Chapter 187

Chapter 187

A small room in the detached palace where Gale was receiving treatment. A faint and warm light continuously flowed out through the crack of the door. Clothes and towels soaked in blood were strewn on the floor without distinction, and attendants brought warm water, centering around three magicians.

“Wipe this part more.”

“Yes. Magician.”

“There’s no sign of the bleeding stopping. Try putting more mana into the hemostatic point. Just a little, a little more.”

“Putting more here will cause breathing problems.”

“Of all places, he cut his neck...”

“Good, good. Just keep doing that.”

Sweat trickled down the bridge of the magicians’ noses. When it comes to self-harm, it’s common to cut the wrists, but Gale had stabbed the point where his neck and collarbone met.

“Make more blood. More, more.”

“Hey, go to Captain Akorella and get the blood strengthening medicine. Don’t be picky about the type, just ask for everything they have.”

“Yes. I understand.”

While the three magicians were in charge of the bleeding and creating new flesh inside, the doctor meticulously sutured the torn parts and administered a sedative.

Buzz. Buzz.

The room was stuffy due to either the heat of mana or the heat of the medical staff. As Gale’s condition stabilized, the magicians wiped their sweat with bloody towels and let out a sigh of relief. They had saved him, so they had done their part.

“This should be enough.”

“Inform us immediately if His Highness regains consciousness or shows any abnormal behavior. We’ll be resting in the next room. Doctor, you can stop as well.”

At the magicians’ command, the attendants bowed and answered that they understood. They had heard about the greatness of magic, but they hadn’t expected it to be at this level. Not only saving someone with a torn neck but also stabilizing them. It seemed that healing magic being the pinnacle of magic was not an exaggeration at all.

Creak.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Lord Ian.”

At that moment, Ian entered the room. The stench of blood and the smell of disinfectant were intense. Gale had bandages not only on his neck but also on his waist, arms, and shins.

“He’s still unconscious.”

“Yes. But his natural physique is excellent, so there’s no problem with him accepting the magic. We believe he will recover quickly.”

“I heard he was mumbling in his sleep.”

“Ah, that.”

The magicians smiled awkwardly and glanced at Gale. Although he was a criminal, he was still a prince. As if they knew it was reckless, they reported in the lowest possible voice.

“He was calling out Lady Melania’s name and saying something. It was difficult to understand properly because of the wound on his neck, but roughly, it was about condemning betrayal. He also mentioned something about a curse.”

Ian pulled over a chair and sat next to the bed. Then he checked his watch and instructed the magicians.

“Rest. I will leave here in a couple of hours.”

It had already been three hours since Duke Hayman entered the palace and was detained, but not detained. Ian wanted to target the moment just before Duke Hayman’s patience ran out and rebounded into resignation.

If Gale regained consciousness during the remaining couple of hours and even spilled information about Lady Melania, it would be the icing on the cake.

“Yawn.”

“Lord Romandro, the report.”

Romandro, who had followed with swollen eyes, sorted out the reports to be processed and handed them over. The scratching sound of the pen tip quietly resounded in the bedroom again.

Slap!

“...”

“Ha, haha. Don’t mind it.”

Apart from Romandro occasionally slapping his own cheeks to chase away sleep, it was so quiet that it was peaceful.

How much time had passed like that?

Ian noticed Gale’s fingertips twitching.

“Prince Gale.”

“...Ah.”

Gale frowned, making an unfamiliar metallic sound. His neck felt stuffy, so he tried to scratch it with his hand, but only the stitches of the bandage came loose. Ian lightly stopped it with his pen and spoke.

“So I knew from the beginning. What Melania wanted was not me but the position of a prince. That’s why I said I was preparing. So it turned out like this.”

Gale chewed the cigarette between his teeth. If that was the case, it meant that the author himself couldn’t clearly define the change of heart of the Hayman family. Ian got up from his chair, brushing off his seat, and then snatched the cigarette away.

“Get well soon. Actually, just the fact that Your Highness woke up is good news for me.”

It meant that he had gained a move to directly suppress, keep in check, and pressure the Hayman family. Because there was no evidence as definitive as Gale’s testimony.

“What about Mariv?”

“You will meet him soon.”

In the courtroom.

Ian turned his back without hesitation and went outside, and Gale closed his eyes with a sigh. Now that they knew he was awake, they would start 24-hour close surveillance to prevent him from dying. Even if he wanted to end it, he was in a position where he couldn’t easily do so.

Click.

As soon as he came out into the corridor, Ian firmly instructed the guard.

“Increase the personnel and guard him without any gaps. Contact the Imperial Palace Guard if possible.”

“Do you mean the Imperial Guard?”

The guard asked back in puzzlement. They only needed to prevent Gale’s self-harm, so why would they call the Imperial Guard? There was already a shortage of people for the reconstruction of the palace.

“Does an order need a reason?”

“Ah, I apologize. I will correct myself.”

Instead of giving a long-winded explanation, Ian elicited an answer through a reprimand. As soon as Romandro followed him and got into the carriage, he asked back.

“Is it because of the Hayman family?”

“That’s right. Now that the prince has safely woken up, there is a possibility that Hayman will make a move.”

Since it has come to this, the prince who will die anyway. They can kill him before the trial to superficially sever ties with Hayman.

And above all, if the princes die here from an external attack, the chaos that has barely subsided can swell up again.

“Go to where Duke Hayman is waiting.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Neigh!

Ian informed the destination and checked his watch.

Seven hours and forty minutes.

It was the time the duke had waited to meet someone after entering the palace. For the duke, who was noble and called the backbone of Bariel, it must have been quite a long wait to endure.

“Have you ever seen Duke Hayman? Lord Romandro?”

“Didn’t we see him once at the New Year’s banquet? Or not?”

“I think I saw the ceremony at that time.”

Duke Hayman didn’t stand out in his memory. Ian remembered that the Duke Hayman he saw when he was the emperor was the 11th, but he became a little curious about what kind of person the current head of the family was.

‘They say blood doesn’t lie, so if anything, he’ll be similar.’

With that thought, Ian rushed to the building where the duke was detained. In the distance, the soldiers guarding the entrance gate could be seen.

“What’s the atmosphere like outside the palace?”

“It seems like baseless rumors are spreading little by little. It’s the first time that those who entered the palace don’t come out, isn’t it? We’ll have to make a position statement soon.”

It was not something that could be prolonged. Ian vowed to finish the work roughly within three days, just three days, and looked out the window. The Hayman family’s carriage was waiting.

Creak.

“Is Duke Hayman inside?”

“Yes. Lord Ian. He’s waiting.”

“Inform him.”

Ian entered the building, guided by the soldier.

The doors of the reception room opened to the left and right.

Ian faced Duke Hayman, who was sitting upright.