★★47. Duke Sabelisa and Earl Lansmoris★★
Crossing the long bridge of ash-gray bricks, a majestic castle in black comes into view. The iron gate, its end pointed sharply upward, seemed bristling with spikes. A knight clad in solid armor stood guard in front of it.
Cliff, a vassal of the Sabelisa family, received the knight’s salute and hurried into the castle. The intensely shining morning sun seemed to be absorbed by the gleaming black walls, reflecting the current mood of the mansion’s owner.
Guided by a butler who had spent many years in the mansion, Cliff arrived at the duke’s office, which was impressive in its grandeur.
Cliff opened the massive wooden door, full of the marks of time, and entered. The door, usually well-maintained, opened silently despite its weight. He quickly approached the Duke of Sabelisa, who was sitting in front of a large desk at the end of the spacious office.
“Your Grace.”
Hearing the call, the duke slowly lifted his head.
“Earl Lansmoris has dispatched the Royal Fifth Knight Order.”
Upon hearing Cliff’s words, the duke’s eyes, nearly black in their dark gray, sparkled. With a heavy voice, he issued an order.
“Inform Henry immediately to set out with a select group of elite troops, armed with the bare minimum.”
At the duke’s command, Cliff placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply with due respect.
“Your command shall be obeyed!”
Cliff hurried out of the office.
The Duke of Sabelisa turned and looked out the window. Slowly rising, his body sturdy and large as befits one long accustomed to wielding a sword, he stared blankly at the clear sky from the large window of the office. Another opportunity to pursue traces of his nephew had finally presented itself.
Having been away from the capital for too long, it had taken too much time to return and search for his nephew. Just when he thought he had finally located him, he vanished again. He had no choice but to return empty-handed from Carpasinus Castle. Despite sending out knights to follow their usual routes, he had yet to receive any reports of finding his nephew and his knight order.
The thought of his still-missing nephew, just a few days behind, made his stomach churn and his mouth dry. It was as good as his own mistake. He had taken that deceitful face too lightly. He should have prioritized his nephew’s safety over his brother’s last wishes…
The duke’s cooling dark gray eyes spotted a line of knights riding towards the mansion gate.
“How dare they, treating the Royal Knight Order as if they were personal troops. And under the pretext of pursuing the crown prince…”
As he remembered the Lansmoris family, who had taken control of the palace in his absence, he gritted his teeth.
“Crown Prince, where on earth are you?”
It had been years since he last saw him, so long he couldn’t count. He wondered how much the prince had grown, feeling excited yet guilty at the thought, as if he couldn’t bear to look.
Yet, the duke couldn’t give up.
“Even if it’s late, what needs to be reverted, must be.”
To set the twisted Kingdom of Capitis right, he was prepared to sacrifice even his life.
***
At that moment, the Capitis Royal Palace was filled with the sound of breaking things. Every teacup and vase in the grand and luxurious private reception room where the queen stayed lay shattered on the floor. The sound of furious, ragged breathing filled the room.
“Running around like a rat!”
With a gesture full of irritation, she summoned a maid.
“What are you doing? Clean it up.”
Accustomed to such occurrences, the maid began to efficiently clear away the broken pieces. The queen lazily brushed back her silver hair, now completely accustomed to the gesture.
“Where on earth is the royal treasure and the seal hidden?”
As the search of the palace became increasingly desperate, she grew more anxious.
“Brother insisted that I find the seal…”
Now, only one place remained.
“It’s protected by magic… How do I break through it? This cursed Capitis royalty!”
What were they hiding that only direct royal family members could access it?
“It’s the only place left… Only there…”
She was certain that everything she was looking for would be found there. Barbara, the Steward, watched the queen murmuring to herself with a cold gaze, then quickly reported at the whisper of a maid.
“Your Majesty, Earl Lansmoris requests an audience.”
“What? My brother?”
It seemed too early for her to think otherwise, so her ash-gray eyes widened in surprise. However, she soon responded with a smile that bloomed across her face.
“Let him in quickly. Oh, and bring new tea and snacks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Barbara instructed a maid to prepare fresh tea and hurriedly went out to bring Earl Lansmoris. In that short time, the reception room had been tidied, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
A middle-aged man with blond hair and golden eyes entered as if it were his own room, without even a formal greeting to Bella, who was acting as the regent queen of Capitis.
Despite not having permission, Earl Lansmoris took his seat on the sofa as if it were his own, to which Bella greeted him warmly.
“Have you arrived, brother?”
Instead of criticizing his behavior, she offered a greeting mixed with affection. Lansmoris frowned unpleasantly and grumbled.
“What can you possibly do on your own?”
A maid quickly prepared the tea and cautiously placed the cups in front of them. In the meantime, Bella, whose expression had turned pale, looked down sorrowfully. Regardless of her royal status, he scolded her as if she were still the young sister under his control.
“If only you hadn’t let that happen, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this now. Thankfully, because we found the place he frequents recently, how fortunate are we that we can now deal with him.”
Earl Lansmoris lifted the slightly cooled teacup elegantly, his expression full of disgust. He brought the teacup close to his nose, deeply inhaling to appreciate the aroma before tasting a small sip.
While he savored the premium tea, Bella glanced at him sideways and cautiously asked.
“Did you find it?”
Earl Lansmoris, who had been enjoying the tea with his eyes closed, suddenly furrowed his brow deeply.
“Was there ever something I couldn’t do?”
From being a mere earl to now displaying arrogance, he briefly wore a malicious smirk before adding.
“Since I’ve sent the knight order he usually trusts… he should be pleased.”
“Well done. As expected, brother.”
Knowing well that praising him would improve his mood, Bella forced a smile and spoke.
“Anyway… you’re still of no use.”
The spell that had tormented her since childhood cruelly slipped from his lips. He put down his teacup and took a small piece of cake served by the maid on a little plate, letting it melt in his mouth. Pleased with the cake dissolving smoothly, he narrowed his eyes at Bella. His cold golden eyes looked at her and said.
“If you hadn’t known that magic, you would have been expelled from the family long ago. It’s the family’s power that brought a bastard like you to this position. Everything you enjoy belongs to the family. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Having heard the same speech since entering the palace, Bella nodded automatically.
“Of course. How could I forget, brother?”
“Hmm, good.”
After a brief reply, the earl finished the rest of his tea.
Glancing at the earl, who seemed to be in a better mood, Bella silently sighed in relief. She no longer wanted to be scolded by her brother. She wanted to be recognized by him and truly become a member of the family.
That was far more valuable to her than becoming the queen of Capitis.
★★48. Discovery of a second village outside the castle★★
Sylvia woke up feeling suffocated. Something firm yet warm was pressing down on her face as if it was going to crush her.
“Ugh, wha, what?”
She tried to push it away with her hand, but it wouldn’t budge easily, irritating her.
“Ah, what!”
She muttered in a hoarse voice, and from above her head, an equally irritated voice fell.
“Just stay still.”
Felix, who had woken up due to Sylvia tossing and turning in his arms, tightened his grip unconsciously and pulled her closer.
Sylvia was frozen, unable to move due to their bodies being perfectly pressed together. The drowsiness that had been clinging to her vanished in an instant. She moved her lips, calling out to him in a bewildered tone.
“Felix?”
The nuance of her voice suggested she had no idea why he was there. Felix, intoxicated by the feeling of sleeping next to someone, was in a good mood. It was warm and cozy. However, Sylvia’s continuous tossing and turning made the sweet sleep completely disappear, slightly irritating him.
“Why.”
It was still before dawn, and he thought it would be nice to sleep a bit more. He couldn’t understand why she kept moving and calling out.
Sylvia blinked her innocent eyes at his brusque voice.
“Why, you say…”
She wanted to ask the same question.
Why are you sleeping here?
Unable to fully recall the events of the previous day, Sylvia was flustered.
Feeling her trying to wiggle out again, Felix lifted his hand and patted her back, recalling what his mother used to do when he couldn’t sleep as a child.
Pat, pat.
The rhythmic patting made her body relax. Sylvia sighed softly, feeling the sleepiness creeping back. She had exhausted herself both mentally and physically the day before and was still tired.
Feeling the warmth of his palm, Sylvia decided it was time to catch up on sleep. She didn’t think he would answer her questions now. Not understanding what was going on, she decided to sleep first.
With a mindset of “Oh well, I don’t care,” Sylvia closed her eyes. Felix stopped his hand when he heard her breathing regularly and adjusted his hold on her before closing his eyes as well.
The sleep was incredibly sweet.
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