Chapter 131
131
Cavalrymen dragged prisoners bound with ropes across the ground. At the front of the group was Iason.
“T-The Castulo Grand Duke! Why is that man still here?”
The people of Baldina gasped in surprise as they recognized Iason’s face.
Had he not been caught trying to slander the Princess and expelled from the Royal Capital just recently by the order of the Queen Dowager?
“We found him hiding in a village behind the Rebels' lines. He and his men were fully armed.”
“This is a misunderstanding! I was merely trying to lend a hand in suppressing the Rebels!”
At Giliphos’s words, Iason hurriedly made an excuse.
He had fled with Ost, but in the end, he could not escape Giliphos’s relentless pursuit and was captured like this.
On the journey back, being dragged like a beast of burden, he had heard the news that the King of Baldina had returned.
And now, inside the castle, Iason saw the bloodied Regent Duke being held captive and the mountains of corpses of his private soldiers.
‘It failed. It failed spectacularly!’
Who could have known the King would return so early! And that he would evade all the Regent Duke’s numerous traps!
Iason bit the inside of his cheek, struggling to keep his composure.
However, Iason wasn't the only one whose mind was racing furiously. The Regent Duke’s eyes gleamed.
“I-It was the Grand Duke, Your Majesty. The Grand Duke did this and pinned it on me. Look, see what he intended to do by bringing private soldiers into Baldina...!”
The Regent Duke moved first. He shifted all the blame for this incident onto Iason.
Iason was appalled.
He wanted to strangle the Regent Duke for his shameless behavior, being the mastermind of this mess while attempting to frame him.
“King of Baldina, that is not true. This is a vulgar frame-up by that man to escape his crimes.”
Iason suppressed his rising anger and hurriedly defended himself.
His soft and moderate voice made him sound like a man who had been falsely accused.
“You may not know, but despite being a member of the Kazen delegation, I worked hard to ensure that twice the amount of relief reached Baldina. I even helped the Princess by guaranteeing a fair duel. How could a man like me seek to harm Baldina?”
However, Siseo did not allow Iason to subtly rewrite the facts to gain Peleus’s favor.
“Castulo Grand Duke, is it also a frame-up that you secretly brought wolves into the Royal Hunting Competition to attack Princess Her Highness Medeia and cause her to fall from a cliff?”
Siseo’s cheek, struck by the Regent Duke’s knight, was swollen, and his monocle was cracked.
Yet, his characteristic cold and sharp points remained unchanged. He was truly the Iron-Blooded Prime Minister.
“For that matter, the Queen Dowager expelled the Grand Duke from Baldina. Instead of returning to Kazen, you deceived our eyes and brought in an army. Were you not holding a grudge against the Baldina Royal Family and trying to help the Rebels?”
“That’s right! That man planned to kidnap Medeia and then stage a rescue from the Rebels to set foot in the Royal Capital again!”
The Regent Duke chimed in, seizing the opportunity.
The fact that Siseo was a political rival he had wanted to kill was forgotten.
He was now desperate to turn the blame toward Iason.
‘I must survive first. I must avoid execution at all costs!’
Even if it meant turning the Grand Duke, who had been on his side, into an enemy.
The loyalty they shared was short-lived, and the instinct for immediate survival was greater than anything else.
Where was the man who had just been shouting for the throne while threatening his mother and niece?
People furrowed their brows.
If one aspires to the highest position, they should at least show the qualities befitting it.
The Regent Duke’s shameless attempt to avoid execution felt nothing short of pathetic.
The people present were not fools.
There was no way they wouldn't notice that some kind of agreement had passed between the Regent Duke and the Grand Duke of Kazen.
‘No matter how much he wanted to be King, he brought in the Grand Duke of Kazen? Did he intend to make our Baldina a vassal state of the Empire?’
Meanwhile, Iason lamented.
He wanted to gouge out his own eyes for trying to plot for power with such a foolish and cunning man.
“Castulo Grand Duke, confess now. You came to Baldina targeting the position of the Princess’s consort, didn’t you? Since Medeia is young and weak, you wanted to take control of Baldina instead and jump into the struggle for the Imperial throne!”
The Regent Duke was relentless.
He did not hesitate to reveal the secret deals made between the two if it could delay his own punishment.
“Regent Duke!”
Iason’s heart sank.
The fact that he had tried to use the Princess and targeted Baldina’s support was all true, but he realized he didn't want the Princess to find out.
“N-No... That’s not it.”
Iason hurriedly turned toward Medeia.
“Princess! Surely, you don’t believe those slanders? I just... truly... sincerely felt affection for you. I can swear to the Gods that I did not expect any reward.”
He reached out his arm and approached her hesitantly. Both his voice and his gaze toward Medeia were desperate.
“...”
However, Medeia took a step back with an expressionless face.
It was because she hated the idea of even Iason’s shadow falling upon her.
The flicker of contempt that passed through her green eyes was momentary.
But even if they hadn't seen each other for a long time, siblings sharing the same blood were different from others.
Peleus noticed that his sister was repulsed by the Grand Duke.
‘Dea, your incompetent brother has made you endure too many hardships.’
From her uncle to the Imperial royalty of Kazen.
His heart ached as he thought of his sister, who must have navigated through treacherous plots and traps alone among a pack of jackals constantly eyeing Baldina.
His blue eyes had already turned incredibly cold at the Grand Duke’s revelation that he had targeted Medeia.
Peleus scanned Iason coldly from head to toe.
As long as he existed, that man would never be able to set foot on this land again.
He had no intention of allowing any filthy scoundrel to approach his only sister.
Iason also noticed the King’s gaze fixed on him. He felt a tingling killing intent at the back of his neck, as if he were being targeted by a hunter.
A sharp hostility also bloomed toward Iason from among the Agema.
‘That greasy Grand Duke of Kazen dares to covet our Princess Her Highness! Even—’
After achieving victory on the plains through Medeia’s wit and warning, the Princess had long since become an object of respect among them.
Iason felt like he was going crazy in a situation where no solution was in sight.
“King, there truly has been a misunderstanding.”
“Then, Grand Duke, can you prove that any of this is untrue?”
Medeia’s calm question pierced Iason’s chest.
Fake evidence created by the Imperial Princess existed, and now he had been caught at the scene involved in a rebellion.
Iason knew himself that mere verbal excuses were useless.
“While misunderstandings and mistakes are complexly intertwined, I will not run away from the damages Baldina has suffered. I will surely compensate you later. Sufficiently so that Baldina is not disappointed. To ensure this matter does not interfere with the relationship between our two countries—”
“There is no need for that.”
Peleus’s chilling voice echoed.
Iason’s eyes widened. Was the King believing his words? A ray of hope appeared in his eyes.
“Your Majesty, you must not let this matter slide.”
When Siseo, who could not understand his judgment, stepped forward, Peleus continued.
“Because the payment for a life will be settled right here and now.”
What does that mean?
Iason didn't even have time to wonder.
Peleus drew his sword. In the place where only the soft sound of cutting through the air remained—
“Ugh, argh...!”
The knight standing next to Iason collapsed. A laurel wreath crest was engraved on his helmet.
Those watching the scene could not hide their shock.
In the moment that overflowing, sharp killing intent pressed down on their shoulders, a life had ended.
“Grand Duke, since I am letting you live completely without a single scratch despite being captured while helping the Rebels, you surely won't miss a single limb.”
*Clack.* Peleus sheathed his sword again.
There was even a sense of solemnity in his efficient movements.
“However, I will officially request the Empire to pay the price for a Kazen royal interfering in Baldina’s internal affairs and threatening my sister later.”
As if this wasn't the end, his method of gradually cornering the opponent resembled that of his kinswoman.
Iason was dumbfounded.
The one who died was Ost, the only shadow guard he had left. An alarm went off in his head.
‘Did he kill him knowing Ost’s identity? Was the one targeting me from behind earlier also the King?’
It was unclear whether the chilling rage in the blue eyes was for the one who targeted his sister or for the Castulo Grand Duke himself.
However, one thing was certain.
The King before him, who had killed the shadow guard in the blink of an eye... was silently warning Iason.
*If it weren't for him, it would have been you.*
Chills ran down Iason’s spine.
