Episode 2

Where did things start to go wrong?

If I were to answer that question, I would say it was this very moment.

“From today, we are the empire’s puppets.”

My father, ‘Crimson Gibraltar,’ announced our kingdom’s betrayal.

From that moment on, everything began to change.

What was the atmosphere like then?

“Ah, Father! What are you talking about?!”

My younger brother, Noir Gibraltar, was shocked and stood up from his chair.

“Oh, brother. What did Dad say…?”

My youngest sister, Leta Gibraltar, didn’t understand but was terrified.

“Ah, ah…”

My mother, Charlotte Gibraltar, seemed dizzy and pressed her forehead.

And the other vassals?

The head butler was flustered, and the maid’s eyes went wide.

A bombshell statement before we even picked up our breakfast utensils.

“We are no longer the Margrave Family of the kingdom.”

My father, unaffected by the confusion, continued to speak while picking up his utensils.

“After the war, we will become the most distinguished family among the Empire’s Earls.”

War.

Great contributions.

He had a style of speaking that seemed to cut off the beginning and end, spouting only the main point known to himself.

Only after becoming an adult did I understand my father’s way of speaking.

Switching allegiance to the empire.

War.

Great contributions.

“Father.”

“Yes, my son?”

Originally, I would have talked about this here.

‘Aren’t we the Margrave Family?’

‘We are a family of the kingdom, aren’t we? Is it true that we will become subjects of the empire?’

But that, I had already experienced.

“Are you thinking of opening the path through the gorge?”

“…….”

For the first time, my dream deviated from my memory.

My father put down his utensils and started staring at me.

“Opening the path.”

The rest of the family must have felt the same thing he did.

“Whose intellect did you inherit? Your head is certainly exceptional.”

It wasn’t sarcasm.

“To think of such a thing at only ten years old. Our family is indeed blessed.”

It was praise.

That’s why it felt even more chilling.

“Do you understand what it means to open the gorge?”

“It means that when the empire launches a large-scale invasion of the kingdom, it will enable a bloodless entry.”

This was the thought of a ‘traitor.’

“The kingdom will think we are fighting desperately against the imperial army and will be caught off guard.”

“That’s right. As always.”

Annoyance and contempt flowed in Father’s voice.

“The kingdom sees our Margrave Family merely as shields guarding the gorge, as it has been for the past several hundred years.”

At that time, unable to understand Father, I asked,

‘Why have you betrayed the kingdom?’

I knew the reason he chose to become a traitor.

“Do you think the kingdom has no future?”

“Grey!”

Mother screamed in alarm.

“What are you saying? That’s treason!”

Treason.

A serious crime where even mentioning it could lead to immediate execution.

“This is a conversation among us.”

I gently bowed my head toward Mother.

“If this conversation leaks from this dining table, it means someone from our family has informed the kingdom of Father’s words.”

“…You!”

“Lady, I have already made my decision.”

Father calmed Mother down, picking up the knife he was using to cut his steak.

“Nobody here can leave this place until I have finished speaking.”

Ssss.

The silver knife began to radiate a red aura, frosty to the touch.

‘Aura,’ exclusive to knights who were able to handle mana.

“Anyone who wants to be stabbed by my sword, speak now.”

Father was one of the top three strongest in the kingdom, known as the ‘Sword Master.’

“Grey.”

While he warned others sharply like a knife, he asked me in a kind and gentle voice,

“Why do you think I chose the empire?”

“That is…”

“Speak freely, anything is fine. Even if it’s a statement full of treasonous intent, it’s okay.”

“…The kingdom is corrupt.”

I spoke in a roundabout way, yet elegantly, and Father lightly nodded his head.

“Is that not the answer you expected?”

“No. Continue.”

Seeming disappointed, I wondered if I should tell him what he wanted to hear.

‘It’s all going to fall apart anyway.’

The present Father couldn’t foresee the outcome of the betrayal.

‘To make him feel good, even in a dream.’

Thinking of it as an act of filial piety toward my deceased father, I cleared my throat with a fake cough.

“This country is hopeless.”

“…Oh?”

Father’s eyes, which had been on the steak, began to sparkle.

“Hopeless. What do you mean by that?”

“There’s so much to say, so many issues to address, it’s hard to pinpoint each one.”

What to discuss.

“The nobility’s integrity has disintegrated. The royal family, blinded by gold, has sold titles to low-born commoners.”

The decline of the nobility’s prestige as titles were bought by wealthy merchants through corruption and bribery?

“Peasants have turned to thievery and plunder, yet the central government makes no effort to suppress them.”

The long-suffering people rising in rebellion, yet for years they have gone unchecked?

“The nobles are preoccupied with protecting their wealth, and the Ducal and Marquesate factions are divided, committing all manner of crimes to place more of their own in the Senate.”

In the capital, nobles were scrambling for influence and wealth under the table?

“There are numerous issues, but if I were to highlight one major one…”

All these were widespread problems throughout the kingdom.

“Father. I feel a bit embarrassed to say this.”

“It’s okay. Speak your mind.”

The reason why Margrave Gibraltar decided to betray the kingdom.

“Wasn’t it because Mother was insulted by the king at the last party?”

“…….”

“Grey!”

Father fell silent at my response, and Mother’s face flushed with anger.

“What sort of nonsense are you spouting like a child?!”

“I attempted to phrase it diplomatically…”

“Speak plainly.”

“The current king, inebriated, shamed Mother. It wasn’t mere mockery but…”

“You!!”

“Enough, Lady. He may be only ten years old, but he is the heir to this family.”

Father seemed reluctant to discuss it, but ultimately, that incident marked the beginning of the rebellion.

“Yes. The king mocked your mother. I’ll tell you more when you’re older, but he dragged her into his bedroom.”

“Ah, ah….”

Mother covered her face with both hands.

“Which man would stay quiet when his woman is shamed?”

The fear of shame, humiliation, and a nightmare-like scandal being spread around.

“The kingdom has always regarded us as mere shields. They never thought the Margrave would betray them. It has always been so.”

“So, you committed such an act because of that?”

“Yes. The king insulted our entire family. He touched the Margravine, thinking a Margrave could do nothing.”

Father’s mouth twisted into a sneer.

“So what? Do you plan to assassinate the king? Start a rebellion? Do you have the courage for that?”

“Did the king insinuate that?”

“When you strip away all the political rhetoric, what’s left is a vulgar expression.”

‘If you don’t like it, rebel.’

Raw and direct words.

“That’s why I decided to betray the kingdom.”

“…….”

“The day the empire leads its soldiers here, I will open the gorge. Without any battle, I will guide them through the road to the capital.”

“Taking another route would take at least three months, but by following the gorge to the main road, they can reach the capital within a month.”

“Yes. Of course, the empire is not yet ready to wage war.”

Father wiped his knife with a napkin and stood up.

“In the next 10 years. At least 10 years are needed before a full-scale war can begin.”

I was 10 years old then, and the war would occur when I turned 20.

The future had been set from the day the decision to betray the Kingdom was made.

“Until then, this is a secret within our family.”

And if there was a reason why this secret was kept for those 10 years.

“It’s our ‘bloodline’s’ secret.”

It was because of Father’s cruelty.

Puffㅡㅡ

There was the sound of something being pierced by the knife Father casually threw.

“Uh?”

Air escaped from her throat with a hiss.

“Pfuhaㅡㅡㅡack!!”

A maid pitched forward, a knife embedded in her neck, her blood gushing out.

“Aaaaahhh! Ahhhhhhhㅡㅡㅡ!!”

“Margrave?! What-”

“I can only trust our bloodline.”

With those words, Father slaughtered every servant in the room.

One after another.

The knife he’d used on his steak was now stained with blood, not sauce.

Though the conversation shifted, the dream’s outcome remained unchanged.

“No one must reveal this.”

The pungent scent of blood hung in the air.

Humans lay dying around us.

Mother and my siblings had turned ashen.

“The same goes for you, my children.”

Thirsty for more than just wine, Father filled his empty glass to the brim.

“Raise your glass.”

He wasn’t asking; he was commanding.

“Hurry.”

We obediently lifted our glasses, filled with water, to mimic Father’s wine.

“Lord Grey.”

“Yes.”

“You are, well, no… Perhaps it’s not without reason that you’re the eldest. I have high expectations for you.”

Father tilted his glass slightly, as if toasting me.

“We will betray our country and lead the enemy’s charge.”

We opened the gates to the empire, paving the way for the kingdom’s demise.

“To bask in wealth and prosperity for generations to come-”

That was a lie.

“Huh.”

I couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

“…Lord Grey.”

Father joined in.

“Even the mere thought seems to delight you. Yes. Maybe the history of oppression and humiliation the Margrave Family has endured will finally be rectified with you. Revel in it as you wish.”

His laughter was sincere, the prospect clearly exhilarating to him.

“Gibraltar will fling open the gates when the empire unsheathes its swords. Until that moment, we will quietly hone our blades.”

Father’s tone was grave.

Should I tell him?

His wish came true, but the legacy didn’t last through the ages.

‘These five traitors, all dead.’

Though in a different sequence, with me last, the Gibraltar bloodline ceased to exist.

‘Mother ended her life the day the kingdom fell.’

That was when I was 20.

The empire declared war and conquered the capital through the gorge on that fateful day; upon hearing of the kingdom’s fall, Mother ended her life.

‘Leta was murdered after mocking the fallen nobility.’

That was when I was 25.

The kingdom’s knights tortured and killed my youngest sister Leta in retaliation for her own vile acts.

‘Noir was killed trying to avenge Leta.’

That was when I was 26.

The resistance, attempting to revive the kingdom, captured and executed my younger brother Noir as a traitor.

‘Father.’

And then, when I was 27.

‘I was poisoned at a party, and you were executed after losing to the emperor.’

At a party celebrating the new regime, I was assassinated and Father was killed in a fight against the Emperor.

Originally, I should have died at the moment I drank the poison—

But thanks to some inherent resistance to poison, I died a bit later.

And then…

“Tsk.”

I raised the glass.

‘What’s the use, it’s all over.’

This was just a dream in the end.

It’s merely the regret of a traitor who betrayed his liege, remained silent, indulged in luxury and debauchery, and sold out his country.

“For us.”

I took a light sip.

“……?”

The coldness slid down my throat.

At the same time, the fizz of carbonation cleared my mind.

“Cough, cough, cough…!!”

“Ha, hahaha! Grey, you rascal. You always loved sparkling water. Right. Once our ties with the empire strengthen, I’ll ask them for a carbonated spring just for you.”

“Cough, yeah, thank, thank you….”

Huh.

What was this?

“…….”

I was not waking up from the dream.

My reflection in the glass, still filled with bubbly sparkling water, looks like that of a 10-year-old—

“…….”

As the carbonation settled, so did my mind.

I realized that this moment was ‘reality.’