2.2 There is No Regression for the Victor

Meanwhile, after Mikhail’s visit, the mansion in the place of exile was like a funeral home after all the mourners had left. The Duke had shut himself in his bedroom, refusing all meals, and the caretaker couple was frantic. The Duke’s body could no longer withstand hunger for long. He’ll really collapse at this rate, what should we do? Should we try to pour some porridge into his mouth while he’s asleep as if he’s fainted? While the caretakers were anxious, Hyeon was wandering through a long dream.

It was a very old nightmare. A dream where the biological son of his adoptive parents appeared one day and took everything away from him. A dream where he was dragged down, told that the place was never his to begin with, and sent back to a place where he owned nothing. Young Hyeon was sucked endlessly into the darkness, leaving behind all his belongings, clothes, and every good thing he possessed. In the end, the nightmare becomes reality; what on earth did I struggle so hard for? If he had known what kind of end the whip of pushing himself without a moment’s breath would bring, he wouldn’t have suffered so much.

Along with belated regret, the nightmare showed him someone with a bright smile. Softly waving blonde hair and brightly shining eyes. Gently curving eyes and a sharp bridge of the nose. The person who, until just a few days ago, had appeared in longing dreams had now become the protagonist of the nightmare.

Why hadn’t he suspected it? Mikhail, Misha. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that Misha was the most common nickname for Mikhail. Where else would one find such a striking appearance—blonde hair that grew more vivid by the day and features so flamboyant that even glasses couldn’t hide them? Furthermore, if he had only questioned why the man never appeared whenever the Imperial Prince was busy, there were too many clues he could have noticed long ago. After wandering through a nightmare for a long time, Hyeon had to admit it. It was also Hyeon’s fault that things had turned out this way. Because he didn’t want to suspect Misha. Because he didn’t want to admit that the sweet temptation was a poisoned apple. He had closed his eyes and pretended not to notice things that the sharp-edged Lee Hyeon would have never overlooked.

If you were going to deceive me, you should have just fucking kept me in the dark until I died. You should have let me die in peace, never knowing that I was being mocked. What is the point of saying you’ll save me now? The more Hyeon thought about it, the more a crazed laugh escaped him. Hyeon had squeezed out the last of his strength to believe in Misha. At first, he thought the boy was just a clumsy, naive youth, but his mistake was becoming accustomed to that youth’s affection. I hope this one person doesn’t betray me. I hope this person stays by my side until the end. For Hyeon, who had never coveted anything other than what his adoptive parents had given him, his first and last wish was that Misha would not betray him. Now that this sole hope had been trampled, Hyeon could neither purely hate Misha nor forgive him.

Mikhail was so hateful it felt etched into his bones, yet he couldn’t erase him from his mind, nor could he escape him even in his dreams; Hyeon was on the verge of madness. He couldn’t endure it while sane. Hyeon had never imagined that knowing would be such a painful curse. The emotions that had been infinitely happy while his eyes were covered turned into hell the moment the blindfold blocking his vision was stripped away. For the first time in his life, Hyeon resented a God he didn’t even believe in, wondering why it had to be Misha who drove the final dagger into his heart.

How many days had he spent like a wreck? The caretaker couple, their faces pale with anxiety, shook Hyeon to wake him and spoke.

“Y-Your Highness. Forgive me for daring to wake you from your slumber. However, we are told that attendants from the Imperial Palace will arrive soon…”

Hyeon lifted his eyelids weakly and looked up at the elderly couple with blurred eyes.

“They say the Imperial Palace intends to come and collect Your Highness. What will you do…?”

What do you mean, what will I do? If the Imperial Family had [unauthorized copy]decided on it, [stolen content]there was nothing a worn-out, powerless patient like him could do. Hyeon struggled to turn his gaze away, his dry lips cracking.

“…There is no other way. If they intend to take me, tell them I will not go on my own feet, so they may carry me away in a coffin.”

At Hyeon’s resolute attitude, the caretaker bit his lip for a moment before answering.

“Your Highness saved my life, so I have long since decided to devote the rest of my days to you.”

Surprised by the caretaker’s sudden loyalty, Hyeon looked up at him without even lifting his body, wondering what on earth he was talking about. The moment Hyeon’s gaze met the caretaker’s face, the man spoke with a voice full of determination.

“Actually, there is a place I have looked into. It is a place the Imperial Palace officials can never find, so you will be able to stay in peace until the end.”

Hyeon’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected suggestion. Seeing Hyeon’s reaction, the old man cried out with emotion.

“So please, I beg you to eat. You must eat to travel the long distance. There is not much time left, Your Highness.”

“……”

At the old man’s plea, Hyeon nodded as if he had no choice. Even though the meal he ate for the first time in several days was merely a thin gruel, it was still overwhelming, and Hyeon struggled to scrape the watery porridge into his stomach. As food entered a stomach that had been shriveled, containing nothing but gastric juices, warmth began to circulate through his chilled body. Yes. I must survive for now. To avoid being held and toyed with by the one who had driven the dagger of betrayal into his heart, he had to find the strength to escape now.

“You are quite foolish. In a time like this, it would be better to side with the Crown Prince and seek profit.”

As Hyeon scoffed while accepting [Read on Read BL Novels]the care he had initially [Read on Read BL Novels]rejected as burdensome, the caretaker replied calmly.

“Your Highness took in a life abandoned by the Imperial Family, so I am merely repaying the favor as a decent human being.”

“Such stubbornness.”

Having been stabbed in the back by the person he most wanted to trust, Hyeon could not easily trust even the caretaker, but he decided it was better than waiting for the attendants to arrive. A short while later, having finished his first meal in days and changed into neat clothes, he began preparations for the long journey. He might have been swayed as others wished until now, but that would not happen again.

And not long after, a report reached the Crown Prince that there was no longer any sign of him at the place of exile. Marcel, with a grim expression, relayed what he had heard to the Crown Prince, who was sitting in his office struggling with an endless mountain of paperwork.

“The Duke has fled from the place of exile. What do you intend to do now?”

At the sarcastic tone, as if to say ‘See, I told you,’ Mikhail clenched his fist and averted his gaze. There really wasn’t much time left. The Duke he had seen last was pretending to be as composed as possible, but his eyes seemed to perceive only shapes and colors, as if there were opaque glass in front of them, and his steps were noticeably unsteady. If he delayed any longer, the Duke’s breath might stop first.

“Dispatch a search party. Don’t capture him immediately; just determine his location for now.”

Forcing him back was a last resort. Moreover, if soldiers were dispatched to seize him, wouldn’t it look too much like arresting a fugitive prisoner to punish him? He could not treat the Duke that way. Once the location was found, he would go personally as soon as he had time and persuade him as much as possible… But what if persuasion didn’t work? Mikhail’s face turned pale from a fear that crept up from his toes.

Then I must bring him back by force. He couldn’t leave him be, knowing he was drawing closer to death. If it were already too late and he had to face the Duke’s corpse… Mikhail broke into a cold sweat at the nightmare that felt suffocating just to imagine. Watching him, Marcel offered a piece of advice.

“To be honest, I cannot say I bear no responsibility for things turning out this way, which is why I am assisting Your Highness.”

As long as Mikhail sat in the position of Crown Prince, Marcel’s duty was set. If it concerned stolen contentthe Duke, the Crown Prince became blind, and Marcel’s job was to keep unauthorized copya tight rein on him so he wouldn’t ruin the [unauthorized copy]state affairs. That was his responsibility, having stood by while the young prince fell into an insane love.

“If you neglect your duties as Crown Prince, it may become difficult for me to continue acting as Your Highness’s hands and feet.”

At Marcel’s stern warning, the hand Mikhail held the pen in trembled. He knew. He must not become a person who wields power for his own pleasure, like his Elder Brother. Since he held the position, he had to become a man fitting for it. With a sigh, Mikhail covered his forehead and replied.

“I get it. Just report to me as soon as you find him.”

Whenever Mikhail wore an expression like his peers suffering from heartbreak, Marcel was overcome with regret. If asked who between Mikhail and Edwin was more suited to be a ruler, the answer would depend on the perspective. Unlike Edwin, who was frighteningly adept at ruling, manipulating, and identifying what benefited him most, Mikhail had no interest in standing above others. He had a temperament more suited to being a free adventurer, traveling across the Empire and gaining fame by solving local troubles rather than becoming a sovereign.

However, Edwin possessed no conscience, philosophy, or mercy as a ruler. It was Mikhail who knew how to love people normally. He was the kind of person who would rather sacrifice himself than watch someone else suffer. Marcel believed that as long as someone assisted Mikhail to prevent him from exercising excessive mercy, everything else could be solved through learning. In fact, Mikhail was not particularly dim-witted, and although it didn’t suit his aptitude, he was managing the administrative work one step at a time.

‘Who would have thought that the biggest obstacle would be that heart that knows how to love?’

Mikhail’s judgment clouded whenever it concerned the Duke. What if a moment came when he had to choose between the Empire and the Duke, and Mikhail made the wrong choice?

‘……’

In that case, Marcel would have to correct it himself. Having reached a painful conclusion alone, Marcel gave a slight bow and left the Crown Prince’s office.

The first place Marcel ordered to be searched upon leaving the office was none other than the home of the caretaker couple’s children. He still vividly remembered how they had looked at him and the Crown Prince with hostility when they visited the place of exile. Did they grow fond of the Duke while living with him? Until then, they had consistently requested a transfer back to the Imperial Palace. At some point, those requests had vanished completely.

‘It means they were swayed by the Duke in some way.’

The Duke had no lifeline left to grasp. The servants who had worked at Trancis Manor before the Grand Duchy fell seemed to have scattered to save their own lives, and those with enough power to help the current Duke had all been executed. The only people who could help the Duke up close were the caretaker couple. If they weren’t accomplices, they would have informed the Imperial Palace immediately when the Duke attempted to escape.

Then perhaps those children know something. That their parents had unusually protected that traitor recently… or that they had received help from the Duke’s hidden assets. However, the old couple’s daughter looked startled, wearing an expression that she knew nothing. Instead, she trembled in fear, wondering if the Duke had harmed her parents.

“What? M-my father is gone? My mother too?”

Then, she went a step further and suspected the Duke.

“Surely that man didn’t hurt my father and run away…?! Oh, Goddess. Please, let such a terrible thing not be true…”

Marcel briefly wondered if they were using a shallow trick to avoid suspicion of being accomplices, but because she pestered the investigators incessantly to find her missing parents, he erased that possibility from his mind. The next group Marcel began to dig into were the Duke’s distant relatives.

“From here to here is the family tree of House of Trancis.”

Starting from the founder who shared an origin with Osbrant and branching out like a massive tree, the family tree was nothing short of disastrous. Natural deaths ended with the Duke’s grandfather, and everything below that, including the maternal collateral lines, was densely covered with marks indicating they had been executed. This person executed, that person executed—as if not a single drop of the traitor’s blood would be left behind, the entire lineage had been slaughtered. Mikhail’s expression upon seeing the family register was so pale he looked as if he might vomit.

“Do you now understand the weight of a clan’s extermination?”

There was a vast difference between hearing a few short words saying that those who tried to harm you were all punished, and actually facing the names of those whose lives were taken.

“Ugh…”

Mikhail eventually couldn’t suppress the rising nausea; he stood up from the desk and leaned out the window to gag. Marcel looked at Mikhail with eyes devoid of sympathy and spoke.

“That is how it is for the winners and losers of war. Do you think words of love or repayment reach the ears of a loser who has paid a price that cuts to the bone?”

Mikhail couldn’t answer and simply clenched his fists tight.

“Your Highness may have woken up to find everything finished without lifting a finger. But a loser is meant to be crushed miserably. You must realize, Your Highness, that losing one’s life cleanly on the battlefield is practically a mercy. Do not turn away from what you are trying to do now; look at it squarely.”

I know. Mikhail thought, struggling to suppress his self-loathing. It wasn’t because he didn’t know the weight of death, but because he did, that he wanted the other to continue living. Death extinguishes all opportunity, but as long as one is alive, a moment will eventually come when they find small happiness and feel glad to be alive. Mikhail wanted to give back the infinite opportunities the Duke possessed.

“…I know.”

At the answer Mikhail barely managed to squeeze out, Marcel replied dryly.

“I am glad you know.”

While a long silence lingered as Marcel’s words fell upon the thick carpet, Mikhail merely stared down at the family tree filled with marks of execution. After watching Mikhail for a moment, Marcel abruptly asked.

“If the Duke, with a recovered body, points his blade at Your Highness, what do you intend to do then?”

He had long since abandoned the expectation that someone [unauthorized copy]who had lost so much would not seek revenge. Mikhail bit his [Read on Read BL Novels]lip until blood formed, barely answering.

“That, too, is the weight of the responsibility I must bear. It is something I must endure.”

Marcel poured cold water on Mikhail’s determined answer.

“You may do as you wish. However, if the Duke ever threatens Your Highness, I will cut him down to fulfill my duty.”

“……”

Marcel also knew that the price for the sins committed in Quilan had to be carried to the grave. However, he was a man who had long ago sworn loyalty to the Empire. What mattered to him was the security of the Empire, not sympathy or guilt. Just as he had failed to stop the atrocities of other colleagues that day.

Grind. Only the sound of Mikhail grinding his teeth, unable to hide his resentment, echoed through the silent office.

Meanwhile, Hyeon, who had set out on the long journey supported by the caretaker, was suffering from hallucinations that changed by the moment. The person supporting him was sometimes a classmate from his childhood school, then changed into his first girlfriend from his college days, and then transformed into the fiancée his adoptive parents had chosen for him.

“Lee Hyeon, why does your complexion look so bad? Are you sick?”

But she had left him immediately after he was pushed out of the succession. The moment he realized this couldn’t be reality, the voice asking tenderly changed into someone else’s.

“You must take better care of your health. You can’t afford to look sickly now that you’ve become a manager.”

At the voice softly admonishing him, Hyeon let out a laugh like a madman. That person could no longer speak to him in such a benevolent voice. Because Hyeon himself had [visit our site]stripped away most of what the man held and driven him to flee to the countryside. Therefore, Read on Read BL Novelsthis was a hallucination. A parade of traitors who had betrayed him countless times. Hyeon vowed that he would not be fooled again. The person currently carrying him through the brush and leading him over the mountains was someone repaying a debt because he had saved their life. Not a liar who mocked him by pretending to offer meager trust and affection… The moment Hyeon closed his eyes tight and staggered, the hallucination flickered once more and changed into a familiar form.

“Duke…! Don’t overdo it, please come inside. You’ll catch a cold!”

The moment he heard that voice, Hyeon unconsciously felt a surge of gladness and his lips curled up, only to be crushed by an endless sense of despair.

Hyeon had never asked for much from Misha. Only that he would be on his side when he was most powerless. That he would not turn his back on him, like the countless people who had passed through Lee Hyeon’s life. That he would not betray him, he who had been torn apart by the countless blades of others. He didn’t know why trusting someone completely was such a difficult task for him alone.

Even if the person couldn’t be with him as his breath faded. He had never thought it was such an impossible dream to hope that at least one person would not deceive him until the end. Looking back now, there were more than a few suspicious circumstances. The awkward attitude when they first met, the hair color that grew lighter. Even the investigator who served someone other than the master without a hint of reluctance. It was Hyeon himself who had made himself close his eyes in the face of all those strange clues. Because he didn’t want to suspect him. Because he wanted to believe, with a naivety similar to so many others, in the one person he wanted by his side as the flame of his life flickered out.