#092

Sharp tension pricked up. Watching the Duke stare at me without even blinking, Cullen leaned forward.

Tapping his knee with his index finger, he organized his thoughts. He felt sorry for the Young Duke’s death, but not regretful. As a representative of the territory, he had failed to fulfill his responsibilities.

It didn’t matter who he was before he fell into Cadmium. Unlike Moet, he chose self-destruction, and that alone revealed his character. If Moet hadn’t cared, an immeasurable number of territory residents would have been harmed.

However, he didn’t entirely fail to understand the Duke’s anger. It was just that Cullen had no reason to accept it.

“Favor? I find that strange.”

After much thought, Cullen opened his mouth. He decided to first ascertain the relationship between the Duke and Zarkas.

“None of the favors you bestowed upon me have been of any benefit.”

The Duke’s face hardened.

“In the Imperial Palace, only I and my close aides stood by Your Highness’s side.”

As he retorted in a low voice, Cullen countered.

Kihelene had shown me favor, but she hadn’t provided any practical help. In the Imperial Palace, the only one who had been of help to Cullen was Kiyen. Furthermore, he had become the sole reason for my life to continue.

“Did you not want something from me?”

“I swear upon the goddess, I did not.”

The Duke was not easy to deal with. As someone who had tried to manipulate me at leisure, he denied it boldly.

However, Cullen scowled at the oath that followed, invoking the goddess. Invoking a god was not something to be done lightly. Especially for a noble who had lived in the Imperial Palace where the evidence of gods was clearly present.

“You tried to make me an unwanted fiancée and tried to control me.”

Even at those words, the Duke remained unfazed.

“Your Highness needed power. It was an unprecedented situation, and Duke Lenon, like his father before him, is a man who would endure any act for power. For Princess Kashyella’s sake, I tried to protect Your Highness.”

He knew there was something between Lenon and Ruffellon. The Duke slowly turned his head and gazed at Kiyen, who sat beside Cullen. Perhaps the grief of losing a child transcended everything, he dared to meet Kiyen’s eyes and spoke.

“If we were to divide power, Your Highness, as a descendant of the Princess, is someone I must protect. The Princess rejected the marriage proposal arranged by Duke Lenon and chose the Marquess of Grove. The Princess distanced herself from Duke Lenon due to what happened to Duke Jenix.”

At the mention of Duke Jenix, Kiyen, who had been quietly observing like a bystander, spoke. His languid voice echoed in the room.

“Are you speaking of the land I burned and destroyed?”

Despite the soft tone, the content was brutal. Cullen quickly glanced at Kiyen’s profile and carefully overlapped his fingers on Kiyen’s hand. Kiyen did not pull his hand away. He merely flinched, glanced at Cullen as if in surprise, and then looked back at the Duke.

“Yes, my great being.”

The Duke continued speaking without taking his eyes off Kiyen.

“Countless people died because of that incident. The balance of power, passed down through generations, was broken, and following the former Emperor’s wishes, the previous Emperor kept Duke Lenon by his side. He grew in power frighteningly and always looked unfavorably upon the Princess.”

This was a story he had never heard from anyone before. Cullen’s mind became complicated. He knew he was not as adept at politics as the Duke.

However, if the Duke had wanted to win Cullen over to his side, he should have told him such stories much earlier.

“What he says is true.”

Kiyen’s single sentence helped him. Kiyen, turning his indifferent gaze away from the Duke, said.

“Ella disliked one of the Dukes. I think that was his name.”

Kiyen closed his mouth after saying that. With hidden things suddenly revealed, Cullen became confused. He decided to be direct. As he always had been.

“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?”

“I knew Your Highness would not trust anyone. Seeing as you thought I would use you, as you said just now, it seems I was correct.”

The Duke answered without hesitation.

“Then what has changed now?”

“My son is dead, so as a father, I have nothing to fear….”

The Duke briefly looked at Moet. He, who had been listening to the dangerous conversation, had a pale and frightened expression.

“Because I felt that Your Highness, whom I heard about from my only remaining child, is different from before. The Your Highness I observed seemed like someone who wouldn’t care if anyone died. But….”

The Duke’s hardened face slowly crumbled.

“I heard you personally helped Moet to save the territory. They say you narrowly escaped death.”

After saying that, the Duke lowered his head. A moist sigh was heard, and the Duke continued.

“Someone like that… wouldn’t have killed my son for no reason.”

As if he had organized his thoughts, he fell into a deep silence. Cullen also closed his mouth. The Duke had succeeded in confusing him. His conviction that the Duke was the one who wore the Rodiak had weakened due to their conversation.

“I have committed sacrilege. I will accept my punishment willingly. However, Moet is not involved in my disloyalty, so I beg for your leniency.”

The Duke broke the silence and said so. He raised his bloodshot eyes and was about to kneel.

“That will do.”

Cullen stopped him. As the Duke raised his head and met his gaze, Cullen spoke again.

“I did not kill the Young Duke. It was an member of an organization called Zarkas.”

Cullen watched him to gauge his reaction. However, the Duke, without flinching or showing surprise, asked back with eyes filled only with rage.

“Did you say Zarkas?”

“Yes. Is this the first time you’ve heard of them?”

“I have never heard of such a being.”

Then, Moet, who had been silent all along, cautiously stepped forward.

“I think my brother might have mentioned such a name in passing.”

“What did you say, Moet?”

The Duke asked with a fierce intensity. Moet, with a troubled expression, glanced at Cullen before lowering his head and saying.

“I couldn’t tell you because I was focused on the most important thing, but something happened while Father was away. I was also shocked by my brother’s incident… I was thoughtless. I apologize.”

Clenching his fists, the Duke’s expression turned one of immense pain. He bowed to Cullen again and asked for understanding.

“My foolishness led me to be rude to Your Highness without hearing properly. Would you grant me time to speak with my son?”

He might have been disoriented by the many bodies found upon arriving at the Duke’s mansion. Cullen nodded and stood up. As they left the room, they were led to the reception room. Beyond the closing door, he finally heard the Duke’s sobs.

It was a familiar pain.

The mansion was as gloomy as a dwelling for the dead. According to the sparse conversations, it seemed a considerable number of knights from the Duke’s mansion had died. For only four people to have carried out such an act, their individual skills must have been outstanding, and the Dark Island weapons they possessed must have been formidable.

As they were left alone, things they hadn’t discussed last night came to mind. Sitting right next to Kiyen, Cullen asked cautiously. Tension rose. It was partly due to being slightly conscious of the incident at the temple.

“I was also disoriented and forgot to ask. What happened to the Zarkas you dealt with then?”

“They all died. It seems they carried poison on them in case one member couldn’t handle it.”

Kiyen turned his body sideways to face Cullen.

“What happened to the bodies? It might be helpful if I could see their faces.”

Kiyen spoke of their end with a dry expression.

“It was a poison that melted the body the moment it was swallowed. It’s likely extracted from the stem of a camomile. It’s an ancient plant, but if the Dark Island truly exists… it might have come from there.”

It was a plausible possibility, given that they were people who melted their comrades’ faces without hesitation. Cullen decided to ask something else. It was something he had wanted to ask the moment he saw Kiyen yesterday.

“…Are you injured anywhere?”

“That is an unnecessary question. I do not get injured.”

“But I….”

Cullen asked, recalling how he had cut Kiyen during their first meeting, and he smiled wryly. It was a look he had seen several times today. Rather than radiantly beautiful, it was a sharp sweetness that made his insides burn.

“Did you not see what I did? Are you sorry now for scratching me like that?”

Cullen firmly closed his mouth at his own actions, which he could never have imagined after falling for Kiyen. Kiyen, seeing his guilt-ridden face, moved closer to him. Their faces drew near.

“You’re not answering.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Has it only been today that you’ve been willful?”

Kiyen chided him, then looked down at Cullen’s palm and asked.

“Why did you do that back there?”

“What?”

“I’m asking why you held my hand.”

Having said that, he quickly came to his own conclusion.

“You do like that sort of thing.”

…It was true, but that wasn’t the reason.

“Kiyen-nim always held my hand when I was wavering. The incident in the Duchy of Jenix was not something Kiyen-nim wanted, so I was worried it might bring back unpleasant memories….”

Kiyen’s expression became strange. His eyes, which held Cullen as if observing something curious, gradually elongated. As he stared, mesmerized, at Kiyen’s cat-like eyes, he said.

“Ella pitied me, but she never touched me.”

Kiyen tilted his head, puzzled, and moved even closer.

“Did you think that because you like me?”

When his mother’s name was mentioned, Cullen thought quietly.

In the past, merely hearing her name would bring pain, but now… it had changed slightly. Was it because Kiyen was before him? Was it because the form of revenge had taken shape through him? Instead of the loneliness that accompanied the pain, only longing and anger towards Zarkas arose. His loneliness had decreased.

“Yes.”

Kiyen stopped at a distance where their noses could touch. It wouldn’t be strange if their lips met at any moment. Even though they had kissed just a few hours ago, he felt thirsty. When faced with unpleasant and heavy emotions, he habitually wanted to touch Kiyen. Then everything felt alright.

Kiyen neither retreated nor advanced. The melancholy that filled the mansion was so familiar to Cullen that he clung to it as if welcoming it. He wanted to shake it off. With an intense urge, Cullen swallowed dryly.

For now, I won’t be greedy, just for today, this weary today… can’t I touch you a little more?

As Cullen resolved himself and was about to lean forward, the door burst open. Turning his head sharply, he saw Ulli standing there. Kiyen’s gaze also sharpened and fell upon Ulli. She scowled at the two of them.

“With the situation like this, were you just kissing?”