Chapter 23
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The head of Mathes, Zephyros Rosebel, was reviewing documents in his office. Just as he was nearing the end of his work, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a strikingly handsome man with silver-gray hair and vivid blue eyes stepped inside. It was Tenon Riveus, the head of the Riveus family, one of the four noble houses of Mathes. He bowed respectfully to Zephyros. Zephyros acknowledged him with a small nod of his chin.
“Zephyros, a letter has arrived from Arje.”
“…I can’t imagine what it might say.”
A shadow passed through Zephyros’s deep blue eyes. He set down his quill and extended his hand toward Tenon. Bowing slightly, Tenon handed the letter to him.
“……”
Zephyros remained silent for a long time as he read the contents of the letter. His sorrowful eyes tilted slightly to the side, and his dark blue hair, smooth and lustrous, cascaded over his pale face.
“Psyche is…”
His voice broke, as if his throat had tightened, and he could say no more. The hand brushing over Zephyros’s face trembled faintly. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he clenched a small crystal orb, about the size of a pebble, that had come with the letter.
From the crystal orb, a woman’s desperate pleas began to spill forth.
「P-Please, just… sob, please end it quickly…」
Soon, a man’s rough voice, the sound of flesh against flesh, and muffled groans filled the air.
Even if one didn’t want to know who the voice belonged to, it was impossible not to recognize it. How could one not? It was a voice he had heard for years.
The vibrations of the crystal orb ceased with Psyche’s pitiful cries as the final sound. A heavy silence settled over the office. Zephyros, who had kept his head bowed throughout the recording, slowly lifted his face. His voice cracked as he spoke.
“…The engagement will likely be annulled.”
If one were to name the most powerful nation in the world, everyone would, without hesitation, say Sicardo. But if asked about the second, they would unanimously answer, ‘Arodious.’
Psyche was set to become the Empress of Arodious early next year. However, now that her chastity had been taken, the Emperor would no longer marry her.
In Arodious, a woman who lost her virginity before marriage was considered a disgrace of the highest order.
Arje must have known this—and that was why they violated Psyche.
“Ah, my poor sister… What am I to do?”
Zephyros’s breathing grew heavier. The hand clenched into a fist turned white. His body, which had been trembling slightly, began to quake violently. A sound like the wailing of a beast escaped through his clenched teeth.
Zephyros roughly wiped at his tear-soaked face, but even after a bout of sobbing, he couldn’t calm himself. He kept taking deep breaths, trying to steady his uneven breathing.
“Haa, do you know what those bastards said? If we don’t release Ruon within a week, they’ll trample on Psyche even more. And the other three… they’ll do the same to her…”
His voice grew fainter toward the end, and Zephyros couldn’t continue. He lowered his head, his words swallowed by despair.
However, when he raised his head again, the sorrow he had shown moments before was nowhere to be found. His face was expressionless, his eyes eerily devoid of emotion. With a chillingly calm gaze, Zephyros flicked his hand.
“Bring Ruon here, will you?”
No sooner had he spoken than Tenon brought Ruon forward. Ruon’s arms were bound in restraints, and a gag was fastened over his mouth. Even in such a state, the sheer intensity of his presence was overwhelming.
“Ah, yes… This is exactly how the younger brother of Rezus Anocton should look.”
Zephyros smiled faintly at Ruon, who glared at him with a venomous intensity.
“I hope that defiance lasts as long as possible. Because every time I see you struggle…”
He raised his fist. At the same moment Ruon’s glare grew sharper, a dull thud echoed through the room as Zephyros’s fist struck him. Ruon’s slim, underdeveloped body flew into the air before crashing to the ground and rolling across the floor.
“…I feel an exhilarating rush.”
Ruon’s back convulsed violently, a ragged cough spilling blood from his lips. Zephyros looked down at him dispassionately, watching the writhing figure beneath him. Then, with a bored glance toward the empty air, he swung his leg forward, delivering a harsh kick to Ruon’s stomach. Ruon’s thin frame flew helplessly into the wall, colliding with a sickening thud.
And that was only the beginning.
Zephyros grabbed Ruon by the collar and began beating him mercilessly, like a master disciplining a disobedient hunting dog. Metallic-smelling blood splattered across Zephyros’s emotionless face, leaving dark stains.
By the time Ruon’s face was battered and unrecognizable, Zephyros finally stopped his assault.
“Hah… I don’t even know what to do anymore.”
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