the shoulder.
“Are you already thinking about when we reach the Royal Capital? Well, you said you were from the capital. It must feel new.”
“....”
“Your sister will be very proud to see her brother become a hero who saves the people from sorrow. Hahaha!”
Horols was very satisfied with himself for discovering him. In this massive operation funded by the Regent Duke, this boy was the most cost-effective 'item' he had acquired.
He had happened to pick up the dying boy from the streets. Having a father who was a retired soldier, his rage toward the royal family was immense. When coaxed with the idea of tearing down the rotten royal family and saving the people, he had crossed over immediately.
Filled with passion to overthrow the royal family, he worked himself to exhaustion even without being paid a single cent.
Horols’s inner circle was actually comprised of high-ranking mercenaries hired for a heavy price. Unlike the mercenaries who demanded payment at every turn, Theo, who moved well on his own if his 'itch' was scratched just a little, was like his personal clockwork doll.
“We’ll stay here tonight. Thinking about that place burning in chaos soon will make the wine go down very smoothly!”
Horols laughed. His boisterous laughter spread across the sky.
On the plain between the canyons where the twilight had settled deeply, Theo lit a candle. He was alone inside the tent.
Everyone was heavily intoxicated, and the leader was near the campfire with a flushed face, passionately discussing the evils of the royal family with the soldiers.
Amidst the bustling commotion, Theo succeeded in sneaking into the leader’s tent alone.
“To think he not only threatened me with my family but also tried to deceive me...”
He ground his teeth at the cunning tactics of the Baldina royalty.
“You’re being deceived. Open your eyes and look closely. Otherwise, they’ll cut your nose off in the blink of an eye.”
Not long ago, a freckled young man wearing a straw hat had sought him out. With eyes that were slick yet sharp, he had left after tapping Theo on the nose.
When he regained his senses from the brief daze, a strange box was held in his hand. It contained the token he had shared with his sister and a handful of hair.
‘Saya... To think my sister really became that witch’s servant.’
Theo didn't believe it at first. So he had secretly looked into it through someone with connections to the Royal Capital.
“The Princess took a girl she saved from the slums as her servant not long ago. Her name is Saya, and she’s quite famous for being favored by the Queen Dowager as well.”
‘I should have just taken Saya with me.’
But late regret was meaningless. Theo crumpled the letter in his hand.
The letter—no, the threat—sent to him by the Princess of Baldina through the freckled assassin.
The Princess already knew his identity as a strategist for the Rebels and the fact that Saya was his only family. Sending a handful of hair was a threat delivered while holding Saya’s life in her hands.
...You are being deceived. Theo, the convictions and justice you believe in never existed from the start.
The Princess said the leader was a subordinate following the Regent Duke’s orders, and that the rebellion was also a massive conspiracy solely for their own interests to shake the nation.
“It can't be.”
The words leaked through Theo’s clenched teeth.
“Theo, let’s join hands and change this filthy world. Let’s make it so the poor can stand tall and live well enough not to fall behind those who have!”
He had come this far, drawn by that crude yet pure passion, only to find out they were receiving support from the Regent Duke behind the scenes?
“The Princess is trying to drive a wedge between us. She’s using Saya as a pretext to separate me from the leader.”
Theo also knew his own influence well. In truth, the fact that the leader could grow to this scale was all thanks to his own contributions. Most of the Rebels were ordinary commoners; they were drawn by Theo’s persuasion and joined the organization believing firmly in his words.
He had improved their skills by kindly teaching them what he had seen and heard from his veteran father. The fact that there were no major sacrifices while passing through several castles to get here was also entirely Theo’s credit.
“Dammit...”
He muttered. There was no other reason for seeking this out. He only wanted to confirm the truth and show it to the wicked Princess.
The sound of something being opened and rummaged through echoed quietly inside the tent.
“...There is no such thing, it’s just something the Princess put forward to drive a wedge—”
Then he stopped. Theo slowly raised his hand. It was a small piece of parchment stamped with the seal of the Claudio Duke Family.
When the Rebels confront us at the Castle Walls, I will send the Princess out. You wait and kidnap the Princess to show her to the people inside the castle. Say you will execute the witch who abandoned the country and fled.
Along with the Regent Duke’s instructions was a chest filled with gold bars.
Thud. He collapsed to the floor.
