“Do you have such a book?”
Deheen asked with a cool chuckle.
Judging by the title, the book seemed to contain many more methods of torture besides what Dennis had brought up.
If it’s Dennis, who enjoyed reading regardless of genre, it wouldn’t be strange for him to read such a novel.
‘In boiling water, alive…?’
However, Esther, who was surprised by the crueler method than expected, caught her breath and hiccupped in surprise.
“Eup.”
“Are you okay?”
Dennis hurriedly brought water and patted Esther’s back.
The hiccup didn’t stop right away, so she grabbed the cup with both hands and gulped down the water.
Meanwhile, Judy and Dennis were enthusiastically discussing how to punish Rabienne.
“I think I’ll get her portrait and throw darts at her every night.”
Recalling the famous curse, Judy grinned as he crossed his arms.
“When you get it, get one for me too.”
Even Dennis, who would have normally told him not to do anything stupid, agreed, saying it was a good idea.
“I have to go to the bookstore tomorrow and buy more books about punishment and curses. We must find a more painful method.”
Frozen from shock, Deheen couldn’t join the children’s conversation openly, but he listened with his ears perked up.
“Ben, bring three… No, please bring about 20 copies.”
Tempted by the idea of throwing darts, Deheen asked Ben to obtain the portraits.
He thought that at least that would relieve some of this resentment.
“Y-Your Highness, are you going to do it too?”
“Can’t I?”
“No, no. It’s okay.”
Trying hard to not show his shock, Ben wrote down the order in his notebook.
Deheen glanced at his watch and belatedly realized that it was very late.
“It’s bedtime. How about sleeping together tonight?”
“All of us together?”
Esther’s eyes widened at Deheen’s suggestion, while Judy and Dennis said it was a good idea and prepared to run.
Jumping off the couch and tying his shoelaces, Judy looked around, asking where to go.
“Whose room are we sleeping in?”
“For the four of us, a guest room is probably better.”
It should be a room with two large beds, pushed together so that they could sleep side by side.
There was a suitable guest room, so it was decided they would sleep there together tonight.
The eyes of Esther, Judy, and Dennis, who washed their faces and huddled together in the guest room, were still bright red.
“Then let’s choose our spots.”
With a hand on his waist, Judy moved across the wide bed.
“Esther, of course, is in the middle.”
After the unanimous decision, Esther went first to the bed and lay down in the middle.
She brought the stuffed rabbit and a stuffed snake from his room, one on each side.
“I’ll take the spot next to Esther.”
Judy tried to sneak over to Esther’s left. It was the best spot because it was next to the wall.
“I said I’ll be there first.”
“Don’t you know that the one who lies down first owns the spot?”
Seeing the twins arguing over trifles, Deheen made them play rock-paper-scissors fairly.
“Ha, I knew it would be like this.”
“The world of competition is cold.”
Ultimately, Dennis won the rock-paper-scissors game. With a triumphant smile, he occupied the spot next to the wall.
Pouting, Judy laid down on Esther’s right side.
Deheen laid at an angle on the edge and pulled the blankets up to the children’s chin, covering their necks.
“Esther, thank you for telling me a difficult secret.”
Although the full extent of Esther’s 14 regressions still did not completely reach him, the desperate pain was wholly felt.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Of course.”
Suddenly, Esther felt that the whole situation was like a dream.
It seemed that the reality couldn’t be more perfect than this, so she felt uneasy.
“When I wake up… It won’t be gone, right?”
“No way. After sleeping, it’ll be a happier tomorrow.”
“Really?”
Esther clutched at the blanket and gazed at DeHyn with wide, glazed eyes.
“I promise you.”
A soft smile appeared as she took in Deheen’s warm voice, which seemed to protect her forever.
It was much narrower than sleeping alone in a room, but it was nice to be close to one another.
‘I am not alone. This isn’t just a dream.’
She always had nightmares whenever she recalled the painful memories.
Perhaps this time, she could sleep well without nightmares.
“Good night, I love you.”
Since he was shy, Deheen usually wouldn’t say things like this, but tonight, he mustered up his courage.
He moved slowly and lightly kissed Judy, Esther, and Dennis on the foreheads.
Having received a kiss on the forehead for the first time, Esther was very shy and kept touching her forehead.
“Come on, let’s go to sleep.”
Deheen continued to comfort and pat the children so that they could fall asleep.
Slowly but surely, the chatters died down, and after a while, there wasn’t even a whisper.
‘Good night.’
Deheen observed the sleeping children for a long time before quietly getting out of bed.
Then, on his tiptoes, he got up and went out of the room, completely silent.
Right in front of the door and squatting against the wall was Ben, who was asleep.
He jumped up at the sound of the door opening, his eyes wide open.
“You haven’t gone to bed.”
“I was waiting for you to come out.”
Indeed, he was Ben. He knew Deheen better than anyone else, which was why he waited, having read his agitated mind.
“Ah…”
The rage that had been dormant for a while flared up in Deheen’s eyes.
From the moment he peeked into Esther’s memories, he was already angry.
Ben’s hand, which was next to Deheen, was tingling from the strong energy he was radiating.
The two moved to the balcony and continued their conversation.
“What did you see?”
“I saw the devil.”
“…Is it related to what really happened to the lady at the temple?”
“Yes.”
Deheen’s eyes darkened as he pressed his clenched hand against the wall.
In the dark hallway, sparks seemed to fly all around him.
“I will destroy the temple.”
“Please don’t start a war.”
Flustered, Ben advised Deheen with the utmost caution.
“There will not be a war. I will just bring down the fake and give those involved proper punishment.”
“You’ve already decided to spread rumors about that, haven’t you?”
Ben was still careful. If such rumors about Rabienne spreaded, her fall would surely happen, it was only a matter of time.
“Well…”
The temple was one thing, but Deheen also couldn’t forgive the Brions family, the background of Rabienne.
“Isn’t the creation of the four great families in line with the history of the empire?”
“That’s right.”
“Will the empire stumble if one of those four great families disappears?”
“Your Highness, don’t tell me…?”
Inferring Deheen’s thoughts, Ben covered his mouth, astonished.
“Yes. I will bring down the Duchy of Brions.”
“But… but a family of the four great families can’t be destroyed that easily.”
Each of the four families had considerable power and deep history.
This was especially true of the Brions family, which produced many saints.
“I know there was a treaty between the families in the beginning.”
“Yes. Definitely… There is also a clause for termination. If any family loses it’s honor, the other families will expel that family…”
It’s true. There was such a provision regarding the termination of the treaty.
However, since the four great families were symbols of the empire, no one attempted it, so it was a one-way treaty.
Ben stammered out the clauses, barely remembering what he learned at the academy a long time ago.
“Ruins the honor. That’s right.”
A foreboding energy rose from Deheen as he twisted the corner of his mouth.
“Do you think I can’t?”
“…No. There is nothing that cannot be done if Your Grace wishes.”
That was the problem.
Deheen had enough strength to aim for the position of emperor.
“However, I am worried that if you attack the ducal family, you will be accused of treason.”
Since everyone was watching and wary of Deheen, Ben was worried that there would be people who would view his actions in a distorted way.
“I’ll do it anyway.”
“All right.”
Deheen’s heart was already firm.
Recognizing that, Ben nodded; he would follow his order without interfering.
“From now on, find out all of Duke Brions’ weaknesses and his misdeeds.”
Deheen’s hand that was placed on the railing was still shaking with rage.
It didn’t seem like Esther’s anger would ever subside unless she paid back what she had suffered.
“A mere downfall is not enough. I will drag them down to the bottom.”
The eyes looking up at the round moon were colder than ever.
“Ah, by the way, you asked me to find out the connection between Lady Catherine and Duke Brions.”
Remembering he had something to report to Deheen, Ben cleared his throat.
“Did you find something?”
“Yes. There were people who had seen Duke Brions going in and out of the teahouse run by Lady Catherine.”
It was a long time ago, so it was very difficult to find a tip. Thankfully, this information surfaced after asking almost all the nearby residents.
“What? You’re amazing.”
Deheen was absolutely dumbfounded that he burst out laughing.
“It’s most certainly not a wrong account. I’ve checked with several people.”
He wondered what kind of connection there was between Duke Brions and Catherine, but the teahouse…
It was something he couldn’t even imagine.
“…I don’t have a good feeling. I guess I have to meet Duke Brions in person.”
“I’ll make an appointment as soon as the day dawns.”
The various complex thoughts made Deheen let out a deep sigh as he clutched the railing.
The handsome face reflected in the soft moonlight was full of sorrow.
★★★
The next day…
All the vassals were called into the meeting room one by one.
Each of them went into the meeting room nervously at the appointed time and came out with a puzzled expression.
The same was true of Hugo, the commander of the grand ducal knights.
“What the hell is going on?”
He tilted his head, wondering why there would be an unexpected private meeting, and soon became even more dumbfounded.
“Oh? Mister Hugo!”
Judy waved his hand and ran up to Hugo.
Hugo was Judy’s first swordsmanship teacher, so the two were very close.
“Young Master Judy?”
“You’re here? Sit down.”
Deheen called Hugo to the chair in front of him. Even if he was the leader of the knights, there were no exceptions.
“Your Grace, what’s the matter?”
Judy and Dennis smiled and approached the puzzled Hugo.
“Mister Hugo, I will demonstrate, so you can sing along.”
And without time to figure out what it was, Judy started singing.
By Hugo’s side, Dennis recited the lyrics, urging him to memorize them quickly.
The voices of the two blended together and echoed softly in the meeting room.
The holy flower that should have bloomed in the temple has bloomed elsewhere.
What is in the place where the flower should bloom?
A weed has taken root.
What should be done now that there are no flowers?
Weeds cannot replace flowers
“Do you have such a book?”
Deheen asked with a cool chuckle.
Judging by the title, the book seemed to contain many more methods of torture besides what Dennis had brought up.
If it’s Dennis, who enjoyed reading regardless of genre, it wouldn’t be strange for him to read such a novel.
‘In boiling water, alive…?’
However, Esther, who was surprised by the crueler method than expected, caught her breath and hiccupped in surprise.
“Eup.”
“Are you okay?”
Dennis hurriedly brought water and patted Esther’s back.
The hiccup didn’t stop right away, so she grabbed the cup with both hands and gulped down the water.
Meanwhile, Judy and Dennis were enthusiastically discussing how to punish Rabienne.
“I think I’ll get her portrait and throw darts at her every night.”
Recalling the famous curse, Judy grinned as he crossed his arms.
“When you get it, get one for me too.”
Even Dennis, who would have normally told him not to do anything stupid, agreed, saying it was a good idea.
“I have to go to the bookstore tomorrow and buy more books about punishment and curses. We must find a more painful method.”
Frozen from shock, Deheen couldn’t join the children’s conversation openly, but he listened with his ears perked up.
“Ben, bring three… No, please bring about 20 copies.”
Tempted by the idea of throwing darts, Deheen asked Ben to obtain the portraits.
He thought that at least that would relieve some of this resentment.
“Y-Your Highness, are you going to do it too?”
“Can’t I?”
“No, no. It’s okay.”
Trying hard to not show his shock, Ben wrote down the order in his notebook.
Deheen glanced at his watch and belatedly realized that it was very late.
“It’s bedtime. How about sleeping together tonight?”
“All of us together?”
Esther’s eyes widened at Deheen’s suggestion, while Judy and Dennis said it was a good idea and prepared to run.
Jumping off the couch and tying his shoelaces, Judy looked around, asking where to go.
“Whose room are we sleeping in?”
“For the four of us, a guest room is probably better.”
It should be a room with two large beds, pushed together so that they could sleep side by side.
There was a suitable guest room, so it was decided they would sleep there together tonight.
The eyes of Esther, Judy, and Dennis, who washed their faces and huddled together in the guest room, were still bright red.
“Then let’s choose our spots.”
With a hand on his waist, Judy moved across the wide bed.
“Esther, of course, is in the middle.”
After the unanimous decision, Esther went first to the bed and lay down in the middle.
She brought the stuffed rabbit and a stuffed snake from his room, one on each side.
“I’ll take the spot next to Esther.”
Judy tried to sneak over to Esther’s left. It was the best spot because it was next to the wall.
“I said I’ll be there first.”
“Don’t you know that the one who lies down first owns the spot?”
Seeing the twins arguing over trifles, Deheen made them play rock-paper-scissors fairly.
“Ha, I knew it would be like this.”
“The world of competition is cold.”
Ultimately, Dennis won the rock-paper-scissors game. With a triumphant smile, he occupied the spot next to the wall.
Pouting, Judy laid down on Esther’s right side.
Deheen laid at an angle on the edge and pulled the blankets up to the children’s chin, covering their necks.
“Esther, thank you for telling me a difficult secret.”
Although the full extent of Esther’s 14 regressions still did not completely reach him, the desperate pain was wholly felt.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Of course.”
Suddenly, Esther felt that the whole situation was like a dream.
It seemed that the reality couldn’t be more perfect than this, so she felt uneasy.
“When I wake up… It won’t be gone, right?”
“No way. After sleeping, it’ll be a happier tomorrow.”
“Really?”
Esther clutched at the blanket and gazed at DeHyn with wide, glazed eyes.
“I promise you.”
A soft smile appeared as she took in Deheen’s warm voice, which seemed to protect her forever.
It was much narrower than sleeping alone in a room, but it was nice to be close to one another.
‘I am not alone. This isn’t just a dream.’
She always had nightmares whenever she recalled the painful memories.
Perhaps this time, she could sleep well without nightmares.
“Good night, I love you.”
Since he was shy, Deheen usually wouldn’t say things like this, but tonight, he mustered up his courage.
He moved slowly and lightly kissed Judy, Esther, and Dennis on the foreheads.
Having received a kiss on the forehead for the first time, Esther was very shy and kept touching her forehead.
“Come on, let’s go to sleep.”
Deheen continued to comfort and pat the children so that they could fall asleep.
Slowly but surely, the chatters died down, and after a while, there wasn’t even a whisper.
‘Good night.’
Deheen observed the sleeping children for a long time before quietly getting out of bed.
Then, on his tiptoes, he got up and went out of the room, completely silent.
Right in front of the door and squatting against the wall was Ben, who was asleep.
He jumped up at the sound of the door opening, his eyes wide open.
“You haven’t gone to bed.”
“I was waiting for you to come out.”
Indeed, he was Ben. He knew Deheen better than anyone else, which was why he waited, having read his agitated mind.
“Ah…”
The rage that had been dormant for a while flared up in Deheen’s eyes.
From the moment he peeked into Esther’s memories, he was already angry.
Ben’s hand, which was next to Deheen, was tingling from the strong energy he was radiating.
The two moved to the balcony and continued their conversation.
“What did you see?”
“I saw the devil.”
“…Is it related to what really happened to the lady at the temple?”
“Yes.”
Deheen’s eyes darkened as he pressed his clenched hand against the wall.
In the dark hallway, sparks seemed to fly all around him.
“I will destroy the temple.”
“Please don’t start a war.”
Flustered, Ben advised Deheen with the utmost caution.
“There will not be a war. I will just bring down the fake and give those involved proper punishment.”
“You’ve already decided to spread rumors about that, haven’t you?”
Ben was still careful. If such rumors about Rabienne spreaded, her fall would surely happen, it was only a matter of time.
“Well…”
The temple was one thing, but Deheen also couldn’t forgive the Brions family, the background of Rabienne.
“Isn’t the creation of the four great families in line with the history of the empire?”
“That’s right.”
“Will the empire stumble if one of those four great families disappears?”
“Your Highness, don’t tell me…?”
Inferring Deheen’s thoughts, Ben covered his mouth, astonished.
“Yes. I will bring down the Duchy of Brions.”
“But… but a family of the four great families can’t be destroyed that easily.”
Each of the four families had considerable power and deep history.
This was especially true of the Brions family, which produced many saints.
“I know there was a treaty between the families in the beginning.”
“Yes. Definitely… There is also a clause for termination. If any family loses it’s honor, the other families will expel that family…”
It’s true. There was such a provision regarding the termination of the treaty.
However, since the four great families were symbols of the empire, no one attempted it, so it was a one-way treaty.
Ben stammered out the clauses, barely remembering what he learned at the academy a long time ago.
“Ruins the honor. That’s right.”
A foreboding energy rose from Deheen as he twisted the corner of his mouth.
“Do you think I can’t?”
“…No. There is nothing that cannot be done if Your Grace wishes.”
That was the problem.
Deheen had enough strength to aim for the position of emperor.
“However, I am worried that if you attack the ducal family, you will be accused of treason.”
Since everyone was watching and wary of Deheen, Ben was worried that there would be people who would view his actions in a distorted way.
“I’ll do it anyway.”
“All right.”
Deheen’s heart was already firm.
Recognizing that, Ben nodded; he would follow his order without interfering.
“From now on, find out all of Duke Brions’ weaknesses and his misdeeds.”
Deheen’s hand that was placed on the railing was still shaking with rage.
It didn’t seem like Esther’s anger would ever subside unless she paid back what she had suffered.
“A mere downfall is not enough. I will drag them down to the bottom.”
The eyes looking up at the round moon were colder than ever.
“Ah, by the way, you asked me to find out the connection between Lady Catherine and Duke Brions.”
Remembering he had something to report to Deheen, Ben cleared his throat.
“Did you find something?”
“Yes. There were people who had seen Duke Brions going in and out of the teahouse run by Lady Catherine.”
It was a long time ago, so it was very difficult to find a tip. Thankfully, this information surfaced after asking almost all the nearby residents.
“What? You’re amazing.”
Deheen was absolutely dumbfounded that he burst out laughing.
“It’s most certainly not a wrong account. I’ve checked with several people.”
He wondered what kind of connection there was between Duke Brions and Catherine, but the teahouse…
It was something he couldn’t even imagine.
“…I don’t have a good feeling. I guess I have to meet Duke Brions in person.”
“I’ll make an appointment as soon as the day dawns.”
The various complex thoughts made Deheen let out a deep sigh as he clutched the railing.
The handsome face reflected in the soft moonlight was full of sorrow.
★★★
The next day…
All the vassals were called into the meeting room one by one.
Each of them went into the meeting room nervously at the appointed time and came out with a puzzled expression.
The same was true of Hugo, the commander of the grand ducal knights.
“What the hell is going on?”
He tilted his head, wondering why there would be an unexpected private meeting, and soon became even more dumbfounded.
“Oh? Mister Hugo!”
Judy waved his hand and ran up to Hugo.
Hugo was Judy’s first swordsmanship teacher, so the two were very close.
“Young Master Judy?”
“You’re here? Sit down.”
Deheen called Hugo to the chair in front of him. Even if he was the leader of the knights, there were no exceptions.
“Your Grace, what’s the matter?”
Judy and Dennis smiled and approached the puzzled Hugo.
“Mister Hugo, I will demonstrate, so you can sing along.”
And without time to figure out what it was, Judy started singing.
By Hugo’s side, Dennis recited the lyrics, urging him to memorize them quickly.
The voices of the two blended together and echoed softly in the meeting room.
The holy flower that should have bloomed in the temple has bloomed elsewhere.
What is in the place where the flower should bloom?
A weed has taken root.
What should be done now that there are no flowers?
Weeds cannot replace flowers
