Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Rosteratu was impotent, and he’s a half-witted buffoon who couldn’t even take care of his health properly. If Albert hadn’t been trapped in the tower like that, then it’s obvious that he would have already become king.

There would be not much difference in prolonging the timing of it for a little while longer. It’s just…

It’s just a shame that their time alone would be lessened now.

The tower was a unique space that completely separated two people from all the others.

Albert looked out the window. Before he knew it, the red sun had already touched the horizon.

Albert thought of Rosé. Her face kept flashing across his mind, regardless of whether he remained lying in bed or whether he was torturing the mages.

What did she see?

He was sure that the disaster she’d face would be enough to make her afraid of entering the contract. He was just worried that it might be too much of a shock for her.

Albert recalled Rosé’s face.

It’s only been a few days since he hadn’t seen it—her unique way of speaking, the tone of her voice, her smile. Even the way she looked at him whenever she tried to flatter him. He wanted to see it all.

‘I miss you, Rosé.’

Along with the sword that he wielded all day long, Albert left the prison cell. Blood trickled down its blade.

After letting out a deep sigh, he took off his thin shirt, leaving it on the dungeon’s floor. It was entirely stained with blood—blood that was accumulated from all the people he tortured today.

The blood on the sword had already dried up, leaving behind a black stain. Albert took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sword.

Footsteps rang out.

‘If it’s someone who’ll come to this place,’

Then the first people who came to mind were Liam and Schubert. If not them…

It was highly likely that it was Mercy, the daughter of the leader of the mages—the lord of the magic tower—who Albert had tortured. Sure enough, it was as he expected.

“Your Highness!”

He watched as Mercy ran to him from afar. Putting on the fresh shirt that was prepared for him, Albert murmured casually.

“Is there a reason for you to run like this? We’ve decided to meet today anyway.”

Mercy gasped for air, unable to answer back right away. She was winded from running around the dungeon while searching for Albert. She couldn’t use magic to find him.

“And Rosé?”

Staring at the huffing Mercy, Albert’s first question was about Rosé’s safety. At this, Mercy’s eyes widened, then she grumbled.

“Your Highness, I understand why you’re thinking of your lover first, but that’s not the problem we have at hand right now.”

“Right, the problem. Still, let’s start with talking about her first. How was Rosé after the disaster?”

“…She’s alright now.”

“Now?”

So there was a time when she wasn’t fine. The look in Albert’s eyes grew cold, and in response, Mercy flinched. She sighed deeply.

“I believe it would be better for Your Highness to hear it personally. The story is longer than you’d think. But that’s not what I’m here to report.”

“What is it then.”

“Rosteratu killed Marquis Evnen.”

“…What?”

Albert doubted his ears. However, as if already expecting that Albert would snap back at her, Mercy said it again. He was killed, him.

“…So he’s dead.”

Stroking his chin, Albert laughed despondently.

How very unexpected.

It’s true that he hoped the disaster would cause a rift between Rosteratu and Marquis Evnen, but he also knew that Rosteratu wouldn’t just let go of the marquis that easily.

Rosteratu was very fond of Marquis Evnen. After all, he was loyal to the royal family—though to be more precise, that loyalty was for Rosteratu—and he offered bribes regularly. It’s safe to say that Rosteratu considered the marquis to be his most trusted confidant.

In addition, the king’s departed consort had been Marquis Evnen’s younger sister.

Marquis Evnen certainly took advantage of being the king’s confidant, making it possible for him to wield an enormous amount of power. But at the same time, he also knew his place very well so he never did anything presumptuous.

It was a great boon to Albert’s side that Rosteratu killed his confidant with his own hands.

But, no. It might not be entirely an advantage.

‘I was going to interrogate him about what he knows about black magic.’

This plan was completely ruined.

‘But what made him so impatient?’

Rosteratu threw Albert in that tower and blamed him for the current drought plaguing the land, along with the corruption and tyranny of the nobles. The king claimed that because the prince was nothing more than a vulgar orphan, God’s wrath had been cast upon them.

The nobles who protested against this were stricken down by Marquis Evnen behind their backs, however, this just made them cover up their resentment and keep it to a hush.

The way he slammed down the people who opposed him showed exactly how shrewd and cowardly Rosteratu was. However, at least he wasn’t the kind of ruler who was crazy enough who would kill his most trusted confidants.

As long as he wouldn’t go crazy.

Albert returned his sword into its scabbard and strode to the dungeon’s exit. Mercy followed after him.

“What kind of disaster was it?”

“It was a disaster that induced a dream where people experience what they fear the most. It seems like Rosteratu experienced an eternity in that nightmare.”

As he shrugged into an overcoat, Albert’s brows narrowed. The disaster was completely different from what he was expecting.

Fear.

“That’s not what it’s supposed to be.”

“Yes, it’s originally planned to be an earthquake to split the villa completely in half, but the dragon changed his mind that evening…”

Mercy paused for a moment, but she soon added.

“…after he met Miss Artius.”

Tap, tap. Albert tapped the handle of his sword. One eyebrow rose as he spoke in a low voice.

“Then you mean this has something to do with the current situation.”

Mercy wordlessly nodded. However, she didn’t explain further.

Albert wasn’t going to force her to explain either. Even if there really was a problem, it would be best to hear it directly from Rosé.

Fear. Dread. Weren’t these subjects related to Rosé?

“What about Liam.”

“I believe he will have to stay in the capital for the time being. Rosteratu’s condition is unusual.”

“There’s something else?”

“Yes, Rosteratu is threatening to turn the magic tower upside down.”

“I can imagine.”

The disaster was the dragon’s final act of vengeance—and this was against Marquis Evnen. However, this great power also affected Rosteratu.

It’s easy to imagine what kind of nightmare Rosteratu had experienced, even if it was left unsaid.

Rosteratu was weak-minded and prone to jealousy. After all, he locked away Albert in that spire out of envy.

The dragon’s disaster. Marquis Evnen’s death. Albert immediately realized what would follow. Perhaps it was right to say that it’s all too obvious what would happen next.

“I guess he’s out to chop off my head himself. He’ll need a mage to open the magic tower.”

“He even said that he’d tear down the magic tower if none of the mages would cooperate.”

Everyone knew how inadequate of a king Rosteratu was. Even so, he was admittedly quite keen on managing his power. It also helped that he, by extension, inherited the image and power of his predecessor, the previous king.

He formed a strong alliance with the Evnen Marquisate through taking the marquis’ young lady as his queen, and he also didn’t dally in strengthening his knights. He believed in the notion that force was the right path to power.

Mages were a huge pain in the neck for Rosteratu. He left the magic tower with little to no funding, and he also often threatened to cut off support altogether if the mages didn’t obey him.

People had no choice but to follow his orders, especially since the magic tower could operate only through the support given to them by the royal family. Rosteratu particularly bribed the lord of the magic tower, and so managed the mages in this way.

Refusing to just watch this happen, Mercy rebelled against this.

She put so much effort in reforming the magic tower and shifting power away from Rosteratu to cut out him and any shred of loyalty towards him that’s left. None of this would have been possible without Albert’s help.

Albert gave the order, and it was Schubert who came to act on those orders.

This was also how Mercy and Schubert got to know each other. Since they were about the same age, they also got close.

Pressing down on her temples, Mercy opened the dungeon’s door.

Mercy’s brows wrinkled as she thought about what to do from here, whether to send Schubert to the wavering mages who were still under Rosteratu, or to conciliate them herself.

‘If only Father didn’t become like that.’

Mercy glanced back at the direction they had come from.

Without even turning his head, Albert remarked towards her.

“He’s still alive. Didn’t you say that you’ll finish things yourself later?”

“…Yes, I know that.”

Mercy muttered after a brief pause.

Her eyes watered as she recalled her father. But then she soon laughed bitterly at herself.

“I will end it, but later. The biggest problem right now is that Rosteratu is on the verge of charging down with all his soldiers to kill Your Highness himself.”

“Ahh, even when he told me to stay still in that spire and even went as far as to imprison me there, how terribly benevolent he continues to be.”

Albert smirked as he waved one hand in the air. His gaze through his narrowed eyes was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“My dear father, who wishes to kill his own son, should of course be greeted with a warm welcome. Let’s move up the plan—the palace should be in complete chaos now anyway. How can anyone trust a man who killed his own right-hand man?”

Just in time, the rumors that he released to the nobles were also spreading amongst themselves, further instilling the seed of doubt. This rumor pertained to the prince just wanting to be in his rightful place—and so they would think that it would be better to stick to his side instead.

This was a good opportunity to minimize any damages. Albert wanted to reduce the number of casualties in this coup d’état as much as possible.

“Tell Liam to contact the nobles and gather the soldiers. Same with Schubert while he’s in the knighthood.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Watching Mercy heed his orders firmly, Albert realized that the time for the coup really was nearing.

Truthfully, it was more in his nature to take more time in elaborately planning his movements, but things always changed. And he was ready to change accordingly.

‘That reminds me.’

Albert recalled the first time Rosé ever asked him for a kiss.

Unlike how she was now, her eyes had been persistently full of desire, and this desire that emanated so blatantly from her was incredibly lecherous.

That’s why he immediately realized what that maid had in store for him.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out. Ever since he was young, he encountered many people who had such eyes whenever they looked at him.

With lingering physical touches that made him feel filthy, he was once overcome with the unbearable urge to kill the maid and mutilate her body. These kinds of thoughts visited him many times a day before. However, after deciding to kill that maid, he vowed not to die a futile death himself.

I’ve survived this far.

And, again, I’ve decided to continue living.

Eventually, Albert set his mind on using that maid. It was easy to manipulate her. There’s no one in the world who ever once resisted his charm, and after all, what the maid coveted was his body.

He promised to himself that he’d chop off this maid’s head as soon as he got out of that spire. So that they could never see each other again.

After that, he would separate the king’s head from the king’s body, thereby allowing him to stand at the highest position. To all those who dared look down on him, he would show just how great of a king he’d be.

When he regained the will to live again, what drove him to this point was revenge.

That was, until Rosé Artius changed.

‘I wonder if I would have imagined such a thing.’

Thinking again of Rosé, the look in Albert’s eyes softened.

Murmuring an incantation, he soared through the air. After wielding her wand, Mercy followed after him.

Soon, the two individuals disappeared into the distance.