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Chapter 398. Sovieshu’s Despair (1)
Translator: Aura / Editor: HB168
Blood streamed across the floor, but there wasn’t too much blood on Heinley.
Once Heinley left the dungeon, he didn’t head straight for Navier’s room, but went to his room to take a bath. He needed to wipe off the blood, but he also didn’t want to approach Navier while his deep resentment against the Old Duke remained in his body.
He was determined to prevent anything that could harm Navier.
Even if it was superstition.
Heinley poured cold water over himself several times as he looked at himself in the mirror. He struggled to control his expression. He wanted to get rid of the Old Duke’s curses and regain his lovely and pure side that Navier loved.
But no matter how much water he poured over himself, the reflection in the mirror was a terrifying man full of resentment and revenge.
Heinley put the small bucket aside, closed his eyes and took a deep breath to suppress his anger.
As the Old Duke had said, people would be suspicious of him, even if he showed mercy to the rest of the Zemensia Family.
The last words of a dying man can easily influence people.
As Duke Zemensia could not defeat Heinley with his power, he tarnished his reputation with his public suicide and his letters questioning the circumstances of Christa’s death, claiming she had been murdered. It was revealed that Duke Zemensia had distributed copies of his letter across the country and abroad.
Heinley poured cold water over his head again.
If he performed well as Emperor, the people of his generation would eventually cast aside their suspicions and prejudices, but these events would still be recorded in history, and Heinley would be questioned.
Until Heinley ascended the throne, the Zemensia Family were the pride of the country. In the future, people might say something like,
— Emperor Heinley allegedly poisoned his brother to take the throne. He seduced a respected foreign Empress and used her in an attempt to change his image. He then imprisoned his brother’s wife due to a scandal and murdered her. Queen Christa’s brother, who had admired and supported the Emperor, went mad and committed suicide when he discovered the truth. In the end, Emperor Heinley wiped out Queen Christa’s entire family.
If he showed mercy to the Zemensia Family now, the last part of this assessment would disappear.
Duchess Zemensia fled with her children to a foreign country, and in order to capture them he had to involve other countries in this. For the sake of Heinley’s reputation, it would be better to let them be.
Heinley opened his eyes slowly.
‘Still, I can’t show mercy.’
Although he may be despised in history, his hatred would only fade when he wiped out every member of that family.
He wanted to kill even the children. However…
‘If I do that, My Queen will hate me when she wakes up.’
After he took a full bath with cold water, Heinley struggled to erase these terrifying thoughts.
‘I’ll think about it later.’
He went straight to Navier’s room. He didn’t perfume himself or dress lavishly as usual.
***
“Empress Navier!”
“Please open your eyes…”
“Empress Navier…”
After half a day had passed, the tears still flowed.
Navier’s ladies-in-waiting, her attendants, her personal knights, Nian and Koshar, who hastened to come as soon as they were informed, Princess Charlotte, who still remained at the Imperial Palace, and the noblewomen with whom she had become close, wept in the room.
Fortunately, the Duke and Duchess Troby had stayed behind in the Eastern Empire. Had they seen their daughter collapse, they would have lost their minds completely.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty. Please save our Navier. Empress Navier was finally able to forget the past and rebuild her life here. Please save her!”
Laura held onto the hem of Heinley’s cloak as she cried.
Koshar also looked at Heinley with pleading eyes. He could protect his sister with his sword, but he couldn’t do anything to heal her.
Heinley walked over to Navier, squeezed her hand and said to Koshar.
“As soon as they both lost consciousness, I sent the fastest bird to the Eastern Empire. I’ll do everything to ensure that she survives, brother.”
“To the Eastern Empire?”
Countess Jubel asked,
“To notify the Duke and Duchess Troby?”
“I heard that Navier has looked after a mage who now resides in the Imperial Palace of the Eastern Empire. She can use healing magic, so I hope she can heal both the Empress and Grand Duke Kapmen. I will also notify the Duke and Duchess Troby.”
Heinley squeezed Navier’s hand tighter. His heart ached as he spoke.
‘If I hadn’t returned the mana to that girl, Navier now…’
His hand shook slightly.
“Will His Majesty Sovieshu agree to send her?”
Rose managed to ask in a hushed voice.
Heinley nodded.
“He will not refuse.”
‘He will send her. That bloody man still loves Navier. I saw him after Rashta’s trial, staring at the window in Navier’s room all night long.’
***
“Viscountess Verdi fled with Glorym.”
“Where is she?”
“She has not yet left the capital.”
“Help her flee, in secret.”
“Yes.”
“Follow her on the sly… When it’s time for the Viscountess to meet Duke Elgy’s subordinate, impersonate that person and take her to the Southern Kingdom. Once you reach the border of the Southern Kingdom, you will meet Count Elia.”
“Yes.”
As preparations had been made beforehand, the knight set off as soon as he received Sovieshu’s orders.
Sovieshu sighed and tried to put Glorym out of his mind.
‘This should be enough to loosen our bond.’
The girl was not his real daughter, nor the princess he loved so much.
On the contrary, Glorym’s parents were people he detested, so he had already done a lot for her.
She would fall from princess to fake noble, but at least she wouldn’t live as a slave for the rest of her life.
Sovieshu returned to his bedroom and looked at the blue bird in the cage, which was calmly scratching its feathers with its beak. The bird chirped happily as Sovieshu entered the room.
Sovieshu fed the bird and sat on the bed with a blank stare.
After a while, he went to the Western Palace.
The Western Palace was empty. The beautifully decorated room used by Rashta was now vacant, as Rashta had been temporarily locked up in the Southern Palace before she was confined in a tower.
The room was desolate because all the furniture had been removed, because it was believed that its association with Rashta could bring misfortune.
This same room had been used by Sovieshu’s mother, and then by his wife…
“Navier.”
Sovieshu spoke the name of the woman who had been his wife since childhood, clutched his chest, and exhaled, in pain.