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Chapter 78

"But I'm not sorry."

Allison turned her head away, and as if he were already watching to gauge her reaction, their eyes met.

She spoke word for word, her voice strengthened by her conviction.

"Conceding the position of successor to Russell and choosing to marry under pressure from ministers, I do not regret what happened to me, nor do I regret the choices I made."

Elliot was speechless. He blankly stared at the woman.

"It's a feeling I can't understand. If you were like me---if it was my choice to make, I would have done anything to get it back."

"Should I tell you why I am different from the duke?"

Elliot took an interest in what she had to say, and Allison raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is because what is given to me now is more precious than my future as an emperor."

"Are you talking about having your heir seat taken away and getting married to the Marquis of Rosenberg, which is far from the capital?"

"Huh? The duke thinks I've been taken away, but in fact it's not like that. The only thing I was deprived of was the successor position."

"..."

"I gave it away and got a husband who more than made up for it. This marquis estate and my people---not the aristocrats who tried to drag me down into a muddy fight, but servants who cared for me---if I had to go back and make that decision again, I would still give up the position of the successor."

"..."

"Isn't the duke like that? Aren't the relationships you've formed precious?"

Allison asked, watching Elliot intently.

You must have precious ties right now, but will you throw them away just for rebellion?

She was curious about his answer, but he had a pretty serious expression, as if he were lost in thought and wouldn't reply.

Allison looked at him a little longer, watched his features settle into an emotionless mask, then stood up.

"Now it is time for the butlers to wake up. Excuse me, I will go back."

Elliot followed.

Contrary to earlier, the two headed for the mansion without another conversation.

---

It was around lunchtime, when the sun was up in the middle of the sky, when Elliot heard the news that a man had died on the mountain.

A resident who first discovered the body reported it to Rosenberg Manor.

Elliot hastily headed to the scene of the accident with the knights.

The knights who arrived first found him and reported their findings.

"It is not the work of people, but it is the work of wild animals."

"Alright, from what I can see here, it looks like that. Call someone from the manor to remove the body and inform the bereaved family."

"Yes, sir."

Leaving behind the knights moving in perfect order, Elliot made his way toward the mountain.

A knight spoke to his receding back.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to walk around for a while."

"Please be safe, Duke Proud."

Elliot moved forward, his back straight and undisturbed, and the whispers of knights could be heard from behind.

"After our arrival at the marquisate, the murders we discovered were done by wild beasts."

"Alright, I can't see a possibility where these people hurt their own."

"Is it actually not a murder case, just an accident caused by wild animals?"

"If it was like that, the commander-in-chief would have noticed earlier on and ordered us to return to the Imperial Palace."

"If what has happened so far is just an accident, what was the Commander-in-Chief thinking of when he remained here?"

The further Elliot got from them, the less he heard of them.

And yet, no matter the distance, from what he heard, he could already guess the direction of their thoughts and suspicions.

The deeper he went, the more secluded he became. Elliot, watching his quiet surroundings, smiled to himself.

"Ha. As you said, what happened in the marquisate was an accident. It doesn't matter if we reported to the Imperial Palace and withdrew, but... Not yet."

Elliot, who was walking comfortably on a mountain path, saw a small flower sprouting from the ground.

Even though the weather was cold this morning and getting colder, this small flower survived well with buds that could not open.

He crouched on one knee in front of it and touched the flower bud with the tip of his finger.

"It will be spring soon. Until the founding day... It's not long now."

He got up and moved on.

The occasional wind swept through his fringes, and in that wind, Elliot remembered Allison's words that were spoken to him at dawn.

"Isn't the duke like that? Aren't the bonds you have formed precious?"

"A bond..."

He trailed off.

Was there a relationship that was so precious to him that he did not want to miss it?

At the academy, he built friendships that were only enough to not cause discord.

Since he was an only child and became Duke Proud's heir early, he had frequent interactions with Wells, who was also like him.

However, the age difference was not small, and there was more awkwardness than comfort when we were together.

So was his relationship with Russell.

Rather than awkwardness, he had difficulties dealing with the Imperial Family.

There were nobles close to the Proud family, but they only had a deep relationship with his father.

Elliot never thought it was his fate.

"These are all things my father has done, so the lingering feelings for them..."

There is no regret.

The words didn't come out.

No, it didn't want to let them out.

Because, in his mind, devoid of any connection or light, a single rose popped up out of nowhere.

Many women wooed Elliot.

Rose, however, was different.

Beyond affection and longing, she seemed to think of him as a savior.

She behaved like a person whose life was saved by him.

"But I don't remember meeting Rose."

He knew right away that Rose had mistaken him for someone else.

But he didn't tell her about his guess.

It wasn't that he had feelings for her, but because he thought that if he had to marry someone later, he would be better off with the oblivious girl.

Elliot shook his head lightly.

"The same goes for Rose Honeywell. She is the same as others. Compared to this empire, what is more important to me is..."

...Is this empire really more important?

Some deep desire in the heart whispered an untold truth.

It asked a question that caused a huge stir.

He envisioned his betrothal to Rose and taking her as his wife, as Duchess Proud.

If only Abaddon's body was not in the Proud family and Abaddon's soul was not in Rose's body.

Would I really plan to take her as my companion?

Maybe he would.

Having known Rose all those years, he knew how lovely she was.

"But the reality is that I can't."

This time, he envisioned a different future.

A future where Abaddon's soul was extracted from Rose's body and Tristan was destroyed by turning the capital of the empire into a sea of fire.

I'm not sure what happens when you take out Abaddon's soul, but the vessel probably won't function anymore.

In other words, the moment the soul leaves, Rose will have to die.

Elliot's mind painted an image of Rose falling to her death at his feet.

Ruby-red eyes that have lost their light.

A broken body that grew colder and colder.

As his mind drew out the possibility, Elliot felt his heart thump.

He stopped walking and grabbed his throbbing heart.

"No! I am...! This land, which should have belonged to Proud, is more important to me. This empire that should have been mine---"

Elliot's mouth shut tightly and audibly.

Standing in place and holding tightly onto his chest, he moved on after a long time.

"It's already too late to stop now."

The words he muttered sounded like an excuse he was throwing at himself. Desperately trying to convince himself that the path he chose was the right one.

---

There were small temples all over the Tristan Empire.

However, Gloria's temple, located not far from the capital, was bigger and grander than any other.

News, like dancing flames, flew to them, who cooperated whenever the emperor asked for help and served the gods and goddesses who would exist on this land.

The High Priest in charge of the place read and reread the letter that had arrived from the Imperial Palace yesterday throughout the morning.

The sender was the Duke of Honeywell.

If he concisely deduced the contents, there was a murder case in the Imperial Palace. And since it could not be seen as a murder committed by an ordinary human, the letter was about asking for help.

"Hmm, I don't see it as a human's hand... Will that dream become a reality?"

The High Priest sighed and closed his eyes.

For the past few days, he has been suffering from severe nightmares.

He dreamed of a dream in which Tristan became a sea of ??fire.

The dream was so vivid that I was thinking of visiting the Imperial Palace sooner or later, but it seemed that, without my knowledge, the ominous signs had begun to unfold.

"What on earth is turning our land into a sea of ??fire?"

The priest groaned in helplessness and frustration when a knock rang out in his office.

There was no word of acknowledgement when the door burst open.

"Ambassador! Did you call?"

The one who opened the door and rudely rushed in was a priestess with green hair and blue eyes.

"Kate! You brat! How many times have I told you to knock and ask if you can come in instead of opening the door right away?! Wait for me to call you in!"

"If I ask, will you tell me what's bothering you?"

Kate refused to give up, and she boldly retorted.

The High Priest pretended not to hear and cleared his throat before discovering her outfit.

The body that should have been wearing priestly clothes was now wearing ordinary ones.

The High Priest's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kate.

"You haven't even changed into your uniform yet. What time is it now?"

"Even if that's not the case, I was going to visit the High Priest because of that."

"What? ...No way!"

The High Priest tilted his head and angrily exclaimed when he found the bag lying at Kate's feet.

Kate winked.

"I will go to the capital and earn some money."

"Why do you need money?! The donations and support from the Imperial Palace are enough!"

"Still, I need my personal allowance, and it's not only for me! I will also give some to the temple. I'll share."

The High Priest touched his forehead. He could feel a throb building up.

Kate's occasional trips to the capital to earn money were famous among priests.

She was well versed in divination and used it to tell people's fortunes and get paid.

Even using the pseudonym 'K', she was quite popular in the capital.

She always used to go around the time of the founding festival, but this time it was too early.

"Spring hasn't come yet. Is there a reason you're going this early?"

"There is no reason. Originally, I was going to go around May as usual, however... You were going to send someone to that capital anyway, yes?"

Kate's gaze turned to the letter in the High Priest's hand.

With blue eyes that seemed to see through everything watching him, the High Priest groaned and handed it to Kate.

"Ah... I give up. You noticed this too."

"Sure, I did. I have many ears listening in for me."

The High Priest glanced at Kate, who had received the letter and read it.

Numerous ears.

She might have said so, but her ability was special.

Kate was literally a body chosen by God.

I don't know if God told her or if Kate was using God as an excuse, but her ability also played a part in her fame in the capital.

Using God-given abilities like that... The only person who would use it so freely would probably be Kate.

The High Priest, who felt like crying inwardly, looked at Kate once again when a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Kate."

"Yes."

"Do you know what caused strange things to happen in the Imperial Palace? Did God tell you that too?"

"I don't know the details. He just told me that something bad was about to happen and what kind of situation I had to create to continue the progress of the story."

The High Priest sighed in relief.

It comforted him to know that someone knew about his precognitive dream in which Tristan becomes a sea of ??fire.

"Alright. If that's the case, go to the Imperial Palace right away and tell His Majesty what will happen in the future and how to prepare for it."

Kate abruptly cut off the High Priest's words.

"Ah! By the way, God did give me a command. He said I should do nothing and say nothing until the roses bloom."