15.
âIf you want to go, please take me with you.â
The hand holding Richt was shaking.
âhalf!â
Embarrassed, Ain tried to remove half, but it wouldnât fall.
âI am a slave. If you donât have a master, you die. Please, please have mercy.â
Broad shoulders shook. I felt sorry for Ban, who couldnât let go of his slave nature even in this situation. Richt reached down and stroked his classmateâs head. His unkempt, somewhat rough hair fell between his fingers.
âThatâs why Iâm leaving it behind.â
ââ¦Â â¦Â yes?â
Ban raised his head. Her expressionless face was now drenched in tears. No matter how difficult it was, seeing someone who had never shown a single tear cry made me feel weak. But he couldnât take half of his friends with him.
âhalf.â
Richt spoke calmly.
âYou are no longer a slave. So you have to learn how to think and live on your own. âThose are things you canât learn by following me.â
âYou can learn.â
âDonât be stubborn.â
âI will never call myself a slave again.â
Itâs pretty quick to notice. However, if you are not a slave, there is no need to follow Richt. As she was about to say that, Ban opened her mouth again.
âI do it of my own volition.â
I clenched my teeth and let out something that I had not been able to easily say before.
âIâm trying to follow Richt.â
It was Richtâs name.
âItâs difficult.â
Itâs even more difficult because Iâm attracted to it.
âBut that doesnât work.â
âPlease, please allow me.â
The tear-soaked face was extremely attractive. Her heart itched for no reason, but she held it back. Richt also has an eye-catching appearance, and if half of him is added, he will be caught quickly. I said I would fix it, but that attitude wonât be fixed anytime soon.
â1 year. Come see me in a year. âThen I will accept it then.â
One year seemed like enough time to forget yourself and find someone new. Although he was a slave, he is handsome, pretty, and talented. If you get along with other people, your personality will brighten and you will be happier. Richt believed so.
â1 year.â
Half of the people repeated Richtâs words like a person who had lost his mind.
âI am not confident.â@@novelbin@@
One year was not a short time. Are you telling me to endure it alone during that time? Van rolled her head. Richt was, contrary to his appearance, weak-hearted. It wasnât like that in the past, but it was like that recently. Thinking was short and action was quick.
thud.
Ban fell down on the spot and hit his forehead on the floor. She was fucked so hard that blood flowed from her forehead.
âhalf!â
Embarrassed, Richt knelt down on the spot and covered Vanâs forehead with his hand. Thatâs why he failed to hit his head a second time.
âWhy, why are you like this?â
âI have never seen an abandoned slave living.â
Ban spoke calmly and removed Richtâs hand that was touching his forehead. Then she hit her head on the floor again.
âStop, stop! âEven if itâs like this, I canât take you with me.â
cruel person. Ban gritted his teeth. And when he was about to take out his sword, Ain stopped him. Although he works as a butler, he also once learned swordsmanship. And I also heard he was talented. Therefore, he was able to prevent the sword from slipping out of the scabbard.
âCalm down. âYou just have to wait a year, a year.â
âthatâs right. After that, you can come visit us as much as you want!â
Richt hastily added to Ainâs words.
â1 year.â
Ban said again. If the owner really wants it, I will hold out. If he doesnât move even when threatened to die, he has no reason to die. He promised to wait a year.
âThen donât ever reject me after a year.â
âIâll promise.â
Richt promised. He put Ban back on his feet and carefully wiped the blood from his forehead with a handkerchief.
âSo donât get hurt either.â
Ban nodded.
âI wonât hurt you.â
That was the end for the two. Ban didnât move from his spot as he watched Richt walking away.
âWe need to get out of here soon.â
The way Ain looks back at those words is scary. However, Ban did not say anything to Ain. She just left her abandoned palace looking like she was about to die.
Promising to wait one year.
Theodore, dressed in black, was looking at his motherâs coffin with blank eyes. His body was well kept, so there was no problem showing it to others. The funeral process was also the same.
It was going smoothly.
âItâs too smooth.â
However, Richt, who had said he would hold a funeral, has not made an appearance until now.
âwhy?â
Shouldnât he suddenly show up and declare that heâs going to take control, or give some notice? Theodore wasnât the only one who felt strange. Alex seemed to be like that too.
âLord Devine is nowhere to be seen.â
âIncluding the Knights of Leviathan.â
âyes. âHe hasnât been seen since morning.â
Theodore tried to raise his hand to his mouth without realizing it, but then lowered it. I thought he got over the habit of biting his nails after getting beat up by his mother. As I got nervous, it popped out again.
âLook for it.â
At Theodoreâs words, Alex moved the knights below. After searching for a while, they came back and said:
âI canât see it.â
âNot even one?â
âYes, the Knights of Leviathan disappeared.â
At those words, Theodoreâs body began to tremble slightly.
âthen.â
âyes.â
âWhere is Richt?â
âI canât see it either.â
âI canât see it.â
Theodore bit his index finger nail. Then he got up from where he was sitting.
âYour Majesty the Crown Prince?â
I realized that Alione, who was standing behind me, was panicking and calling my name, but I didnât stop. The Knights of Leviathan are nowhere to be seen. Richt also said he couldnât find it. Theodore ran quickly and stopped by the room Richt was using as an office.
The inside was neatly organized. There was not a single document in sight that Richt was always holding on to. Next, I searched all the rooms he stayed in. And then I realized. There is no Richt in the Crown Princeâs palace.
âdoesnât exist.â
While I was standing there in shock, I heard a rustling sound coming from crumpled clothes. Wanting to know something, I put my hand into her pocket and found a few small candies and a note inside.
Stay happy.
It was Richtâs handwriting. I knew this because I would sometimes watch him from the side when he was working. Theodore burst into tears.
I told you it was the evil Lord Devine. You said you were so greedy for power that you would wield me like a scarecrow. So why arenât you here?
Tears dripped from the big eyes. In the meantime, I couldnât even bring the note close to her face for fear of getting it wet. Why, why did Richt leave the imperial palace alone? As Theodore cried and thought, he remembered Alioneâs words.
âArchduke Graham.â
Iâve seen it before when I was young. He looked at Theodore with a cold gaze that remained in her memory. Who did that? He is one of the greatest knights in the world. That no one can overcome him. He was an object of fear to many people.
It seems the same was true for Richt.
âItâs not.â
No matter how powerful Grand Duke Graham was, he was the crown prince who inherited the most royal blood. The blood of the royal family is also the blood of heroes. Because he was a royal family founded by a hero who saved the world. If he worked hard from now on, he could become stronger than Archduke Graham. Theodore believed so.
âI can protect you.â
The time Richt was around was short. Still, I really liked him. Because he showed me the warmth and affection I didnât know about.
âI have to find it.â
Theodore wiped away tears with the hand that was not holding the note. He had to be found and brought back. And he would just have to protect himself.
âAlex!â
He ran back and called the knightâs name. I had to go find Richt right away. She suddenly forgot that it was her motherâs funeral.
Abel L. de Grahamâs assistant Lauren reported with a tired expression.
âThe funeral of Her Majesty the Empress is currently being held in the capital.â
âHas information control been lifted now?â
âYes, I heard that the people who were controlling it disappeared a day ago. Moreover, they said that the Knights of Leviathan and Lord Devine did not show up today.â
âis it.â
âThatâs right. I should have left sooner. âIf I had done that, I would have caught Devine.â
âYou were busy.â
âOf course, but.â
Due to the sudden rush of work, Abel was unable to move as quickly as he expected.
âBut since I sent Lawton first, he will arrive in time. âEveryone will think the Archduke is there too, so theyâll be nervous.â
âWhatâs important about them being nervous?â
It didnât matter whether I was nervous or not. Because whatever they did didnât affect Abel. Thatâs what happens when a person is too strong.
After finishing the brief report, Abel stood up.
âLetâs go.â
Since we had lunch and rested, the drivers would be able to run again. So I tried to get up, but a bird flew into the window. It was Jeonseo-gu.
It hasnât been long since you received the news through Jeonseo-gu? Lauren did not hide her curiosity and hugged her ex. When I opened the container hanging from the thin leg, a thin, rolled up piece of paper came out.
The crown prince leaves his position.
And what was written there was absurd.