The Price of Saving A Wicked Beast
Translator: Rae
As soon as morning broke the next day, Marquis Brundel came to see Fabian. He looked like a man who had not slept a wink throughout the night.
“How did it go?”
"Ah. Marquis Brundell.”
Fabian smiled and nodded at the marquis, who demanded an answer.
“The maid was right. She truly appeared alone in the Glass Garden.”
Hearing Fabian’s reply, the marquis clenched his fist. His hand trembled violently.
“I should have gone there myself last night. If I had, I could have finished Katarina’s revenge by now.”
“Calm yourself. We now have a reliable source, do we not? Another opportunity will come soon enough.”
It had been a rare, pleasant night. Katarina, who had been such a nuisance, was gone, and Killian and Adelaide, thorns in his side, were caught in the trap he had laid, gasping and on the brink of collapse.
The Emperor, whose health was failing, need not be considered. Once Killian was removed, only one choice would remain, himself.
Besides, had he not prepared Milnyme precisely for a moment like this?
“For now, you should get some rest. I fear you may pass out before anyone else does.”
Fabian spoke gently to the marquis. At his words, the harsh breathing of the agitated Brundel marquis gradually steadied.
“Yes. I understand. As you say, Grand Duke, opportunities will surely arise… again.”
The marquis bowed deeply, then left Fabian’s bedroom. Fabian watched his retreating figure with satisfaction. Seeing him driven mad by vengeance, it seemed his own return to power was truly close at hand.
The marquis visited him again two days later.
“Grand Duke, Bonnet has brought new information. The Crown Princess plans to flee to Clayton.”
According to Bonnet, Adelaide intended to secretly leave the Empire and hide herself in Clayton.
“Clayton. An unexpected choice.”
“Roem Afort is said to be returning on the originally scheduled wedding date. She likely intends to ask him to protect her. It seems the incident in the Glass Garden frightened her badly.”
The wedding. A day he had completely forgotten, now only four days away.
“And that is not all. The Crown Prince intends to pin the blame on me and destroy my house.”
This was hardly surprising. Killian would never leave a man who threatened Adelaide never learned their lessons. At Fabian’s calm reaction, the marquis ground his teeth.
“I cannot sit idly by and be cut down by the Crown Prince’s blade. Nor will I stand by while the Crown Princess escapes beyond my reach.”
“Which means.”
“I will lie in wait along the road to the harbor and attack her. If I can k*ll that woman, my own life means nothing.”
The marquis drew a map from his cloak. It detailed the capital’s terrain, including the route from the palace to the harbor.
"One have to pass through this route to reach the harbor from the imperial palace. This will be the Crown Princess’ grave.”
The marquis pointed to a spot on the map. It was a cliff with a river flowing below. It was a perfect terrain for an ambush.
“Even if you try to stop me now, it is useless. If I cannot avenge Katarina this time, I will have no face to meet my daughter even in d*ath.”
The marquis seemed to expect Fabian to stop him again. However, Fabian had no such intention. In fact, he was considering urging him on.
“Very well. If that is your will, then this day will be our only chance.”
Fabian nodded heavily, as though reluctantly agreeing with the marquis.
“The Crown Prince will likely escort the Crown Princess to the harbor to protect her.”
He had Milnyme forge an imitation of Viscount Romeo’s seal.
Posters bearing that seal were plastered throughout the capital.
That simple scheme alone was enough to bring down Rose Romeo, once her loyal escort. Shocked by her father’s alleged rebellion, she vanished of her own accord.
Ordinarily, a new guard would have been appointed in Rose Romeo’s place, but Killian had completely been under the mercy of Fabian’s words that he trusted no one.
Thus, rather than entrusting her protection to another, Killian was likely to guard Adelaide himself.
“Let us get rid of them both at once. That will be the final gift we can offer Katarina.”
Fabian grasped the marquis’s hand.
“If Killian Nachtmann is eliminated, the next throne will be mine. Then Katarina will be remembered in history not as a grand duchess, but as an empress.”
At Fabian’s words, the marquis stared at him silently. After a long moment, he finally nodded.
“Yes. I will do so. If I can avenge Katarina, nothing else matters to me now. Even if I must join hands with the devil, I will do it.”
“My, such frightening words, Marquis. To speak of shaking hands with the devil when you are to be the father of the future empress.”
He spoke lightly, patting the marquis’s hand.
“For now, focus only on preparing properly so nothing goes awry. Complicated matters can be dealt with later.”
***
Fabian checked the time. There was about an hour until the ship from Clayton arrived. Through Bonnet, he had already confirmed that a carriage had secretly left the palace through the rear gate.
After waiting an appropriate amount of time, Fabian rose from his seat.
“Prepare the horses. It should be over by now.”
He had to remain morally flawless. Even if Marquis Brundell, consumed by vengeance, harmed the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Fabian had to appear either unaware of it or as someone who had done everything in his power to stop him.
Soon, his horse was prepared. Fabian mounted a spotless white steed and urged it forward, the horse steadily increasing its speed at his kick.
Several subordinates followed closely behind Fabian as he raced toward the cliff where Marquis Brundel lay in ambush. Faster, just a little faster. Fabian could not contain his excitement. Finally, the moment of Killian Nachtmann’s end had arrived.
Just as he reached the cliff, a carriage came racing toward its edge. Moments later, it tilted and plunged down below.
“Marquis Brundell!”
This was not how Fabian had imagined it. He had pictured Killian’s corpse lying broken on the ground, yet nothing remained at the scene.
Recognizing Fabian, the marquis hurried over to him.
“What is going on here? Where are the Crown Prince and Crown Princess?”
“I pushed the carriage off the cliff just moments ago.”
Marquis Brundell smiled, revealing his white teeth.
“I considered what method would best avenge my daughter. In the end, I decided that dying the same way was most fitting.”
Just as Katarina had died tumbling down the stairs, the Crown Princess too should perish from a great height, the marquis said, finally laughing in grim satisfaction.
Watching him, Fabian clenched his teeth. As he expected, the marquis was a foolish man. Without confirmed bodies, people would never accept Killian and Adelaide’s deaths.
Worse still, it would give the Emperor hope that his child might still be alive, and with it, an excuse to delay decisive action.
“Go down at once and search for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s bodies. Hurry!”
At Fabian’s command, the subordinates who had followed him quickly mounted their horses and rode down the path leading beneath the cliff.
“You’re not worried they might still be alive, are you? No one could survive a fall from that height.”
“That’s not it. We need their bodies to get the Emperor yields altogether.”
He nearly spat an insult at the marquis but barely restrained himself. Seeing him ruin everything with his stupidity, Fabian was reminded of Katarina, and the disgust he had felt toward her flared anew.
At Fabian’s words, Marquis Brundell laughed heartily and shook his head.
“Even though I am blinded by revenge, do you think I would forget something so important? I already stationed my knights below the cliff.”
At that, Fabian softened his previously rigid expression, offering an awkward smile.
“I see. I was merely worried, just in case.”
“That is understandable. I have lived blinded by revenge for so long that your concern is only natural.”
However, the waterway below the cliff flowed swiftly. The carriage shattered upon impact and was immediately swept away by the violent current. Both the marquis’ prepared knights and Fabian’s dispatched subordinates returned completely empty-handed.
The search continued for days. Not only Fabian and the marquis, but also the imperial guards and members of the Afort Family were mobilized.
In the end, the bodies were never found. Only scraps of fabric, likely from the clothes they had worn, were discovered along the riverbank where the current gradually slowed near the sea.
***
Hello, thank you for reading! If you wish to support me and get extra chapter, please visit my kofi page: https://ko-fi.com/raewintersss or check out advance chapters at my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cw/raewinters you can also donate directly to my Paypal Account: paypal.me/SeniaListya
Your supports are greatly appreciated!
Write a comment