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Chapter 95




The three pairs of eyes turned to the orb simultaneously.
‘Is this the long-distance communication magical tool made in the Devlin Empire?’
The person on the other end was none other than Veron Arthur Devliska, the emperor of Devlin. I was furious at who had failed to conduct a thorough inspection beforehand, but my anger quickly subsided.
‘I should have known. Aiden was in charge…’
He was the one who had starved Leavitt Penance for over three days; there was no way he would have conducted an inspection.
[Leavitt Penance.]
The voice flowed from the orb again. As I was pondering what to do, Leavitt, who had been holding his breath, suddenly stood up and shouted.
“The Emperor of Ermano—!”
Thud. Before Leavitt could finish his sentence, Aiden moved first and knocked the man unconscious. Shocked by the sudden turn of events, I caught my breath, and Aiden took the orb from my hand. He then placed his index finger to his lips.
“Shh.”
‘What are you planning to do?’
I decided to follow Aiden’s lead and remain silent, observing the situation.
[Answer me, Leavitt.]
“...”
[It’s you, Aiden.]
As the silence dragged on, Veron called Aiden’s name without hesitation. Unlike me, who was startled, Aiden’s reaction was calm, as if he had expected it.
[I received the gift you sent, Aiden. Thinking of meddling with the border territory was just like you. I felt alive for the first time in a long while.]
“...”
[But let’s end the games here.]
The cold voice paused briefly before continuing.
[It’s time to come back, isn’t it?]
As if it were a given, Veron seemed to believe without a doubt that Aiden’s place was in Devlin. I was curious about the source of his unwavering confidence.
‘To call betrayal a game, he’s truly not ordinary.’
Aiden maintained his silence, but Veron’s voice continued.
[What suits you is not playing with a mere child. You are a being who must kill others. That is the reason for your existence. Don’t you feel the boiling urge to kill within you, even if you pretend to be human?]
Veron’s bold attitude in saying such absurd things was ridiculous. But what made me even angrier was Aiden, who remained expressionless and silent, as if agreeing with Veron.
[So, Aiden, come back. I will overlook your sin this time. But if this happens again, you will have to pay the price. Stop being the ridiculous squire to the Emperor of Ermano—]
‘I can’t listen to this anymore.’
I snatched the orb from Aiden. I had never intended to stay quiet.
“Aiden isn’t going back, you fool!”
[...The Emperor of Ermano?]
“It doesn’t matter. Aiden isn’t going back. Aiden will live happily with me in Ermano for a thousand years. So stop your nonsense and stay put in Devlin!”
I was out of breath from speaking so much, but I couldn’t bear to listen to Veron’s nonsense any longer.
“Where did you hear that there are beings who must kill others? Such beings don’t exist in this world.”
[You are indeed naive.]
“I’m not that young.”
[Your reaction to being called young proves you are a child.]
I was irritated but kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to argue over pointless words.
[It’s been a long time since I heard such innocent words. It’s refreshing. Is that why you keep sticking around Aiden?]
“Aiden, don’t talk to him. Talk to me.”
[You’re so confident. But how long will this peace last?]
His confident and meaningful words made my heart sink.
“...What do you mean?”
[He is a defective product. He won’t last long.]
“Aiden isn’t a product.”
[We’ll see. Where do you think the source of his immense power comes from? Everything is destined to be depleted.]
Veron’s tone, devoid of emotion, as he spoke about Aiden’s depletion, sent shivers down my spine.
‘Aiden... will be depleted?’
I wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but it was too serious to ignore. I still didn’t fully understand Aiden. What had happened to him in Devlin? Why did he have such powerful abilities at such a young age? And why could he control his urges when he was with me?
“Don’t listen to him.”
Aiden extended his hand towards me, asking for the orb, but I shook my head.
“What does depletion mean?”
[It means the source of his power is gradually being consumed... I don’t understand why I’m explaining this to you.]
I thought hard. The source of power, Aiden, and what Devlin was searching for.
‘Could it be...’
I took a gamble and asked.
“Aha, I get it. The source is the essence of the World Tree, right?”
[Why do you think that?]
“Hmm. That’s why you’ve been searching so hard. With it, Aiden can use his immense power freely.”
[You have a vivid imagination.]
Veron answered calmly, but I was sure my guess was close to the truth.
‘He hesitated a bit before answering.’
If it had been completely wrong, he would have laughed it off immediately. This meant Aiden was safe as long as Devlin didn’t get the essence. I looked down at the vibrating orb. How often would I have the chance to talk to the emperor of the enemy country? It was almost impossible. So it was best to gather as much information as possible when the opportunity arose.
“Veron, what is your ultimate goal?”
[Don’t they teach investigation in Ermano?]
“I prefer straightforward answers.”
[In that, we agree. But I don’t feel the need to reveal my ultimate goal to the Emperor of Ermano.]
“...Damn.”
It seemed I wouldn’t be able to extract more information. But I had learned something about Aiden, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Despite warning Veron not to talk to Aiden, he ignored me and spoke to Aiden.
[Aiden, then, as a token of gratitude for the border incident—]
I threw the orb to the ground before Veron could finish. Crack! The fragile orb shattered into pieces.
“You like tokens of gratitude, don’t you?”
Anger surged within me, and I stomped on the broken orb.
“Aiden, everything this man says is nonsense, got it?”
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
“So don’t take any of it to heart.”
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch! I stomped on the orb until it was almost powder. Then I realized how quiet it had become. Leavitt Penance was still unconscious on the left, and on the right, Aiden was just looking at me.
“Why?”
“...Veron will keep a close eye on Your Majesty.”
“Is that what you’re worried about?”
“Your Majesty’s existence should not have been revealed.”
Aiden seemed upset that I had spoken to Veron despite his warning to remain silent.
“Why should I stay silent when Veron is spouting nonsense? Aiden isn’t a killing machine. He’s just Aiden.”
“...”
“So don’t worry about me, and be angry at Veron. Okay?”
“What he said was not wrong.”
Choking sensation. Something welled up inside me.
“It’s wrong. You don’t like hurting others.”
“...”
“You’re not a defective product. You’re not an emotionless piece of trash.”
“...”
“You do have emotions. Didn’t you enjoy the night we secretly went for a walk without your father? The night we watched the fireworks and talked? The time we pranked Duke Javier? You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
I gripped Aiden’s sleeve.
“Was I the only one who had fun?”
My voice trembled at the end of the question. I was afraid Aiden would say yes. After a moment, Aiden spoke.
“I was wrong. I was afraid Veron might harm Your Majesty.”
“Did you think Veron would hurt me?”
“...Yes. If anything happened to Your Majesty, I couldn’t forgive myself. I also enjoyed the time we spent together.”
Aiden confessed his true feelings, avoiding my gaze and looking at the floor. I held his hand tightly.
“Aiden, you’re a fool too.”
“...”
“I can protect myself. So don’t worry about me. If Veron touches me, I’ll destroy him first.”
I didn’t practice controlling divine power for nothing. I always strive to protect the people I cherish and myself.
“Aiden needs to learn to worry about himself. And it’s important to recognize your emotions now.”
Veron’s words were all nonsense. Aiden wasn’t emotionless. He was just numb.
“I’ll keep telling you. Why flowers are fragrant and beautiful, why the breeze is so refreshing, and why someone’s laughter makes you feel good.”
I smiled and placed Aiden’s hand on my cheek. I felt the warmth.
“So don’t be afraid of anything.”
Aiden didn’t respond, just looked at me. But his awkwardness was still Aiden, so I wasn’t disappointed. I had one question, though.
‘Did he understand my desire for his happiness?’
***
Emily sat in front of her vanity. Her red hair, inherited from her father, was neatly tied up. Her delicate and pretty features, which people often praised, were