Chapter 33
Just how much does Cyrone really know? Even Reiffers’s seasoned experience, honed by preserving the family legacy, couldn’t read Cyrone’s true intentions.
If Cyrone already knew he would commit treason, why was he still coming up with excuses instead of killing Reiffers outright?
“……”
Reiffers had no idea how anxious and impatient his expression appeared as he stared at Cyrone. Yet, in stark contrast, Cyrone’ beautiful enough to provoke god’s envy, had a composed expression like a mask.
“Elia. Come here.”
Lost in thought, Reiffers watched as Cyrone naturally reached out his hand to Elia, completely ignoring Reiffers’s presence as if it weren’t there—just as he usually did.
“Your Highness, do you have something to say?”
Elia looked at Cyrone’s outstretched hand with unfamiliar eyes, seemingly unaware of why she had been summoned to the palace.
“Do I have to call you only if I have something to say?”
Cyrone smiled the same gentle, kind smile he had on the day Elia had loved him with all her heart.
“Not necessarily…”
Elia hesitated, then shook her head. Reiffers’s presence made her uneasy, and she knew Cyrone’s smile was no longer genuine. She did not want to match Cyrone’s unknown heart.
Breaking the cold silence between them, Reiffers cleared his throat awkwardly. Fixing a stern gaze on Elia, he then addressed Cyrone politely.
“Your Highness, I appreciate your care for my daughter, but she is grown now. Soon she must marry and produce heirs to continue the family line.”
Cyrone frowned sharply at Reiffers’s words, looking clearly annoyed.
“An heir by Elia… I wonder who it will resemble.”
Cyrone sneered coldly, his lips curling with blatant mockery.
Cyrone stared at Reiffers silently. Reiffers could hardly believe the sudden, blatant change in Cyrone’s expression. It was as if all the facade Cyrone had shown earlier was false, replaced by a piercing, ruthless glare.
Cyrone glanced sharply over Reiffers’s face, then rested his chin on his hand.
“To think Duke Reiffers could be so simple-minded.”
His voice was sharp, implicitly warning him not to repeat himself. Within Cyrone’s deeply set eyes, Reiffers’ face flickered like a shadow.
“Do you really think I will stand by and watch that happen?”
Cyrone rolled a chess piece in his palm and closed his eyes. The suddenly hushed atmosphere chilled the air instantly.
“Y-Your Highness…”
I will not stand by… Reiffers stammered, taken aback. His words sounded like a warning. That just as they had ruined Cyrone’s happiness, Cyrone would not quietly allow their happiness either.
Elia seemed to catch the strange tone and gripped her small hands tightly.
That was clearly a warning piercing through the Reiffers family, One that even Elia herself, a member of the family, could not escape.
“You already know, Elli.”
Cyrone turned his gaze to Elia. Watching her stand quietly, he let out a short, soft laugh. His once sharp, rigid eyes suddenly softened with a languid flicker.
“You’ll die by my side, no matter what.”
The voice was resolute and clear, that no one would dare to contradict it.
* * *
After leaving Welrod Palace, Reiffers spat onto the ground with a harsh sound.
To do such a vulgar thing inside the palace, the passing attendants widened their eyes in discomfort as they stared at him.
But those who recognized the emblem on his chest quickly bowed their heads and stepped aside. The symbol, a snowy leopard from ancient myth, was the Reiffers family’s mark. That alone made people shrink back in fear.
“Arrogant…”
Reiffers couldn’t hide his insulted feelings. He had once held the former Emperor, as well as the current Emperor and Empress, firmly in his grasp. Yet here he was now, entangled with a mere young lad barely over twenty years old.
Unable to conceal his displeasure, Reiffers cursed under his breath as he climbed into his carriage. He raised the curtain to glare at the flag waving atop Welrod Palace.
“I was too lenient with you. Gave you too much time.”
He murmured, regretting a mistake. Probably because he had been too merciful, he’d given the boy too much breathing room. Now the child had grown enough to toy with him in his own hand.
“I hear even the senior ministers can’t handle him.”
Horace spoke while watching his father’s sour expression.
Reiffers had come to the palace with great authority, but barely an hour later, he fled like a man escaping. Seeing his father like this, Horace once again realized just how serious the talk surrounding the Crown Prince truly was.
“He’s no ordinary man.”
Reiffers grimaced in response.
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