[Chapter 136] Noevian's resolution

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Countless crystal glasses had already met their untimely end.

Noevian didn't even glance at his bandaged hand as he gulped down the liquor from the bottle.

'If by any chance I lose my wife... you promised to become my mistress entirely.'

He hadn't even opened his mouth to utter those words.

Yet, they suddenly popped up in his mind.

'I want you.' 'More than Adrien, whom I could never have and will never have... I want you right here in front of me.'

Clang!

"Your Highness!"

"Damn it! Damn it! Fuck! Damn it!"

Noevian Trovika was out of his mind.

The all-powerful Duke Noevian Trovika, who had been in the capital, was no longer here.

Even Anima, who had initially used all sorts of methods to seduce him, now felt a sense of resignation.

All she had done since coming to this cold, desolate corner of the north, the Rubel Tower where only the worst criminals were imprisoned, was to clean Noevian's increasingly sensitive room.

And all she could do was glare at him as he created glass shards that no one would ever think to clean up.

Noevian didn't even glance at Anima as she quietly closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, tears streamed down his face, which had been buried in his arm.

It was the first time he had cried so uncontrollably since Adrien's death.

"Noa. My beloved Noa. My sea. My everything."

"Ugh, hic... "

Every day, he would recall the past that he wanted to rip out of his mouth dozens of times, and soon, his happiest days would come to mind.

"Ughh..."

And more than any other memory, those memories mercilessly cut and stabbed at Noevian's heart.

The sound of his heart pounding against his eardrums.

"Lien, Lien..."

Spino, the physician who had followed him, gave him sleeping pills despite his rage, along with a medicine to counteract them.

When he took the medicine and drank alcohol, he would see hallucinations of happy times and beat his chest, and when he took the antidote and his mind became clear, he would ruminate on the words he had said to Adrien, whom he had mistaken for Blier.

He was completely broken.

On nights like tonight, when the moonlight was beautiful, he would writhe in unbearable agony.

As his once robust body withered away and the clear image of Adrien became blurry, he trembled with anxiety.

The longing to see her, to hold her, and to love her, and the desire to replace her with someone else he could have, clashed sharply, and in the end, his memories always led him back to the palace where he had last seen her.

"Did you know?"

"You're so useless."

His body, which had been writhing, stopped abruptly.

The most shocking thing he had heard from Adrien was not that she no longer loved him.

It was at that very moment, when she had urged him to kill the crown prince.

It was a statement that completely negated all the years he had lived only to be useful.

The reality of being a useless man to Adrien, both as a man and as a human being, hit him hard.

Noevian gripped the dagger he kept by his bedside.

It was Adrien's dagger, which she had insisted on bringing, arguing that there was no need for evidence since she had confessed.

He had stubbornly insisted on having it, wanting anything that belonged to Adrien.

Unlike the ornate interior that befitted a member of the royal family, the cold moonlight from the tiny window illuminated the sharp blade.

Noevian naturally thought of Adrien in the secret underground room, the Adrien who needed him.

"You promised to be a man of your word. You promised to make me happy."

"You kill me."

"Then I'll forgive you."

Noevian, who was holding the dagger, straightened his slumped body and stood up abruptly.

Even though she had said he couldn't come back to her, hadn't she forgiven him?

Was it the alcohol, the deep regret, or the overwhelming longing for Adrien?

There was nowhere else to retreat, nothing else to prove. Noevian's eyes began to gleam.

His eyes, filled with a venomous determination rather than a gun, turned to the newspaper scattered on the floor.

Whenever there was news about Countess Blier Acacia, he would secretly have Anima bring him the newspaper, even when he was drunk.

It was the only way he could connect with her.

It was fortunate that in the Rubel Tower, where only the worst criminals were imprisoned, he could still secretly receive newspapers as a privilege of the royal family.

[A mission to Elacon is delayed due to the Acacia Earldom being overrun by monsters. Is this the reason?]

Noevian sheathed the dagger and quickly tidied his clothes.

[Second Prince Roardnes returns early. Is it because of the conflict with Elacon or to prepare for his coronation as Crown Prince?]

If Roardnes were gone, it wouldn't be difficult to go to the Acacia Earldom and meet Adrien.

Infiltrating a small mansion was nothing compared to the challenges he had faced in his youth when he had proven his worth with his bare hands.

Energy surged through his previously limp body.

Why had he just been lying there?

What more did he have to lose after he had killed Bardenaldo with his own hands?

'Adrien, if I could only prove to you that I'm a man worthy of you...'

Color returned to his pale cheeks.

He wanted to ask.

If you can't come back to me.

Can I get a little closer to you?

If Roardnes abandons you for the throne and marries Doris Castagna, who pretends to be a saint.

If that happens, would there be a chance for me?

Finally.

Noevian pulled out a black cloak he had often worn in his youth from the old wardrobe he had opened for the first time.

He had stained his hands with blood and risked his life for Emperor Julius. That was how he had lived his entire life.

Everyone said it was his destiny, and he had believed it was too.

'Not this time.'

Even if it meant being caught and killed.

This time, he would do it of his own free will. He would run towards the person he truly wanted, ready to sacrifice everything.

That night.

Noevian Trovika, who had been imprisoned in the depths of the Rubel Tower, escaped.

It was just days before the grand inauguration ceremony of the Crown Princess Doris Castagna.

****

"The Saint's Inauguration Ceremony?"

Cardinal Canuela's sharp voice filled the Acacia Earldom's mansion with a tense atmosphere.

Having received a letter from Doris requesting a discussion about the schedule for the Saint's Inauguration Ceremony, the Cardinal glanced nervously at Canuela, even though he had already confessed.

The Cardinal, whose corruption had been fully exposed, looked resigned, as if he had placed his neck in Canuela's hands.

"Nonsense! Absolutely not! I can't possibly allow such a wicked woman to become Roardnes' wife! If she weren't the Crown Princess, I would have..."

"Whoa, whoa. Your Grace. Don't get so excited. So, Your Eminence, you're saying that the Saint's Inauguration Ceremony will happen after all?"

Epero said sarcastically.

Cardinal Teln looked more nervous at Epero than at the Marquis and nodded.

"I've already announced that I've received a divine revelation, and it's not just Her Royal Highness who wants this ceremony."

"Who else?"

At Epero's sharp question, Teln organized his thoughts for a moment before speaking.

"Count Ciscometin, Count Railon, and the nobles from the West..."

"If Count Ciscometin and Count Railon are involved, the great nobles of the capital must have flocked to join their ranks. Good heavens. If only Doris becomes a saint..."

"I, the lowly offspring of the Empress, won't be able to stand a chance and will quietly return to Elacon. Should I be grateful that they're keeping me under such close watch? I was a prince with a presence, wasn't I?"

Canuela rubbed his temples, feeling more troubled by the fact that all the involved nobles were from the Crown Prince's faction. Epero continued sarcastically, speaking to me who was quietly sipping tea.

"My lady, since we've shared such a big secret, I consider you my friend, right?"

When I put down my teacup and looked at him, Epero smiled nervously.

"I helped your mother take down the Cardinal, even though I knew it would shock her. I promised to make sure you didn't have to go to Elacon, so stop worrying about that and let's share our plans."

Ignoring the Cardinal's pale face, Epero lifted his chin confidently.

Epero, whose patience seemed to have reached its limit, looked at me as if I were a monster, mocking me every time he saw me after I made an unannounced prophecy.

When I looked away, not only the High Priest who had to reply to Doris, but also Cavulla stared at me with a temple throbbing.

It was only natural for them to have high expectations of me, as I had brought a dead person back to life and boldly claimed to be able to bring them back to life again.

"Proceed with the saint's enthronement ceremony as Doris wishes, Your Highness."

It wasn't the answer they wanted, and Cavulla and Epero's brows furrowed sharply.

"For such a historic event, all the people of the empire will gather in the capital. My prophecy will come true then."

"I will cooperate as much as possible, but I will not say anything until I see a miracle happen before my eyes. Especially saying things like 'a new sun will shine on Ronta'... This could be a political statement, couldn't it? You could easily say 'The Second Prince's red eyes are the sun', couldn't you?"

"If I perform a miracle, it might be political, but you mean to declare it that way, don't you?"

"...If you perform a miracle. It will be revealed that you are truly a person who has received a divine oracle."

"Okay."

"Anyway, we will proceed with the saint's enthronement ceremony as planned. Seeing that you have written this letter, I guess you are planning to do it earlier than expected."

"And please let me assist you in the enthronement ceremony."

"Yes?"

"I am Lady Teln's maid, aren't I? Who would think it strange that I want to serve my mistress until the end, who wants to live as a saint and leave the palace? If I'm mixed in with the priests, I won't be noticed."

Teln's gaze lingered on my blonde hair. It was an eye that said, "With such bright blonde hair, you won't be noticed easily."

"...I will accept that much."

After that, the High Priest firmly responded to several warnings from Cavulla and scolding from Epero and left the mansion.

"I don't know if it's okay to send him like that."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. The High Temple and the Knights Templar are all filled with Cavulla Winstor's eyes and ears, so he won't be able to do anything foolish anymore."

"Thinking about the person who was brought here by doing foolish things, I don't think that's entirely true."

Cavulla glared at him at the sarcastic tone. The two were opposites.

****

After a tiring day of magic training with Rossi in the mine, I returned to my room late at night.

Olivia spent a long time brushing my hair before returning to her room.

Olivia still cried easily whenever she thought of the old memories, so we couldn't be together for long.

'I miss you. I used to dream of you every day, but I haven't dreamed of you since I came to the capital. I'm going to pray to the Lord today. Please help me too, because I think this is happening because you don't want to see me.'

I chuckled at the slightly sulky letter.

It was an important and headache-inducing period, but it was bearable thanks to Roaldnes' short letter.

He probably just wanted me to be safe, but I thought differently.

I didn't doubt that he would seize the throne with his own power.

But to walk that path without creating as many enemies as possible, there was definitely something I could do to help.

I stroked the letter that ended with the words 'your inside'.

It was a short letter because we couldn't exchange important words for fear of being intercepted, but it was precious.

For a moment, I felt like I had returned to my childhood.

While I was staring at the letter, an oasis in the endless desert of anxiety, I suddenly heard a noise outside the window.

It was the first time I had heard such a noise while staying in the Earl of Acacia's room.

Since this place was guarded by the Marquis's soldiers, I thought it was just the wind passing by, and the moment I looked in the mirror, I froze.

The window, which I had clearly locked, was wide open, and a black foot suddenly came in from outside.

The lips that were about to scream stopped abruptly.

"...Adrien."

It was Noebian, dressed in a black cloak and black clothes.

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