"I worked in Nevane for a long time. This time, I came up to the emperor at the invitation of Thomas hyung."
"Oh, Thomas. Thomas knows me well."
The vigilant gatekeeper's face quickly loosened.
"I've heard a lot from you, though."
Beryl smiled slyly, glancing at the small pocket.
"Large. What all these things?"
The gatekeeper pretended to be reluctant to take the bag and put it in his arms.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to Evain."
"Hey, you're going far."
Evane was the complete opposite of Edwin's destination.
"That's it. The weather has to be nice while we go."
"Well, it's full. I'm not going to be fooled."
The gatekeeper glanced at the inside of the carriage and smiled broadly.
After that, I opened the carriage door and checked my identity card.
Edwin and Angelina presented their identity cards for camouflage used by Shark.
They were a commoner couple of similar age.
The Archduke already had an identity card for camouflage because he had traveled all over the Empire to find Isabelle.
There were a lot of wanderers on the stagecoach, so wearing a hood wasn't much of a problem.
There was no face drawn on the identity card, and he didn't even bother to check his face.
I thought it would pass without any problems.
The gatekeeper, who was checking identification cards one after another, suddenly threw his gaze at Angelina.
In an instant, the surrounding air stiffened.
Both Edwin and the Archduke slipped to the spot where the sword was hidden under the seat.
"Hey, is your wife sick anywhere?"
"Oh, yes. I got sick and took medicine, but I don't think I have any energy."
Edwin replied with an effortless sullen look.
"Then why didn't we leave after a while? You can't make your wife suffer."
"Because my father was in critical condition, I could not delay even for a moment."
"Oh my, that. Are you going to Evain too?"
Evane was asked because it was only the final destination, and people got on and off at the passing station.
"Yes."
"It must be very difficult."
The gatekeeper spoke a few more words about whether he was a wide-eyed person, and then closed the carriage door.
"Annoying."
When Edwin lowered his head, Jenny and the attendants in the carriage were tense.
"It seems to have passed safely."
Fortunately, the air was softened by the Archduke's relief.
Beryl drove the chariot for a long time even after leaving the city gate.
It was only after he completely escaped the gaze of the Imperial Guard guarding the fortress wall that he stopped the carriage inside the forest.
There, the sharks who had been contacted in advance were waiting with their horses ready.
They were all active outside the ecliptic.
Edwin and the Archduke moved their belongings and each got on their horses.
After riding on the horse with Angelina, Edwin placed her in a comfortable position and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Master, please go home safely. We will be waiting for you in the estate."
Jenny and her attendants bowed their heads towards Edwin and Angelina.
They planned to drive their wagon back to their estate.
Edwin nodded his head at them and drove the horse slowly.
The Archduke matched Edwin's pace, and the Sharks followed.
While checking Angelina's condition, Edwin increased his speed little by little, and then started running fast.
It was because he could not delay as Raven would come after him soon.
Eventually, the sun completely disappeared and only the moonlight illuminated the path.
'I need to make it easy for Rina to rest.'
Edwin was annoyed by this situation and was about to go crazy.
The first thing to come to an agreement while discussing future measures with the Grand Duke was that he should leave the imperial capital.
As soon as the Crown Prince finds out about Angelina's identity from Raven, he will immediately issue a lockdown order.
Warlocks can also do another trick, so they had to move to a place they don't know as much as possible.
In my mind, I want to attack the Imperial Palace like this and kill them all, but I endured thinking of Angelina.
Since he didn't bring all the knights from the territory, she could be in danger.
'Damn imperial bastards.'
Neither the Imperial Family nor the Warlock would ever forgive him.
'I tried to kill my bride, so I'll have to pay the price.'
Blue eyes resembling aquamarine darkened to live.
While he was running, he constantly checked the sound of Angelina's breathing.
His speed was interrupted by the ripping of the wind, but his excellent hearing did not miss the small, colorful breaths.
Even with the steady sound of breathing, the anxiety that disturbed my mind did not go away.
He pulled Angelina into her arms even more.
At the warm body temperature that confirms that he is alive, he exhorted himself over and over again.
'Lina is alive. Lina is fine.'
The moment when the runaway stops and you see Angelina falling from the sky.
My heart was pounding.
It was the first time. There was a time when I was so afraid that my eyes went black.
Even before meeting Angelina, relying on a broken opal to wait for death to come.
I wasn't so afraid when I was ready to die and explode my power to save Angelina.
Was it such a scary thing to lose someone?
Edwin remembered when his parents died.
When my mother passed away from an illness, I was sad and missed.
When my father died suddenly, I had no thoughts of shock.
After he regained his consciousness, intense anger rushed in like a tidal wave.
Anger towards the monster who killed his father, who was stronger than anyone else, and the unknown behind him.
On the other hand, when Angelina lost her mind and fell from the sky, her vision became blurry and fear arose.
It felt like the ground I was standing on had collapsed and I was sunk in it.
It was desperate.
It was the first time. such a feeling.
what is this
It was an old memory that came up with a confused mind.
[Baby, Mom is afraid of losing you. give me a little bit of strength I'll make sure her mother gets better.]
The voice of my mother, who shed tears whenever she fell ill due to madness as a child, could be heard faintly.
The fear of losing someone, I didn't understand well at the time.
Because Crawford's direct line learns to live with rage from insanity as soon as they are born.
I couldn't afford to learn the warmth of empathy, understanding, consideration, and affection for others.
No, maybe it wasn't possible to have that kind of warmth because of the curse from the beginning.
'There's a reason everyone hears that Crawford's direct line is crazy.'
But, strangely, it seemed to make sense now.
'Oh, so that's what your mother did?'
Suddenly, I remembered my mother praying.
Whenever my father went to battle, my mother always prayed for a safe return.
As a child, he did not understand such a mother.
Father is strong. Because he inherited the bloodline of dragons.
All the knights of the family said so, and he was of the same blood, so he could feel his father's strength.
I've never seen my father defeated, and never even got hurt.
Victory was always his.
I'm sure your mother is well aware of it, but why is she worried that her father will get hurt or that he won't come back?
After thinking alone, he couldn't find an answer, so one day he said he asked his mother.
[Mother, why are you praying for your father? Your father is strong.]
[It's not because I don't believe in my father's abilities. I'm afraid because I love you.]
I love you, but why are you afraid?
To him, who did not understand, his mother added a little.
[Someday you will find out too.]
Hearing that, he thought.
That 'someday' will never come.
'I was wrong and my mother was right.'
Longing fell on Edwin's face, who smiled mischievously.
Yes, I thought I would know now.
what is this feeling
He was angry when Angelina was sick, and he was worried that she might get hurt.
The reason I wanted to touch Angelina so much.
'It was because I liked it.'
When I realized that fact, emotions that I had not been aware of until now came flooding in.
Angelina's favorite cotton candy tickles her chest and feels like it's full.
My heart was beating wildly and my face was hot like a fever.
'Why are you doing this?'
It was Angelina who fell, but it seemed as if she had fallen ill.
"Sigh."
Edwin let out a long breath, his chest tightening.
He kicked the horse back and accelerated a little.
I hope the cool night wind brushing your cheeks cools you off.
*
The day after Edwin and Angelina left the ecliptic.
It was also starting early in the morning at the Imperial Palace.
Cassan appeared in front of Genoa, who had just woken up.
"What is going on at this hour?"
"Your Majesty, Duke Crawford is gone."
Genoa, who was leaning against the head of the bed, jumped up.
"What?"
"I searched the inside of the duke's house, but neither the duke nor his fiancée was found."
"for a moment. Infiltrated into the peacock mansion? Wolf?"
"Not a single wolf was seen. There was no one to say whether all the users had left."
Genoa, unable to hide her embarrassment, washed her face dry.
"When the hell did you leave the duke's house?"
"I do not know. I couldn't get in touch with the members who were monitoring the duke's house, so when I went early in the morning, they had all been dealt with."
Cassan lowered her head as if she was sorry.
"Damn it."
Genoa couldn't contain her anger and hit the desk with her fist.
First of all, I was trying to create an excuse for tying Duke Crawford's feet with a lockdown and arresting his fiancee.
'One step late.'
It was all my father's fault.
When Genoa reported to his father yesterday, he did not say anything about the deal with Methos.
There was the calculation that Methos would have no choice but to keep his mouth shut as long as the plan failed.
So what he reported to his father was simple.
Suddenly, a demon appeared, and Duke Crawford was there, and he learned that his fiancee was Jueri.
That was all.
After hearing all the reports, the father was busy pouring out reprimands for not knowing the identity of his fiancee in advance.
'That's not enough, he showed a lukewarm attitude towards the imperial lockdown.'
If a blockade is issued in a situation where a demon appears in the Imperial Capital, the nobles will protest or something.
Then he yelled at me.
[Isn't it enough to get Duke Crawford's fiancee right now? Don't make things unnecessary.]
You want me to just get my fiancee? For what reason?
No, aside from the cause, the Duke of Crawford is holding on, how did he bring his fiancée?
I just sighed.
Thanks to that, it took a very long time to get the lockdown order approved.
"Follow me now. Whatever you do, get it in front of me!"
"All right."
Cassan bowed her head and disappeared quickly.
After changing clothes and having a simple meal, Genoa headed straight to the office.
Dylan, who arrived first in the office, was organizing the papers to be paid.
"What about the damage to Eslon Lake?"
Genoa asked, walking quickly towards the desk.
"It's miserable. There are no survivors except for Duke Crawford's party. They are truly monsters."
Dylan stuck out his tongue.
He swore allegiance to the Crown Prince, so he did not like the Dukes of Crawford, but recognized their skills.
"What about the nobility?"
"It is a famous tourist destination, so the damage is considerable."
He started reciting the families where the casualties occurred.
Not only the emperor, but also many members of the aristocracy were included.
"The Marquis of Chartres has lost a son."
"this."
Genoa touched her forehead as if in pain.
The Marquis of Chartres was one of the influential families supporting Genoa.
He was the only son of the marquis. The Marquis couldn't bear any more children.
"How old was your son?"
"I am fifteen years old. It looks like he went to the lake with his friends."
"The wrath of the Marquis will not be formidable."
"It looks like they are preparing for a subjugation to dry out the seeds of the monster."
"Aren't you resentful about the imperial family?"
"Did the Marquis of Chartres not swear allegiance to His Majesty? I am not a person who will easily turn away."
"It would be now. But since we have lost our only successor, will the sadness and anger be resolved only by the monsters?"
The emperor had habitually said that the emperor was as safe as the zodiac.
The subjects praised the emperor for receiving God's protection, seeing that demons could not invade the imperial palace.
The nobles who established the Methos barrier in the mansion through a secret transaction with the emperor also became strong supporters of the emperor.
The Marquis of Chartres was one of them.
The reason they are loyal is because the imperial family protects them from monsters.
What if the promise is no longer fulfilled? Will they continue to support the emperor?
Anyway, what if Methos was somehow related to a monster and that fact was revealed?
The imperial family will not be able to withstand the aftermath.
Genoa clenched her molars tightly.