Chapter 101

101

* * *

“Say it with your own mouth! Declare that you will renounce your claim as Crown Prince!”

“……”

A tough lash sliced through the air with a sharp crack.

Despite the gruesome wound, deep enough to draw blood, Dante showed no reaction.

He didn’t even let out a groan, merely hanging his head low.

The Emperor glared coldly at Dante. His expression was devoid of any pity or mercy.

He observed Dante not as a son, but as something utterly repulsive.

‘An ordinary person would have died long ago from such wounds, yet he stubbornly clings to life.’

Even though he already knew, the Emperor was once again repulsed by Dante.

“You monstrous bastard! What are you hoping for? Do you really think a thing like you could ever sit on the throne, even if you become Crown Prince?”

“……”

Dante still did not respond.

“Did he faint again? Tsk, how troublesome… Hamilton.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The chamberlain, Hamilton, lifted a pre-prepared bucket of water.

Clink, clink. Small shards of ice knocked against the bucket.

This was thanks to a magic circle that kept the temperature low enough to prevent ice from melting, even in summer.

*Sploosh.*

The frigid ice water was splashed over Dante’s limp body, which hung from the rack.

“Huuu…”

Drenched, Dante let out a faint sigh. A white puff of breath escaped his lips.

The Emperor savagely grabbed a handful of Dante’s soaking hair.

He yanked it upward, forcing Dante’s long neck to arch back and revealing his deathly pale face.

“Do you know how long you’ve been locked away? Three weeks. You haven’t seen sunlight for over a fortnight.”

“……”

“Don’t you want to get out of here? Don’t you want to drink warm soup in a bright room? Instead of sleeping fitfully while hanging like this, don’t you want to rest comfortably in a soft bed?”

Dante’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened. His black pupils stared blankly into the air.

The Emperor gently caressed Dante’s cheek.

“My son, seeing you like this breaks my heart. So please, promise me now. Just one word that you’ll do as you’re told, and I’ll release you immediately.”

Dante’s lips moved sluggishly.

“……”

His voice was too faint, as if he lacked the strength to speak. It was barely audible, but the words were easy enough to guess.

He’s finally giving in.

‘Finally!’

The Emperor smiled in triumph. He had been unusually stubborn this time, but it seemed even a monster had its limits.

‘But he’s never held out this long before. I’ll have to be cautious.’

Dante, for all his eccentric and willful nature, had usually been quick to obey the Emperor’s commands.

This was the result of a childhood filled with harsh punishments and purification rituals designed to instill obedience.

But ever since meeting Astell, the boy had started to defy him.

‘I made a wretch like him a guild master, he should have been grateful. But what? He wants to join the Guardians?’

The matter of the Crown Prince was the same.

He could understand Astell’s ambition to make Dante the Crown Prince.

‘It’s because she doesn’t know what he truly is.’

So, until then, he had thought little of it.

He had planned to declare Dante the Crown Prince, expecting fierce opposition from the nobles. Then, he would feign reluctance and name Igrid instead.

But contrary to his expectations, the nobles did not object.

Well, there was a stir of opposition at first, but it quieted down at some point.

‘To be precise, it was after the nobles met with Duke Ruthius.’

The Emperor ground his teeth, recalling Duke Ruthius’s cold, haughty expression.

‘Damn you, Axion! You were always one to be satisfied only after beating me! That’s why you stole Marcella and manipulated the nobles to fear you more than me, their Emperor!’

And all the while, he would watch from the sidelines with that cold, innocent face, a nauseatingly repulsive attitude.

‘Stop pretending to be so noble when you covet power more than anyone!’

Ultimately, with Duke Ruthius’s machinations making noble opposition unlikely, the Emperor had commanded Dante.

“I plan to proclaim you Crown Prince soon. When I do, you will step forward and refuse. Tell the Princess it was your choice.”

“Why should I?”

“W-What did you say?”

“I will do as she wishes.”

“…Are you saying you insist on becoming Crown Prince?”

“If she wishes it, I’m even prepared to become Emperor.”

“……!”

Dante did not obey. He had held out for three weeks, locked in the Red Room.

This was unprecedented. Moreover, it was out of character for Dante, who detested troublesome affairs.

‘Just how bewitched is he by that wench!’

For a monster who had never once been held warmly since the moment of his birth, the greatest temptation was warmth.

That must be why he fell so easily for Astell’s false affection.

Blinded by that warmth, he may have endured for three weeks, but the end was in sight. Pain is always more powerful than warmth.

‘I should use this chance to keep him from seeing that wench Astell, too.’

The Emperor leaned closer to Dante, straining to hear.

“Yes, my son. I’m listening. Go on, speak.”

“She…”

“Hm? What was that?”

“She… is…”

The smile slowly vanished from the Emperor’s lips.

“She? Are you speaking of the Princess now?”

“Haa… Tell… her… I can’t… go…”

“You… you monstrous bastard!”

The Emperor snatched Dante’s hair again. His long neck bent back limply.

“So persistent. What are you thinking? Know your place, son. Is love even something a monster like you is capable of?”

“……”

“Or, don’t tell me, have you developed a taste for power?”

“……”

“Do you think a monster can become Emperor just by wanting it? You must never be Emperor. The moment a thing like you sits on the throne, you will bring ruin to the empire!”

“The one to be ruined is…”

“What?”

“…the House of Taikan…”

Dante answered slowly, his voice completely hoarse, then parted his lips in a smile.

A drop of blood trickled languidly from between his crimson-stained lips.

An unsettlingly captivating smile.

A chill ran down his spine.

Unable to bear the eerie sight, the Emperor threw Dante’s head down.

“…So you intend to see this through to the end? Fine. We’ll see how long you can last.”

He spat out the words and held out a hand to Hamilton.

In response, Hamilton respectfully handed him a handkerchief embroidered with gold thread.

“Reduce his meals further, starting today.”

“…Your Majesty, he is already being given only one meal a day. And he barely touches even that.”

“Which means he can still endure. That’s why I’m telling you to reduce that one meal.”

“If we do that, something truly terrible might happen this time. So, Your Majesty, I implore you to show mercy…”

The Emperor raised a hand, silencing Hamilton.

“Are you telling me to show mercy to the monster who will destroy the empire?”

“……”

“Never again question my command. Unless you wish to be locked in here with the monster.”

“…My apologies, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor meticulously wiped the hand that had touched Dante, then threw the handkerchief to the floor and stormed out.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hamilton followed the Emperor, and the Red Room finally fell silent.

Left alone, Dante erupted into a fit of coughing he had been holding back.

“Cough, cough… Ugh!”

It was hard to breathe. With every cough, a terrible pain shot through his chest, as if his ribs were broken.

“Hahh…”

Puffs of breath escaped his lips continuously. His whole body trembled, as if he were naked in a pool of ice water.

He felt like he was freezing to death, yet his head was hazy with fever. His vision blurred, and he couldn’t see things clearly.

‘It’s been three weeks…’

Being in this dark, windowless place must have made him lose track of time.

“I’ve… broken my promise… twice, cough, cough!”

Another violent coughing fit wracked him. Droplets of blood trickled from his mouth. Something must be wrong with his internal organs.

“Ugh…!”

Dante waited for the pain to subside before trying to move his wrists.

He hadn’t attempted to escape until now.

Countless past experiences had taught him that it was far easier to accept reality than to resist.

But this time was different.

‘It’s too late. I have to get out of here, now.’

Dante gritted his teeth and twisted his wrists.

The loud clang of metal scraping against metal filled the silent space.

*Clank, clank.*

His wrists, chafed by the manacles, were rubbed raw and red, and soon blood began to trickle down his forearms.

Yet the mana-restraining shackles only tightened their grip, showing no sign of loosening.

‘Normally, I could have snapped these easily…’

He had eaten almost nothing for three weeks. His body was too broken to muster any strength.

Dante’s expression remained impassive. He shook his wrists more violently, as if trying to sever them completely.

Just then, with a soft swoosh, the air in the room shifted. Someone had entered the Red Room.

“……”

Dante immediately stopped his escape attempt and closed his eyes, feigning unconsciousness.

It wasn’t the Emperor or Hamilton. They didn’t walk so quietly.

The person, who had walked so silently you had to strain to hear them, stopped in front of him.

A scent. A warm fragrance.

Dante slowly opened his eyes. His blurred vision gradually came into focus.

“……!”

Unbelievably, she was standing right before him.