Chapter 172

The night air was unusually cold that night.

Perhaps it was because the warmth of a brother had once again vanished forever.

Ernst sat in his office, welcoming a late-night visitor.

His younger sister, Leonor.

“…Brother. Matti is dead.”

Leonor, who was murmuring softly, showed no trace of her usual cheerfulness. Ernst silently watched his sister, who looked like she might collapse at any moment, with an expressionless face.

“No, he was killed. Just like Josef… You know who did it, don’t you, brother…?”

“…It must be the work of monsters.”

Leonor’s face twisted. Her trembling fists were filled with a rage so intense it seemed she might draw her sword at any moment.

“Cut the nonsense…! Monsters? Leopold’s escort knights? You know full well it’s all a lie!”

Unlike Leonor, who showed her anger openly, Ernst remained calm throughout. He simply picked up the magic herb he had quit long ago and lit it. Like a statue made of steel, he showed no emotion.

“No. It is monsters.”

“Don’t make me laugh…!”

“What else would you call it, if not monsters?”

Ernst exhaled the smoke from the magic herb and sighed. Leonor, who seemed ready to grab him by the collar, was also taken aback by her brother’s words.

“…What?”

The ashes he brushed off piled up in the ashtray.

“A mass of evil with not a shred of human heart. Something so vile it would even devour its own child—if that’s not a monster, then what is it, Leonor?”

For the first time, Ernst revealed his true feelings to Leonor.

Long ago, after his youngest brother Josef died, Ernst had stopped seeing Isabella as human. The results of his personal investigation into his brother’s disappearance had been shocking.

Isabella had killed Josef. He hadn’t been able to figure out the reason… but that too would soon become clear.

“If you know so well, then you too…!”

“So what do you want to do, Leonor? Tell me. Do you want to kill her with your own hands? Or do you want me to kill her?”

“Well…!”

“Do you realize that if she dies now, we, having lost the focal point of our faction, will fall apart?”

Leonor was momentarily speechless. Ernst’s words struck at the heart of their situation.

Just as the core figure of the 1st Prince faction was not Leopold but the Margrave of Landenburg, the core figure of the 3rd Prince faction was not Ernst either. Although it was convenient to call it the “Ernst faction,” in reality, it was no different from Isabella’s power base.

A gathering of trash drawn together by Isabella through vulgar and obscene secret parties and incomprehensible underhanded deals. They were not particularly loyal to Ernst himself, and if Isabella were to die, they would scatter like grains of sand.

Ernst also knew well that leaving them be would only harm him. But now, he could no longer intervene.

These cancerous cells had been growing since he was a child, unaware of anything.

By the time he was old enough to make his own decisions, they had grown too large to handle. If he carelessly cut them out, he too would lose everything.

“…So you’re just going to leave it like that? For the sake of your ascension to the throne?”

Ernst did not answer.

…He couldn’t. Not until now.

To safely remove them, Ernst needed to gather forces loyal only to himself. Although he had achieved some success in the military… there still wasn’t enough time.

‘If only I had three more years…’

Ernst muttered to himself as if making excuses, then let out a bitter smile. Thinking about it, the reason time had become so tight was also due to Isabella’s actions.

She must have guessed. That Ernst was gathering his own forces, planning to eliminate Isabella and the trash beneath her.

As a result, Ernst now had no choice but to rely on the Isabella faction.

If he wanted to become Emperor.

There was a reason he had to.

“Do you think Leopold will leave us alone if he ascends to the throne? He may hide it, but it’s obvious that his heart is filled with nothing but a desire for revenge against all of us.”

“That’s…!”

“Right. It’s only natural. Look at what Isabella has done. She killed Empress Anna, exiled Karl to the north, and sold Eleonora off to another country. Now, if our mother did such things, what do you think will happen to us if Leopold becomes Emperor?”

Leopold’s revenge would not stop at Isabella.

Ernst, of course, and Leonor and Matthias would also fall victim to his vengeance.

That was the reason Ernst, who had never wanted the throne, now sought it.

He wanted to protect his siblings. And he himself did not want to die.

…At least, until a week ago.

“Ha, so wise! Us? Us? So, who’s left among us? Joseph died long ago. Matthias is dead too! Now it’s just you and me, brother. So, I guess it’s my turn next!”

“Leonor.”

“Brother, you can calmly wait, can’t you? If you die, Leopold will become the emperor, so even that woman won’t touch you! But what about me? How long will it take for her to come after me? You don’t expect me to die to make you emperor or become a prostitute worse than death, do you?”

Leonor’s eyes were shaking violently, a mix of anxiety, resentment, hatred, and fear.

Unable to bear the sight of his sister on the verge of tears, Ernst closed his eyes.

The sigh he let out turned into white smoke, drifting through the room.

“……Right. That…can’t happen.”

Ernst took another deep breath, filling his lungs with smoke, and then exhaled a long, very long sigh. It was as if he was spitting out everything that had been binding him, all the plans he had made.

It was time to make a decision.

“…Brother?”

“Leonor. Yes, Leonor… You’re right. It’s just you and me now, only the two of us… And in the end, only one will remain.”

‘Or perhaps…not even one.’

He couldn’t let that happen. Absolutely not.

Ernst crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up abruptly. Startled, Leonor took a step back.

“Leonor. Remember this last piece of advice I’ll give you. Leave the palace immediately, taking only the most important things. Find a place where no one, not even the Rose Knights, can find you. Hide there and wait for at least four days.”

“What? Last advice? What are you talking about…?”

“If within four days, you hear news that Isabella is dead or imprisoned, then you can return. But if nothing happens…don’t come looking for me again. Leave the empire, live under a hidden identity, or…hmm…yes. It would be best to seek refuge with Princess Ai-shan Gi-or.”

His words were decisive and one-sided, as if he were delivering his last will.

Leonor was too stunned by her brother’s sudden declaration to respond, only able to listen.

“Leopold will try to use you or kill you, but the princess will protect you. If she were the kind of woman to sell someone out for power, she wouldn’t have been chosen as the wielder of the Oath Sword. Live your life under the princess, in Landenburg. Find your own path.”

“No, no. Wait, what are you talking about? What are you planning to do?”

“…Something I should have done long ago. Remember, Leonor. Leave now. Don’t delay for a moment. Do you understand me?”

Ernst’s hand reached for the longsword hanging on the wall.

It wasn’t the Oath Sword, but it was pure Jin steel. He didn’t have a better sword than this.

“Stop! If you’re going to do this, then let me come with you…!”

Leonor tried to grab her brother’s shoulder, but Ernst effortlessly brushed her off with a slight movement of his arm. In terms of pure physical strength, he was superior to Leonor.

“It’s pointless. Save your life, Leonor. That’s your brother’s final wish.”

Without waiting for Leonor’s response, Ernst left his room.

In the early hours of the morning, when even most of the servants were asleep, the crown prince walked through the imperial palace without hindrance, his sword at his side. No one was foolish enough to stop the prince, who claimed to have urgent business with his mother.

—

Isabella’s bedroom was filled with passionate ecstasy.

After the emperor’s death, it seemed she no longer cared about prying eyes. The heated moans of men and women intertwined, echoing clearly through the corridor outside the door.

Though such a scandal would cause an uproar if it spread, there were no guards in the inner corridor, so Isabella’s actions were unlikely to leak.

‘Right, they’re all inside the room.’

He could guess why there were no guards. By now, they were probably enjoying the “grace bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress” with their mistress.

It was a banquet of whores and trash.

“Ahhh…! Yes, more…! Hnngh!”

Ernst knocked on the door, indifferent to Isabella’s whorish moans. The sounds of pleasure abruptly stopped.