Verdic slipped a letter to Dullan, there into the tower. He did not know whether the priest would read it or not.
His patience was running out.
“I can’t wait any longer than this.”
If he could not see Carynne Hare’s neck being hung any time soon, he would go to her and lop off her head himself.
And so, he told the soldiers to stand ready—to break down the tower’s front door.
* * *
“If you’re here to persuade me, you should just give up.”
This was what Raymond was met with the moment he opened the door.
“Marquis Penceir.”
“I’ve done enough.”
As if he had eaten rotten food, there was a sour look in the marquis’s eyes as he eyed the younger man. Raymond was already expecting his reaction.
The marquis waved one hand and sincerely advised him.
“And you’ve done enough as well. Forget about her now.”
“Marquis.”
“I’m not angry with you now only because I believe you’ve been deceived.”
Raymond did not answer. He did not know what to say to him. Despite what he said, the marquis looked quite angry.
“Not only you, but I, too, had gone too far. I kept the fact that she’s Catherine’s daughter in my mind. I upheld my friendship with her mother. But I can’t do more than that.”
“……”
“No, to be precise, there’s truly nothing that can be done about it… The death sentence has already been handed down, so what else could be done? It’s all over now. You know who the members of the jury are. They’re all prominent aristocrats—some of them members of the Assembly as well. I talked to all those high nobles beforehand, but then what? I’m the only one who’s become a laughingstock in the end.”
With a severe scowl donned upon his face, Marquis Penceir walked up to Raymond and jabbed a finger at the young man’s shoulder with much force.
“Go back to the military again for a year. There’s something I want you to do.”
“No, you’re obligated to do so. Just disclosing Crown Prince Gueuze’s hobbies had put me in a difficult spot with His Majesty.”
But it would benefit you as the new king anyway. This was what Raymond thought as he listened to Marquis Penceir speak as though he had suffered a great loss to grant a favor for Raymond’s sake. In the end, the marquis was a politician. He would no longer invest more into Raymond.
“Don’t even think about it. I can practically read your mind right now.”
But what more could Raymond do here? The future king himself was saying that there was no hope left.
Marquis Penceir patted Raymond, who was still standing, on the shoulder.
“I was wrong about you. You don’t have an eye for women at all.”
“…..”
“Really. You’ve done enough.”
With a rather carefree expression, the marquis turned away from Raymond.
But as he walked away, behind him, Raymond spoke up.
“I understand, Marquis. But there’s still something that I must do before I return to my post.”
Immediately after, Raymond turned away as well, but the marquis hastily looked sideways to face the young man. It felt unpleasant that he wasn’t listening to his advice.
“What are you going to do? It would be better for you to just stay still.”
“I shall go there independently.”
“Where?”
“The gallows.”
“That’s terrible. Do you want to see your own fiancée’s neck being hung?”
“No.”
In his mind, Raymond calculated the amount of gunpowder he could get his hands on.
“I shall go there. Independently.”
“You’ve gone mad. Do you think I’ll let you? She’s on death row now.”
“Marquis, it’s for that precise reason that I’m telling you in advance.”
Then, after a pause, Raymond asked.
“How many people are on death row, sir?”
“Did you not hear a single word I told you just now?”
“The last time I checked, there were a lot of people gathered there, but the official state executioners were nowhere to be found.”
“Sir Raymond.”
“Even if it comes to a point that I might face my own death, I will take care of it in a way that you will not be implicated, Marquis.”
“You’re still young, Raymond. Just calm down for now.”
“I wonder, Marquis. Would there be a single soldier there?”
BANG! The marquis hit the table forcefully with both hands. Raymond was being too hasty right now.
“…I don’t know what you’re even talking about. Why would soldiers be sent there?”
“Then, even if I kill everyone there, you will not be swept into the mess, Marquis.”
“…Raymond!”
The marquis bellowed, but Raymond continued.
“Isn’t it strange that a woman was dragged there to be executed, yet it’s a troop of mercenaries that are standing guard?”
Raymond absolutely despised Verdic. He couldn’t help but think, why did Verdic go there? Why would he drag Carynne to that place to kill her?
“It is my responsibility.”
Raymond recalled what had happened to Carynne’s back—the open wounds and gashes that had been inflicted upon her, clearly with malice.
Right now, Carynne was his responsibility. If Raymond had instead been involved with another woman, Carynne would have married another man normally, even if her household had just fallen to ruin.
It was a truth that Raymond knew very well.
Raymond harbored within him the very reasons why he must go there.
“It’s out of your hands now.”
“She is my fiancée.”
She’s his choice.
“What do you plan to do all alone? Think about the life ahead of you. Think about just how short of a time it’s been since you first met her. Isn’t your goal to see through Verdic’s demise? Just what the hell are you planning to do now? It’s impossible. You can’t even sneak in.”
Raymond bowed to the marquis.
“Truthfully, sir, I’ve already decided.”
“…Then why did you even come here.”
Raymond pointed his finger out the window and declared,
“To borrow some gunpowder.”
The marquis hurriedly went to the window and opened it. The first thing he saw was a carriage that was carrying something through the gates.
Raymond had long since rushed out of the door before the marquis could even turn around and shout,
“SIR RAYMOND!”
“I’ve worked quite a lot without receiving any compensation thus far, so please allow me to be paid this much in advance.”
“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!”
But Raymond did not listen. From the very beginning, he already knew that it would be impossible to persuade the marquis.
How could Raymond persuade others when he could no longer persuade himself?
“Xenon, let’s go!”
Raymond was well aware.
There was no benefit to doing this. There would be no honor. Everything he had built up would be blown away.
What’s worse, even Carynne had not told him to come.
“I killed them all.”
This was what Carynne confessed, but Raymond did not believe this.
Raymond never bribed Dullan with money. Dullan lied, Verdic manipulated the situation. This was the absolute truth. Carynne was a victim to Verdic, who did everything in his power to make sure that she would be handed down the death penalty.
So, no. He did not believe Carynne. He did not believe that confession.
And, because he didn’t believe it, Raymond was able to move according to his own will.
* * *
At dawn, Carynne woke up to a loud noise. The sun was rising.
Ah, it’s time for me to die. How much time had passed? Where will it happen this time? How old am I now?
She was so utterly exhausted that time idled away, but someone was jostling her awake.
“W…Wake up, Carynne.”
“…What now.”
Carynne rubbed her eyes. Dullan shook her shoulder. It was still so early in the morning.
“If you’re going to kill me anyway, can’t you just do it while I’m sleeping?”
“…need time.”
Dullan mumbled something vague. Carynne sat up on the bed. The sky hadn’t even lit up yet.
Unlike Carynne, Dullan did not sleep a wink. His pale face was almost as dreadfully horrid as a corpse. While sitting up now, she asked him.
“Are you the one who’ll execute me?”
“I-I’m meant to do it, yes… T-That’s what I told Mister Verdic.”
“Then why don’t you just do it already? I really don’t like Mister Verdic’s axe.”
“…T-The wager.”
Carynne tugged at Dullan’s hair.
“I lost, didn’t I?”
It’s all over now.
Carynne admitted that she did not love Raymond. She did not have the capability of loving anyone at all because love was between two human beings. She vowed to try harder to trick Dullan next time, but in this iteration, she could not.
Her initial plan was to kill people and run wild, but this life of hers made a mess out of everything.
“But I don’t regret killing those people though?”
“……”
“To be honest, I feel that it’s a shame how I couldn’t kill more. Why am I so weak. Next time, I gotta try killing Verdic.”
Carynne grumbled. However, she flinched when Dullan pulled her blanket away.
“Hey, it’s cold?”
“Get up.”
“Why.”
“V-Verdic is coming.”
Right then, Carynne heard a faint thumping sound. Her face turned as white as a sheet.
The time has come. Already? Already? I’m going to die now. It’s over now.
“G-Get up and move to the window.”
At Dullan’s instruction, Carynne hurriedly opened the window. The bitingly cold, morning air pierced through the room. As she looked out the window, it felt as if she was standing on a cliff.
“……”
She heard the wildly roaring wind around her. She looked at Dullan, who was pulling the bed towards the door to block it. From a distance, she could hear the faint sound of the tower’s front door being forced open.
Carynne could not understand Dullan’s actions.
“What are you doing?”
“B-Buying some time.”
“To escape from Verdic? Do you think that’s even possible? No, in the first place… You’re the one who dragged me here.”
Carynne observed Dullan’s unreadable expression. She could not figure out what he was thinking.
“L-Look out the window.”
So she did. As she took a step closer to the window, she saw that Verdic’s barracks had been set ablaze. Carynne held her fluttering hair and tossed it behind her. She could not figure out how it had come to this.
Then, Carynne saw him.
Her knight.
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