CH 145

The next case contained the sword. Estian immediately dismissed the idea. ‘It’s too heavy, not to mention the blade’s still sharp so this won’t do either.’ It was a ceremonial sword forged without the slightest consideration for practicality. The item was a thing of beauty, but the elaborate decorations added significant heft, which would make it difficult for Cecile to carry around. It also wouldn’t do if Cecile ended up injured from the sharp blade.

This meant that the remaining choices were between the scepter and the orb. Estian decided on the scepter without hesitation. The orb was awkward to carry, and he never understood the purpose of it in the first place. In such a manner, the scepter was picked from the four regalia and packed into a box to be sent to the empress’s palace.

There was one specific reason Estian decided to hand over one of the regalia to Cecile before his departure. Her reputation in the imperial court was at the bottom of the barrel, which was really his fault for having her act the part of a villainess. Her safety was secure since she had the emperor’s favor, but he couldn’t be sure it would be the same when he was away.

‘The empress will need some form of protection lest the officials get any funny ideas. There’s no knowing what they might get up to while I’m away. They’ve gone through rigorous selection, but…’

He didn’t trust the ministers of the empire. Estian would’ve liked to purge all of them, but he recognized that the empire couldn’t be managed alone. His officials were chosen from those who were, at the very least, not involved with ‘that incident.’ This had inadvertently caused an unnecessary sense of loyalty to develop. That blind loyalty could easily turn into a blade pointed at Cecile, for the pointless reason of placing a more suitable woman at the emperor’s side.

‘They’re not the sort that would hesitate to attack the empress.’

Estian was well versed with the twisted side of human nature. Those wretches in the laboratory never hesitated when pushing the guileless children into the experiment cells. Not all of them had participated out of greed. There were those that claimed loftier intentions. Whether it be for country, for family, or for the greater good, those claiming nobler convictions held their heads higher than those who were seeking to fill their coffers. It was those misplaced convictions that enabled them to force him, a prince at the time, into their experiments.

Estian shook his head to clear his thoughts. A slight slip of focus and he’d be buried in memories of the past. He started to make his way towards the castle. It would be best to wrap things up quickly and return to the empire. Destroying Etia would grant him a long respite, and there wouldn’t be a need to wage war for at least another year. The voices within would be satisfied and quieten down. It would give him time to make other plans.

‘Perhaps I’ll travel outside the palace for a while.’

Now that he thought about it, Cecile had traded in a life imprisoned in the royal villa in Navitan for a life bound within the walls of the empress’s palace. Despite the empress palace’s splendor, it was still a building with a confined space.

He could remedy this situation. There were many places rumored for their beauty within the empire, such as a valley filled with flower petals year-round and mountains with clear ponds boasting a full palette of colors to name a few. These were all sights that the emperor had paid little interest in the past, but they would soon be welcoming their master.

‘It’ll be nice to have a stay in such places. ‘She’ll definitely like it.’

Estian let out a dry chuckle at the absurdity of his thoughts. It was strange to be considering such matters on his way to slaughter a human. Soon he had reached the tightly closed gates of the castle. Even while the city burned and its people were dying, the gates remained tightly shut.

He raised a fist and slammed the castle gates. Crash! The thick wood of the gates splintered and cracked at the thunderous impact. Estian continued to swing his fist, landing punches in the same spot again and again. Crash! Crash! The gates creaked under the pressure, until eventually, they were smashed apart with an explosive bang. Estian glanced down at his fist with disinterest. His knuckles were scratched and bloodied, but the wounds soon healed without a trace, leaving only a small smudge of dried blood.

Stepping over remnants of the smashed gates, Estian entered the castle. It was empty. Not a single soul could be found. There were no knights nor attendants. He wondered if they had all gone into hiding, but he realized he couldn’t sense any human presence. As he hurriedly made his way through the castle, his face twisted into a grimace.

While Etia’s castle did not match up in terms of scale to the imperial palace, it did not lose out in splendor. Finding himself in an empty hall, Estian shouted, “Grand Duke Farus!” It was the name of the castle’s master, and the man to whom Estian owed a debt.

A moment later, footsteps could be heard approaching. “Long time no see, Estian. Or should I be addressing you as Your Majesty now?”