Proofreader: somnium

“The child named Nadia is not of Ardenian blood.”

“Yes……?”

Valerian’s eyes widened at Fabian’s bombshell remark.

“She looks a lot like Heila, but she is not Heila’s child.”

“How, how did you know that?”

Fabian recalled a time when she took Nadia to the ‘Hall of Glory’ after her introductory meeting with the nobility.

She was a calm child without fear or embarrassment, even as she suddenly came out of the temple where she had lived all her life and came to live in the Palace. The priest, who took her there, looked at her with joy, saying that her resolute appearance is like a person who would become the next Queen, but Fabian couldn’t shake the feeling of reluctance for the entire time she was there.

However, she prayed earnestly that Nadia would be Heila’s daughter. That way she could end this dreadful succession fight and free herself from the pressure to get Liddell and Erdin to marry. And her own lifespan was getting closer and closer.

So she sent all the rest away and was terrified as she led Nadia to the throne in the Hall of Glory. It would be more accurate to say that she led her not to the throne, but to the Queen’s treasured sword that was embedded next to the throne.

The Queen’s Sword. It was an object used when a family of the two Duchies swore allegiance, the Queen would tap it on their shoulders and declare that she accepted the oath. It wasn’t too flashy and it didn’t look great, and it rarely went out of the Hall of Glory, so people thought it was just an ordinary thing. Maybe they think it should be changed to a new sword every time.

However, the Queen’s Sword was actually the most important item among all the treasures in the Palace. And the secret of the sword was only passed down from Queen to Queen.

“If you succeed to the throne, all of the blood relatives of both Duchies will swear an oath of allegiance to you here. At that time, you just need to lightly touch their left shoulder with this sword and say, ‘I accept the oath.’ Would you like to try it?”

Nadia took a deep breath and took hold of the handle of the sword, thrilled that she would receive the oath of allegiance from the Duchies. It was embedded next to the throne in granite cut in the shape of a cube.

“I’ll take this out…… huh? Ex, excuse me, Your Majesty…… The sword is very heavy.”

Nadia couldn’t even lift the sword with her two hands. And Fabian’s eyes, seeing it, were instantly dyed with conflict.

“Your majesty…… ?”

Fabian’s eyelids blinked slowly while Nadia hesitated, not knowing what to do. Once, twice, thrice…… Behind the third blinking eyelid, the eyes that had no more remnants of conflict looked straight at the last option left to her.

“If the sword is too heavy, let’s change the sword.”

“Yes. That’s better. I can’t even lift it.”

Nadia smiled bashfully as if she was relieved, and Fabian, as if nothing special, led Nadia out of the Hall of Glory. But her stomach was not comfortable.

‘The Ardenian dynasty is over…….’

The reason why the Queen’s precious sword is important is that, firstly, only Ardenian blood can lift it properly, and secondly, it is the Queen’s only weapon that can easily cut through the blood of both Duchies. Therefore, the sword used to swear allegiance had to be the same sword.

Fabian had never had a time to use it, so she never took it out, but from what her mother had heard, the sword would appear next to the Queen whenever the Queen called it. In other words, it was the last thing that could identify the Queen’s bloodline and protect the Queen herself.

In her heart, she wanted to have them pull out that sword after searching the entire Logos to find those who are believed to be Heila’s daughters. If there was enough time, it would have been possible. But Fabian didn’t have time. This is because her powers, which she thought could last a year or so, were rapidly declining for some time.

If she declared that Nadia was not of the Queen’s blood and she disappeared before finding Heila’s real daughter, then Logos would be divided into two parts, the Santella and the Luave, and war would ensue. She couldn’t leave it like that.

“If the temple had been trustworthy, I would have reported this to the temple and continued our efforts to find Heila’s real daughter. But the temple has long since fallen into Santella’s hands.”

After hearing the story, Valerian’s face was also dyed with confusion. Somewhere in Logos, the real Queen’s blood may live, but they haven’t had time to find her. Guessing how much more Fabian must be blaming herself, Valerian was upset.

“How about putting Nadia on the throne and continuing to search for Heila’s real daughter in the background?”

“That wouldn’t be possible with Nadia, but it’s also too dangerous. The powers of Ardenia are disappearing anyway, so she must carry on the Ardenian name. Otherwise, there will definitely be a bloodbath”

At the deep sigh that was exhaled at the end of her words, Valerian couldn’t help but nod his head heavily.

* * *

Heavy air descended on Duke Luave’s office. Kahel’s eyes widened after not having slept properly for several days, but no one dared point it out.

“Your Excellency. Predecessor Duke Damien Luave has just arrived.”

“Take him here.”

After taking Luahalla to Hildebrunn, Damien went to another estate to deceive people, and went to the Palace immediately after hearing the news that the Queen had fallen. Normally, Kahel would have run down to the lobby, but now he couldn’t run into anyone in the mansion. It was because emotions ran through him after Lena disappeared, and his devilish powers were popping out at random.

After a while, the door to the office opened again.

“Kahel.”

“You’re here? I’m sorry I couldn’t come down and say hello.”

“No, it’s fine. It seems like you can’t come out right now.”

Damien also immediately felt the thick aura swirling outside Kahel’s body. However, it was the first time that Kahel could not suppress his devilish powers like this after having Calia around his neck.

“Kahel, what’s wrong? Is it because of the Queen’s succession issue?”

“Disloyally, I am not very interested in the matter now.”

“Kahel…… ?”

Kahel, who had shown only a near-perfect appearance as Duke Luave, was now in danger as if something had been destroyed somewhere. Damien moved closer to Kahel and realized that Kahel’s face, who had been hiding in the shadows, had become very emaciated. Under his eyes were dark, his cheekbones were slightly raised, his lips were dry and his eyes were too cold. No, it may be too hot.

“What happened?”

“Lena is gone. Maybe…… I think she was kidnapped.”

“What… … ?”

“I’m sorry. Because Duke Luave was so swayed by his personal feelings…… But I…….”

“Kahel. It’s normal for a human being. I’ve lost my love, where is the person who will be okay in this situation?”

Damien had previously assumed that Kahel’s feelings for Lena were ‘love’. At the time, he was just embarrassed, but now he just regrets why he couldn’t fully express his love sooner.

For the first time since losing Lena, Kahel revealed his shaky heart.

“They tricked her by bringing Lena’s biological father…… To the child who is still hungry for the affection of her family…….”

Kahel’s voice trembled. Damien could only watch Kahel desperately hold back his anger and anxiety. There was nothing he could do but hold Kahel and pat him on the back.

“Have you dispatched people?”

“Yes…… However…… It seems that Duchy Santella was behind the kidnapping. Lady Rosenheim is involved, but who was it for?”

“It would have been so. How dare Viscount Rosenheim deceive Duke Luave by himself?”

“I’d rather have asked something, but I haven’t heard anything since. Why the hell did Liddell do this, if Lena is okay, is there any way to get her back, nothing…… I don’t know anything.”

It was so hasty and provocative that he couldn’t quite understand it. It seemed to mean that the Santella were ready to do something great.

“Whatever it is, there must be something you want to ask about that girl. Let’s wait a little longer. You should eat well and sleep well. You have to go out to save that girl, but should you be as unstable as you are now?”

Kahel managed to nod his head at his father’s touch who was embracing him.

‘Yes…… I have to go find Lena……’

That thought alone was making Kahel hold out.

He didn’t know that love could be so dangerous. The fact that he would collapse like this because of just one Lena, that even to his own eyes, he wondered if he would change so much…… He really didn’t know anything.

If it wasn’t for Lena who was kidnapped, he’d be like, ‘She’s stupid. How could her father, who had not appeared for nearly 20 years, suddenly appear?’ He would have shook his head. He would have had to let people go to find her, but if she died, he wouldn’t have cared too much.

If so, is this a punishment for treating humans lightly? If so, he hoped that he would be punished for the torment. Not to the innocent Lena, but to the sinner himself, please…….

But even now as he thought about it, God may be looking down at him and laughing at him. Lena was kidnapped and her life or death is unknown because it was the most painful punishment for him.

It was Luahalla who pulled Kahel out of the depths of his endless remorse and despair.

“Your Excellency. Marquis Luahalla Rognac wants to see you in secret.”

If it was Luahalla, he should have been in Hildebrunn right now. Kahel glanced at Damien, who still looked at him anxiously, and sat down with Luahalla in the parlor. Because of Kahel’s unstable condition, Luahalla had drunk three bottles of the purification potion. He looked at Kahel opposite him, his mouth wide open in bewilderment.

“I’m sorry, are you all right?”

“Not so good. Why did you ask for a meeting in such a hurry?”

Luahalla was a little shocked to see Kahel, who didn’t even try to hide his abnormal condition. The person who had never looked like a human was finally looking a little more like a human. But that wasn’t the point now.

“It is sudden, but sooner or later I will be appointed Crown Prince of Hildebrunn.”

“Like you said, it’s really sudden. Was Ragdrill about to give up his place?”

“There’s no helping it. He was stabbed to death by his mistress.”

“I beg your pardon?”