Episode 150
“Sob, sob…”
“Darling, darling…!”
The sounds of weeping filled the air, along with the scent of chrysanthemums and the sight of countless gray tombstones.
Duchess Luneus, dressed in the deepest black, watched the mourners from afar, her heart heavy with grief.
Elonia approached her slowly. Duchess Luneus, sensing her presence, composed herself and greeted her.
“Your Highness, you’ve come. I apologize for troubling you when you’re so busy…”
“No, of course I had to come.”
Elonia, also dressed in mourning clothes, surveyed the cemetery. An exception had been made for the Luneus Duchy. After releasing minimal information about the situation, they had distributed the purification potion.
And today, a joint funeral was being held for the victims.
“Are you alright?”
Elonia asked, noticing how frail Duchess Luneus looked.
“Why wouldn’t I be? They’re the ones who lost their loved ones, not me.”
“But you look troubled.”
“It’s about the punishment… It’s difficult to decide. The potion didn’t create new emotions, it just amplified existing ones.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“I don’t know. Leniency would be an insult to the dead, but harsh punishment seems…”
Duchess Luneus trailed off, but Elonia understood.
The potion’s effects were only discernible through behavior. Some might have committed premeditated murder, disguised as impulsive acts. It would take time to uncover the truth.
Elonia’s expression also turned grim, and Duchess Luneus forced a weary smile.
“…That’s an irresponsible answer for a ruler. The fault lies with me, for failing to protect my people. I’m ashamed of my weakness.”
“No, it’s not entirely your fault.”
The Hellington estate had also been targeted by the potion, but it remained unscathed.
According to Alisa’s report, Marquis Hellington had deliberately avoided distributing the potion in his own territory, hoping to frame the Luneus Duchy.
Because they were the weakest.
“Your duchy was just an unfortunate target.”
Elonia tried to comfort her, but Duchess Luneus knew the truth.
House Benedict, Fiona, and Asta would retaliate fiercely if attacked.
But House Luneus valued peace above all else. And she was an elderly woman with a sickly adopted son, no strong heir to protect her.
“Sometimes, weakness is a sin.”
The weak were always the first to fall.
Her duchy had been attacked because she was perceived as weak. It was a grave failure as a ruler.
Would her people resent her?
“I just hope this doesn’t lead to another tragedy, fueled by resentment.”
Duchess Luneus, after a self-deprecating chuckle, changed the subject, her voice brighter.
“You mentioned you had something to deliver to Cielun. He should have finished his treatment by now.”
Don’t worry about me, go see him. Duchess Luneus gently urged her.
Elonia hesitated.
She understood Duchess Luneus’s grief, her sense of responsibility. She placed the chrysanthemum she had brought before a tombstone and offered a silent prayer.
Elonia was surprised when she entered Lucius’s room.
“Valerian, are you okay?”
“…Ah, Your Highness. You’re here.”
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Valerian looked completely drained, as pale as a ghost. Elonia removed her mourning hat and approached him, her voice filled with concern.
“You look worse than before.”
“The Temple has been busy…”
Creating the purification potion required more than just mana. But even the High Priest was involved? Artius was really pushing the nobles hard.
Lucius, in contrast, looked better than before.
‘The problem is, I have to ask him to injure himself again.’
Lucius, sensing her reluctance, averted his gaze. But there was no other way. Elonia lifted the slit of her skirt.
“Your Highness!”
Lucius, startled, covered his other eye, and Valerian, also flustered, quickly turned away.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“My dagger is strapped to my leg. I just came from a funeral, I couldn’t wear it openly.”
Elonia pulled out the dagger and smoothed down her skirt nonchalantly.
Lucius and Valerian thought,
That’s true, but…
“C-couldn’t you have retrieved it when we weren’t looking?”
Valerian asked cautiously, his head still turned away. Elonia, looking at him as if he was being unreasonable, snapped,
“Are you asking me to lift my skirt in the hallway?”
“…”
So it was okay in front of them, but not in the hallway? They were confused by her arbitrary standards.
Elonia, ignoring their discomfort, plopped down onto a plush chair and shrugged.
“I’m wearing pants underneath. It just looks like a dress.”
Is that the issue?
Lucius was exasperated. She still treated them like children, even though they were adults now.
Elonia, oblivious to his thoughts, said irritably,
“So stop covering your eyes and look at me. Is it appropriate to ignore the princess?”
She hadn’t even fully lifted her skirt, just the slit.
She couldn’t understand their embarrassment. Finally, at her command, Lucius and Valerian reluctantly uncovered their eyes.
“Here.”
Elonia held out the dagger to Lucius. Valerian cautiously prepared to leave.
“I’ll excuse myself.”
“No, stay. I need you.”
“…?”
Valerian’s confusion didn’t last long.
Lucius drew the dagger. The worn but sharp blade gleamed under the light.
“Good heavens, Lucius!”
He pressed the dagger against his chest.
Valerian, horrified by the unexpected self-harm, quickly gathered his Holy Power, but Elonia stopped him.
“Your Highness! He needs immediate treatment!”
“I know. Later.”
“What do you mean—?!”
Ignoring Valerian’s protests, Lucius pressed the dagger deeper. It was smaller than the sword, so it was over quickly.
He removed the dagger, blood dripping from his chest, and calmly asked Valerian,
“Please treat me.”
“…Ha.”
Valerian was speechless. There was nothing healers hated more than this.
“Treating people like a healing shuttle!”
Healing someone, only for them to injure themselves again.
Valerian, the epitome of a gentle and compassionate priest, finally snapped.
While Elonia was at the Luneus estate, the nobles were gathered again in the conference hall, chaos erupting once more.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just attack Heilan?!”
“Yes! We still have the hostages!”
“Think, you fool!”
A booming voice silenced the hall. The speaker, his face red with anger, pointed a finger accusingly.
“Did you not hear His Majesty?! The duchies are in chaos! How can you even think of waging war when our own nation is unstable?!”
He was right, but the fact that it was Duke Benedict saying it made Duchess Asta and Duchess Fiona raise their eyebrows. He was probably trying to suck up to Artius to avoid punishment for tax evasion.
But Artius, sighing, nodded in agreement.
“Duke Benedict is right. Our priority is to eradicate the potion of luck and the Church of the Resurrection God.”
“But we can do that after defeating Heilan…”
“Did you not hear His Majesty?! The Luneus Duchy, one of our main military forces, has been severely weakened! Marquis Hellington is dead, and his sister, Lady Alisa, is the new Marquis! This could happen again tomorrow if we don’t eliminate the potion! What good would it do to attack Heilan now?!”
Aaron sharply rebuked the noble. Artius, his hands clasped together, continued,
“And taking the Heilan hostages could provoke the prince and princess. They are, in a way, our connection to Heilan. It’s best not to antagonize them.”
“Isn’t it strange, Your Majesty, that we have to be mindful of a vassal state?”
Other nobles nodded in agreement.
They were ignorant. They didn’t understand the danger. An army intoxicated by the potion could turn against itself.
But arguing with them was pointless. Artius, as always, resorted to fear tactics.
“If you’re so eager to crush Heilan, then go ahead. Attack them yourselves. If you return victorious, I’ll acknowledge your prowess.”
“N-no, that wasn’t my intention…”
Duchess Asta and Duchess Fiona scoffed. Why challenge him if they were going to back down so easily?
“You’re able to sit here and speak because you haven’t ingested the potion. Have you forgotten what happened to those who were discovered during the last meeting?”
Silence fell upon the hall.
They remembered. They were imprisoned in the dungeons beneath the palace, unable to return until their innocence was proven.
“There’s no time for internal conflict. Your duty is to protect your territories and report any suspicious activity to the Imperial Palace.”
That was all.
The meeting was adjourned. Artius left, followed by Aaron, then the Four Dukes, and finally the other nobles.
They grumbled amongst themselves as they left.
“This is basically telling us to suspect each other.”
“Exactly. How are we supposed to trust our own families?”
“This is all Heilan’s fault. Isn’t that right, Marquis Fortrun?”
Marquis Fortrun, startled, nodded distractedly.
“Well, yes.”
“We should have destroyed Heilan back then.”
They seemed to have forgotten the circumstances of the past, conveniently blaming Heilan for their current predicament.
“Sigh…”
Marquis Fortrun sighed and left the hall, but instead of heading towards his carriage, he went to the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
He spotted Alberich and approached him.
“Young Master Asta, or rather, Captain of the Imperial Princess’s Knights. How have you been?”
“Marquis Fortrun. It’s been a while.”
Marquis Fortrun looked Alberich up and down. He had grown so much since he last saw him.
He quickly snapped out of his reverie and asked,
“I apologize for the sudden request, but may I see Sardiana?”