EWH Chapter 89

“Huh?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing…”

Thinking Amelia had spoken to him, Nathan inadvertently responded to the words that had escaped his own lips. Nathan quickly waved his hand dismissively. He frowned again as he read the headline adorning the front page of the newspaper.

“During a royal council meeting a few days ago, poison was discovered in the tea the King was drinking. After a secret investigation into the culprit, the Third Prince has been identified as the prime suspect…”

An attempt on the King’s life, and so suddenly? Actually, the King’s collapse was part of the original story. After all, for Azar to become king in the conclusion, the current monarch had to step down from full power. But this wasn’t supposed to happen now. It was far too early.

“…”

How should he interpret this? Was this the ripple effect of his interference with the original plot? It was confusing. What if future events were accelerated like this? The thought made him instantly anxious. Nathan unconsciously bit his fingertips that had been rubbing his lips.

“Amelia, where’s Aza… I mean, where’s Evan right now?”

“Ah, I last saw Lord Evan near the garden pathway. I’m not sure if he’s still there. Shall I call for him?”

“No, I’ll go myself. Amelia, go and attend to the people from the viscounty.”

“Understood.”

Nathan left the office clutching the newspaper. He felt he should inform Azar of this news first. He dashed through the corridors, searching for Azar. He asked every servant he met about Azar’s whereabouts, but when he arrived at the places they mentioned, Azar was nowhere to be seen, as if he was always one step behind.

‘Where on earth is he wandering off to today!’

After searching the castle for a long time, he finally found Azar in front of an old portrait.

“Azar!”

Nathan’s voice echoed through the wide hall. Azar, who must have known of his arrival earlier, had his back turned, seemingly engrossed in the portrait. Only then did he turn around. Nathan quickly approached Azar. Azar looked back and forth between Nathan and the portrait, smiling.

“Is this portrait of you? Hmm, maybe not? Anyway, it looks a lot like you…”

Nathan abruptly thrust the newspaper at Azar. Azar blinked in confusion. He took the offered newspaper and skimmed through it, but his gaze showed no particular reaction.

“…Aren’t you surprised?”

“Hmm.”

Seeing the ambiguous smile on his face, Nathan realized that Azar had already known about this.

“You… you already knew?”

“Well…”

“Then why are you here? This newspaper, judging by its publication date, it’s from the day we left the viscounty.”

Suddenly, he remembered what happened at the inn. At that time, Azar had suddenly left saying he’d be back shortly.

“When you said you were going out for a bit… Is that when you found out?”

“…Well, you’re right. I knew then. Someone threw a stone at our room window, and when I looked out, Raya was there. So I knew something had happened. I went out to confirm. That’s when I heard the news.”

“But why… why did you come with me?”

“Why? Nathan, do you really think I should rush to the castle just because I heard this news?”

Azar grimaced as he smiled.

“I can understand if you find it strange. But the royal family is very different from a normal family. Since I was born, I’ve never once seen the face of the man who’s supposed to be my father. The only family I had was my sister. So what does it matter to me if he’s poisoned or fighting for his life? Do you think I should suddenly develop feelings I never had and rush there at the news? Nathan, wouldn’t that be even stranger?”

Azar sighed heavily, his face scrunching up as if the mere thought was exhausting.

“…Of course, I have to go eventually. Originally, I was planning to leave right after dropping you off. But I changed my mind and decided to stay a few more days. Besides, it’s not like he died, and from what I hear, the news in the paper is exaggerated – apparently, he’s still in good health. So I didn’t feel the need to leave quickly. I’d rather not get involved with that side if I can help it.”

The last words sounded almost like a complaint, uncharacteristic of him. And that was probably Azar’s true feelings. Listening to Azar’s explanation, there really was no need for him to rush to the castle as soon as he heard the news. Unless Azar openly desired the throne…

Whether he went late or early, if it would only invite unnecessary trouble from other royals, going as late as possible might be one approach. The aftermath of the King’s collapse would likely be greater than expected. Moreover, with another royal being implicated in the assassination attempt on the King, the underground struggle for succession that had been going on could now surface openly because of this incident.

Then, as if his words weren’t finished, Azar awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck and continued.

“…Besides, at that time, you were more important to me. You, right in front of me, were more important than a father I’ve never even seen.”

Azar tilted his head, seemingly finding something odd about what he had just said. And Nathan, hearing those words, didn’t know how to respond. It felt strange to call it weird, but it also felt odd to deny it.

No, honestly, it did seem a bit strange.

***

Flap!

The birds resting quietly all took flight at once.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Elphines visited the detached palace where she had stayed as a child after a long time. In truth, she hadn’t planned to come here. It’s just that her dreams had been unsettling today, and as she walked aimlessly to get some fresh air, she found herself in front of the detached palace.

The detached palace, more dilapidated than she remembered, had long since become a sanctuary for plants. No one lived here anymore. Of course, no one visited either. Even for Elphines, it had been a very long time since her last visit.

“Your Highness, your clothes will get dirty.”

“What does it matter?”

Despite the maid’s warning, Elphines took another step into the detached palace.

‘It’s become a space both familiar and unfamiliar.’

It was a novel feeling. There was a time when she thought she would never be able to leave this place. She vaguely thought she might close her eyes here with her young sibling. But she eventually escaped this place by her own power. That’s why, as time passed, she was now immersed in such sentiments.

Elphines headed further inside, deeper and deeper. Passing through the familiar corridor, she stopped at one spot. In front of her was a room with only one door barely hanging. The door, barely clinging to old hinges, creaked eerily when the wind blew. Beyond it was darkness, as light barely penetrated. Looking at that dark room, Elphines recalled a very distant past.

The memory, so intense, was etched in her mind like an imprint, vividly recalling as if it were just yesterday, despite the countless years that had passed.

It was several days after her supposed sibling was born as a lump of flesh, and her mother had died.

Her eyes, raw from crying too much, hurt, and even in the midst of her grief, she was hungry. Surviving on the pity of not-so-kind maids, one day, the old detached palace, where only a few wet nurses and maids remained, was unusually quiet.

It had been quite some time since viewing the baby, who didn’t even have a name yet, had become her daily routine.

That day too, Elphines unfailingly visited the room where the baby was. The few maids had gone off somewhere to play that day, leaving the baby alone in the room. Elphines walked carefully on her tiptoes towards the baby’s crib.

Whether aware of her presence or not, the blinking baby looked like a beautiful doll. The clear blue eyes and brilliant golden hair were identical to hers, but Elphines greatly regretted that the baby didn’t resemble their mother.

Their mother was a beautiful person with midnight-black hair and emerald-green eyes. But look, both she and this baby only bore the symbols of the royal family, didn’t they? Suddenly, the face of the man called father, whom she had seen barely ten times, came to mind.

‘…It resembles him.’

Elphines murmured as she gently poked the baby’s soft cheek. However, the baby showed no reaction, as if unaware of Elphines’s touch. It just blinked regularly.

Since birth, the baby had never cried, nor had it smiled. It had never made a sound. Like an emotionless doll, it just stared blankly at the empty ceiling, and except when eating, it slept as if dead. Even when its eyes were open, it remained motionless, occasionally blinking, showing only the faint up and down movement of its chest. At that time, such a baby was utterly unfamiliar to Elphines.

Looking at such a baby, people wondered if there might be something wrong with it. Elphines felt the same. Although she had lingered around the baby several times to see it, that was all. There was no time to feel any familial affection, and rather than seeing someone like herself, it felt more like observing an unknown life form.

Mere curiosity, a bit of resentment, unfamiliarity. That was all the emotion Elphines had towards the baby until then.

That night, it was probably the middle of the night.