Chapter 31
3. Love Me Like You Do
Reiffers’s horse had already reached the outskirts of the capital. Compared to the day they first set out, the autumn wind had grown chilly.
The procession following Reiffers was grand, a clear display of his position and power within the Empire. Riding his own horse into the capital, he gazed up at the majestic Welrod Palace soaring as if to touch the sky.
Reiffers’s gaze lingered on the highest part of the castle before dropping away.
“Welrod Palace remains unchanged.”
The current emperor, Mondol, was a weak man, and Astana, recently installed as Empress, was nothing more than a puppet. Though Welrod Palace was slowly crumbling from its highest point, outwardly there was no sign of decay.
Amused by this, Reiffers curled his lips into a smirk.
“Once Elia’s marriage is settled, things will become much easier.”
Horace, Reiffers’s eldest son who rode beside him, brought up the topic of Elia’s wedding. Though they shared the same family name, they were half-siblings by different mothers. Perhaps because this was a chance to quickly remove the troublesome Elia and her mother from the family, Horace felt a secret pleasure.
“Most likely. There’ll be no more need to hide from the public eye.”
Reiffers nodded, giving a smooth smile. He had spent considerable effort arranging the marriage between Rias Damon and Elia. But Elia’s stubborn heart and willfulness had delayed things far longer than expected.
Now that Elia had settled her mind, the wedding would proceed smoothly, making everything easier.
“Father will surely breathe easier now.”
Horace, bearing a strong resemblance to Reiffers, sneered. Reiffers quietly nodded in agreement.
Once the marriage was done, Elia wouldn’t be able to act like a reckless child anymore. With the great upheaval soon to shake the empire, he secretly worried that his daughter might fail to suppress her feelings for Cyrone.
“But the real beginning is from here. Cyrone is no easy opponent.”
Reiffers murmured with determined eyes. The true power behind the empire was Crown Prince Cyrone Edelward. The Emperor and Empress might have been easy to overthrow, but not the crown prince. Cyrone was the most dangerous figure in their grand plan.
“Damn him, he doesn’t take after either of my parents.”
Reiffers spat on the ground, a coarse act matching his rough temperament.
The thought of Cyrone gave Reiffers a headache.
After all, the current Emperor Mondol was a figurehead easily replaced if one wished. Mondol had no legitimate claim to the throne and lacked the approval of the noble deputies. He was merely a lucky puppet, benefitting from the death of his older brother Mons, the rightful heir.
But that son was far from easy to handle. Why he didn’t resemble either of his parents at all—Reiffers felt uneasy whenever he thought of that boy’s emotionless eyes and narrowed his gaze sharply.
“How eagerly the late Crown Prince must be awaiting this day.”
Reiffers’s eyes fell on the empire’s flag, shimmering brilliantly against the blue sky. Even the brave eyes that once charged alongside eldest Prince Mons now bore the marks of time.
To uphold his lord’s will, Reiffers knew he must personally cut out the parasites within Welrod Palace. Only then could the emblem of the empire’s ruler return to its rightful place.
He slowly inhaled, filling his lungs with the clean dawn air. The day was preparing to awaken.
* * *
The two pieces of news Elia heard as soon as she woke were clear. One; the steward’s word that Sir Reiffers would go straight to Welrod, and two; the royal order for her to come to the palace before afternoon.
Elia quietly narrowed her eyes, unable to understand it.
Reiffers arrived at the mansion early that morning. But after changing clothes briefly, he immediately turned around and left. The carriage bearing Duke Reiffers raced toward the imperial palace, entering Welrod Palace.
“You’ve improved greatly, Your Highness.”
As Elia finished preparing to come to the palace, Cyrone and Reiffers had already been playing chess for some time. Reiffers murmured with exaggerated admiration at Cyrone’s rapid progress over the past few years.
“I am very different from when I was just a prince.”
Cyrone gave a half-hearted reply. Reiffers looked down at Cyrone’s face with a smiling expression.
It felt unfamiliar. Indeed, this was the first time since Cyrone was formally appointed Crown Prince. Like the difference between prince and crown prince, everything around him had changed subtly.
Reiffers had to show different respect to Cyrone, and the greetings had grown more reverent. Moreover, Cyrone was no longer a boy. He had grown into a man almost too mature to call ‘boy.’ His once unreadable blue eyes had become even colder, like a mask, and a strange, intimidating aura and murderous intent, once only felt by his peers, now radiated from him.
“I guess, position truly makes the man.”
Reiffers’s words carried a subtle mockery. Cyrone was not unaware of it, but showed no reaction as he moved a chess piece.
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