Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 452

Thud!

Eriphony’s body slumped forward, powerless. The arrow lodged in her heart pierced even deeper, and blood flowed out uncontrollably.

Her eyes darted around rapidly, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening. All she could see were feet, belonging to people she didn’t recognize.

Her rough, gasping breaths were no different from those of a lowly insect. She felt like a bug, stuck to the floor, dying.

“Queen Eriphony!”

“W-what happened?”

“Who just shot that arrow? Was it Bariel?”

“I don’t know. It suddenly appeared from thin air.”

“We’ll know if we collect the arrow. Hey! Go near Queen Eriphony and check the arrow!”

“That’s not a Bariel arrow. It’s made and used in Ruthwena.”

“More importantly, shouldn’t we check her vital signs first?”

“It doesn’t look good. It’s right near her heart.”

“And do you even intend to save her?”

“There’s no need to in Bariel. Ahem. She caused a disturbance with force and dared to aim an arrow at His Highness.”

“But she’s still alive. Her chest is rising and falling. Check her pulse! See if she’s alive-!”

The official’s voice suddenly cut off.

Eriphony was desperately trying to catch her ragged breath. It felt like poison was seeping into all her senses. Her heart was vomiting black blood, strength was draining from her limbs, and her mind was completely stained with the shadow of death.

Swoosh.

Someone knelt down on one knee in front of her. She could only see up to their ankles, but she instinctively knew who it was. It was someone overflowing with elegance, arrogance, and the spirit to match.

It was Ian, who had clearly collapsed after drinking poisoned tea, now alive and well.

“Are you in pain, Queen Eriphony?”

“Y-you….”

“This is the weight of the lives you took.”

Thud.

As Ian lightly placed his hand on the arrow, an indescribable pain washed over Eriphony like a tidal wave.

The golden arrows she had carelessly shot from the hill on the battlefield. The weight of the countless lives they had extinguished was now pressing down on her.

Eriphony screamed in agony as she crawled on the floor.

“Aaaah!”

“And this is the weight of the anger of the one who shot the arrow.”

“Y-you! I’ll kill! Ugh! Shut up! Shut up!”

Buzz. Buzz!

As the arrow vibrated slightly, Eriphony writhed in agony, feeling like her heart would burst.

Kneeling was a miserable act done on the floor, but this was a misery that went below the floor. White foam appeared at the corners of Eriphony’s mouth, and her sanpaku eyes [eyes where the white of the eye is visible above or below the iris], once filled with will and vigor, were now bloodshot.

“‘Gleaming.’ It’s a magic that steals the breath of the target when they feel strong joy or happiness. In fact, its nature is closer to a curse. What’s needed to activate it is the death caused by the target. Queen Eriphony. This arrow is none other than the one you shot.”

“What are you-”

“There’s no need to understand what I’m saying. Your Majesty just needs to writhe in as much pain as possible until you die. Enough to satisfy the one who cast the magic.”

Ian, did you cast it? Eriphony wanted to shout, but blood was flowing back up her throat, making it difficult to speak.

Then, she suddenly met eyes with Zaira, who was standing upright. Her small fists were tightly gripping her clothes. Her eyebrows were furrowed with all her might. And her eyes were filled with vivid anger.

Eriphony instinctively knew that Zaira was the one who had cast the magic.

“You bastard-! Keheok!”

Not only did she betray her country, but she also pierced the queen’s heart with an arrow? Eriphony crawled on the floor with the sole intention of twisting Zaira’s neck. A long trail of damp blood followed the path she moved, like a snake bleeding to death.

“……!”

The moment Eriphony’s fingertips touched Zaira’s hem, the queen’s hand fell limply. Her breath had been cut off.

Everyone watched her final moments in silence. Eriphony, the queen of Ruthwena, who had died looking at the floor. Ian slowly knelt down and closed her eyes.

“Listen, Ruthwena’s envoys.”

And he spoke to Ruthwena, or rather, to everyone from other countries present.

“Queen Eriphony of Ruthwena has passed away. She died by her own arrow, so no one can be held responsible. All who saw it know this. The delegation must decide whether to stay for negotiations or return to Ruthwena. Bariel deeply mourns Queen Eriphony’s death, but that’s all. Negotiations cannot be delayed, no favors will be granted, and no sympathy will be shown.”

She died by her own arrow.

It was unbelievable, but that was what they had witnessed, so the delegation couldn’t easily speak. Moreover, this was the Imperial Palace. Just moments ago, they had caused a disturbance with force, and Eriphony had tried to kill the Crown Prince. In this situation, it wouldn’t be strange if they were beheaded.

They selectively remained silent and looked at Eldert. Now that the queen was dead, wasn’t the authority to decide with him?

“Ah….”

Eldert seemed unable to make a decision easily. What was peculiar was the emotion on his face. How could surprise be the first thing that came to mind, rather than sadness or anger, when the ruler he served had died?

Ian raised an eyebrow, urging him to answer. The break was only thirty minutes, the second hand was moving relentlessly, and there wasn’t much time left.

“Eldert. Decide. If you say you’ll return to Ruthwena, we’ll lower the spears of the soldiers and clear the path. However, you’ll have to leave the queen’s body here, and you must unconditionally accept all matters decided in the negotiations without adding any opinions. Consider the price for aiming an arrow at His Highness the Crown Prince to be the queen’s life. Or-”

Zaira couldn’t believe Eriphony’s death and deeply lowered her head to look at her. The queen who had shaken them, who had been living peacefully in the forest. It was her grandmother’s will to walk into the abyss, but it was this queen who had pushed her back. The queen of the country she had abandoned, and the enemy she had wanted to kill even at the cost of her own life.

Ian glanced at Zaira and continued.

“Or, if you wish to continue participating in the negotiations, we will respect that as well. However, you will be held accountable for causing a disturbance in the Imperial Palace, so be aware that you will not be able to freely leave the Imperial Palace after the schedule is over. This message will be conveyed through a herald as an official statement from Bariel.”

They were at a crossroads.

If they left Bariel now, they could return to Ruthwena, inform them of the queen’s death, and discuss the next national affairs, but they would be at an absolute disadvantage in the negotiations. Clifford, Vergos, and Bariel were not so lenient as to accommodate the convenience of a country that did not participate.

On the other hand, if they continued to participate in the negotiations? The news of the queen’s death would be delivered to Ruthwena, and a rebellion could be attempted. Since the queen, who had lost the war, had died outside and did not return, wouldn’t the palace be like an empty house without an owner?

‘Even if we participate in the negotiations, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to achieve the desired results.’

As Eldert hesitated to choose, Ian tilted his head as if he was a little surprised.

“Eldert. Is it something to worry about so much?”

“…Isn’t it obvious?”

“Although you’re a member of the royal family, you are….”

Ian stopped himself, about to say something. He had guessed the desire hidden within Eldert.

Eriphony and Eldert were cousins. However, in Ruthwena, which valued legitimacy, the possibility of Eldert inheriting the throne was extremely low. If there had been a possibility, he wouldn’t have left the palace to become a university professor.

He had returned at Eriphony’s call, but there were clearly others who would succeed Ruthwena besides Eldert.

‘As Eriphony’s advisor and closest aide, it’s standard that if the queen dies, all those in key positions should be replaced and step down. The fact that he’s hesitating like this means he has no intention of stepping down. It could be said that he’s acting for the sake of the royal family’s legitimacy. But the more he does, the more he should return first and inform the next successor of the situation, right? Not through Bariel’s herald, but through Ruthwena’s herald.’

They would be at a disadvantage in the negotiations, but that was better than having their legitimacy shaken. External problems were national problems that everyone could solve together, but internal problems were palace problems. There were limits to solving them.

Ian took out his pocket watch and clicked it to check the time.

“Ten minutes left. Decide and inform me. Have everyone clear this place.”

“Yes, Ian.”

“We’ll move Queen Eriphony’s body first.”

“We’ll move it safely with magic, so just clear the way.”

“Move, move!”

The magicians followed the orders without showing any surprise at the appearance of the dead Ian. Everyone else was wondering what was going on, looking back and forth between Ian’s corpse lying on the floor and the living Ian.

“Your Highness. Are you alright?”

Ian straightened his collar and approached Jin, making eye contact. The child’s eyes were wide and moist, and he didn’t say anything. He wondered if what he was seeing was a ghost.

“What, what is going on? Your body is still lying there.”

“It’s a trick by the magic department, Your Highness. They are the ones who fly in the sky and split the earth, how could they not create a single corpse?”

“So, you didn’t die? You’re alive?”

“Yes. As you can see. I apologize. I had no intention of putting Your Highness in danger. I temporarily staged the situation because of the Gleaming magic condition, but I didn’t know you would rush here.”

“Of course….”

Of course, if Ian, you were said to be dead, wouldn’t I rush here in an instant? Jin’s eyebrows furrowed, and he grabbed Ian’s arm.

“Sir Ian!”

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“You’re… an idiot!”

“…Yes?”

Ian was taken aback by the unexpected words, and the magicians who were cleaning up the situation also paused. The child’s eyes welled up with tears, and he pouted his lips and shouted.

“A smarty-pants!”

“Your Highness.”

“…Crazy. Did you hear that just now?”

“…Pretend you didn’t hear it. Do you want to die?”

“Wow, how can you pretend you didn’t hear that? It’s not easy.”

Wasn’t this too different from the child who had just threatened to cut off the legs of a queen if she didn’t kneel?

While Ian was constantly comforting Jin, Zaira was being held by her magician family.

The flames of revenge that had been burning had reached their end and crumbled cleanly. The ashes were acrid, cold, and stained. When the desire for revenge was burning, it was so intense that it seemed like it would erase everything, but why did a deep stain remain at the end?

“Zaira, are you okay?”

“…Yeah.”

“How’s your body?”

Zaira looked down at her palm and shook her head.

“I’m fine. For now.”

“You have to be careful from now on. You’re still young, but you’ve wasted a lot of time.”

Zaira knew. The price of the curse-like magic, Gleaming, was half of one’s given lifespan.

She didn’t know how much lifespan she had left, so she couldn’t know how close she was to the threshold of death. She could only guess that nearly thirty to forty years had evaporated.

“Your Highness, please don’t do this and move to another place. There are many eyes watching.”

As Ian supported Jin and entered a nearby reception room, the hallway where the two rulers had disappeared was filled with all sorts of words. From the news that Bariel was accepting Clifford’s proposal, to what would happen to Ruthwena in the future, and whispers that it would be better to revise the negotiation strategy.

Zaira turned her back, carrying in her heart the path to move towards the rift.