Chapter 36
“Are you telling me to stop?”
Cressida looked incredulous at Euclid’s remark. In front of her was a maid, weeping with bloody knees.
“Hic, h-hicc…”
The maid’s face was a mess of tears and snot. Pointing to the trembling maid, who was fearing for her life, Cressida asked,
“She made the mistake first. As her superior, I disciplined her. Why should I be told otherwise?”
“……”
Euclid closed his mouth and glanced at the Holy Knights pressing down on the maid’s shoulders. At the First Prince’s signal, they hesitated, then released their hands.
The Holy Knights of the Imperial Guard were divided between those under the First Prince and those under the Second Prince.
Those serving the Empress belonged to the Second Prince, in other words, Arendtert’s faction. However, their allegiance as Holy Knights took precedence over their faction.
When fighting monsters, it was the First Prince, Euclid, who commanded all the Holy Knights. So even if they were under the Second Prince, they could not ignore Euclid’s orders.
And this fact deeply irritated the Empress.
“You fools who don’t even recognize your master. When did I ever say you could let go of that girl?!”
“Did you summon me just to show me this spectacle?”
Euclid asked, looking at Cressida with an expression of utter contempt. As she bit her lips, he signaled to the Holy Knights and the maid. Once everyone had tactfully withdrawn, Cressida clicked her tongue.
She sat back down and picked up the hookah placed beside the tea table.
White smoke exhaled from her lips as she took a puff from the pipe, drifting toward Euclid’s face.
He silently endured the smoke, standing his ground. Cressida, looking more languid, smoked and spoke.
“Do you truly intend to become engaged to Arendtert’s woman?”
“It’s already been decided.”
Euclid answered blandly, then let out a short laugh.
“And besides, Sylaria isn’t Arendtert’s woman, is she?”
“She was supposed to be.”
“So what?”
Euclid replied mockingly. Cressida’s eyebrow twitched at the First Prince’s insolent attitude, but he didn’t care.
“Sylaria is my Purifier. Once we have the engagement ceremony, she’ll be my fiancée. So I suggest you let go of your regrets. I can hardly bear to watch.”
“Arendtert is your only brother. Must you drive a stake into his heart?”
“Brother? Hahaha!”
Euclid suddenly burst into laughter at Cressida’s question. After a hearty laugh, he cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem, excuse me. Calling Arendtert my brother… Oh, it’s so absurd I couldn’t help myself.”
“First Prince!”
“If you want to play family, I’ll play along.”
Euclid looked at Cressida with all traces of laughter gone. Though the air was thick with white smoke from the hookah, his sharp gaze did not waver.
“I have to live too, Mother. Is Arendtert the only son in this household?”
“If you’re willing to give up Sylaria, you could be freed from the duties of a Holy Knight. Would you still insist on your way?”
“A very tempting offer. But…”
Drawing out his words, Euclid shrugged his broad shoulders.
“I refuse.”
At his curt reply, Cressida slammed the pipe down hard. Seeing the composure vanish from her face, he glanced at the smoking hookah and continued.
“It seems you’re in a bad mood, so you don’t need to attend my engagement ceremony. I’ll explain your absence to my fiancée.”
“You’ll regret refusing my offer.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I’ll take my leave now.”
With a spinning smile, Euclid pushed through the hazy smoke and left. There was a sound of something breaking behind him, but he didn’t care as he walked out of the greenhouse.
* * *
“…Cough!”
Striding resolutely down the corridor, Euclid began to cough as soon as he reached an empty area.
“Cough—!”
Doubling over, he covered his mouth as he coughed.
He leaned against the wall, breathing hard and rubbing his reddened eyes.
‘To think it’s this bad even after taking the antidote.’
The Empress’s hookah.
The smoke, thick almost to excess, was lethally poisonous to humans.
When he was younger, he’d coughed up blood because he hadn’t known. After he began taking antidotes, he’d been fine, but it seemed the Empress had switched to an even stronger toxin.
‘So she doesn’t intend to leave me an escape route.’
Euclid let out a bitter laugh and shook his broad shoulders. As he steadied his breathing, he suddenly looked up.
As a certain thought flashed through his mind, his face went pale and he bit his lip.
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