(Alberto’s POV) The Beginning of Revenge
“Alberto!”
Although Alberto was somewhat distressed to hear Risel’s grief-stricken cries, he locked the door that locked him in with firm determination.
Reynaldo had told him that his appearance in this situation would cause unnecessary confusion, so Alberto summoned him before things started and caught him off guard, putting him to sleep.
The tea leaves Reynaldo gave him contained a medicine that had a sleeping effect. He felt apologetic to the prince, who had trusted him for so many years, but he had prepared himself for the consequences and confined him in one of the rooms of the knights’ quarters.
Just before closing the door, Alberto made eye contact with Risel, who had awakened and sat up in bed.
He had hoped to take care of things while Risel was still asleep.
“Alberto! What’s going on!?”
“It will all be over soon. Please stay where you are.”
After saying a few words, Alberto asked the knight with whom he was making plans to keep watch, and then he left the knights’ quarters.
He can still hear the door being vigorously pounded, but he can’t afford to be overcome with guilt.
The date for the execution of the plan, as instructed in writing by Reynaldo, is today.
Presumably, Reynaldo and the other anti-royalist nobles are on their way to the castle.
In order to purge the country of its corrupt ruling, they plan to capture the King and Queen, and establish Prince Risel as the new king.
That was Reynaldo’s idea of revenge.
Upon hearing the details of the revenge plan, Alberto immediately recalled the contents of Rosemary’s favorite storybook.
He empathized with Reynaldo’s decision to bring the revenge to an end, just like the story that she had cherished.
Alberto knew that this was done out of consideration for Marie.
Having met Marie, he learned that Rosemary, his former master, did not want revenge at all.
He predicted that Rosemary had died as she had lived, thinking of her people, and her family, and wishing for peace.
However, both Reynaldo and Alberto, even if they understood it in words, their emotions did not fully accept or reconcile with that notion.
Even now, when they think that the person who killed Rosemary is still alive, a sense of hatred resurfaces and eats away at their hearts.
Even so, if they were to fulfill their revenge using brutal methods, Marie would undoubtedly be saddened.
At least, even someone who had become consumed by revenge, like a vengeful demon, understood that much.
That’s why they thought of a revenge method that would satisfy them, even if only a little.
Agreeing with Reynaldo’s opinion, they finally bring about the realization of their revenge.
His heart was filled with immense exhilaration as the moment finally arrived to achieve the revenge they had relentlessly pursued and dreamed about for years.
But at the same time, he also felt a sense of emptiness.
After spending twenty years, it was finally coming to an end, but is this really what it amounts to?
He strangely felt stunned.
Alberto straddles his horse, fully aware that he had a duty to fulfill.
The distance from the knights’ training grounds to the royal castle was short, but he decided to travel by horse just in case.
At that moment, he heard the sound of a horse neighing in the distance.
Curious, Alberto urged his horse to run towards the direction from which the horse’s neighing sound came.
The silent castle housed only a handful of servants, and most of them had been given temporary leave by falsely citing a royal decree. Most of the people inside the castle were anti-royalists.
A woman’s scream could be heard faintly in the distance along with the horse’s neighs.
Albert kicked his spurs firmly into the saddle and urged the horse to run.
The castle was buzzing. Those who were concerned about the horses’ neigh had gathered sporadically. Perhaps due to the precautions taken after the previous rebellion, some knights were heading toward the vicinity of the castle gate.
Alberto crossed the crowd of people with his horse, and as he passed through the castle gate, he witnessed a scene of a horse running amok.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Marie!”
The girl clinging desperately to control the rampaging horse was Marie.
Feeling his heart filled with an overwhelming sense of tension, Alberto guided his horse to run alongside the unruly horse and somehow managed to grab hold of the reins.
The horse Marie was riding was visibly disturbed and in an agitated state, seemingly unsettled by something. No matter how much Alberto tried to calm it down, it remained restless. It was painful to see Marie desperately trying to keep the reins on the horse. Unable to contain himself, Alberto shouted out.
“Jump over here!”
