Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 141

“Say that again.”

Wesleigh unknowingly flicked cigarette ash as he listened to the report. It had been two days since Karenna’s letter was brought up in the meeting. The assistant put down the report and added.

“There’s a high possibility that Viscount Ian Hielo passed through the area during Karenna’s bandit subjugation. After all, the routes from Hielo territory to the central are limited, and the safest and fastest is through the triangle of Karenna, Rongin, and so on.”

If only there weren’t any bandits. Wesleigh hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette and frowned. If the mercenary who had eliminated them was Ian, he would surely have doubts about the undead.

‘Did he notice traces of necromancy? Before that, why did the bandits have undead in the first place? That bastard Ian might be investigating separately. Did he enter the archives after joining the Ministry of Magic?’

Her mind right now was a mess. Anything else was fine, but Gale absolutely must not find out about the forbidden necromancy. As she nervously chewed her nails, the assistant gently stopped her.

“We’ve sent carrier pigeons to Karenna for details, so a reply should arrive soon.”

“Check if Ian has accessed the archives.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“…Did he come to work?”

“They say he’s been at work since dawn. He probably has a lot to learn, going around various places outside the Magic Operations Department.”

She felt like her stomach was turning and blood was rushing to her head. She felt like she had to call Ian right now and shout at him to calm down. Was he the one who eliminated the bandits in Karenna? What did he see there, and what did he find out?

Just as Wesleigh couldn’t hold back and was about to take out another cigarette with trembling hands,

Knock knock.

“Wesleigh-nim. A message from His Highness Gale.”

“From His Highness? Come in.”

She was unaware. That her hands had stopped shaking. The assistant silently watched and pushed the papers to one side. Whenever there was a message from Gale, work always took a backseat.

“He said to come to the palace whenever you have time.”

“Really? Alright. I’ll go right away.”

Wesleigh immediately grabbed her coat and stood up from her seat. There was not a moment of hesitation. How long had it been since he had called for her?

When rumors started circulating about him spending time with the Hayman family’s daughter, contact naturally became infrequent. The Hyman daughter was someone who could definitely help Gale’s cause, so she had endured it, but she was slowly reaching her limit.

“Ah, and a few days ago, there was a witness who saw Viscount Ian Hielo entering Mariv’s palace covered in blood.”

The assistant followed her and verbally reported the rest of the minor details. Wesleigh’s footsteps echoing through the empty corridor seemed a bit rushed.

“To Mariv’s palace?”

“I don’t know the reason, but it was late at night.”

Since Gale’s palace wasn’t a surveillance area Wesleigh needed to keep an eye on, she hadn’t noticed that Ian had seen Gale first. She frowned as she got into the carriage.

“What about the mansion?”

“He’s currently staying at Viscount Romandro’s mansion in the administration, but there’s no movement, including guards. It seems there’s only a pregnant woman and a servant.”

“Really?”

“He rarely returns home due to work.”

“Then reduce the surveillance on the mansion to a minimum.”

“I’ll shift the rest to Ian.”

Wesleigh nodded, looking at Gale’s approaching palace. It had been a long time since she had seen her lover. Feeling her heart pounding, she ran up the stairs in one go.

Knock knock.

“Your Highness Gale.”

“Wesleigh, you’re here. I was waiting for you.”

“It’s been a long time. You’ve been busy lately, so it’s hard to see you. I guess you’re not going flower viewing with the Hyman daughter today.”

Gale sat languidly on the sofa and just laughed. The cigarette smoke scattered with his laughter. He gestured for her to come closer.

“Come here.”

And he pulled her wrist and sat her on his lap. Wesleigh naturally nestled into his arms and hugged his neck.

“Wesleigh. I’ve been truly thoughtless.”

“Your Highness, why are you suddenly like this?”

A smile bloomed on Wesleigh’s face. It was hard to believe this was the same dignified head of the Ministry of Magic who usually exuded coldness. Gale opened a small jewelry box and whispered.

“Open it.”

Click.

It was a pair of earrings densely studded with diamonds. Wesleigh slightly parted her lips at the brilliantly sparkling jewels that seemed to capture the light. It wasn’t because they were precious. If it was about wealth, Wesleigh, as the head of the Ministry of Magic, was also one of the top in the empire. But this…

“Your Highness, what have you done wrong to me?”

“As if.”

‘It’s the first gift. That you’ve given me, Your Highness.’

Instead of answering, Gale gently brushed her hair aside with his soft touch and put the earrings on for her. When he caressed her earlobe, Wesleigh felt like she was about to burst into tears.

Yes. No matter how much the Hayman daughter was there, to Gale, she was still…

“The one at fault is you, Wesleigh.”

It wasn’t the voice filled with affection. In Gale’s gaze, which was close enough for their noses to touch, Wesleigh read unfamiliar emotions. Disgust and contempt. Where did the man who had just been caressing her earlobe a moment ago go?

“Your Highness?”

“I’ve been truly thoughtless towards you.”

“Wh-what does that…”

Gale held Wesleigh tightly in his arms and took out a document from the table. Wesleigh easily recognized what it was. A forbidden necromancy research report with the Ministry of Magic’s top-secret seal. Her spine tingled with a sinking feeling.

“I didn’t know you were scheming behind my back like this.”

Gale buried his face in Wesleigh’s neck and let out a low laugh. She struggled to break free from his embrace, but she couldn’t overpower the man’s strength.

Squeak.

“No, no, Your Highness. It’s a misunderstanding-“

“If it weren’t for the imperial blessing, I might have been devoured by your insanity long ago. There was a reason people called you a witch. Bring the shackles!”

A subordinate hiding in the shadows approached. In his hand, as if prepared, were thick iron chains. The terrified Wesleigh unknowingly screamed.

“Gale, listen to me first!”

Zzing! Zing!

Her eyes turned golden, but no mana was emitted. The diamonds on her ears, reflected in the wine glass, were particularly dazzling.

…They were mana sealing stones.

“Shh. Wesleigh.”

Gale was still restraining her wrists. Not missing the moment she faltered in bewilderment, he put the shackles on and tied her to a ring on the wall. These also contained mana sealing stones.

“I want to snap your neck right now, but I’m sparing your life for the sake of our past. So behave yourself.”

“…Past?”

Wesleigh’s mind went blank. At the same time, her tongue moved on its own. Weren’t she and Gale practically one body? But judging from how he was trying to cast her aside without even listening to an explanation, her existence had already been erased from his mind.

“…You’re trying to appoint someone else as minister instead of me?”

If Wesleigh were to be killed as the Ministry of Magic’s minister, an investigation would be conducted, and the forbidden necromancy would surely be revealed.

The crime of attempting to harm the prince, Mariv would call for reforming the monopolistic and unrivaled power structure of the Ministry of Magic. This was a permanent bad move for Gale and meant defeat.

“To keep me from attending the personnel meeting, to appoint someone else and k-kill me…”

Tears unknowingly flowed down her face. Wesleigh bit her lip and looked up at him, but Gale’s expression was cold.

“I can’t understand. You’re so perceptive, yet how could you attempt such a foolish thing? Wesleigh. I’m truly disappointed. You were a good colleague in many ways.”

“No! Gale, you know. I…”

I would never betray you.

I wanted to be with you and your future.

That’s all it was.

“Really? Fine. Then I’ll give you one chance.”

At Gale’s nod, the subordinate held out the truth serum. The man casually shook the bottle and grabbed Wesleigh’s chin. The bitter potion flowed into her mouth as she lifted her head.

“Cough!”

Wesleigh coughed up blood. An endless stream of blood. Gale knelt on one knee and met Wesleigh’s gaze.

“I’ll ask you, Wesleigh.”

Please, ask the right question.

“Did you try to cast necromancy on me?”

Ask if I had the intention to betray you, or if not, if I can swear eternal loyalty. Wesleigh pressed down on her tongue that tried to move on its own. But in the end, the truth poured out with the blood.

“…Yes.”

Gale frowned and stood up from his seat. After wiping the blood with a handkerchief, he instructed his subordinate.

“Watch her without a moment’s gap.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“What about Wesleigh’s assistant?”

“He’s waiting outside.”

“Dispose of him. And tell the Ministry of Magic that Wesleigh is on a business trip for the time being. Prepare the personnel to clean out the Magic Support Department as soon as the personnel meeting is over.”

After the subordinate acknowledged the order, he disappeared back into the shadows. Behind Gale, who was about to leave the bedroom, Wesleigh’s scream pierced through.

“You, you’re always like this to me!”

“…”

“Gale, I love you. That’s why I did it. Because I knew you would discard me later, I just wanted to keep you by my side! My future was always you!”

Gale glanced back. Wesleigh, covered in blood, bit her lip as tears dripped down. But Gale only chuckled.

“If you wanted to be together, you should have known your place. Wesleigh. Then I would have taken responsibility for you till the end. You crossed the line.”

His gaze shifted to Wesleigh’s lower jaw. Blood was no longer pouring out. The effect of the truth serum was said to last while the subject coughed up blood.

“And I can’t believe your words without blood.”

Kwang!

The door closed without hesitation. In complete darkness, Wesleigh glared at where Gale had been, swallowing her tears. Can’t believe without blood? Fine. I understand.

Crack.

She tore her lips, her eyes blazing with furious tears. How could he do this to her? How dare he…

‘Let’s see it through to the end. Gale.’

She rubbed her face in the blood pooled on the floor and screamed in agony. Gale’s head butler locked the door, trying to ignore the faintly audible shrieks.

***

“Did you hear that? I heard Gale and Minister Wesleigh’s relationship isn’t good these days.”

“Because of the Hyman daughter?”

“I don’t know. There were some rumors going around. But they’ve been together for so long, you know?”

“But Minister Wesleigh is on a business trip these days. I heard Gale personally ordered it, so if their relationship was bad, he wouldn’t trust her like that.”

“That’s true. And is Minister Wesleigh someone to be trifled with? She’s comparable to the Hyman daughter in every way except bloodline.”

“Then Minister Wesleigh won’t be attending the personnel meeting?”

“She doesn’t need to come. She’ll be reappointed anyway.”

As the personnel meeting approached, whenever people gathered, they talked about high-ranking officials. It was a natural atmosphere, as it was a place where the heads of the year were decided.

Swish.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I thought I felt someone’s presence.”

“Who else is here besides us? Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. We’ll be late.”

As the chattering group disappeared, a ripple appeared in the space. It was Bareto, Wesleigh’s assistant, who had hidden his appearance with magic. With a troubled expression, he looked towards Gale’s palace.

‘I’ll save you soon. Wesleigh-nim.’