Chapter 120  

There was a high possibility that Carlton was somewhere in this secret passage. Luisen looked inside–there were no windows nor torches. So, beyond the area near the entrance, the passage was dark.

‘…So dark.'

As Luisen faltered, Morrison asked, worried, "Will you be alright? Should I go in instead?"

"…No. It's better if I go." Though less physically capable than Morrison, Luisen was familiar with the castle's structure and, when he was young, he had explored the insides of this passage briefly. Looking back, the corridor path was quite complicated, so it was better for someone who knew the way to go.

Of course, the secret passage was far too dark, and he was afraid…but Luisen was determined.

‘It's alright. This is nothing.' The young lord took off his hat and coat and handed it to Morrison. "Please don't worry and wait here. Don't let anyone inside. If they try to force themselves in, then block them at all costs."

"Understood."

Luisen walked, alone, into the secret passageway.

Inside, it was more complicated than he remembered. The passageway was narrow enough for barely one person to walk through, and the path was winding and complicated. There was nothing on the floor to make his feet stumble, but it still wasn't easy to walk by the light of a single, small candle. The faint candlelight trembled in the air.

‘If the candle goes out… No.' An ominous scene came to mind, but the young lord did not stop walking. Instead, he opened his eyes even more and looked ahead.

"Carlton? It's me. If you're here, please answer." He cautiously called out. He cupped his ears, but he could only hear his own echoes. There was no response.

‘Did I guess wrong?'

As doubt began to creep in, he noticed something lying ahead. Since this secret passage was unknown even to the palace inhabitants, whatever was ahead might hold a clue. The young lord approached and illuminated it with the candle.

It was an article of clothing. A jacket–that seemed like it was part of a uniform–which was raggedy, torn, and bloodstained.

‘The bloodstains don't seem very old.'

The jacket looked similar to Ennis's last description of the mercenary; the clothes seemed to fit Carlton's physique as well.

‘This must have been something Carlton wore.' Luisen was convinced. He picked up the jacket and examined his surroundings more closely. Drops of blood on the ground formed a sporadic trail. The image of Carlton discarding the uncomfortable jacket and moving forward became vivid in his mind.

Luisen followed the trail; the drops of blood led to a narrow, steep staircase. As he carefully descended the stairs, Luisen encountered a path he had never seen before. And, at the end, there was an arch-shaped door.

‘Is this the place?'

When he got closer, something was covering the door. He pulled at the curtains to reveal a bookcase packed full of books.

‘This led to the king's library, huh?'

Luisen had a rough idea of where he was.

‘I don't think Carlton will be here, but…' Still, just in case, Luisen took out one or two books to confirm. Light poured in through the gap; the young lord closed his eyes tightly before opening them again.

As his eyes adapted to the bright light, the interior of the room slowly came into view. The first prince stood there, against the backdrop of this dignified room. Due to the backlight from the window, his expression was hidden from Luisen.

In addition to the first prince, there were two others in the library. Luisen was familiar with their faces: Count Doubless and the red-robed ninth worshiper.

Though it wasn't unexpected and the young lord wasn't surprised that Count Doubless was a demon worshiper, he thought differently of the prince.‘The first prince… I didn't think he would team up with them.'

Of course, he had suspected that the first prince could be a part of their group. However, Luisen had clung to the hope that it wasn't the case–that something else was going on.

Before regression, the first prince became a king who worked to save his realm. He tried to better the life of the citizens in his country. Luisen had seen it all from the perspective of a denizen, and the young lord inwardly held a sense of respect for the man. His personal resentment felt meaningless in the face of how good a king the first prince was.

Betrayal rushing through him, Luisen clenched his fist.

Count Doubless opened his mouth, "The Great Lords are throwing their weight about and roaming through the castle, your Highness."

"……"

"Why did you bring the Great Lords inside the royal palace?"

"……"

"I definitely told you to not let anyone inside the palace. Why didn't you follow my advice?"

"……" The first prince opened his mouth slowly, "…When I thought about it, I had no excuse to block them."

"Is that more important than my suggestion?"

"No, I was going to follow your suggestion, but…" the first prince began to speak but then abruptly shook his head as if he was confused. His body swayed momentarily before steadying itself. As he shifted his posture, the light coming through the window illuminated his face. The colorful stained glass cast a distracted glow on his speechless face.

"Why should I follow you unconditionally…?" The confusion the prince felt was clearly shown on his face. "It's dangerous to fight with the Great Lords. I can't just follow whatever you say. Duke Anies, too… The duke… Why should I kill him…" The prince murmured. He questioned his own actions.

‘What is he saying?' Luisen, peeping secretly through the gap, couldn't make sense of those words. The first prince tried to kill him, but he didn't understand his own actions? Has he gone crazy?

"Haha. My prince. What strange things you're saying." Count Doubless chuckled. The situation wasn't humorous at all, and Luisen was horrified by his wide smile.

"Didn't we make a promise?" the count continued.

"Promise?"

"I have fulfilled my prince's wish. You're paying for that now."

"…My wish? That wasn't …much though."

Count Doubless placed his hand on the first prince's shoulder and pushed forcefully. The first prince knelt before the count. "Count, what is this…"

"By nature, a promise with the devil isn't fair, my prince." Dark-red smoke rose from the count's hand and penetrated into the prince's eyes, nose, and mouth.

Blood flowed from the prince's nose. The first prince hurriedly wiped the blood with his hand, but the blood flow continued…flowing like a river with no brakes. The front of his shirt was drenched red.

By the time Count Doubless withdrew from the prince's personal space, there was no more confusion left on the prince's face. The prince rose to his feet as if nothing had happened.

As the backlight fell once more on the crown prince’s countenance, Luisen felt an eerie sensation. The prince's face seemed unnervingly like that of a perfectly crafted doll; goosebumps rose all over the young lord's skin.

"Is that alright? The brainwashing keeps unraveling," the demon worshiper said.

‘Brainwashing?' Luisen was so surprised he almost exclaimed out loud. If someone hadn't come from behind him, embraced him, and blocked his mouth, some sound might have burst out from his mouth.

Luisen froze on the spot. The arms that wrapped around him from behind felt incredibly familiar and comforting. Suddenly, his heart began to beat fast; Luisen overlapped the hand that covered his mouth with his own. Then, he slowly looked back.‘Carlton!'

Carlton was standing there. Tears in his eyes, the young lord whirled around and faced his lover. As he buried himself into Carlton's arms, the mercenary's large hands slowly swept down his back.

‘How have you been? How did you get behind me?'

There was a lot Luisen wanted to ask, but Carlton placed an index finger to his lips and motioned with his eyes towards the library. If they were to speak here, they could be discovered.

Luisen nodded to show he understood. This was an inappropriate time for them to partake in the joy of reunion. However, Carlton quickly pecked Luisen on the nose as if he couldn't endure.

‘That's cheating.'

Luisen tried to return a kiss of his own, but he had no choice but to hold back when he heard Count Doubless's voice. Wait.

"This magic was rather inconvenient from the start. I was going to sort it out once we dealt with Duke Anies, but…" In the heart of the palace, he had used the power obtained from devil worship against the first prince. Despite risking so much, he had managed to push Luisen into a corner; this time, he finally believed that he might achieve his revenge. Yet, Luisen had managed to escape with an unexpected and ingenious method.

‘I was sure he was a fool–too incompetent to make moves like that. My plan was perfect, but why…'

Luring the church by using the accusations of impersonating a pilgrim against himself…The count had not expected such an ingenious plan.

‘Even if he's lived as trash, was his lineage as the Duke of Anies enough? So, are the rulers of the great golden fields different, no matter what?'

Count Doubless clenched his teeth. His anger made his jaw protrude and his hands shake. Why must the dukes of the Anies territory ruin his plans and push him towards a dead end?

"That… Shouldn't we slowly move towards another method? The sect leader also expressed some concerns as well," the ninth worshiper spoke cautiously. After Luisen's assassination had failed, the ninth worshipper was harshly scolded by his leader.

Count Doubless and their Sect Leader were in the same generation 1, and it was thanks to the Count's full support that the demon worshippers were able to grow in power to such a large extent. So, they endeavored to help the Count, but this venture slowly became a burden. A heretical religion's power comes from secrecy, and they had been exposed far too much while helping the Count.

"Perhaps, my Count, focusing more on our faith than ambiguous revenge may be wiser… The person you originally wanted to take revenge on…I heard they died from an epidemic decades ago…"

Ignoring the ninth worshiper's words, Count Doubless asked, "What of the rite?"magic

"We're preparing it as you've told us to do, but… can things really proceed like this in the capital?"

"If all goes well, the glory that comes from this ritual will far surpass the amount gathered in any other minor rituals we've conducted thus far. The Supreme One will surely be greatly pleased as well."

"Then, we'll have to work hard."

To have the devil they serve rejoice in their actions–what else could be more rewarding than that? The ninth worshiper blushed and smiled.

The Count said, "Let me know how it proceeds and keep an eye on the first prince until then. The blood of the blue lion should prove useful."

"Where will my Count be going?"

"Isn't Duke Anies in the castle? It's been a long time since I have seen that face. I wonder what he's scheming in the queen's bedroom." Count Doubless began to move.

‘Hngh. The count is coming.' There was no time to dwell on what he had heard. Luisen needed to arrive in the queen's bedroom before the count did. The young lord gave Carlton a nod; without a word spoken, the two hurried their steps.TL: AHHhhhh!!! Carlton is back!!!! All of us missed him so much.

Also, I wonder what deal the Prince made!

this word is mainly used for clan generations. I can't tell just yet if the author means that they're related, or they're of the same ‘lineage' or social strata