Chapter 51.1

Chapter 51 – Justification and Betrayal (END)

After Raphael’s death, the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was gloomy.

They were murmurs though they thought that Raphael had died because Distria was crazy about a woman. It was said that he was crazy at Arne and could not forgive Raphael, who drove her almost to her death.

At first, no one believed it. It was unimaginable for him, who was so cold-hearted, to be so hung up with a woman.

However, with fairly specific and detailed words, they gradually began to believe the rumors because it was actually true, and there was nothing that could be called a lie.

The nobles talked about Raphael’s death every now and then. Regardless of his abilities, originally, he was someone who could not even step on the entrance to the Imperial Palace with his lowly status so they all wanted his death.

At first, they were delighted to have dealt with Raphael, who was of filthy status. They thought it was an act to correct the discipline of the Imperial Palace, and they liked it.

However, then the exiled woman… If it was because of her, it was a different story.

‘Woman,’ that woman. The spoils of wars…

It was absurd that a nobleman would die because of a person less than livestock. It meant that if they killed a noble with the highest ranks for such a trivial reason, they could easily die as well.

Distria gazed at the empty seats and said softly. He clasped his chin with one hand before tapping his desk with the other.

“It seems like everyone is relaxed these days.”

Cartal, Carwen Empire’s nobles meeting, held once every two months for a week. If the circumstances were not favorable, they would admit their absence for public reasons. However, in the Cartal that Distria opened, the basic requirement itself was to attend.

A penalty was applied in any way to those who did not come.

Some have lost their lives for three non-attendances, some have broken legs, and others have been barred from entering politics. Distria valued their presence in Cartal because he thought that the reason there was nobility was because of Cartal.

There were two vacancies.

One place was Raphael’s, and the other was the seat of a local nobleman. Distria swept the desk in the empty seat next to him. As he put a white flower, a flower to commemorate death, there was no one in the hall who did not know that Distria himself had killed Raphael.

Only the sound of swallowing filled the silent conference hall.

“…Let’s start the meeting.”

Lepis’ voice resounded in the conference hall, where there was a chilly silence. He stood in front of a large board with well-organized papers. It was too thin to be considered a collection of various reports such as proposals and petitions from nobles received over the course of two months while ruling a large country.

Distria clenched his chin and glanced at the thin paper.

One page after another.

Every time he passed each page, Distria frowned. It wasn’t very poignant. He almost ran out of paper though there wasn’t a single good thing on the agenda. In addition, the contents of the reports of the autonomous nobles were also sloppy.

The last, Lepis’ voice as he read the last page of the paper trembled a little. Distria stared at him with a dubious look.

“There is a story about the Imperial Palace being disturbed by the exiled woman Your Majesty took.”

Until the end… nonsensical stories.

Distria’s expression turned cold. Usually, during the meeting, they would discuss the national agenda for eight hours a day. However, the meeting showed signs of coming to an end less than four hours after it started.

He smashed the desk.

“Is this what you call a meeting?”

“….”

“Did you put this out as an agenda?”

“….”

“A meeting at this level is called Cartal.”

The hall fell into silence. Distria snatched the meeting materials Lepis was holding. Glancing back at the meeting members once again, he randomly scattered papers on the floor.

“…Haa.”

He glared at the nobles with cold eyes. Papers that had been carefully written by hand sprawled on the floor.

“If you come back to Cartal tomorrow with such content….”

Distria stood up. He walked to the center and trampled the paper before continuing his words.

“…Your position.”

He looked around the conference hall and smiled coldly.

“Think about it again.”

After that, he left the conference hall without hesitation.

Those things get paid by people’s taxes. In his mind, he wanted to cut them all off. It made him want to spit out everything he ate. Distria unbuttoned his shirt, which was squeezing his neck.

Lepis half-stopped his work and peered at the messed-up place. Distria raised his hand and tried to deal with one of the nobles who habitually did not come to Cartal. However, Arne’s face, who had killed Raphael, suddenly came to mind, and he put his hand down.

He closed his eyes and gently pressed his temples. What was it? Nothing worked, nothing. He mocked himself.

…Just because of this place.

Just because of these people…

It made him angry that he was under so much stress.

Acacia used the power of his family, whom he hated, to find Rewan. It seemed that he still hadn’t left the capital and was staying near the Imperial Palace. Nonetheless, he wanted Rewan not to wander around the Imperial Palace. He wished Rewan had gone far away from this place.

As Lepis wants him to die. Acacia also wished that Rewan and Arne would never see each other again. He thought if Rewan wasn’t going to leave this place, he’d rather be dead.

It was a selfish thought. It was a foolish thought.

Acacia scorned himself, disillusioned with his own selfishness. Even then, he rationalized his own selfish thoughts. He had been holding his breath, killing his emotions, and living as someone’s dog, so it was okay that he thought this much now.

It was a wish that would never come true. He wouldn’t kill Rewan or let him die.

Acacia informed those seeking Rewan contradicting information that he had received. He hindered those who wanted to find him. He cleverly hid Rewab so that he did not get noticed.

Looking up at the darkening sky, his mood was shaky. He hoped Rewan and Arne would never meet. Nonetheless, it wasn’t due to his love for Arne.

As he looked at her, he felt the wondrous heart first rather than the trembling of pounding love. It was not a tremor that was caused by affection. Not only that she uphold her beliefs, but she was also so shiny, so brilliant, so amazing…

When he looked at her, he thoughtlessly wanted to put his head on the floor and put his lips against the top of her feet.

This was not love.

…It was a feeling other than love.

His own desire, which he originally wanted, was not to this extent. Still, that night… that night she didn’t leave. Acacia felt that he was a human being, filled with joy and intense emotions. He became Distria’s sword, and he considered himself a beast, not a human.

He gave up being human.

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