"Your Excellency."
Elliot hurriedly followed behind Ricardo.
"A message has arrived from His Highness the Crown Prince ordering you to enter the palace."
But his steps did not stop.
"Your Excellency!"
Growing anxious, Elliot quickened his pace. When he barely caught up to him, Elliot found himself stopping in his tracks without realizing it.
At that moment, his heart sank.
"……Did something happen?"
"Tell His Highness I will enter the palace soon."
An answer different from the question came back.
"And I will personally interrogate the Orphen spy."
Ricardo’s face had returned to the one he knew.
"……As you command."
Even so, Elliot couldn’t take his eyes off him.
He felt an inexplicable foreboding. It was a primal instinct.
But was it just his imagination?
"Aaaargh……!"
Even at the sound of burning flesh, Ricardo continued his questioning without blinking.
"You already know the ringleader is Seiren."
"Naming someone who's already dead……."
"Where is that man now?"
He looked the same as always.
"I-I don't know!"
The man rarely opened his mouth. When Ricardo silently flicked his hand, Elliot, who had been holding the device, hesitated for a moment.
He didn’t know why.
He just felt he had to.
"I’ll do it."
But Ricardo tilted his head with an imposing face. His expression had gone so cold it sent chills.
Rose, who stood nearby, nudged Elliot in the side with a puzzled face.
"Kuheuk……!"
At that moment, the man coughed up blood. His ragged breathing was proof that his life was nearing its end.
……No, His Excellency isn't acting like himself.
Elliot looked at Ricardo with wavering eyes.
Surely he wouldn’t actually kill this man?
"There is no ringleader. This was all done of their own free will……."
The man couldn't finish his words. Ricardo covered his mouth with his hand as he tried to bite his tongue. Alarmed, Elliot hurriedly brought the gag and forced it into his mouth.
"Your Excellency, are you alright?"
But Ricardo took off his black gloves without so much as a blink.
"Treat him just enough so he doesn’t die."
Elliot quietly nodded. Rose then spoke to him with a hardened expression.
"Elliot, where is your head right now?"
"……Do you think I’m acting strange?"
"Then who is?"
At her words, Elliot scratched his head and conceded.
Well, I must’ve been mistaken.
After all, it’s His Excellency.
* * *
"The Kingdom of Orphen replied that they know nothing about Seiren."
"……."
"They said they could show the remains if desired."
Only the sound of a cigarette burning filled the room.
Benjamin’s gaze, reading the message aloud, turned toward Ricardo, who remained silent. Only then did he stub out the cigarette.
"……What sophistry."
"That's about right. Unless we obtain irrefutable evidence about Seiren, Orphen won’t acknowledge anything."
"……."
"His Majesty said this could be the spark for war."
Ricardo let out a dry laugh. At the sound of it, Benjamin flinched. But he quickly corrected his expression and continued.
"This matter will become an agenda item in the upcoming noble assembly."
"……."
"The Duke will attend as Lord Harnen’s proxy."
Benjamin cleared his throat and went on.
"All according to Lord Harnen’s will."
Ricardo’s hand paused while adjusting his tie. He let out a self-mocking laugh and gave a slight nod.
"……As he wishes."
"Lord Harnen will be waiting for you."
Benjamin greeted him and left the room.
In the silence that followed, Ricardo opened the drawer. Just as he was about to take something out, his hand stopped.
"……."
Ricardo carefully reached in. He grasped something soft at his fingertips and let out an unconscious chuckle.
It was something that woman had left with him. The doll, once as white as a snowman, had at some point changed into a rabbit doll that resembled her completely.
He playfully poked at the green eyes that stared at him.
‘……I wanted to tell her it looked like her.’
He thought he finally had a topic to continue their conversation. That made him unreasonably happy.
But now he could do nothing.
The dress he had prepared as a gift for her, and the jewelry to go with it, all lost their owner.
Ricardo took a box from the edge of the desk and opened it.
It was a necklace that would have suited the woman's snow-white neckline. Holding it in his hand, he carefully put it around the doll’s neck.
The pink hair that crumbled beautifully under the sunlight resembled the petals of a spring day.
Unable to touch it easily, he simply locked eyes with it endlessly.
"……It’s beautiful."
At last, Ricardo’s face slowly twisted at the words he let out. But the seed of misfortune that had taken root in a corner of his heart began to gnaw at him.
He shut his eyes tightly.
This world has always been nothing but cruel. To someone like me, your existence was the only kindness the world ever showed.
Blinded by the warmth of the first light that seeped in, I hadn’t realized that you had been hidden in my shadow.
He gave a bitter smile and picked up his pen.
When he finished signing the annulment papers, a heavy silence pressed down on him.
For the first time, he thought of the future, but he felt he would never escape reality.
All of a sudden.
Ricardo rose from his seat and left the room.
"Duke?"
"Send this to the Roygin family. As soon as possible."
Receiving the envelope from him, the attendant bowed.
"Lord Blua has come to the estate. Should I send a telegram separately?"
"……From the Roygin family?"
The attendant nodded.
"Yes. He’s in the drawing room with Lord Harnen."
After a moment of thought, Ricardo spoke slowly.
"……I can't interrupt their time. You leave now."
"Understood."
Ricardo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Though known to be long-time friends, they had rarely visited each other’s houses. After settling his thoughts, he headed straight to the drawing room.
A foreboding feeling crept in.
Just as Ricardo stopped before the room and reached out to knock—
"So, you're saying you want to use my granddaughter as a hostage?"
Through the crack in the door came Blua’s voice, filled with anger.
"Must you take it so offensively? There must be a reason why you volunteered to take charge of Drimokan."
"Do you think Veronica will come back just because of this? Please, get a grip. The one who killed Veronica was……"
Bang!
At that moment, someone slammed the desk hard.
"Then what about revenge for Veronica? Are you saying my wife’s death was meaningless?"
"If you truly wanted revenge, you should’ve done it with your own hands. All this time has passed—who are you even avenging now?"
A coughing fit followed. Harnen let out a vulgar laugh and raised his voice.
"Look at yourself! See how a once-great general has ended up……!"
"Think about Ricardo."
"That child shares my will."
A silence ensued. Then, Harnen spat out a line, filled with rage.
"Disgustingly, he’s exactly like me. If he’d even slightly resembled Veronica, he wouldn’t have grown up with such a cruel nature."
"……."
"The moment I first saw him, I knew. He wasn’t family—he was my other self."
Ricardo’s grip tightened.
"The one who offered to use your granddaughter was that child. Can't you tell, since he didn’t annul the engagement despite having no emotions?"
"What do you mean……."
"Because of that foolish child you pity, you’re now hearing that your granddaughter has been taken hostage."
The floor beneath him slowly began to crumble. Ricardo collapsed, unable to stand on what was no longer solid ground.
He unknowingly let out a small laugh.
……Yeah, it wasn’t wrong.
The shadow that had stood before the drawing room disappeared without a trace.