Chapter 36

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 36

AAH, I’ve returned, Luca thought absently. He often left Adolunde for long stretches of time. In his younger, carefree days he frequently let his personal desires keep him from returning. Now it was always his duty to return—no matter how he viewed the chains of obligations upon him—he pushed passed his personal desire and always came back.

Luca mustered what energy was left in his exhausted body to guide his horse through the city. The heavy foot traffic and bustle of day-to-day life in Adolunde’s capital city made it easy to lose himself in his thoughts.

No one questioned him on his horse trotting among the throng of people. The few people who knew him were the merchants and tavern masters he did business with as a lowborn. Luca rarely appeared in the public eye as a prince.

Even when he led Adolunde’s army as the Violet Knight, he wore a helmet that covered his hair and made it difficult to see his face. Despite being at war with Maruk, Adolunde’s enormous royal capital was as lively as ever. Luca stared at the city, witnessing the price he paid for its prosperity.

I probably won’t be able to leave for a while. Brother won’t easily free my chains again. At this rate, I should just—no, that’s a foolish idea, Luca thought self-derisively, stopping himself from getting any funny ideas. I’m sure that’s what he wants me to do.

Luca couldn’t understand what it was that Orga was trying to accomplish. Sooner or later, Orga would become king of Adolunde and he would gain all the glory and power he sought since the day they were born.

Well, it’s not like I’d want to be king.

Orga was born to become king and was raised to be king. He was extolled as the wise future-king. Few doubted his suitability of becoming king. No one suggested any of his younger brothers try to lay claim to the throne.

What do you want to do with this country, Brother? What do you want to do with this prosperous, beautiful, and dear country? To the country she loved?

Luca closed his eyes when her delicate features appeared in his mind.

***

GUARDS immediately seized Luca when he passed under the castle gates. He was yanked from his horse without resistance, restrained as a common criminal in heavy chains, and dragged in those same chains to the throne room with his arms shackled behind him. It was happening all over again, as it had once before.

“Hiya, Luca. You came?” Orga smiled elegantly from his throne atop the central dais.

“What is the meaning of this, Brother?”

Two armed guards stood behind Luca.

“What does it mean? Isn’t that what I should be asking you, Luca?” Orga crossed his legs and lifted his chin as he looked down on Luca.

“To think the girl was a Witch. And an indentured one at that. I had no idea,” he heaved an over exaggerated sigh.

What a transparent and blatant lie. You clearly know everything.

There was no doubt in Luca’s mind that the man in front of him—Orga—was the one who kidnapped Yuki. There was no mistaking his victorious smirk—Luca’s spies confirmed Orga had been away from the castle the last few days.

“Hey, Luca, why did you do such a thing?” he asked with a pained expression. A closer look at his face showed his eyes were filled with glee.

“Brother, she is not a Witch.”

“Heh? Then why are her eyes that color? Are you going to continue speaking foolishly and claim Rvydom’s king actually lived?”

“Yes,” Luca strongly affirmed.

Yuki is going to get killed as things stand. The way to keep her alive is to give her life value in his eyes. Establishing Yuki’s value to Orga was the only solution Luca could come to. He returned to Adolunde’s capital city for this purpose.

“She is the sole daughter of Rvydom’s king, King Leuco Cahn Rvydom.”

Orga continued looking down at Luca without any visible reaction. Luca could sense the guards behind him cringing. Several moments of no reaction passed before Orga burst out laughing maniacally.

“How? How can you declare such a preposterous thing with certainty, Luca? Hmm? Rvydom’s king is alive! Is that not the delusion of Rvydom’s people?”

“She possesses the counterpart ring with Galian Manotant, the Knight of Rvydom’s king.”

Orga laughed until his face crumbled into one of seriousness. His usual smirk was gone. His upper body suddenly jerked forward. With his chin resting on the palm of his hand and his head tilted at an awkward angle, Orga looked like nothing more than a foolish pauper on a throne to Luca.

“Hmm…I see…”

Silence reigned once more. By the time Orga straightened in his chair a smile was once again plastered on his face.

“So? What do you want to do with the girl, Luca? The war has begun already.”

“…!” Luca’s eyes widened in surprise. Orga laughed joyfully at the sight of Luca’s shock.

“I finally gave the order to pursue this morning. An order for Adolunde’s army to move forward.”

What does that mean? Bringing Yuki back to Adolunde would mean a full-out war with Maruk. I took her out of Adolunde because I knew that would happen. I knew, so I hesitated to bring her back to Adolunde. My hesitation put her in danger. That’s why I decided it would be inevitable for war to break out with Maruk if I saved Yuki. Yet why—

“I thought she could serve our country from here, but it’s too much of a pain to keep such a brazen child under your thumb, you know?” Orga was playing with his hands like he didn’t know what to do with them. He folded them, brought them together, pulled them apart, and repeated the gesture. Luca stared at Orga aghast.

“Brother!” he shouted despite his better judgment. Luca came to the castle to discuss the plan he had come up with, not to be pulled into Orga’s pace. “In that case, why don’t you use her as Rvydom’s next Queen to restore Rvydom back to its former glory? And then if you marry her you can obtain all of Rvydom’s territory without going to war.”

Orga’s smile was replaced by a serious look of contemplation. That expression was somewhat similar to Luca’s.

“…I see. I guess that was one way to go about things too. But where is she now?” Orga asked. Luca didn’t know how to answer. “You don’t have any evidence she is not a Witch. She’s not present, so you can’t have her show me the ring that proves she’s Rvydom’s princess. And yet you’re asking me to believe you, Luca?”

With no way to counter Orga, Luca fell silent.

“But, it is a good idea,” Orga said staring dreamily into the distance, “marriage with Rvydom’s lost princess would make for turbulent times indeed.”

Is he going to accept my plan?

Orga smirked spitefully just as a faint hope blossomed for Luca.

“Since she’s not present, why don’t we set it up so that she’s the Witch getting executed in Maruk tomorrow? Once the Witch dies, we can claim, ‘The Witch executed in Maruk was actually Rvydom’s Princess that Adolunde was protecting.’ With that reason on our side we can invade Maruk with a just cause. Not only will we gain Rvydom for protecting their princess, but also Maruk for killing her. Isn’t it just a splendid little scheme?”

That was his aim all along?

“Brother! Do you understand what it is you are trying to do!” Luca accidentally shouted. The guards came up on both sides of him and shoved him into the marble floor.

“Luca, you are under suspicion for attempting to kill me. Didn’t you come here to vindicate yourself? My, how kind you must be to worry about me in your situation.” Orga gallantly stood from his throne. Step by step he slowly descended from the dais. He stopped steps in front of Luca’s face.

“Well, now that I think about it, a prince being under suspicion for attempted murder doesn’t sound good, so I’ll keep you under heavy guard until this Rvydom Princess you speak so highly of comes to see me. I’m sure your enthusiasm will cool down by then.”

As long as the Witch being executed was Yuki, there was no chance of Yuki ever coming to see them.

He set it up this way, and I walked right into his trap.

“Hey, Luca? I love you, Luca, so I’ll do everything in my power to find a way to save you. So wait just a little while for me to help you, okay?” Orga said with a horrendously twisted expression.