Episode 65

Carmen mentioned the story of the imperial granddaughter.

Where did she get the information?

No need to think about it.

“Those guys, they must have spilled everything as it is.”

I lay down right next to Carmen.

“…….”

Carmen looked at me in surprise for a moment, but her posture remained relaxed.

“Tell me. The true nature of them.”

“The shadows operated by the Empire.”

Carmen had managed to extract all the information from the three I sent to Morgania.

“Should I call it a unit, or an organization? They say its name itself is ‘Shadow’.”

To be exact, the Empire’s Shadow.

“They are even raising children who are eligible to be imperial granddaughters as spies.”

“Like, replaceable parts that can be switched out at any time.”

“If a wristwatch’s spring part breaks, you just replace it.”

But it was neither an official organization nor did it have an official name, so it’s just called ‘Shadow.’

“A terrifying place, the Empire.”

What stories did Carmen hear from the mouths of these shadows?

The Empire was so dreadful that even Morgania said it’s ‘frightening’ - the Crown Prince was ruthlessly extreme.

“I’d say you’re better than that.”

“The world. Are you comparing me to them?”

“At least you have some humanity left in you.”

“Me?”

“Me?”

“Do I really have to say it myself that I can do worse than the Empire if I put my mind to it?”

“Are you serious?”

“…Well, half-serious?”

Thinking about it, I had never properly shown my future self until now.

If there was a time, maybe it was when I was saving Noir-

“When it comes to those I have to kill with my own hands. I think I act more cruelly than you’d expect.”

Those who can be killed.

Or those who must be killed.

When facing my enemies, I can always bring out my inner traitor, Lord Grey.

“But you don’t do that to allies, to family. The Empire is nothing like that.”

“Perhaps, my guess is.”

I actually knew but.

“It’s because of the Crown Prince of the Empire coming personally to the negotiation, right?”

“I just can’t understand. Is it because the Crown Prince is not a woman?”

“Even if it were his own flesh and blood, the Crown Prince would have treated his children the same.”

Children were tools.

He might have treated them even more harshly.

His own flesh and blood could only do this much.

Even if the Crown Prince had been born a woman, maternal love would not have been enough to overcome his ambition.

He was a being whose self-love was stronger than familial love.

“A being that can even use their own children. Then we should respond in kind. Use what they intend to use against us.”

“That’s why you’re staying close to the imperial granddaughter. For the purpose of improving relations with Gibraltar.”

“Yes.”

For confirmation when facing my father.

For explanation when dealing with someone like Robert.

“It’s scary. To use even the adults’ misconception of being smitten with the imperial granddaughter.”

“That’s exactly why I am someone who doesn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.”

“Truly, a frightening person.”

I might have to explain several times why I was with Astasia, but Carmen didn’t care.

“When you grow up, do you intend to captivate the hearts of many women to achieve your goals?”

“Including several wives in the category of women is also possible.”

“Like now?”

Carmen reached out her hand towards my face and playfully poked my cheek.

“Didn’t you seduce me, saying you’d create a mother-son relationship rather than a romantic one?”

“Don’t you like it?”

“Yes, I do. Really, lying next to me like this makes me feel like I’ve become your mother, like I’ve become the wife of the Margave, and I can’t help but laugh every time.”

Queen Carmen giggled as she grabbed my cheek.

“Like I’m in a dream.”

“……..”

“You were nervous. Didn’t you think I would know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The white powder.”

Just as I suspected.

“Wondering what you’re hiding and why you won’t tell me until the end, and finally, when I extract it, you confess.”

“What did you extract?”

“Well? That’s a secret.”

Suddenly, Carmen’s fingernail brushed my cheek.

“A magical powder that quickly makes a girl, who could barely lift a desk, very strong.”

“Sounds like quite a remarkable item.”

“But, that’s at the very end of the priorities.”

Carmen grabbed my chin and forcibly turned my head.

“That they are daughters of the Crown Prince. That they belong to the Empire’s spy organization. That they are numbered on their bodies and managed by those numbers. That they seduce men with their beauty to open the doors of the gorge using Gibraltar’s bloodline.”

Probably, they confessed in that order.

“Why do you think that white powder is more important than these things?”

And the last confession was about White Silver.

“I don’t understand. Why was that powder more important than their hidden lineage or mission?”

“The materialization of delusions.”

“…What?”

“Perhaps that powder has effects similar to hallucinations.”

I couldn’t reveal the actual name of White Silver.

“This is highly confidential information that I haven’t even told my father.”

But.

“Three years ago, at the victory celebration, my brother was kidnapped by someone from Shadow.”

“I know. That…”

“Yes, the Shadow I killed.”

Dead men tell no tales.

“When I was dealing with that person, there were a few pieces of information thrown around recklessly.”

Therefore, it’s easier to manipulate and use the words of the dead.

“They said this powder awakens the version of oneself one imagines into reality.”

“……”

Just like the Crown Prince manipulated Admiral Haireddin’s last words.

“I thought it was the crazy talk of a drunk person. I thought they were just rambling nonsense in extreme situations. But after nearly being killed by the Whites, I began to somewhat guess its effects.”

“So, it’s like a powder that fulfills your wishes?”

“Similar, I suppose?”

For those who wished for strong physical abilities, it enhanced the body.

For those who enjoyed fantasies in dreams, it provided sweet dreams.

“It’s no different from a hallucinogen. And this is just a guess.”

Now that the topic has come up, I need to plant the roots right now.

“The raw material for the powder, I think, is the Somnus flower.”

“What…?”

“For three years, I’ve been chewing Somnus, and it had a faint smell.”

“…….”

“I may not know other things, but I have a keen sense of the scent of Somnus.”

For this moment of persuasion, I chewed more than twenty Somnus flowers a day for the past three years.

“At first, I thought it was the smell of the dried Somnus I had, but the breaths of the Shadows using it were infused with the scent of Somnus. It was faint, but it was unmistakable.”

“That, could it be….”

“What is it?”

“…Three years ago, the Shadow you killed was using the white powder, and under its influence, was unknowingly cultivating Somnus in large quantities?”

“…….”

Oh.

“That’s possible. Ha ha, so am I addicted to Somnus now?”

“…Being seriously addicted to Somnus is a problem, but if it’s ‘only’ Somnus, it’s not a huge issue.”

That’s a relief.

Like with my father, the efforts of the past three years were not in vain.

“Grey. Since the Empire’s Shadows were dealt with once in Morgania, the Empire’s gaze must be fixed on Morgania now.”

Carmen spoke with a serious face.

“But if Morgania studies the Somnus flower, they’ll probably think that the white powder has been exposed.”

The worries I had while capturing the Shadow three years ago now came out of Carmen’s mouth.

“So, I’ll leave the study of Somnus to you. Request as much budget as you need.”

“Are you entrusting me with the study of the powder?”

“Unlike Morgania, which has no control factors, for Grey Gibraltar, who is addicted to both Somnus and Astasia, the imperial granddaughter, it’s a different story.”

Touching the Crown Prince’s secret weapon, the response from his side would inevitably differ.

“Even if they find out that Gibraltar is researching white powder based on Somnus…”

“They’ll think I’m already enticed, so they might even try to tempt me with the ‘original’ product?”

“…Be careful not to get addicted. It’s a dangerous drug.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

Having more samples of White Silver.

“Just tell them to come anytime.”

Having someone suggest I try White Silver is exactly what I truly desire.

“My convictions are not so weak as to be shaken by such a drug.”

Some might want to hold a funeral, but the first official diplomatic event between the kingdom and the empire in over a decade is definitely a celebration.

Whether the event was conducted in a solemn atmosphere or turned into a party filled with alcohol and meat,

Today’s event was a masquerade ball.

Men in tailcoats.

Women in luxurious dresses.

And everyone must wear a mask that only shows their eyes.

Was this an official diplomatic event held in the kingdom?

Historians later examining it would inevitably say, “No wonder they collapsed doing such things.”

It actually did collapse.

Such eccentricities were conveyed to the people of the Empire, and gradually the perspective of “If such a person is the king, the subjects must be nothing special either” began to spread widely.

But there’s no way to stop it.

This country was a monarchy, and the king’s power stemmed from the threat of collapse.

Frankly, if Saint Gio Nostrum threatened to die by climbing over the castle walls, Duke Winchester would be the first to throw himself to stop it.

Not to save Saint Gio, but to prevent the catastrophe his death would bring.

It was not fear that made one avoid filth, but the disgust of it.

I didn’t know if a guillotine would be set up in the kingdom’s square in seven years, but for now, a masquerade ball has been arranged.

“…….”

I scanned my reflection in the mirror from top to bottom.

Like other nobles, I was the epitome of a kingdom nobleman in a black tailcoat, white shirt, and tie.

The jewels on the tailcoat and the cuffs made by a master artisan were prepared by Carmen, engraved with the Morgania coat of arms.

Grey Gibraltar.

Will not be present at this event.

Instead, I was just a mere interpreter, not a title worth revealing.

‘In fact, there’s probably no need for an interpreter.’

The Crown Prince was a frightening person.

We prepared an interpreter on our side, but did he really need one?

Not at all.

Yet, I decided to step in as an interpreter for this ridiculous festival.

Despite having every reason to refuse, I chose to stand by Carmen’s side.

“Grey.”

Queen Carmen, wearing a red-winged butterfly mask, approached me.

“I am not Grey, Your Majesty.”

“Then, do you have a better name?”

“Rather than a good name, it’s more like a pseudonym for temporary use.”

I pressed the specially ordered mask from Carmen onto my face.

“Let’s go with ‘Nachasa.’”

A half-mask resembling a malevolent spirit.

“Nachasa…? Does that name have a meaning?”

“It has no meaning. That’s what makes it more meaningful.”

It resembles a bat, but in reality, it’s one of the malicious spirits considered traitors and wraiths within the kingdom.

“Can anyone associate Grey Gibraltar with the name Nachasa?”

“Not at all. Even my hair and pupils are different like this….”

Carmen alternately looked at my hair and pupils and smiled faintly.

“To anyone, you would seem like a person from Morgania. They might even mistake you as my illegitimate child.”

“Who are you trying to deceive?”

“Who knows. Our king into thinking you’re Charlotte’s son?”

“The effect will certainly be apparent.”

I glanced again at my dyed black hair and the green pupils inside the mask – disguised colors through magic.

“I am worried the king might say ‘You have your mother’s eyes’ again.”

“No way. Do you really think he believes you and Charlotte have similar eyes?”

“Of course not.”

I knew.

The king was merely using my mother as a pretext.

“Then, mother, shall we go?”

“Yes. Let’s have you escort me, at least until we reach the banquet hall.”

I took Carmen’s gloved hand and left the room.

“But why did you have to choose a black tie?”

“I matched it with Your Majesty’s hair color.”

“Ha, fine. If that’s what you want, I can’t argue.”

Already, the corridors were lined with servants from the palace and Morgania Castle, and from the banquet hall at the end of the corridor, noisy sounds were already emanating.

“Let’s go in.”

Thud, thud.

As soon as we entered the banquet hall, the noise inside instantly ceased.

No matter how much they wear masks, the nobles eventually recognize each other to some extent.

“His Majesty the King is…”

Carmen scanned the surroundings.

His distinct blonde hair and red eyes were nowhere to be seen, even though he wasn’t completely hidden in the banquet hall.

“Tsck. Playing around with disguise magic again.”

Carmen clicked her tongue.

“I wonder what identity he’s taking on this time to flirt with women.”

One of the king’s pranks.

The incompetent king might be clueless in other areas, but he’s said to be the best at baiting innocent maidens.

‘But ironically, he’s also called even more incompetent for skillfully avoiding fathering a child.’

If he’s entranced them, he might as well take them as secondary wives or concubines.

Just enchanting the bodies and hearts of these poor maidens and then sealing their lips, the anger towards the king only grows day by day.

Especially now, as everyone is wearing masks, it’s easier to reveal their more honest thoughts.

-That one came out like that. Lucky she even wore a mask, huh?

-Rebellion against the king? A protest? Either way, dressed like that.

-She’s trying to ruin the festival. It’ll be a relief if she doesn’t make a fool of herself in front of the Crown Prince.

Whispers could be heard from beneath the masks, directed towards the Countess Ariana.

“She’s in mourning clothes.”

“Yes. She looks almost like a widow.”

Only Ariana of Serene wore a black dress and veil.

Her face was entirely covered by a black mask, the shape of her eyes bent downward as if she were crying.

That’s why she stood out even more.

“Here comes the queen.”

Thud, thud.

The entrance of the banquet hall.

Amidst everyone in splendid evening attire.

“Welcome, nobles of Nostrum.”

A black suit, white shirt.

“It’s truly an honor to be invited like this.”

And a black tie.

“Hapsburg von Tersian, the Imperial Crown Prince of the Empire.”

Unmasked, his face was bare.

“For the peace of both nations, I have come like this.”

He bowed his head lightly at the center of the banquet hall, speaking fluently in the language of the kingdom.

“First.”

The masquerade ball, everyone wearing colorful animal masks.

“Let us have a moment of silence for a man of the Empire who made this gathering possible.”

Only three people, each in their own way, mourned the death of one man.

“For peace.”