Chapter. 6
As Goyo turned off the lights upon leaving the reception room, Annecy regained his senses in the darkness.
His eyelids slowly lifted. The thoughts that had been swirling in his mind were now dulled to a gray, but within, a blue flame flickered to life.
‘If you think about it, it’s simple.’
What he had promised Chloe was Goyo Rubiette’s freedom. However, if Goyo chose her own path, then the promise would become meaningless.
Recalling the part of his vow, it became clearer: what he vowed was to prevent Goyo’s tragedy, something he would have done regardless of the promise.
By keeping both the promise and the vow, he could obtain what he desired, provided Goyo chose Annecy Bethelgius for herself.
Moreover, the situation was quite positive. Their relationship appeared good on the surface, and his wife seemed to like him a little.
While the fact that Rubiette was his enemy weighed on his mind, it was likely something Goyo did not know…
‘It’s the story about how I said I knew more than you thought.’
As the past words resurfaced, Annecy’s thoughts, which had been flowing smoothly, came to a halt.
Goyo already knew he was the illegitimate child of Malatoi II. If that was the case, could he assume that her knowledge stopped there?
As far as Annecy knew, only a few people in Solaris, along with Emperor Edevin, were aware of his lineage.
How did Goyo learn about it? Furthermore, how did Terio Alte find out?
There was only one possible source to speculate about: Mathel Bemp.
Annecy’s eyes brightened. It was a confirmed fact that Mathel was in Solaris.
If Mathel had somehow contacted the two, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had whispered about Annecy.
Perhaps Goyo’s decision to break off her engagement with Terio and accept her own marriage proposal was influenced by that.
He had no knowledge of the details behind why Goyo had given up on Terio or why their engagement was broken.
‘And perhaps that was also the cause of her resignation…’
As his speculations widened, Annecy shook his head. It wasn’t wise to extend his guesses too far based on flimsy evidence. After all, if he kept his interest, he would learn the truth someday.
Regardless, the one thing he needed to do now was clear. He had to make Goyo choose.
He had to ensure she would choose to stay by Annecy Bethelgius’s side, feeling that it was the happiest life for her.
Although he himself had little understanding of happiness, he wasn’t the type to wait idly and do nothing, so he had to take action.
Annecy clenched his fist. Nothing was yet lost.
As his thoughts began to organize, the door to the reception room opened. Without flinching at the light that poured in, he lifted his head to meet the shocked gaze of Kolabe.
“I had a feeling, but you’re still here? What are you doing in the dark?”
“Kolabe Perroto.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Put everything concerning Rubiette on hold.”
“Huh?” He asked, taken aback, but Annecy ignored his confusion as he rose from his seat. He straightened his crumpled clothes and swept his disheveled hair aside.
Soon, having tidied himself up as usual, the man left the office without looking back.
As he heard the sound of Annecy’s footsteps fading away, Kolabe blinked in astonishment.
“…Isn’t your leg getting stiff?”
Though he pretended to be surprised, he had known for some time that his superior was holed up in the reception room.
It was just that he had sensed an unpleasant mood from outside the door, so he lingered in the area, waiting for the right moment. As the sun set, he could no longer delay, so he opened the door to the reception room.
Fortunately, it seemed that Annecy had organized his thoughts by then. Though his expression was calm as he left the reception room, it also appeared resolute.
Moreover, given that he told Kolabe to hold off on everything regarding Rubiette, it seems that the situation is progressing in some way.
‘What a troublesome superior.’
Despite not having done much, Kolabe felt a sense of fulfillment for no reason.
* * *
After the news broke that the awakened heir had dashed out of the Duke’s residence, the low-ranking knight Doram found himself staring at a magical device all day to keep track of locations.
The red dot marking Terio’s position had remained around the capital but then shifted drastically. Looking at the new location, Doram couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.
“Is he out of his mind?”
It was too irreverent to say about the next lord.
Startled by his own words, Doram quickly closed his mouth as his senior knights, who had been monitoring the situation, approached him.
Seeing the position of the red dot, the faces of the knights twisted in unison.
“He went to Avalanche again?”
Waking up after being unconscious and then suddenly rushing off to Avalanche was not a behavior one could rationally comprehend.
The subtle rumors that Terio Alte had lost his mind resurfaced in their minds.
While the unknown headaches could be overlooked, the fact that he would mutter incoherently and see hallucinations at every opportunity made it impossible for those close to him to miss the heir’s strange symptoms.
Even so, they had been cautious in discussing the heir’s matters until now, but they couldn’t serve a madman.
The proud knights’ faces hardened with concern. Just then, a heavy voice cut through the air.
“He’s headed to Avalanche.”
“Y-Your Grace!”
The knights saluted in shock at the appearance of Kontras Alte. He returned the salute with a casual glance and looked down at the magical device.
As expected, Terio’s location was indeed at Avalanche. The middle-aged man’s face was tinged with deep fatigue.
He had chosen Terio as his heir, not just based on his swordsmanship but because he felt a bond with the young man. There had been occasional shortcomings, but he had never regretted his choice to the point of reconsidering it.
However, Kontras now felt he had to reassess the matter of succession for the first time.
There had never been any history of madness in either his maternal or paternal line, so to suddenly exhibit such behavior for no reason was baffling.
Even if it wasn’t madness, it was incomprehensible for the heir to irresponsibly leave without a word.
How unfortunate for Rubiette’s child. Feeling a shallow pity, the Duke pressed his fingers to his eyes.
“Eden. We need to delay the engagement. Inform Rubiette.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And bring Maximan to me. Terio seems to be weighed down by the Alte name.”
At the softly spoken words, Eden flinched but quickly composed his expression and bowed his head.
* * *
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Terio Alte continued to curse.
The situation was the worst. His right arm was broken, and he was burning with fever; his sword had snapped at the waist, making it closer to a blunt weapon than a sword.
Though he had trained to use his left arm in case of emergencies, it had only been a brief formality, so he was not proficient.
No matter how he swung it, the sword didn’t obey his intentions and wobbled everywhere.
Each movement sent pain shooting through his broken arm, and he gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t stop. Perhaps because he looked weak, the oncoming monsters were endless.
In his haste to leave, he hadn’t even prepared a means to contact Alte. To return to the capital, he would have to escape Avalanche on his own and step onto a portal.
As a result, he couldn’t expect any help from the outside, but thanks to his improved skills from past experiences, he wasn’t worried about losing his life.
Moreover, even the swordsmanship he practiced with his left hand was becoming more stable. Yet, rather than dissipating, the anxiety on Terio’s face only deepened.
‘I can’t leave Goyo alone!’
Goyo already knew about Annecy Bethelgius’s background. In that moment of realization, Terio was briefly engulfed by the delusion that Goyo knew everything and had chosen to marry him.
However, that couldn’t be the case. She clearly did not understand the man’s true intentions.
What mattered was not the man’s origins but his motives. It was a filthy ambition to seize the empty seat left by the destruction of Rubiette.
Even just meeting with a friend required numerous secret guards, and as soon as an opportunity arose for a private meeting, he hurried there, revealing her situation.
Fearing that something might go wrong or that Goyo might catch on, he had surrounded her with guards to keep watch.
Yet, even considering the surveillance, the skill of the guards was excessive, and Annecy Bethelgius had arrived far too quickly. What could that possibly mean?
As soon as Terio pondered this, a chill ran down his spine. The time was drawing near.
Having married earlier than he did with Melissy, it was impossible to gauge when Bethelgius would make his move.
But if Terio truly had traveled back from the future and the one responsible was Annecy Bethelgius…
If he had memories of the future as well…
It was only natural that the time taken to carry out his plans would be reduced.
With his face as pale as a sheet, Terio tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
He couldn’t afford to disregard Goyo’s actions as cold and oblivious. He couldn’t let things be. The image of Goyo filled his mind.
A body as stiff as a wax figure, disheveled hair, unblinking eyes, and a mouth that wouldn’t smile.
Terio Alte never wanted to see Goyo Rubiette’s corpse again. No matter what accusations he had to hear from her or what price he had to pay, even if he had to do something unimaginable for a knight, he would do it to prevent that from happening again.
A firm resolve settled in Terio’s heart.
He decided he would do whatever it took to snatch Goyo away from Annecy Bethelgius.
No matter the consequences, it would be better than Goyo’s death.
* * *
After parting ways with Annecy, Goyo headed straight for her room.
After sending Anne away and closing the door, only the sound of her breathing mingled with the rain in the quiet room.
She tucked her chin in, straightened her neck, opened her chest, and stood with her shoulders back, maintaining a posture that kept her feet aligned, neither turned outward nor inward.
Standing tall as usual, Goyo gazed intently into the empty air.
Her body began to lean. Her back pressed against the door, her head bent forward as it could not remain upright. The neatly combed hair slipped down like a curtain, casting a shadow.
Leaning at an angle against the door, she gripped the hem of her coat with both hands, gazing down at the floor for a long while.
“…No.”
A faint, misty voice drowned in the rain.
She couldn’t allow herself to hope.
Her heart couldn’t change.
Nothing had changed.
“Please.”
Pressing against her trembling chest, Goyo tightly closed her eyes. The scent of the man emanating from Annecy’s coat was overwhelmingly thick, suffocating her.
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