Chapter 80
The realization that further attempts to downplay the situation were futile prompted Theor to shift his stance.
“As head of the House of Prasetia, I cannot allow that, Your Majesty.”
“Theor!!”
“It’s a family secret! I don’t know how you learned of it, but even you, Your Majesty, cannot enter!”
“They took my woman!”
“Get your facts straight! Sei came to me!”
“You…!”
Edin seized him by the collar. Blood seeped from his still-unhealed hand.
“You’re hurt?!” Even with Edin’s grip on his collar, Theor’s concern went straight to the injured hand.
“Then I won’t enter the secret chamber. Just bring Sei to me.”
“…Sei won’t want to see you.”
“Bring her to me, now!”
“…Wait. I’ll ask her.”
He instructed the butler to fetch the physician to attend to Edin’s hand, then headed towards where Lysei was. Left on the sofa, Edin tried to calm his racing heart at the prospect of seeing Lysei soon, releasing a long, shaky breath.
While the Prasetia family physician tended to Edin’s hand, Theor went to the secret chamber. Lysei, reclining on the sofa with a book, straightened upon seeing him.
“I thought you were leaving. Aren’t you gone yet?”
“I was about to, but an uninvited guest arrived.”
Lysei’s face instantly hardened. Intuitive as she was, Theor’s expression told her this guest was from the Imperial Palace, sent by Edin. Unable to imagine Edin would come himself, she closed her book and questioned him.
“An uninvited guest?”
“I need you to come out for a moment, Sei.”
“…Am I allowed to leave this place?”
“….”
“Who is it?”
At Lysei’s insistence, Theor hesitated for a moment before softly uttering the Emperor’s name.
“…Edin.”
The sound of that longed-for name sent her heart plummeting. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that he would come in person.
“He knows you’re here. He wants to see you.”
“…How….”
“I’d like to know that myself. I’m certain I’m the only one who knows about the secret chamber in my mansion.”
“…Ah.”
Lysei stared at him, a thought dawning on her.
Luigia.
Luigia, who, like herself, knew the original story, couldn’t possibly be unaware of the secret chamber in Theodor’s mansion. She must have told Edin. For some reason, even that fact sparked a pang of jealousy. Lysei shook her head a couple of times, thinking she must be seriously ill.
“If you don’t want to see him, I’ll send him away. He’s injured and needs treatment, so….”
“Injured? Where?!”
Lysei’s eyes widened in alarm. To react with such agitation at the mere mention of his injury… Theor was struck anew by the realization that there was no room for him in Lysei’s heart.
“His hand. It was bleeding quite a bit, but it’s nothing serious, so don’t worry.”
Before Theor could finish, Lysei shot up and strode towards the door. Watching her go, Theor sighed softly.
“There’s no hope for me, is there?”
He had known, but experiencing it firsthand brought a sense of hollowness. She was the first woman to pique his interest, the first he’d wanted to possess. But in the end, she only had eyes for Edin. Theodor shook his head and left the secret chamber.
Lysei rushed to where Edin was, her eyes widening at the sight of him receiving treatment from the physician.
Edin, equally startled at seeing her, immediately tried to rise, but the physician, bandaging his hand, momentarily hindered him. However, with Lysei striding towards him, he didn’t force the movement.
“Sei…”
“What happened? Where were you hurt? What were your knights and shadows doing while His Majesty was being injured like this?”
Edin, about to call Lysei’s name as she approached, was met with a torrent of concerned questions the moment she arrived. A wave of relief washed over him. She still cared. Perhaps her misunderstanding could be easily resolved.
“I did it, Sei.”
Edin offered her a gentle smile, his voice as soft as his expression.
Momentarily stunned by his smile, Lysei quickly composed herself and asked why. Edin, following Luigia’s instructions, explained the situation unfolding in the north.
“As you may know, Marquis Benneretti has joined forces with the heretics and started a rebellion. They’ve used black magic to seize control of the northern border regions, so I went with the Nyxna a few days ago to stop them.”
“…!”
“But the Nyxna hasn’t fully manifested as an Omega yet, so she can’t properly see the black magic, and it’s slowing us down.”
“Still?!”
At Lysei’s surprised question, Edin nodded.
“She spent two days with Zerga, but it wasn’t enough. Any more delay and the entire north could fall, so I sent Nyxna, Trey, and the shadows.”
“…But to send them alone…”
“They have my blood, imbued with divine power. It should be enough.”
…Ah.
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