When Isaac returned to the private room of Felix Ark Ridill within the palace, he was still unable to take in the situation.
Since then, he had been taken to the infirmary, where doctors came in and out, his shackles were removed, and his health was checked…
Before he knew it, the day was already fading, and the world outside the window was dyed vermilion. The sunset was as red as blood──its color reminded him of the chalice raised by the Silent Witch.
…I wonder what kind of trick that was.
As he was vaguely thinking about this, there was a knock on the door, and the voice of a servant was heard.
“Your Highness Felix. His Majesty has summoned you to his private room.”
“…I’ll be right there.”
Is it really okay to leave the man who was just treated as a criminal free, without even an escort?
Moreover, to summon him to the King’s private room…
However, he had no choice but to obey, so Isaac slowly stood up and straightened his appearance.
He let out a small, bitter laugh as he put on the royal garments he thought he would never wear again.
＊ ＊ ＊
“I, Felix Ark Ridill, have arrived as your summon.”
“Enter.”
The King’s voice heard from inside the room did not sound like that of a frail, sick person.
As he stepped into the room, the King was seated in a chair, facing a chessboard.
Seated elegantly across from the King was Mary Harvey the Star Oracle Witch, though she did not seem to be his opponent in chess.
The King played chess alone, while Mary watched him, her gaze distant, as if observing the night sky as she chanted about the stars.
When Isaac entered, Mary quietly stood up.
“Then, I shall take my leave~”
Mary left the room, leaving behind a girlish chuckle.
Isaac stood by the entrance, waiting for the King to speak.
“Make your move.”
“Yes.”
Isaac took the seat Mary had occupied and looked at the chessboard.
The board was somewhat even, but White had the advantage. If White wished, it could checkmate the King in just a few moves.
The King’s gnarled fingers moved a White Queen. Not a bad move, but not the best one either; it would not lead to an immediate checkmate.
The King muttered while still looking at the chessboard.
“At the moment of checkmate, this game ends. But in reality… what do you think happens to a country that has lost its King?”
“It would descend into chaos.”
Isaac answered immediately, and the King nodded slightly, rolling a Black Pawn between his fingertips.
“And that outcome is not necessarily desirable for the victor. In reality, there are many cases where an unresolved game is more convenient.”
The unresolved game was likely a metaphor for the earlier council meeting.
Thanks to the Silent Witch’s actions, Duke Crockford failed to dispose of Isaac.
Isaac who was unable to retaliate against Duke Crockford, was having narrowly escaped death.
As a result, the one who benefited the most was none other than the King himself.
Duke Crockford is ruthless but capable. There are many matters he can handle that others cannot. That is why, until now, the King has not parted ways with him, keeping each other in check.
Prince Felix Ark Ridill whom Isaac has been portraying is also a capable prince, having achieved results in numerous diplomatic affairs.
If either Duke Crockford or the Isaac-played Felix were to be executed, it would throw the country into great turmoil.
Moreover, if foreign nations learned that the Second Prince was an impostor, the Ridill Kingdom’s credibility would plummet, rendering their previous diplomatic achievements meaningless.
“Isaac Walker.”
Isaac froze at the name uttered by the King.
Ah, he had a vague premonition… indeed, the King knew.
That the Second Prince was an impostor.
Likely, the reason for assigning Louis Miller of the First Prince’s faction as Felix’s guard was to investigate the Second Prince’s true identity through Louis.
“I am the King. Thus, I shall turn a blind eye to the sins of those who led my grandson──the Second Prince──to his death, for the sake of the nation.”
The real Felix was practically driven to suicide thanks to Isaac and his grandfather.
The man before him chose to protect the nation, but he must still hate the sight of this impostor bearing his son’s face.
“So, these are the words of a father.”
For the first time, the King looked up from the chessboard and met Isaac’s gaze.
His eyes were gentle, intelligent… and kind.
Isaac recognized that smile… it was the same as Felix’s.
“Thank you for being a friend to my son, and for trying to protect his honor.”
Isaac’s throat tightened. A dull ache throbbed in the back of his head.
“…No.”
The word slipped out, rough and hoarse.
Forgetting how to breathe, Isaac let out a short, sharp exhalation. Self-mocking, or perhaps in confession.
“…I couldn’t protect him.”
The fact that he had led Felix to his death would continue to torment Isaac, forever.
To the bowed Isaac, the King gently told him,
“You should hear his final wish from her. She awaits you in the reception room.”
＊ ＊ ＊
After leaving the King’s room, Mary Harvey the Star Oracle Witch stopped by the balcony at the end of the hallway. On the balcony stood an old acquaintance, a man with impeccable posture gazing at the setting sun.
The man’s blond hair, streaked with white, glowed like burning flames in the orange of the sunset.
“Are you feeling sentimental, Darius?”
At Mary’s words, Darius Nightley of Duke Crockford did not turn but answered.
“You knew everything, didn’t you, Star Oracle Witch?”
“I wonder.”
Mary sauntered forward and leaned on the balcony railing, looking up at the Duke.
“The alignment of the stars is quite simple. Seeing the future is never difficult. But the human heart is very complex. I cannot read hearts, you see.”
She could see one’s destiny, but not their heart.
Especially not with such a tangled web of human relationships.
“Did you want war, Darius?”
“……..”
The Duke did not answer. But Mary, who had lived the same years, knew.
Ridill Kingdom’s last war was over fifty years ago, a territorial dispute with the Empire.
Initially, Ridill Kingdom had the upper hand in the war.
They could have pressed on for complete victory. Yet despite that situation, the previous Duke Crockford──Darius’s father──proposed peace, arguing against further sacrifice.
Eventually, the previous Duke Crockford was assassinated.
Not by the Empire, but by those within Ridill Kingdom who desired total victory.
The people of Ridill, headed by the previous King, denounced Darius’s father as a coward, a disgrace to the nation.
The young Darius Knightley had not only lost his father but was branded the son of a coward.
Around that time, Mary, merely a Marquis daughter and not one of the Seven Sages, was betrothed to the Duke’s son Darius. However, Mary’s father unilaterally broke off the engagement, saying he could not give his daughter to the son of a man who had damaged national interests.
Yet a year later, the war took an unfavorable turn, and Ridill was forced to accept a ceasefire on terms advantageous to the Empire.
What did Darius think of that half-hearted war outcome? Mary did not know.
But surely, he still carried the bitter feelings from that time, like a lingering specter.
“In this incident, I will likely be seen as a fool who treated his own grandson──the Second Prince──as a criminal.”
“I suppose so~. Planning to pass your title to someone?”
“Eventually, I may have no choice.”
While not a fatal blow, Duke Crockford’s authority had certainly been diminished by this incident.
The Second Prince would be given some territory and title, and exiled from the capital under the guise of recovering from a curse.
Not too far in the future, the King would likely name Lionel, the First Prince, as his successor.
Most likely, the King had always intended for the First Prince to succeed him, but could not officially name him due to Duke Crockford’s formidable influence in supporting the Second Prince.
With the Duke’s authority weakened from this incident, the King can now name the First Prince as his successor without any hindrances.
“I have been thoroughly defeated by the trap set by the King.”
To the Duke’s self-deprecating mutter, Mary let out a bell-like laugh.
“No, no, while the King may have set things in motion initially…”
Narrowing her pale blue eyes, the Star Oracle Witch declared in a solemn tone, as if making a prophecy,
“…It was Silent Witch who guided events to this conclusion, you see.”
Both Duke Crockford and Isaac had deluded themselves into thinking they were the chess players.
And they had intended to outmaneuver each other, moving the pieces… or so they thought.
But in reality, the Duke and Isaac were merely pawns themselves.
The one observing the entire chessboard was the King alone.
In the chess game the King played solitaire, and the one seated opposite him was the Silent Witch Monica Everett.
“You see, after the Seven Sages Summit, that child requested an audience with the King… she must have seen through his feigned illness.”
When seated before the chessboard with the King, that timid, cowardly girl’s expression changed.
With a chilling blankness, she explained her plan, and finally said,
──‘This outcome will be most beneficial for you, Your Majesty. So I would like your cooperation.’
“So the King’s cooperation with the Silent Witch at the council was for that reason.”
In other words, the outcome had been decided the moment the Supreme Council began.
“…What a terrifying witch, she is.”
“Now, now, don’t say ‘terrifying.’ Call her a fine woman who knows the value of words and silence.”
“Perhaps you should remain silent yourself, occasionally.”
To Darius’s words, the mature witch puffed out her cheeks petulantly.
“If you’ll be that mean, I won’t foresee your future anymoore~!”
“I have no need. I only use prophecies for my own benefit.”
“I know, I know~ During the Cursed Dragon Incident, you even used my prophecy against me!”
Mary had heard the details of the Cursed Dragon Incident from Monica.
And she knew who had killed their fellow sage, Emanuel Darwin the Jewelled Magician.
…She knew everything, yet still acted this way.
The ruthless Duke Crockford muttered softly, “Women are truly terrifying creatures.”
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