Orphen directed his gaze at me, and I held my breath. His Highness went to step protectively in front of me, but I stopped him. That was the battle in which General Bakula became famous as a hero, thanks to a certain strategy that overturned the war in his favor all at once. I had heard that my grandfather, Eduard Bernstein, had thought of it and given it to General Bakula. And behind them was Orphen.
“They don’t voluntarily step up to the stage. Instead, they stay in the shadows. It’s disgusting. They only want to show off their talent in emergencies. What cowards.”
The words he directed at me were clearly meant to hurt me. “Lady Elianna,” he said, his voice like a poison that slowly seeped in, “have you ever thought about it? If it weren’t for you, this turmoil might not have ever happened. If Lady Pharmia or Princess Mireille had married His Highness, I don’t think Duke Odin would have resorted to such means. And Lady Pharmia would have walked the path of a proper noble daughter. How many people’s lives have been disrupted just because you showed up?”
“Orphen!” Prince Christopher shouted and took a step forward. His anger was unprecedented, but Orphen continued regardless.
“The same could be said for you, Your Highness. If the Bernstein family, who I have always hated for their existence above all else, had lived in seclusion in the countryside forever, the creatures within me would have been quiet. Why did they have to appear before me again? They even deceived my student. If she hadn’t become His Highness’s fiancée, I would have never betrayed and hurt him.”
“That’s enough!” Prince Christopher yelled, stomping loudly to stop Orphen. He sauntered over to him and grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t hurt people with your selfish reasoning! All humans get jealous and greedy. Don’t blame others for the fact that you’re so immature you couldn’t control your impulses! Other people don’t exist for you to take your feelings out on. Just as you have simmering emotions, they do too!”
“Ha,” Orphen replied with a small smile. “You’re so naive. Simmering emotions? Is there such a thing for a clan only interested in books? Or for those who can only cry?”
I realized that I was also crying when I looked at him again. The words he said hurt—he had denied my very existence—but when I tried to wipe away my tears, Prince Christopher rushed over with a worried look and hugged me.
“Professor,” he said, filled with resolve. “You didn’t do anything directly. The one who will be publicly judged is Duke Odin. But...I will never forgive you.”
Ian had infected His Majesty with the disease, and Duke Odin had entrapped Ian, among other crimes. Orphen had only told the duke about Ian and the possibility of a cure. Plus, the royal family’s Shadows could not be exposed.
His Highness embraced me tightly as I listened to Orphen’s laughter.
“Ho ho ho,” he repeated with a cheerful tone. “Of course, from the moment I stepped onto this path, I was prepared.”
I was surprised by that and instantly pushed the prince away with the book I was holding and rushed over to Orphen with enough momentum that I toppled over the poison he was trying to drink. There was a small cracking noise, and his eyes opened wide beneath his heavy brow. My emotions reached their peak as I looked down on him with fierce anger.
“How much do you have to hurt people to be satisfied? If you hurt yourself, it will cause His Highness and Jean so much pain. Killing yourself atones for nothing! I will not forgive you for choosing such a cowardly path!”
His eyes widened, then in a mocking tone, he said, “You won’t allow me to harm myself? You want me to live and see the splendor of Sauslind’s Brain while carrying this boiling hatred. Alive, I can taste the thoughts of beings in the depths of the earth. Are you saying that’s the life I deserve?”
“Yes,” I responded to his twisted gaze. “You once said that there is nothing harder than seeing the disciple die before the teacher. Professor Orphen, why can’t you say the same for the opposite of that?”
Older people died first. That was the providence of nature. But that didn’t mean no one mourned over their passing.
“Those who are left behind will surely grieve. They will regret it. They will blame themselves. It’s the same for anyone’s death. If they lose you, people will suffer from injuries. I will never forgive anyone, no matter who they are, who hurts His Highness.”
Orphen’s eyes widened again. I could no longer hold back, and large tears spilled from my eyes. “I saw a lot of bodies at the foot of Mt. Urma. I don’t want anyone else to die.”
I hadn’t made it there in time. I never wanted to feel that way again ever again.
Prince Christopher, who was on his knees next to me, stood and held me against his warm chest while I sobbed. He then said to Orphen, “Professor, do you hold a grudge against the royal family because the late Queen Amalia held one?”
I was so surprised by those words that I stopped crying for a moment. A quiet conversation took place behind me as I suppressed my hiccups.
“When did you notice?” Orphen asked.
“From around the time you said it was a trial given to the king.”
Queen Amalia had carried a grudge against the royal family until her dying day. During her reign, besides being the mother of three children—William, the current king of Sauslind; Rosalia, Alexei’s mother; and Theodore, who was said to be her favorite—she had contributed greatly to the reconstruction of the Ralshen Region after the Continental Highway War.
“Really... You’re a shrewd person,” Orphen replied.
“Just like my teacher.”
“Don’t compare yourself to me. I will take these demons and go to the bottom of the earth.”
“Please do so,” His Highness replied with his usual tone, a mixture of boredom and sadness. “You still have something to do for me, though, Dirk Orphen. The dead, and the grudges Queen Amalia left behind, will be uprooted. Until that’s over, I won’t let you retire comfortably.”
“Are you trying to abuse an old man?”
“Of course. Until he becomes shriveled up.”