Chapter 84
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But Ferdinand continued, as if to blame her.
"I think Stefan is turning in his grave. The second Ermoli to betray him?................. You don't know what your parents did for him."
Louise’s stomach churned as she listened to the brazen man's words.
Did this mean that her parents were innocent after all, and he was so sure of it, yet he pretended not to know all this time?
No, he hadn't just pretended, for it was Ferdinand who had told the young Caius the whole story.
Louise raised her eyes suddenly.
"You lied to him? You deceived His Majesty all those years, knowing that my parents never betrayed him."
The old man's sea-blue eyes stared down at her. It was a regal gaze, without a hint of shame.
He was a creepily unscrupulous man who never denied a word or made excuses.
"Why.................. did you have to do that? Did it give you the satisfaction of having His Majesty all to yourself?"
Ferdinand frowned.
"Me? Your parents, I swear, were the only ones who wanted to claim the abandoned young prince. It was not the prince I wanted."
The shapeless discomfort finally took shape.
"..............the pearl."
Louise realized.
It was the pearl that Ferdinand had wanted all along.
That's why he had persecuted the young prince for losing it, and why he had waited so long to get it back.
The malice in his eyes suddenly made sense.
Louise had given Caius the pearl that Ferdinand had been secretly searching for behind his back for twenty years.
With that, Ferdinand could no longer manipulate Caius to his will. The late Emperor's son now had the perfect weapon.
This man was the reason her mother hid Caius instead of offering him the pearl. She would have to wait for Caius to escape Ferdinand’s protection.
Louise bit back a gasp of horror.
But she could see no way to escape the loathsome man in front of her.
-Bang!
To make matters worse, something unbelievable happened.
Ferdinand let out a sinister laugh and, out of nowhere, pulled out a gun and shot the man in the doorway.
Blood splashed everywhere. The man fell backwards in one fell swoop, unable to utter a sound.
"Ack!"
Louise was so startled that she jumped to her feet, but the soles of her feet were stuck to the floor.
A puddle of fishy blood began to pool beneath the dead man's body.
"Oh, what the hell..................."
Louise's surprised voice was muffled by a gasp.
Ferdinand shoved the gun back into his coat and shrugged his shoulders, his face impassive.
"What do you mean, do you know of any other way to keep that bum's mouth shut?"
***
Two days ago, Imperial palace.
As soon as the captain of the guard returned to the imperial palace with the emperor, he realized something was wrong.
"Just a moment............... just a moment, Your Majesty."
Emperor Karl, who was full of anxiety, also sensed something was wrong and asked sharply.
"What is the matter?"
"It’s ................"
The guards that were supposed to be guarding the entrance were nowhere to be seen.
Had they followed the imperial army into the city?
The emperor was on edge from the mob's march. His irritation was palpable.
"I want all the invisible men relieved of their posts!"
"Yes, Your Majesty.................."
That wasn't really the problem, but the captain of the guard couldn't think of anything else to say to the furious emperor.
Just then, the chamberlain, who had remained at the imperial castle, came down late to greet the emperor.
"Have you returned, Your Majesty?"
The emperor was still hard on him, so he didn't even bother to return the greeting. The chamberlain continued in a sorrowful voice, perhaps because of his master's attitude.
"Count Burg has arrived and is waiting for you."
Eventually, the captain of the guard escorted the emperor to the reception room with twenty guards.
Fortunately, when they reached the top floor, the guards were in place. The captain was relieved and bowed before the emperor.
"Well, then, I'll take my leave."
He went back downstairs to meet with the guards to discuss the treatment of the deserters, leaving only two guards at the door of the reception room.
The Emperor entered the room unchanged.
After the chancellor had retired to attend to his duties, the chamberlain spoke.
"When you're ready, I'll bring in the Count."
The Emperor nodded approvingly as he picked up the reports from Count Burg in the northwest.
He had read them the day before.
It was always disturbing to see Burg growing wealthier by the day, but the tax revenues were so good that it was hard to ignore.
"I'll see him now. Let's get this nuisance out of the way."
The chamberlain bowed his head with a grimace and retreated. The emperor's eyes were glued to the report and he didn't see the expression on his longtime loyalist's face.
***
There were many attempts to get troops out of the capital at this time, to empty the city somehow. However, he did not expect the emperor to turn with the imperial army to suppress the protesters.
As a result, the Burg soldiers swept in at the crack of dawn and took over the city. They were formally dressed in imperial uniforms.
There were, of course, those among the guards who had changed hands for large sums of money. They didn’t need them for long, but they'd do for today.
Ignoring the chamberlain's tears at the door, Caius made his way to the reception room undeterred.
Seated on the throne, Karl was smaller than he remembered, as thin and wrinkled as a streetwalker. Even his trademark jet-black hair stood halfway up his head.
He did not look up at the sound of footsteps as he peered into something.
Caius knelt on one knee in front of the throne, ruffling his hair, the corners of his mouth tugged up into a sickly smile.
Today, at last, he will avenge this deep grudge.
He tightened his throat carefully to keep his voice from shaking with feverish glee.
"Greetings to the master of Hyreth. You were once a dear member of my family, who fed my thirst when I was young."
The Emperor's frowning eyes moved slowly to look down at Caius.
Either the man kneeling before him was insane, or he was hearing things, and Karl wondered which was true.
Caius raised his head slowly.
The Emperor's gaze took in his dark hair, his strong forehead, his clear golden eyes, his sharp nose and full lips.
When the emperor finally recognized the face, he shuddered as if in a seizure.
"..................You, you!"
He jumped to his feet in horror and shouted.
"Seize him, seize him, he's not Count Burg, he's not, he's not!"
The guards rushed in, but they were quickly subdued by the approaching guards.
"What the..................Captain of the Guard!"
Karl called anxiously to the captain of the guard, who had already left his post, but before he could take another step, a cold touch touched his neck.
"You, you insolent..................!"
Someone hiding in the curtains behind the throne leapt out and pressed a dagger to the nape of his neck. It was Michael.
Unlike when he had aimed for the head priest's throat a few hours earlier, Michael had a proper weapon, and the emperor was now outnumbered.
The Emperor was terrified, and he drew in a sharp breath.
Caius looked at him and spoke.
"Since you're so dear to me, I thought I'd let you have a last word."
The Emperor looked around and shivered.
It was every man's worst nightmare: the ghost of his dead brother standing here in broad daylight, holding a knife to his throat, and no one stopping him.
To make matters worse, he began to approach at a leisurely pace. His face, a ghastly remnant of his younger self, gave him chills.
The Emperor stood stiffly, unable to move a finger, his lips moving only to speak.
"You, you think you'll be forgiven for this? You're dead, I cut your throat from your corpse!"
"That."
Caius was silent. The look of pity on his face was real, which made it all the more chilling.
"Which innocent child have you killed again, uncle?"
"You, get away from me.................. evil!"
The emperor struggled to retreat from his position, but Michael was as immovable as a boulder.
A sharp pain shot through the nape of the Emperor's neck as he struggled. Blood trickled from his wrinkled neck.
Caius was now only two steps away from him.
"I have a question in my mind, can you answer it?"
"No, no! Whatever you ask, I will never..................!"
"Did my parents pass away in peace, so that they could not leave a word of their will?"
"Heh, heh.................."
The Emperor began to laugh as if he had suddenly lost his mind, his throat bleeding profusely. He looked at his nephew, who looked down at him with golden eyes that looked eerily similar to his.
"Your stupid parents didn't even know they were dying, and that was my tribute to my crazy brother! But look at what you're doing now, what's the difference between you and your demented father!"
Caius slowly took off his coat and tossed it onto the throne where the Emperor had just risen.
"You...............!"
He rolled up his sleeves in front of the shaking Emperor and flipped his wrist to reveal a blue half-moon.
Something that had eluded the emperor’s son, no matter how hard he tried.
The Emperor's golden eyes twitched convulsively at the sight of Heidenberg's blue half-moon.
"You, you, you bastard..............!"
***
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Write a comment
Virginie (Monday, 09 December 2024 17:05)
What a cliffhanger ! Ouf ! With Louise detained by him , Ferdinand wants to blackmail Caius ?