Lizzy Poliana Claudia (8)

It was currently 2:40 in the late night.

"..."

Feeling the fatigue weighing down on his body, Ferzen gently massaged his temples before letting out a deep sigh.

He reached for the teacup on the table and took a sip of the warm black tea within.

However, instead of feeling a comforting warmth in his stomach, he only felt his drowsiness intensifying.

Without further hesitation, Ferzen rose from his seat and opened the window, closing his eyes to take in the cold breeze.

He had been devoting his full attention to the evidence presented to him for some time, but unfortunately, he hadn't found any loopholes.

Well, since Ferzen knew that Roer and Cesar had fabricated the evidence, he could discern some minor inconsistencies.

Yet, they only deepened his suspicions and couldn't be transformed into concrete evidence.

Isn't it especially ironic that there's no mention of him in any of the evidence?

Perhaps they knew that mentioning his name would significantly slow down the examination of the evidence.

Click-!!

Ferzen turned his head toward the door as it opened without a knock.

He had instructed the maids to prepare some simple refreshments, but was it such a taxing task that they had forgotten the most basic etiquette required for their role?

In truth, this level of rudeness was something he could easily overlook.

However, when he realized just how oddly irritated it made him, Ferzen recognized how on edge he was at the moment.

"Why do I feel like I need to raise my skirt as soon as I enter and prepare to be scolded?"

"Your Highness… The Princess."

However, the ones who entered his view weren't the maids; it was Princess Elizabeth.

What was she doing here instead of being in her room preparing for sleep?

Even though she was wearing some outer clothes, her overall clothing could not be said to be something that should be worn to meet a stranger.

"I stopped here on my way back from the bathroom to see why the light was still on. You are the one who came to visit unannounced, so how could I know that I should dress properly?"

Although her bare legs were slightly exposed, it was not enough to put her chastity at risk.

"You must have seen more than my bare leg back then, but your reaction tells me otherwise."

Princess Elizabeth, who naturally sat next to Ferzen, poured some black tea into the empty teacup and drank it.

As she had expected, rather than her bare naked body, it seemed that her covered-up body was what attracted the attention of men.

Watching Ferzen turning his head to the side, Princess Elizabeth looked around the room with a faint smile on her face.

Bundles of evidence as well as a lot of documents were messily strewn all over the table.

Traces of how persistently Ferzen reexamined them was clearly visible from it.

"Don't you already know even without checking the evidence again?"

"..."

"There will be no variables that can change the outcome other than feedback from Cesar's body,"

"..."

Ferzen sighed softly and bowed his head as Princess Elizabeth's words reinforced his conclusions once more.

"Well, it sure doesn't look like it."

"..."

"It is really funny. An Apollyon-ranked warlock is doing all of this to thoroughly kill a girl who can not even walk properly."

Facing Ferzen's face, which was marred by fatigue, Princess Elizabeth rested her chin on her hand with a sullen expression on her face.

"Are you complaining to me again?"

"..."

Ferzen flinched at her question.

On the other hand, Princess Elizabeth laughed, thinking that Ferzen had a surprisingly cute side to him.

"Anyone who sees us right now will think that I am your wife. Or probably, you feel that it's okay for you to show some weakness to others?"

"Your Highness."

"Ahaha. I was just teasing you a little, but I can see you don't really like it."

The Imperial Family had long relied on Brutein, so why would they not listen to their occasional complaints?

"If you ever feel like having a drink or need someone to confide in, the Imperial Family is willing to be your friend."

The word "friend" was a bit of a stretch.

But, considering the circumstances, it was the closest connection that could be drawn between Brutein and the Imperial Family.

"Count."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Innocent women and men, the elderly who could pass away at any moment, and newborn babies who hadn't even been weaned to their mother's milk, all perished."

"..."

She was referring to the time when buildings within the Roverium Kingdom collapsed.

"So, what is so difficult about ending the life of an innocent girl?"

"..."

"If you're hesitant to get your hands dirty again, I can do it for you."

As Princess Elizabeth sipped her tea, she observed him intently.

In response, Ferzen sighed and brushed his bangs back.

"That's not the case, Your Highness."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Princess Elizabeth nodded and placed her teacup down. She then glanced at the clock in the room before rising from her seat.

It was now nearing 4 a.m.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to wait for the morning, but...

"Would you like a drink?"

"Will it be… wine?"

"I'm not confident that we can continue this conversation without awkwardness until morning."

She would have been fine with going back to bed, but she didn't mention that.

Ultimately, she had her maid bring some wine to the room.

They shared a glass or two, and as the alcohol began to affect him, Ferzen gradually grew intoxicated.

As the alcohol climbed to his head, his mind, which had been struggling to suppress his fatigue, lost its power.

"So… hmm."

Ferzen's head drooped helplessly as Princess Elizabeth continued speaking.

In response, Princess Elizabeth quietly closed her mouth, her eyes still fixed on Ferzen, who was now breathing evenly while sitting in his chair.

After a while, she turned her gaze to the window.

Dawn was already breaking, and the dark sky above was beginning to be painted with the colors of morning.

It would be pointless for her to sleep now.

Normally, around this time, she would open her eyes and engage in some activity.

"You'll hurt your head."

Princess Elizabeth, who had awkwardly shifted her position to sit beside Ferzen, held onto his body and gently rested his head in her lap.

Or at least, she attempted to lay him down.

However, Ferzen turned out to be taller than she had anticipated, leaving Princess Elizabeth to burst into laughter.

She fetched another chair and positioned it between herself and Ferzen.

Since the chair had no armrests, their improvised arrangement would allow him to comfortably recline and take a nap.

"Though... It would be better if his head faced the other way."

Because of the way she was dressed, she could feel his breath wafting towards her sacred place, causing her to be embarrassed.

Even though she had tried to adjust the position of his head dozens of times with her hands, he kept moving his face toward the direction of her lower abdomen.

"Since you have two wives, have you developed a habit of getting close to women's flesh?"

As Princess Elizabeth chuckled lightly and gave up from trying to move his head away from her private area, she combed through Ferzen's hair with her hand.

"Well..."

He had restored her womb which had been damaged.

So, if he wanted her navel, he could have it.

Princess Elizabeth quietly welcomed the warm morning as she looked down at Ferzen who was sleeping with his face so close to her navel.

* * * * *

In his sleep, through the haze of his mind, Ferzen could feel the soft texture of skin against one side of his face and the alluring scent of a body wafting up his nose.

Was it Yuriel?

Or perhaps Euphemia?

Curiosity flickered briefly in his mind, but the hand gently stroking his hair was so warm that it easily quelled such thoughts.

Before long, Ferzen fell into an even deeper sleep.

When he opened his eyes after what seemed like hours of slumber, he was greeted by the warm sunlight streaming in through the window and the sensation of a soft bed beneath him.

Checking his watch, he found it was sometime before noon.

Had the princess's maids moved him to the bed while he was drunk and asleep?

He felt a hint of shame at the thought of inadvertently showing such a disheveled side to the princess.

'By the way...'

There was quite a commotion outside.

Officials were scurrying around in a frenzy, and the word 'busy' hardly did justice to the extent of their activity.

Realizing something significant must have occurred while he was sleeping, Ferzen quickly straightened his rumpled attire and donned his coat.

Knock! Knock!

As he grasped the door handle, ready to step outside, a knock sounded at the door, causing him to pause and take a step back.

"Please, come in."

Creak!

Although he had granted permission, it struck him as odd that the person behind the door had not uttered a word before entering.

"Fortunately, it seems you had a good rest."

Flinch-!

Ferzen flinched as he realized that the visitor was Princess Elizabeth.

He instinctively averted his gaze and pretended to adjust his tie. Despite being an Imperial Princess, their interactions bred intimacy rather than reverence.

In response, Ferzen sighed inwardly.

Their proximity had grown since arriving in the Roverium Kingdom, but instead of becoming more at ease, it had been accompanied by discomfort.

Perhaps that feeling came from an instinctive rejection, stemming from the unspoken rule that dictated Brutein would not mix their blood with the Imperial Family.

After all, she was a woman, someone who could bear his offspring whenever he desired.

On the other hand, Princess Elizabeth chuckled wryly at Ferzen's awkward reaction.

'If someone were to see us, they might think we'd engaged in activities under the influence of alcohol.'

While Princess Elizabeth felt a secret sadness and a touch of mischief, this wasn't the right moment for such thoughts. She closed the door and began speaking.

"The execution date has been set while you were asleep."

"I see…"

Ferzen wondered if the reason the bureaucrats were so busy was due to preparing for the execution of the traitors.

But even with that possibility, he felt something was amiss. He remained silent, waiting for Princess Elizabeth to continue.

"In addition, we've received an urgent message stating that the King of the Obern Kingdom has committed suicide."

"..."

Ferzen momentarily stared at her in shock and then furrowed his brow.

The Royal Family had discreetly dispatched an envoy to the Kingdom of Obern, so how could the King of Obern have taken his own life?

"Even though he didn't show much remorse for what happened with Roer, he confessed to being responsible for the attack on the Academy in the past. We also discovered the factory they used to manufacture the suspended animation drug."

"Was he trying to atone with his own life?"

"Ahaha… Does that even make sense?"

In fact, the situation might have been more comprehensible if that had been the case.

"The King of Obern passed away on the spot after revealing that the Elmark Empire was behind everything."

"..."

He was the King of a Kingdom.

The sight of the king's body exploding, scattering countless pieces of flesh and blood, could be said to be shocking at the very least.

Even if the information was tightly controlled, it was only a matter of time before it spread rapidly.

Upon learning that the King of the Obern Kingdom had taken his own life in such a manner, Ferzen realized that the Obern Kingdom had not received orders from the Elmark Empire or any other external force.

"We've been deceived."

If the King of Obern had been a mere pawn, dancing to provide an excuse for war under the orders of the Elmark Empire, there would have been no need for him to take his own life in such a dramatic fashion.

Rather, it could be argued that his decision to commit suicide without leaving a body behind indicated that he had acted independently.

In this case, the Ernes Empire would have no option but to inquire about the rights and wrongs of the situation from the Elmark Empire.

And the Elmark Empire would likely deny any involvement.

However, given the attempted assassination of a member of the Ernes Empire's Royal Family, could they calmly accept such denials?

The Obern Kingdom had originally been a vassal state of the Elmark Empire, and there were indications of their involvement in the discovered factory.

At this point, once all the evidence and testimony were gathered, the Ernes Empire had no choice but to declare war first.

'The Obern Kingdom...'

Had this been their intention from the very beginning?

Ferzen couldn't comprehend why they would desire a war between the two empires.

However, just because their motives couldn't be discerned, it would be unwise to assume they had other intentions.

"Soon the price of grain will skyrocket... The Melodies of Iron will resound in Brutein."

Princess Elizabeth walked to the window, gazing outside, as she softly mumbled.

Fall.

It was the ideal season for the prelude to a war.