Chapter 65
Elia covered her lips in shock as she stared at Rias, unable to fully process what she had just heard. But Rias continued speaking in a calm tone.
“After the late Crown Prince died, the succession issue caused tensions to rise between the imperial family and the noble houses loyal to the crown. These nobles were lifelong vassals of the late Crown Prince… Of course, the Reiffers family was among them.”
Meanwhile, the young Emperor desperately needed the support of these nobles to protect himself. As a result, a new noble faction, led by the deposed Empress Loran, quickly rose in power. The loyal nobles resisted the young Emperor’s attempts using the new nobility’s influence to push them out of politics, and this was the outcome.
The downfall of the new nobility, the death of the deposed Empress Loran, the Emperor’s seclusion, and then…
“So they searched the frozen northern lands and found me.”
Rias gave a bitter smile.
“They always pressured me. Saying I had to become emperor in keeping with the late Crown Prince’s wishes. That I had to reclaim the throne.”
Rias paused to catch his breath, his voice growing slightly strained, trembling as if about to break.
“But I don’t even know the face of the man who gave that burden to me. My own father.”
At last, Elia felt the scattered pieces falling into place. From the Damon family letter she found in Reiffers’ study, to why Loran had to die, and the ongoing hostility between the imperial family and loyal nobles even a generation later.
“So… you wanted to become Emperor?”
“…Emperor.”
Rias muttered, lowering his gaze to the floor when Elia asked so. His eyes are heavy with countless thoughts and regrets.
“At least that’s the only reason they saved me. And so… that’s the only reason I had to live.”
Elia couldn’t bring herself to answer. Rias Damon’s life was one with a fixed purpose, something he had endured all along.
* * *
After Elia disappeared, the knights patrolling the castle rushed out in panic. The underground castle was so complex and tightly constructed that anyone unfamiliar with its layout could neither enter nor exit easily. That brief moment of absence proved disastrous.
“What happened? How did the Miss disappear in the middle of the night?”
The gathered knights frantically searched the castle. When a soldier barked orders, Elia’s maids burst into tears.
“Whenever the Miss sleeps, everyone is kept away. We assumed it was fine since the knights were on guard…”
“Sir, what will happen to us now?”
“What do you mean what will happen? Everyone’s head’s going to roll!”
At that, the maids burst into even louder cries. The commander felt a pounding headache from their wailing.
“But how on earth did she know the passages? Even the royal family doesn’t know all the secret routes of the underground castle.”
One of them asked. The commander pondered over the clues that just wouldn’t come together.
“Maybe the Miss didn’t leave on her own. Perhaps someone who knows the layout helped her escape?”
One knight cautiously suggested after pacing nearby. It made sense. Without perfect knowledge of the castle’s secret passages, disappearing without a trace would be impossible.
“Has anyone seen any strangers around here?”
The commander asked the knights and maids, who glanced at each other but shook their heads. It seemed no one had noticed anything suspicious or unusual.
“…Well.”
One knight, standing quietly in a corner, raised his hand.
“Yes? Did you see something?”
The commander pressed urgently. The knight looked a bit uncertain, tilting his head as he spoke.
“It’s nothing much, but on my way back to the barracks, I had to relieve myself, so I stopped briefly in the bushes.”
The maids covered their noses and frowned, so the knight scratched his head awkwardly. Encouraged by the commander to continue, the knight narrowed his eyes.
“But someone was standing behind that wisteria bush for a while… At first, I thought that person wanted to relieve himself too.”
Wisteria? The commander turned to look that way. Indeed, near the wisteria there was a small side gate. It was old and tiny enough that even the servants didn’t know about it.
“So, someone knows about the side gate leading outside.”
“Does that mean someone familiar with the area helped take the Miss away?”
The commander nodded to the maid, then hurriedly asked the knight.
“Do you remember any details about their appearance or anything else?”
“It was too dark to see what they were wearing… but, ah! They had their hand resting on this wisteria.”
The knight placed one hand on a nearby branch and pointed to the back of his other hand.
“There was a long scar right here.”
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