Chapter 84
The small and beautiful golden butterfly that found its way to the emperor's bedroom was unusually cautious. Hovering in the air, it remained silent, as though waiting for a response, flapping its wings softly. The emperor stared at the golden butterfly in a daze, unable to think of responding. Every time the butterfly's wings moved, golden dust scattered, forming a delicate trail before fading away. Just the sight of it caused the emperor to smile contentedly, his wrinkled eyes curling with emotion.
He reached out his hand. His arm, which had previously felt heavy and weak, rose with an ease that almost seemed as if someone were supporting it.
"Come closer."
‘Just a little more, so that I can see you clearly.’
Though it was only the form of a butterfly surrounded by golden light, he wanted to see every detail. Considering it was the 'wish of Sethian' that he had longed for, even the delicate and cautious flutter of its wings seemed endearing.
The golden butterfly slowly approached and finally landed on the emperor's fingertips. The soft and warm sensation, though faint, almost made him lose his senses.
—Can you really see me?
The voice was cautious, and the emperor nodded in response. Only then did the butterfly’s voice become a little brighter.
—I... well...
"Sethian's wish, right?" The emperor asked, answering for the butterfly, which hesitated.
The butterfly flapped its wings, almost as if embarrassed by the question.
"I had wondered who the child Sethian so dearly wanted to keep close, and now, I finally meet you."
—Did Seth talk about me?
Whether it was out of joy or nervousness, the butterfly asked with a slightly hurried breath. The emperor gently stroked the butterfly's delicate wings, as though reassuring it.
‘Seth... That kid even allowed a nickname. It seems like he cares deeply for this one. And it’s none other than him...’
The last time the emperor had met Sethian was when Sethian had come with Kaen, demanding the title of crown prince. At that time, there was something different in Sethian’s eyes. A depth of interest beyond mere curiosity had clearly settled within them.
When he heard why Sethian needed the crown prince title, a chill sank into the emperor's heart. To create a new body for a soul and keep it close was essentially a way of draining one's own life force, binding the other to an inescapable fate.
If the body had been perfectly alive, it might have been different, but if it was nearing death, once the connection with the fragile body broke, the soul would be bound forever, unable to break free until the original host’s death. Forever.
Even knowing that, he had given up the title of crown prince. Perhaps it was because he had seen something more than just curiosity in Sethian’s eyes. While it was uncertain if Sethian could change, the emperor was curious to see how far his ‘wish’ could extend.
‘So radiant...’
The two wishes had met, and the result was blinding. The golden light that filled the butterfly's eyes, so small and fragile yet overflowing, seemed to wash away all the emperor's anxieties.
As the emperor silently watched the butterfly, the sound of knocking came, followed by the voice of Captain Teren of the Imperial Knights. The butterfly flinched and fell from the emperor’s fingertips. With a disappointed look, the emperor lowered his hand and permitted Teren to enter.
"Your Majesty, there has been a problem at the tower where Crown Prince Sethian was confined." With a grim face, Teren reported that the guards and wardens of the tower had all been killed. Furthermore, there was blood there that should not have been mixed.
The emperor remained calm as he listened to the report, his brow furrowing slightly and his shoulders tensing at times. He ordered, "I will issue an order shortly. Please wait outside."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will stand by outside." With a respectful bow, Teren left. After a brief moment of silence, the emperor spoke softly to himself.
"...You already knew everything and came to find me." He smiled bitterly as he looked up. The butterfly was still fluttering its wings in the same spot, seemingly unaffected by the conversation. Its unwavering posture made the emperor think that it must have known all about the situation.
"Did you come to tell me that Sethian isn't the culprit?"
—No.
The butterfly responded calmly, its voice still steady. The emperor had thought it had come to inform him that Sethian was not the one behind it all, but instead, the answer was something entirely different.
—I came to confirm.
"To confirm?"
After a brief pause, the butterfly spoke in a voice that was free of hesitation.
—You knew, didn’t you? That Crown Prince Zair has been using forbidden arts for some time, using your mana to perform alchemy.
"Yes. He has been using my mana to transmute and practice forbidden arts," the emperor said calmly.
—Why...?
The butterfly hesitated, its voice holding a complex mixture of emotions.
—Why did you remain silent, knowing this? Crown Prince Zair has been directly using your vitality, as if it were his own.
A bitter smile spread across the emperor's lips.
"Perhaps as atonement for what I made him become."
A lonely glint passed through his eyes.
"The only wish that allowed him to stay alive was the path to the throne. How could I prevent it?"
Yet even that would vanish once he died.
Zair, and his wish, would both disappear soon.
* * *
The Third Prince Remines received a secret message and stood alone in the garden, under the dawn sky. The solitude was eerie, but it felt insignificant compared to what was to come.
Twice a day, he sent someone to the stone tower to investigate. After all, it was none other than the infamous Sethian, who was imprisoned under suspicion of killing a royal, so naturally, he was concerned about the situation.
In the early hours of the morning, an informant who had quietly entered the tower to relieve the guards returned, sharing what they had learned from a trembling warden. After organizing the information, the informant delivered the report to Remines, who was unable to remain calm.
Sethian's disappearance. Blood everywhere in the stone tower.
While the guards could be forgiven for their deaths, the Imperial Knights stationed there were no ordinary soldiers. Whoever had killed them must have been a great number of people, skilled enough to wipe out such a force.
Before he could fully grasp the situation, Remines found a letter wedged into the window of his bedroom.
He was startled for a moment, but upon seeing the handwriting, he felt an unease creep up his spine.
‘This can’t be...’
Before he could swallow his dry breath, a rustling sound reached his ears.
He turned his lantern toward the source of the noise and saw the face of his younger sister, the First Princess, Elina. At the sight of her, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
“What’s going on, brother?” Elina, dressed simply in a home gown and a hooded cloak, asked in confusion. It seemed she, too, had come to the garden following the instructions in the letter, but was equally unsure of what was happening.
“I don’t know what’s going on either...”
“Both of you are here.” A voice echoed in their ears, drawing both their gazes to a single spot. There stood a man in a black robe, holding a small lantern that barely illuminated his feet. His face was hidden under a hood, much like Elinas’.
The two siblings froze, tense, as the man removed his hood. He then brought the lantern closer to his face.
“…Brother!”
“Brother!”
As their eyes met, they turned pale in disbelief.
Standing before them was none other than the first prince, Mendel, the author of the letter that had summoned both Elina and Remines. He was the prince whom everyone thought had been poisoned and killed by Sethian. Yet here he was, alive and standing before them.
“How is this possible? Are you really... my brother?” Remines asked, disbelieving.
Mendel nodded as he stepped closer, “I almost died, but as you can see, I’m fine. It seems Sethian made his move without my knowing.”
Mendel’s expression twisted with disdain as he thought about Sethian. However, he soon smiled bitterly.
“I wonder how far ahead he planned, to secretly prepare my body…” Mendel muttered, alternating his gaze between his two siblings.
“There’s no time. If you want to live, cooperate.”
“If we want to live... what do you mean?” Remines asked, confused.
Mendel’s expression grew dark as he glared at them, “Don’t you see? Zair has been planning to eliminate all of us for a long time.”
Mendel pulled out four pieces of paper from his chest and showed them to his siblings.
He reached out his hand. His arm, which had previously felt heavy and weak, rose with an ease that almost seemed as if someone were supporting it.
"Come closer."
‘Just a little more, so that I can see you clearly.’
Though it was only the form of a butterfly surrounded by golden light, he wanted to see every detail. Considering it was the 'wish of Sethian' that he had longed for, even the delicate and cautious flutter of its wings seemed endearing.
The golden butterfly slowly approached and finally landed on the emperor's fingertips. The soft and warm sensation, though faint, almost made him lose his senses.
—Can you really see me?
The voice was cautious, and the emperor nodded in response. Only then did the butterfly’s voice become a little brighter.
—I... well...
"Sethian's wish, right?" The emperor asked, answering for the butterfly, which hesitated.
The butterfly flapped its wings, almost as if embarrassed by the question.
"I had wondered who the child Sethian so dearly wanted to keep close, and now, I finally meet you."
—Did Seth talk about me?
Whether it was out of joy or nervousness, the butterfly asked with a slightly hurried breath. The emperor gently stroked the butterfly's delicate wings, as though reassuring it.
‘Seth... That kid even allowed a nickname. It seems like he cares deeply for this one. And it’s none other than him...’
The last time the emperor had met Sethian was when Sethian had come with Kaen, demanding the title of crown prince. At that time, there was something different in Sethian’s eyes. A depth of interest beyond mere curiosity had clearly settled within them.
When he heard why Sethian needed the crown prince title, a chill sank into the emperor's heart. To create a new body for a soul and keep it close was essentially a way of draining one's own life force, binding the other to an inescapable fate.
If the body had been perfectly alive, it might have been different, but if it was nearing death, once the connection with the fragile body broke, the soul would be bound forever, unable to break free until the original host’s death. Forever.
Even knowing that, he had given up the title of crown prince. Perhaps it was because he had seen something more than just curiosity in Sethian’s eyes. While it was uncertain if Sethian could change, the emperor was curious to see how far his ‘wish’ could extend.
‘So radiant...’
The two wishes had met, and the result was blinding. The golden light that filled the butterfly's eyes, so small and fragile yet overflowing, seemed to wash away all the emperor's anxieties.
As the emperor silently watched the butterfly, the sound of knocking came, followed by the voice of Captain Teren of the Imperial Knights. The butterfly flinched and fell from the emperor’s fingertips. With a disappointed look, the emperor lowered his hand and permitted Teren to enter.
"Your Majesty, there has been a problem at the tower where Crown Prince Sethian was confined." With a grim face, Teren reported that the guards and wardens of the tower had all been killed. Furthermore, there was blood there that should not have been mixed.
The emperor remained calm as he listened to the report, his brow furrowing slightly and his shoulders tensing at times. He ordered, "I will issue an order shortly. Please wait outside."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will stand by outside." With a respectful bow, Teren left. After a brief moment of silence, the emperor spoke softly to himself.
"...You already knew everything and came to find me." He smiled bitterly as he looked up. The butterfly was still fluttering its wings in the same spot, seemingly unaffected by the conversation. Its unwavering posture made the emperor think that it must have known all about the situation.
"Did you come to tell me that Sethian isn't the culprit?"
—No.
The butterfly responded calmly, its voice still steady. The emperor had thought it had come to inform him that Sethian was not the one behind it all, but instead, the answer was something entirely different.
—I came to confirm.
"To confirm?"
After a brief pause, the butterfly spoke in a voice that was free of hesitation.
—You knew, didn’t you? That Crown Prince Zair has been using forbidden arts for some time, using your mana to perform alchemy.
"Yes. He has been using my mana to transmute and practice forbidden arts," the emperor said calmly.
—Why...?
The butterfly hesitated, its voice holding a complex mixture of emotions.
—Why did you remain silent, knowing this? Crown Prince Zair has been directly using your vitality, as if it were his own.
A bitter smile spread across the emperor's lips.
"Perhaps as atonement for what I made him become."
A lonely glint passed through his eyes.
"The only wish that allowed him to stay alive was the path to the throne. How could I prevent it?"
Yet even that would vanish once he died.
Zair, and his wish, would both disappear soon.
* * *
The Third Prince Remines received a secret message and stood alone in the garden, under the dawn sky. The solitude was eerie, but it felt insignificant compared to what was to come.
Twice a day, he sent someone to the stone tower to investigate. After all, it was none other than the infamous Sethian, who was imprisoned under suspicion of killing a royal, so naturally, he was concerned about the situation.
In the early hours of the morning, an informant who had quietly entered the tower to relieve the guards returned, sharing what they had learned from a trembling warden. After organizing the information, the informant delivered the report to Remines, who was unable to remain calm.
Sethian's disappearance. Blood everywhere in the stone tower.
While the guards could be forgiven for their deaths, the Imperial Knights stationed there were no ordinary soldiers. Whoever had killed them must have been a great number of people, skilled enough to wipe out such a force.
Before he could fully grasp the situation, Remines found a letter wedged into the window of his bedroom.
He was startled for a moment, but upon seeing the handwriting, he felt an unease creep up his spine.
‘This can’t be...’
Before he could swallow his dry breath, a rustling sound reached his ears.
He turned his lantern toward the source of the noise and saw the face of his younger sister, the First Princess, Elina. At the sight of her, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
“What’s going on, brother?” Elina, dressed simply in a home gown and a hooded cloak, asked in confusion. It seemed she, too, had come to the garden following the instructions in the letter, but was equally unsure of what was happening.
“I don’t know what’s going on either...”
“Both of you are here.” A voice echoed in their ears, drawing both their gazes to a single spot. There stood a man in a black robe, holding a small lantern that barely illuminated his feet. His face was hidden under a hood, much like Elinas’.
The two siblings froze, tense, as the man removed his hood. He then brought the lantern closer to his face.
“…Brother!”
“Brother!”
As their eyes met, they turned pale in disbelief.
Standing before them was none other than the first prince, Mendel, the author of the letter that had summoned both Elina and Remines. He was the prince whom everyone thought had been poisoned and killed by Sethian. Yet here he was, alive and standing before them.
“How is this possible? Are you really... my brother?” Remines asked, disbelieving.
Mendel nodded as he stepped closer, “I almost died, but as you can see, I’m fine. It seems Sethian made his move without my knowing.”
Mendel’s expression twisted with disdain as he thought about Sethian. However, he soon smiled bitterly.
“I wonder how far ahead he planned, to secretly prepare my body…” Mendel muttered, alternating his gaze between his two siblings.
“There’s no time. If you want to live, cooperate.”
“If we want to live... what do you mean?” Remines asked, confused.
Mendel’s expression grew dark as he glared at them, “Don’t you see? Zair has been planning to eliminate all of us for a long time.”
Mendel pulled out four pieces of paper from his chest and showed them to his siblings.
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