The moon gently embraced the Topaz Palace, its soft light casting a serene glow.
Snowflakes descended from the sky, settling on the garden and deepening its tranquility.
White lilies, blooming in the cold breath of winter, bowed their heads, weighed down, as moonlight spread across them like frost.
It was a sleepless night.
Rudella stared blankly at the garden. The scene beyond the window was quiet, yet it left a bittersweet resonance.
A mix of embarrassment and anticipation painted her cheeks red whenever she let her thoughts wander. Her heart’s unrelenting rhythm was driving her restless.
…Truthfully, Rudella hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. It had been her suggestion, thinking that, for once, it might be alright to indulge her desires since this was the end. To her surprise, Yohan had accepted.
While she couldn’t deny that there might have been pity or sympathy in his acceptance, Rudella still felt content. Regardless of his reasons, he had acknowledged her and seen her.
So here she was, wide awake, long past her usual bedtime. Her mind was in chaos, leaving her unable to sleep. Her cheeks burned, her heart raced, and she found herself clenching and unclenching her hands nervously. She couldn’t sit still.
The fact that the man she had yearned for so deeply had finally noticed her left her heart in turmoil.
“Heh…”
She let out an involuntary laugh. The smile that spread across her lips showed no sign of fading.
Though her task was far from complete and many obstacles lay ahead before she could be with Yohan, she was unfazed.
She was confident she could persuade the Duchess of Ferbache.
The information and evidence she held were sharp enough to sway even the staunchest opponent.
‘…The crown prince must be dealt with.’
Taking a deep breath, Rudella rose from her seat. The faint moonlight spilling through the window trailed along her shoulders.
Click
Using the small key she always wore around her neck, she opened a safe containing magical artifacts, documents, and mana canvases.
The magical tools were for recording sounds, while the documents detailed the crimes of treason the crown prince had committed over the years.
The mana canvases, which captured moments as vivid as paintings, lent even more credibility to these accusations.
These items were evidence Rudella had painstakingly gathered over the years, prepared to leash the Crown Prince under the blazing sun.
The future emperor was not someone to be controlled easily.
While keeping such incriminating evidence in the Topaz Palace was risky, Rudella believed it was safer here.
She couldn’t trust any of the noble houses loyal to the prince, nor could she hide the evidence elsewhere. The proverb about the darkest place being under the lamp held true.
So, she had hidden the evidence in a safe within her own quarters.
‘With this much…’
No matter how perfect the Crown Prince appeared outwardly, he wouldn’t escape dethronement.
He had consorted with rogue sorcerers, secretly amassed troops, and colluded with foreign powers for his gain—his list of offenses was endless.
‘The position… should go to the second prince.’
The second prince, Deckard, was the only royal who had competed with Fedelian for the throne.
However, lacking support and being inferior to the crown prince in every way, Deckard had withdrawn. The throne was claimed by Fedelian instead.
Now, Deckard lived a quiet life in the provinces, but Rudella believed that with her support, he could inherit the throne.
After returning the evidence to the safe, Rudella rang the bell on her table.
Ding-ling.
Not long after, a servant entered the room.
“You summoned me, My Lady?”
“Bring Vera to me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Despite the late hour, Vera had recently taken over most of Rudella’s work, so this was no issue.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Soon, Vera entered the room after three soft knocks.
“You called for me?”
“Vera.”
“Yes.”
“Send a message to the 2nd prince, Deckard.”
Vera’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected order.
“…To His Highness the Prince?”
“Yes.”
Vera, quick-witted and accustomed to Rudella’s service, understood the meaning behind the words immediately.
“I will deliver it discreetly.”
Rudella responded with a nod before focusing on drafting a letter.
She hadn’t yet convinced the Duchess of Ferbache, but preparation was necessary.
It was for Yohan, after all.
* * *
Time had passed
Before long, the day that had been foretold arrived, and Yohan, along with the elite personnel from the civil service, headed towards the Count of Eckarshi.
The officers who checked the documents Yohan had written did not doubt the possibility.
After all, they had personally witnessed Yohan restoring the Magul’s Rift during the war with Sanburg, so it would have been strange not to believe him.
Anyway, the first and second officers were on the move to restore the Rift.
“……..”
“……..”
However, there was an awkward air between Yohan and Fransia as they were on their way to the Count of Eckarshi.
Fransia seemed to be subtly avoiding him.
Helping Rudella aside, perhaps it was a mistake to say she didn’t want to hurt him.
Yohan’s mind became tangled and complicated.
However, contrary to his concerns, Fransia was actually fine.
Though there was no love between them, Yohan had essentially taken her place when he should have been with another woman, and in a sense, he had forced responsibility upon her.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t jealous or angry… but Fransia understood Yohan well enough.
‘What should I do with this atmosphere…?’
Still… it was difficult to approach him like before.
She had said she wouldn’t get angry and that she was truly okay, but now that it was happening as she expected, her emotions were complicated.
“Hmm…”
Fransia cleared her throat for no reason. The awkward tension seemed to choke the air. Yohan felt much the same.
“…Is there something you’d like to say?”
“Uh… no? Just…”
She couldn’t continue. Her tongue wouldn’t move. She realized it was much harder than she expected to form sentences, one word at a time.
“…No.”
Fransia trailed off and looked away. Normally, she would express affection and follow up with some trivial jokes, but strangely, words wouldn’t come out.
‘This is maddening.’
Yohan let out a deep, sinking breath. It was only natural for things to turn out this way. What woman in the world would welcome such a situation?
All he could do was wait for time to solve it.
* * *
The officers entered the Eckarshi Count’s territory and came to the village where the Magul had appeared.
Unlike the bustling scene from before, the village was empty. It was no surprise, considering the Magul had appeared on the nearby mountain path.
“From now on, we are entering a Magul with a crack! Everyone, stay alert!”
Fedelian, who was leading, spoke while holding his sword. He was the commander of this operation. As the event would go down in history, it was important for the royal bloodline to remain symbolic.
Crack!
Kiee!
As they entered the mountain path, the monsters rushed forward, spitting saliva.
Skkk!
However, it was impossible for them to break through the knights at the front. The strength of the officials deployed for this operation was at its peak.
Unless elite monsters appeared in groups, there was no real danger.
“This is the Magul!”
Finally, they reached the crack. As they entered further, monsters swarmed, but it didn’t take long to clear them out.
“Here it is.”
“Maguls always give me a bad feeling.”
From within the crack, black mist slowly began to rise. The inside was filled with darkness, making it impossible to see even a step ahead.
“Elite mage Harssen?”
Vice-Captain Ricard called out to Yohan.
“Yes.”
Yohan, who had gathered his magical power, stepped forward without hesitation and stood before the crack.
“Raise the alert to maximum! The operation starts now!”
-Yes!
The shouts of the officers and knights echoed through the dark mountain path.
“We’re starting.”
Yohan extended his hand toward the crack. Pure blue mana began to swirl around his shoulder, arms, and hands.
As Yohan’s magical power reached the crack, a crackling sound rang out, and a powerful magical wave surged. A gust of wind blew, and the black mist swirled like a storm.
“Is this going to work…?”
“Something is happening.”
“Could it be?”
Gulp.
The officers guarding Yohan nearby nervously swallowed. If this worked… it would be a historic moment.
It meant they would be able to close the Magul that had plagued the continent for ages, leading many people to death.
Fwhoosh!!
The spreading black mist suddenly gathered into one spot. The officers, sensing something unusual, raised their weapons in unison, but nothing special happened.
Crack.
Zzt!
The crack, twisting the very space with waves of magical power like an electric current, continued as Yohan focused even harder, pouring more mana into it.
Sweat trickled down Yohan’s forehead. The consumption of magic was tremendous. He even felt his life force draining away, but he couldn’t stop.
It wasn’t just because he didn’t want to quit. It was as though the crack instinctively swallowed the mana from Yohan.
Saaa…
The black mist that had been swirling in the air scattered, and the crack, which had been rippling like a torn space, slowly began to heal and close.
“It’s closing!”
“It’s really closing!”
The officers’ faces lit up with hope.
But there was one person who couldn’t share in the joy.
“…So it’s true.”
It was Fedelian. He watched with a cold gaze as the Magul closed.
This meant Yohan Harssen’s value was now set to skyrocket. Even though he was a prince, it would not be easy to touch him.
‘I feel really disgusted.’
Fedelian found it very unpleasant that Yohan Harssen couldn’t be dealt with, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Yohan had become a heroic figure.
However, he didn’t worry. After this incident, the Emperor would do everything in his power to make Yohan Harssen his son-in-law.
It was a proposal being personally pushed by the Emperor. Even if the Duke of Ferbace opposed it, rejecting it would be nearly impossible.
Furthermore, the Crown Prince Fedelian was expected to lend his support, so it was practically certain that the engagement with Leriana would happen.
While all sorts of calculations were running through Fedelian’s mind…
“Ahh…”
“It’s working, it’s working!”
The crack was fully healed.
“Wow!!”
“It’s closed!”
The officers’ cheers echoed like a tidal wave. As the black mist disappeared, sunlight, which had been hidden in the darkness, illuminated the mountain path.
“Hoo…”
Yohan, completely drained from the intense mana consumption, collapsed to the ground. He couldn’t move at all.
Had he not had a constitution that allowed him to keep recovering, he might have died. The amount of mana the crack had demanded was immense.
“Yohan!”
The first person to run to him was Francia. Yohan’s face was pale. His skin was icy cold, his strength was drained, and his eyes were cloudy.
“This is severe…”
Francia, kneeling beside him and checking his condition, stiffened. The side effects were much worse than she had anticipated.
“Is there any particular place that hurts?”
“Not really.”
Yohan smiled lightly as he looked at the serious expression on Francia’s face.
“That’s a relief.”
“…What’s a relief?”
Francia tilted her head, and Yohan smiled even more widely.
“I don’t think you hate me now.”
His voice was low, but the sincerity behind it pierced Francia’s heart. She hesitated, thinking he might be mistaken.
“There’s no way that would happen.”
She smiled and touched her forehead to Yohan’s.
“I like you much more than you think, Yohan.”