Chapter 20
#20
Atlind Kill.
The youngest son, whom he had obtained with difficulty even at the cost of losing his wife, could only see the world with one eye.
Even then, he had to endure the coldness of those who looked at him with hateful eyes, and the son became engrossed in looking at his inner self rather than looking at the world.
Atlinde was now well past his youth, but to Kill, he was still like a child. His particularly fresh and kind nature seemed to contribute to that image.
Such a kind son was reduced to a laughingstock simply because he was one-eyed.
Unable to marry and treated coldly in society. The most intelligent and calm son in the family had to be treated coldly by people for that one reason alone.
Kill's decision to become king was largely due to Atlinde's influence.
As he recalled this, a heavy feeling washed over him, and Kill raised his sunburnt hand to caress his son's empty eye socket.
"Do you know, Atlinde? Me becoming king means that when my history ends, you will also become king."
Atlinde blinked his wide eyes and retorted as if asking what he meant.
"How can I when I have a brother... You're saying something ridiculous."
"Zen has everything: this Duke's Castle, a wife, and children. He was born ordinary and lived an ordinary life of luxury. He agreed with my opinion."
"......Father."
"Atlinde. This father wants to give you the world."
Kill held his son's shoulders and swallowed the rising emotions.
He wanted to give his child, who was born with a misaligned eye due to bad parents, a gift more brilliant than anything else. A gift that he desired and that everyone would envy.
"I know what you mean, Father, but... I am not worthy of it."
However, Atlinde lowered his head with a troubled expression.
Since he was originally of a weak nature, he would only be embarrassed by such words. Kill smiled kindly and patted his son's shoulder.
"I'm not saying we should do it right away. I'm telling you to prepare your mind in advance. When the time comes, you won't hesitate either."
Atlinde, who had been hanging his head, nodded with a bitter face.
"I'll think about it. But... Father."
"What is it?"
Atlinde, who had been hesitating and twitching his lips, opened his mouth with reluctance.
"Please don't kill Sir Heiberg."
Kill, who had been listening intently, burst into loud laughter, wondering what he was talking about.
Unlike his son, who was the same age but buried himself in books in the territory, Walter Heiberg had left a brilliant mark and became a symbol of the kingdom.
It was inevitable that Atlinde would admire such a Walter. His son used to get excited whenever the story of the Grand General came up, but it seemed he admired Walter even more deeply than he thought.
Kill stroked his lips and composed his smile.
"I don't know. Can I control someone so skilled in martial arts as I please?"
"But Father...!"
"Alright. If that's what you want, I'll try. It would be a waste to kill such an outstanding general."
"Really?"
Kill nodded and gripped his son's shoulder tightly.
"Yes. If I can subdue him, the other lords will easily bow their heads to me, so keeping him alive would be very useful. It wouldn't be bad to persuade him and make him a dog to protect you, Atlinde."
Atlinde frowned slightly at the word "dog," but he nodded silently, as if he liked the idea of keeping him alive.
He was still like a child. Kill held Atlinde's hand tightly and began to walk towards the Duke's Castle.
The twilight, filled with dusk, fell heavily on the shoulders of the two men standing side by side.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The royal palace, devoid of residents, was filled with the desolate air characteristic of abandoned houses.
Lucy, who had passed through the corridor and arrived in front of the audience chamber, stopped and took a lonely breath. Walter, who had followed behind, glanced at Lucy for a moment and pushed the door open instead.
"I apologize if it's a bit disorganized."
The door to the audience chamber, which had been tightly locked, greeted its new owner with a heavy sound.
As soon as the door opened, the maids who had been waiting behind rushed out and hung candles on the wall lamps. Where the darkness had been pushed back, the floor, embossed with a golden eagle with its wings spread wide as if it would jump out at any moment, was revealed.
Lucy stood blankly at the entrance and looked around the audience chamber.
On the altar where the throne was located, a banner with a golden eagle emblazoned on it exuded a strong presence as if it were the owner of the room. As she raised her gaze along the radiance pouring onto the throne, the full moon was shining brightly beyond the round glass dome.
Light, and the throne beneath it.
A space that evokes a reverent atmosphere just by looking at it. However, becoming a person worthy of that status would not be an easy task.
"You may enter, Your Majesty."
After the maids retreated, Walter, who had entered the audience chamber a step late, reached out to Lucy.
He seemed to think that she didn't want to go in because she felt uneasy. Lucy politely pushed his hand away with a reassuring look.
"It's well-maintained for having been locked for so long."
"I ordered the Inner Palace to be cleaned up along with this place. I didn't expect to unlock it so soon."
After roughly looking around the audience chamber, she inspected the hall and garden where the coronation ceremony would be held. She tightly closed the curtains on the windows to prevent any sign of people from leaking out and roamed around the palace with only the minimum number of candles.
It was only after about two hours that the inspection of the royal palace was completed.
As she arrived on the first floor to leave, Lucy suddenly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on the end of the corridor, a familiar yet unfamiliar place.
"It's been a while, here."
The splendid corridor leading to the Inner Palace and the small path leading to the detached palace on the opposite side formed a stark contrast, as if to show the plight of the consorts and Ansila.
Lucy looked at the path with bitter eyes, shook off her emotions, and moved back to the Central Command.
The Command, draped in the curtain of night, was eerily quiet, even after the roll call.
A duty soldier patrolling the area with a lamp saw the two and greeted them politely. Another duty soldier, who had been wandering around the same area, saw the scene and rushed to Walter in surprise.
"You've come at the right time, Grand General. Captain Bomdeman has been waiting in the Inspectorate's office since earlier."
"Huis?"
Walter glanced at Lucy and slightly touched his lower lip.
"I'll stop by for a moment and come back. Please go in first. I'll be right back."
Lucy nodded in agreement, and Walter disappeared towards the main building without looking back.
Huis Bomdeman.
It was a name she had heard somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember. Lucy yawned softly and obediently returned to the commander's office.
"I apologize for making you wait, Your Majesty."
It was about thirty minutes later that Walter returned.
Lucy, who had been sitting on the sofa with a languid face, widened her eyes when she saw the person Walter had brought with him. Walter glanced at Lafi, who was standing next to him, and introduced him.
"This is Captain Huis Bomdeman. He's a friend who is in charge of the 8th Squad of the East Gobi Legion. He will be responsible for Your Majesty's escort and transportation from now on."
A mountain bandit-like Lafi with large golden eyes came into view.
An incredibly large bird.
However, the large hands attached to the ends of its wings were the biggest difference between Lafi and a bird. Below the neatly clenched fists, thin calves that did not match the large size were reminiscent of bird legs no matter how you looked at them.
"Greetings."
Lafi nodded almost imperceptibly and moved his beak.
Unlike other Lafis, whose main colors were gray and brown, this Lafi had white fur that seemed to condense the snowfields of Pomnos as they were.
Above the white fur, which seemed almost sacred, cold black eyes were staring intently at Lucy.
What is it?
Why does he seem to... not like me?
Lucy tilted her head slightly to the side at the blatantly cold attitude. Walter also seemed to recognize him and gave him a low warning.
"Huis. Show some respect to Her Majesty."
"...Huis, Captain of the 8th Squad of the East Gobi Legion."
He was clearly reluctant to answer. Walter, who was about to warn him once again, swallowed his words, thinking that scolding a subordinate in front of his superior was not the right thing to do for either of them.
Unlike the stiff men, Lucy looked at Lafi with interested eyes and nodded with a smile.
"I've heard that the East Gobi Legion is the royal guard. So the rumor that there is a Lafi legion in the guard was true."
"Lafis can deliver news faster than anyone else. They are soldiers who are not known to the outside world because they have a foot in the intelligence department."
Only then did Lucy realize why the duty soldier she had met earlier had glanced at her and looked troubled.
Most of the soldiers still didn't know Lucy's identity. He must have been wondering if it was okay to mention the name of a confidential soldier to such a woman.
"Anyway, it's nice to meet you. It's my first time meeting a Lafi outside of the North. I look forward to working with you."
As she said this and offered a handshake, Huis, who had been wearing a stiff expression all along, showed something resembling an expression.
"Have you met a Lafi before?"
"Yes. I lived in the North for two years."
"Humans don't live in the North. Isn't it cold and harsh?"
"It's true that it's hard for humans to live there. But well... Pomnos is the southernmost of the Lafi cities. It's relatively warm, so it was livable."
Huis opened his beak wide with a shocked look.
What did the woman in front of him just say?
Pomnos was livable?
"Is Your Majesty really... saying that you lived in my hometown?"
