Misfortune 78

Chapter 78

***

Sponsored by LC. Thank you ❤️ (2/4)

***

Every time he looked down at the woman who was sobbing, unable to even think of running away, he felt an indescribable sense of fulfillment. Even he himself thought it was a rather low form of satisfaction.

Still, it didn’t matter. After all, he had never been a gentleman to this woman in his entire life.

There was just one problem: the sense of fulfillment didn’t last long enough. It was like being so starved that no matter how much you ate, you still felt hungry.

Even if he took her again and again, or perhaps the more he took her, the more he felt it was insufficient.

Each time, he became more relentless. He made sure no distractions could come between them. So that the woman could think of nothing else, see nothing else, feel nothing else.

Of course, he was no exception.

Roan was overly obsessed with taking her. In other words, nothing else could arouse his interest.

Even when working, the words wouldn’t register in his mind, and even during training, the heat in his lower body wouldn’t subside.

But there was no other way. Nothing in the world seemed worthwhile except for possessing that woman.

It felt as though the world around him had suddenly changed. But he knew that the only thing that had changed was himself.

Did he ever have such a desire? It was astonishing even to himself. At times, he felt like he was worse than a teenager going through puberty.

But whenever he saw that woman again, such self-pity vanished instantly.

He couldn’t even remember how time had passed. After his mechanical routine ended, he spent the rest of his time embracing her.

Until the exhausted woman lost consciousness and he too fell into a deep sleep amidst the lingering waves.

It was the same now.

“….”

Roan opened his eyes in the pale blue light. The pale blue light of dawn was seeping in through the window, as if the sun had not yet risen.

He lay still, blinking slowly, until his consciousness cleared.

Come to think of it, he had been sleeping soundly lately, as if he hadn't slept in ages.

The reason was obvious, of course.

Roan turned his head to the side. His sharpened vision now focused on the woman who had become familiar to him.

The woman was sound asleep in his arms. Even with her eyes closed, she looked exhausted. Her face showed no awareness that she was in his embrace.

Instead of waking her, Roan slowly lowered his gaze.

Her hair, which looked like it had been combed out by the clear morning sunlight, flowed down over her naked body, which was even whiter than his.

He gently ran his hands over her naked body, which he had washed but not dressed, then moved his free arm to brush away the rest of her hair.

In the pale light, his gaze naturally slid over her rounded shoulders and the curves of her breasts.

“Ugh…………….”

As her hair moved to the side, she curled up tightly toward Roan, perhaps feeling the cold. Instinctively, she sought the direction where the warmth emanated.

Despite knowing this, he stiffened his shoulders. Her delicate, shimmering breath tickled his chest.

It was the moment his eyes dangerously sank.

“Colonel. It’s Milan.”

The butler's voice, tinged with apology, came from outside the room.

Knocking on the bedroom door before dawn meant it was a serious matter.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Roan tore his gaze away from the sleeping woman and rose without hesitation.

Feeling his movement, the woman slowly opened her eyes.

“Stay in bed.”

Roan left the single command for the woman, who seemed too exhausted to get up, then put on the clothes lying scattered around and grabbed the doorknob.

The door slid open silently, but stopped before it was even halfway open, as if worried that the light from outside might seep in.

Milan peered through the narrow opening in the door. It was a time when he didn't want to disturb his master , but he had no choice.

“A messenger from the Navy Command has arrived. It’s an urgent message.”

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Roan glanced behind him.

He briefly glanced at the woman still lying motionless on his bed before leaving the room.

Upon arriving at the parlor with quick steps, the junior officer waiting for him hurriedly saluted.

Before the officer could speak, Roan narrowed his eyes. The officer’s uniform was black, not the usual white.

That fact meant only one thing.

Someone had died. A high-ranking officer, or perhaps a member of the royal family.

“Colonel.”

As he had expected, the junior officer could not hide his grief and bowed his head. Then, to Roan's complete surprise, he mentioned a name he had not anticipated.

“His Royal Highness the Second Prince has passed away.”

***

On a day when autumn rain fell steadily, the funeral of the Second Prince was held at the Brunois Cathedral.

Unexpected news drew a large crowd, including members of the imperial family, nobles, high-ranking officers, and foreign envoys.

Roan stood his ground in his black uniform. The other officers did the same.

“May he rest in peace and find eternal rest…”

The archbishop's eulogy echoed through the vast cathedral, drowning out the sound of the rain outside. People could be seen wiping away tears in various corners.

However, no one's grief could match that of the family.

Despite the distance, the emperor's complexion was noticeably poor. The situation was no different for Princess Jeanne beside him. Though she maintained a resolute posture, there was no color in her face.

Beside the princess, the First Prince stood motionless in his position. The Second Prince’s wife, who had been married for less than a year, had already fainted and been carried away.

Roan's gaze, which had been sweeping over the imperial family, lingered briefly on the First prince.

The cause of death for the Second Prince was a fall. He had gone hunting with the First Prince and, after slipping on a cliff, had fallen to his death.

Everyone was speechless at the tragic accident. The Second Prince's guards were not allowed to attend his master's funeral because they had failed to protect him properly.

The Second Prince did not enjoy hunting. However, he had gone out with his brother on this occasion to present the emperor with a silver deer as a gift.

Silver deer were rare animals that only lived on the highest slopes of the northern mountains, and a duke who ruled over those mountains had once presented a pair of silver deer to the emperor.

It was said that the emperor, who had cherished those silver deer, had been deeply grieved after losing both of them to an epidemic not long ago.

Thus, the two sons had visited the duke's domain together for their father's sake, unaware that a misfortune far worse than the silver deer awaited them.

Some raised doubts about the accident, but the matter was eventually dismissed when it became known that the Second Prince had been the one to first suggest the hunt.

Even to Roan, who had crossed the front lines countless times, it seemed like an accident that could easily happen. After all, human lives can be so easily extinguished.

That's how it seemed.

“I am worried that Your Majesty will become ill again due to his grief.”

As he made his way to the capital, the Admiral, unable to hide his troubled expression, muttered absentmindedly in response to the words spoken with concern.

"If it were only grief..."

Even that was enough for Roan to realize which way the emperor's heart had ultimately tilted as he weighed his two sons against each other.

If Admiral Lasser already knew, it might have been a matter of mere formality.

But now, it was a meaningless story.

With one of the two sole heirs to the throne gone, the position of the next emperor would naturally fall to the remaining one.

Whatever complicated circumstances lay behind it, that was the only clear fact.

"Then, for the memorial flowers..."

The archbishop's words announcing the next procedure snapped Roan out of his reverie.

In the distance, the emperor could be seen struggling to rise to his feet. The emperor's complexion, having lost his beloved son—perhaps his heir—had grown as dark as a corpse's.

Even the emperor was limping and stumbling. The sound of murmurs quickly spread among the crowd at the sight of the emperor, who could barely walk properly.

However, Roan stared at the scene without any sign of disturbance. The Admiral, who was already aware of the emperor's condition, remained equally composed.

"Ugh………………."

At that moment, the emperor's legs, which had been struggling to move forward, suddenly gave way just a few steps away from his son's coffin. The elderly man collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

"Your Majesty!"

As the emperor collapsed, the funeral hall was instantly engulfed in chaos.

While everyone focused on the emperor, Roan's gaze instinctively followed the First Prince.

And he saw it. A fleeting, contemptuous smile briefly appeared on the First Prince's lips before vanishing.

A foreboding sense of dread crept down Roan's spine.

****