The Beheaded Statue
He wondered if her response would be as he had hoped, but he soon closed his mouth. After a moment, he asked again.
“Evelyn, what do you think I should put inside this statue?”
That night, his words from before came to mind.
“I want to give a gift to the poor princess. Since I can’t send you away, I must spend some money.”
“Money, or perhaps jewels?” she inquired.
A deep smile crept onto his lips. “Yes, I’ll fill it with gold. After winning that one battle in the war, I have an abundance of treasures.”
Filling the statue’s body with gold, then attaching the beheaded head before sending it off, was the gift Ilya had prepared for Marquis Maduse.
“Well, since my father has quite the appetite for riches… whatever amount of gold you think he’d like,” Evelyn whispered with a fading voice.
“Lady,” he said, wrapping his arms around Evelyn’s waist and pulling her toward him. Evelyn gazed at him, her eyes exhausted.
He felt like he had done enough, but he still felt incomplete.
“How much gold should we put in?” he asked.
“Well, the more, the better,” she replied, her voice distant. Her mind and ears felt numb. A soft voice settled in her ear.
“That’s your worth, so… I think we should send as much gold as your weight,” he said, as if weighing her, lifting her up briefly, and then gently placing her back down.
Evelyn’s body began to tremble ever so slightly. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Not crying was the best she could do.
Her father had sold her to the perverted old man in the east in exchange for a hefty sum.
Evelyn didn’t know how much she had received, but it was the price of her life. It is the only one of its kind in the world.
“I’m a person, not something to be traded.”
When her father treated her like an object, she could still bear it. She hadn’t expected anything from her parents anyway. But the man before her… He was different. Her first love was the one who had loved her with all his heart from the moment she was born. It felt like her heart was shattering into pieces.
“Why are you crying again? Is it that heartbreaking?”
She wanted to say something, but it felt like her throat had closed up.
“Noble marriages are all like this.”
Tears streamed down Evelyn’s cheeks and chin.
“You’re right… It’s the same for our marriage too.”
As his large hand reached into her veil, Evelyn recoiled as if she had been burned. At the same time, the hand that had been holding her waist loosened its grip. Evelyn, who had barely managed to control her emotions, spoke.
“Your Grace, may I take my leave now? I feel like I’ve seen everything I need to see today.”
Evelyn waited silently until he gave his permission.
“Yes, you may go.” Evelyn fled from the spot as if escaping.
****
“Libe, Libe!” As soon as she entered the outbuilding, Evelyn hurriedly looked for her son. She didn’t care about her ladylike appearance, and the maids stared at her in astonishment. It didn’t matter what anyone said. If she didn’t see Libe right now, it felt like she would die.
“Lady, you came quickly.” Sophie, who had been playing with Libe, rushed over in surprise. When her pale face peeked out from under the veil, Sophie frowned.
“Miss, what happened to your face?”
With tear-streaked cheeks, Sophie looked at Ilya’s troubled expression, sensing something was amiss. She quickly moved towards Libe.
“Lady, the young master is here. Ask me how much fun we’ve been having,” Sophie said, putting on a cheerful front.
Libe tilted her head, her gaze shifting to Evelyn, who was veiled, making it uncertain if she was her mother. Sophie gently nudged Libe’s back, encouraging her to speak.
“Mother?” Libe asked, lowering herself to the child’s eye level. Libe’s small hand reached under the veil, just as Illya had done moments earlier.
“Mother, are you crying?” Libe inquired with a quivering voice, sensing that something was wrong with her mother. Evelyn pulled Libe close into a tight embrace.
“Libe, Mommy is going through a tough time,” she admitted. The child, unaware of the gravity, consoled her mother by gently patting her back.
“Sad,” said the child, who didn’t yet comprehend sadness, but eventually she began to cry in harmony with her mother.
“Daddy, I don’t want to be with him,” she said, not comprehending the concept of a father, and continued crying.
Sophie struggled to console Libe and was doing her best to soothe the crying child. Surprised by the commotion, Arthur looked at Bellina as if to inquire what was happening.
“Libe, let’s leave this place as soon as possible. We’ll find a place where you and I can be happy together,” Evelyn declared.
A place where they could mend their weary bodies and hearts was all she desired.
After bidding farewell to Evelyn on that day, Ilya was plagued by a persistent headache. Nazza, observing Ilya burying his head in documents with a pained expression, clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Your Highness, it’s Lord Maduse’s birthday greeting delegation.”
Ilya raised his head slightly. “Wasn’t that supposed to be Stas’s responsibility? Why are you telling me?”
“Captain is occupied, so I’m reporting in his stead,” Nazz replied.
Nazz pursed his lips. “It’s a delegation heading to the neutral zone in the East. We have an overflow of candidates, and the workload is becoming overwhelming.”
Ilya chuckled, his laughter ringing out. “It’s just a delegation; we only need a handful of people. Why the fuss with so many candidates? Anyway, the gifts I’ve prepared will be delivered by Maduse’s knights.”
Nazz mimed strangling himself with his hand and replied, “Will that knight still have a head left when he opens the gifts? It feels like his head and body might separate as soon as he unwraps them.”
Nazz recalled the young knight with an insolent face. When they were locked in the prison, he hadn’t realized it, but after he cleaned up, he looked even younger. He seemed more like a squire or someone in training, no matter how you looked at it.
Perhaps a knight who had already sensed Maduse’s betrayal had sent the inexperienced squire or trainee in his place to George.
“It’s going to be quite a spectacle if Marcus Viscount’s noose starts burning. If the evidence of betrayal boldly appears in the form of a delegation.”
“And on top of that, it’s the neutral zone in the East; it won’t be easy to get rid of him.”
“It seems he played right into his own trap, hahaha.”
After hesitating for a moment, Nazz spoke up.
“Deputy Commander has volunteered to lead the delegation.”
“What?” Ilya furrowed his brows deeply.
“That young one is one of Maduse’s knights. His life and death are also under your jurisdiction. Why on earth does the Deputy Commander need to get involved?”
Illya stared at Nazz with a questioning gaze.
“I don’t know the reason either. You know how our master doesn’t share much information.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ilya decided to respect his master’s decision.
“Permission granted. He probably holds the most grudge against Marquis Maduse, after all.”
Aaron, the Deputy Commander of the Black Forest Knights, had lost his right arm in the Tatar Gorge. For a knight who had once enjoyed great fame, it was a deeply painful experience.
Nazz shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. “And if the Master goes, Marquis Maduse won’t be able to cause any trouble.”
Aaron, the Deputy Commander of the Black Forest Knights, was one of the most renowned knights in the Sayce Empire. Known for his strength, he had been an invincible knight until he lost one arm in the Tatari Gorge. Any knight in the empire aspired to become a righteous knight like Aaron at least once in their lifetime.
If someone were to challenge him without any justification, especially in the neutral zone in the east… It would be a declaration of war not just against Viscount Ajauntice but against all the knights of the Sais Empire.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. Nevertheless, just in case, select skilled individuals for the delegation.”
Nazz beamed with satisfaction. A little while later, he wiped the smile off his face and carefully observed Ilya.
“What else is there?” Ilya asked.
“It’s about Arthur…” Nazz hesitated.
Ilya’s expression crumpled. “It’s about Evelyn, isn’t it? Go on.”
Nazz stared at Illya’s face for a moment before speaking.
“Do you know about Madam’s birthday, by any chance?”
Ilya pondered the unexpected question. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find an answer. He knew nothing about his wife.
Nazz provided the answer for him. “It’s the same day as Viscount Maduse’s birthday.”
“Haha, what a cruel twist of fate,” Ilya chuckled.
Nazz let out a sigh. “Your Highness!”
“Why? I haven’t said anything wrong.”
“It’s just that… because of that, it’s been overlooked every year.”
Ilya responded nonchalantly, “Well, that can’t be helped.”
“I’ve never had a birthday party either. What’s the big deal?” llya remarked casually.
Nazz looked at his lord with a troubled expression. “Your Highness, anyway, I’ve informed you. The decision is yours to make.”
Ilya thought that sending a gift to the annex should suffice and didn’t find it particularly significant.
Just then, a cautious knock on the door caught Ilya’s attention.
“Your Highness, Madam, from the annex, has arrived.”
The knight sounded flustered.
“Evelyn, come in,” llya responded.
As Evelyn entered the office, Nazza stood up. He bowed respectfully to her, as was his usual formal greeting.
“Yes, Nazz. It’s been a while.”
llya scrutinized her face intently. He had been concerned about her after her emotional outburst that day, but today she seemed fine. The unease he had felt as if something was weighing on his chest seemed to have lessened, so Illya let out a slight chuckle.
Observing the two of them, Nazz bowed and excused herself.
“Your Highness, I shall take my leave.”
Once they were alone, Evelyn got straight to the point. Ilya found her approach unusual.
“I came because I have a request.”
Evelyn took a letter from her pocket and handed it to Ilya. He laughed dryly as he looked at the recipient’s name on the envelope.
“Ayatollah Madus, Odin Maduse… when did you become so affectionate with your family?”
Evelyn remained expressionless in the face of his sarcasm. When Ilya’s laughter subsided, she spoke.
“It’s because of the red orchid ring and necklace I mentioned before. I want to test how far my father is willing to listen to me on this occasion.”
“What kind of request is it?” llya asked, his tone less mocking.
“It’s not a request, Your Highness. It’s an order. I am the owner of this ring.”
A heavy silence settled in the room.
Seeing a woman with a face he didn’t recognize, llya became increasingly uneasy.
