Doug received a message
from Patricia, requesting his presence at the Red King’s Palace. Having greeted
all the necessary people, including the Silver King, he felt he had fulfilled
his obligations and quietly exited the banquet hall, making his way to the Sun
Palace.
A maid guided Doug to the
bedroom. As soon as he entered, he heard the sound of quiet sobbing and clicked
his tongue in irritation.
“I’m here,” he said,
sitting down on the sofa. Patricia, who had been lying in bed, got up and sat across
from him.
“You’ve come, brother,” she
said, her eyes and nose red from crying. Doug had seen his sister cry countless
times, usually as a last resort when things didn’t go her way.
Their late father had been
particularly susceptible to Patricia’s tears. Strictly with his son, he had
always been more lenient with his daughter, despite the fact that most of her
tears were fake. However, seeing her now, Doug realized that this time, her
tears were genuine.
‘I knew this day would
come. She tried to manipulate the Silver King as if he were one of her pawns.
How could she be so blind to her own son? The Silver King was never someone
who’d be easily controlled.’
Doug had already heard the
full story from the Silver King the night before but feigned ignorance as he
spoke.
“What’s the matter? Why
didn’t you come to the banquet today? Are you feeling unwell?”
“…No, brother. How could
the Silver King treat his own mother like this?” Patricia dabbed at her eyes
with a handkerchief, her sobs filled with bitterness. Doug listened as she
recounted the events of the previous day from her perspective, framing herself
as the victim.
He already knew most of the
details and sifted through her one-sided story, dismissing the exaggerated
parts. Her account didn’t differ much from what the Silver King had told him.
The previous day, Patricia
had been urgently summoned to the palace after receiving a message from the
Silver King, who wished to meet her quietly.
The Silver King had
explained the situation to Doug in a calm, almost detached manner, though he
had included terms like "disgraceful" and "unforgivable."
Doug’s main impression from that meeting was how composed and unemotional the
Silver King had remained throughout the explanation.
“My mother involved
Princess Fatima. This could have escalated into a serious diplomatic issue. If
this becomes a bigger problem and His Majesty the Emperor finds out, he will
likely believe my mother had accomplices. Wouldn’t His Majesty suspect the Rimone
family?”
The Silver King had a valid
point. Patricia’s actions could have cast unwarranted suspicion on the Rimone
family. That was something Doug couldn’t allow. As the head of the family, Doug
felt a deep responsibility to preserve their reputation and feared being blamed
for its decline under his leadership.
While he had spent many
sleepless nights worrying about the future, Patricia had treated the situation
as though it were someone else’s problem, begging for help only when it suited
her. The lively, clever sister he had known as a child had long since
disappeared, replaced by a stubborn woman obsessed with her son.
Doug’s feelings toward
Patricia had started to change. Her overwhelming attachment to the Silver King
made him worry that if her son ever ascended the throne, she would attempt to
control everything. It was around this time that Doug decided not to share
everything with Patricia anymore.
He reprimanded her. “Why
on earth did you do such a thing? Using drugs, no less.”
“Don’t you understand why I
did it? If we leave Marquis Rad by the Silver King’s side, it will cause a
major problem in the future. You know how accurate my instincts are, brother.”
‘Just as the Silver King
said. She doesn’t realize the severity of her actions.’
Doug had tried to defend
Patricia in front of the Silver King the day before, but now he was beginning
to see things differently.
"Your Highness, the
Red King’s actions are simply those of a concerned mother whose feelings have
been a bit excessive. Please, be lenient and understand."
"This time, she’s gone
too far. And she refuses to acknowledge her wrongdoing. If someone doesn’t
reflect on their mistakes, they’re bound to repeat them, aren’t they?"
Doug couldn’t argue with
his nephew’s sharp response. He didn’t particularly feel the need to defend
Patricia either. In fact, part of him thought this situation might be for the
best. It would benefit everyone if the Silver King maintained some distance
from the Red King, especially in the long run.
"My mother did this solely
because she dislikes Marquis Rad. I can no longer trust her judgment."
"What do you expect me
to do?"
"I wanted to tell you
in person that from now on, I will no longer consult her when making decisions.
I believe it’s only fair to inform you of this in advance, Uncle. I still
consider the Rimone family to be my staunch allies. I’m only disappointed in my
mother, not the family."
"You are absolutely
right."
"I trust that you’ll
understand my intentions and act accordingly. I’m not saying you should cut off
ties with my mother as her brother, but nothing beyond that. I just want her to
remain my mother, nothing more."
Doug reflected on his
meeting with the Silver King yesterday. The more he thought about it, the more
he appreciated how things had gone. There wasn’t a single part of the conversation
that displeased him.
The Silver King, who used
to call him "Rimone Duke," now addressed him as "Uncle,"
showing a personal warmth that Doug found satisfying. Furthermore, the
declaration to politically sideline Patricia was something he had hoped for.
This was also the first time the Silver King had clearly stated that he trusted
the Rimone family.
‘He’s grown wiser with age,
my nephew. He’s sharp enough to recognize who’s truly important. Well, he’s
always been brilliant.’
Meanwhile, his sister Patricia
seemed more pathetic than ever in comparison. Her obsession with the Silver
King made her appear even more pitiful.
Doug wasn’t particularly
troubled by the Silver King’s public relationship with Marquis Rad. He knew his
cold-hearted nephew wasn’t acting out of genuine affection. When Doug subtly
asked about it yesterday, the Silver King’s answer had been clear:
"Keep your enemies
close."
That response was all Doug
needed to hear. He couldn’t understand why Patricia was making such a fuss.
"But now that I think
about it, there’s something strange. How did you manage to get Marquis Rad into
His Majesty’s villa? You didn’t personally bring him, did you?"
Patricia hesitated, unable
to answer.
"That’s not important."
Her attempt to dodge the
question raised Doug’s suspicions. He pressed her.
"If you’re hiding
something, I won’t be able to help you."
Reluctantly, Patricia
confessed that she had used a letter their father had left behind, with the
help of the chamberlain.
"Father was quite the
visionary, wasn’t he? Even from the grave, he left provisions for the
future."
Doug chuckled, but inside,
he was seething. He was angry that Patricia had hidden such a crucial piece of
information from him and even more furious that she had wasted it on such a
trivial matter. He also felt resentment toward their late father.
"From what I’ve heard,
there’s nothing I can do right now. The Silver King is furious with you. What
do you expect me to do?"
"How could the Silver
King treat me like this? I did it for him, and yet he turns his back on his own
mother for some man?"
"No, the Silver King
is angry at what you did. A love potion, of all things. Do you really think he
could tolerate something like that?"
Patricia bit her lip,
unable to respond.
"Don’t provoke him
further. Lay low for a while. When his anger subsides, I’ll try to smooth
things over."
Doug stood up.
"Are you
leaving?"
"I have a lot to
do."
"Brother, I have a
favor to ask."
Doug stifled a sigh.
"What is it?"
"I need you to find
someone. She must have escaped the palace, but I won’t let the woman who ruined
my plans getaway."
Patricia gritted her teeth
in anger.
"Alright. I’ll look
into it."
"And, brother, about
Marquis Raad... I can’t figure out what his intentions are. I’m losing sleep
worrying about the Silver King. Please, find out what he’s after."
Doug paused for a moment
before nodding. He agreed that the marquis’s intentions were unclear. Though he
hadn’t neglected to gather information on the marquis, it was time to dig
deeper.
As Doug left the room, he
said, "By the way, the knight you sent to the Silver King’s palace—he
delivered the information you asked for regarding the Silver King’s domain. You
should support him well, make sure he earns His Majesty’s trust."
After Doug left, Patricia
thought about Stus, the knight in question. She had high hopes for him at
first, but he had struggled to establish himself in the Silver King’s palace
and spent more time outside than expected. She had been contemplating how to
handle him.
‘Yes, Stus. I should make
good use of him.’
A renewed sense of
determination lit up in Patricia’s eyes.
***
The atmosphere of the party
had reached its peak. People subtly gathered around where the Silver King,
Marquis Raad, and the Iron King and Queen Consort stood together, forming a
crowd around them.
“Your Majesty, I’ve
prepared a birthday gift for you. Will you kindly accept it?” Kuhn said,
drawing the attention of the onlookers. Everyone was curious—what kind of gift
had the wealthy Marquis Rad prepared?
“I gladly accept, Marquis
Rad,” the Silver King replied.
Kuhn signaled toward the
far end of the hall with his hand. All eyes followed in that direction.
“Oh, what’s that?”
“It’s huge.”
The crowd murmured as a massive
wooden box was wheeled into the banquet hall. It was rectangular, longer than a
carriage, and being pulled by several workers. Strangely, the workers were all
women.
The box was brought to a
stop in front of the Silver King and Marquis Rad. The surrounding guests
instinctively stepped back, creating space.
“Is that the gift you’ve
prepared?” the Silver King asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kuhn
responded.
“Is this some sort of
riddle? Do I need to guess what’s inside?”
Kuhn chuckled. “No, Your
Majesty. You’ll see soon enough.”
With a gesture from Kuhn,
the women who had brought the box began unlocking the latches at the corners of
the crate. Then, all four sides of the box were pulled away simultaneously,
revealing what was inside.
Gasps of astonishment filled
the room.
“My goodness.”
“Oh my!”
The guests could only murmur
in awe as the sides of the box fell away, unveiling a cage inside. Within the
cage stood a majestic creature—a horse, but not just any horse. It was
completely white, from its mane to its tail, and a longhorn protruded from its
forehead.
“A unicorn…” someone
whispered in disbelief.
“I thought they only
existed in legends, but it’s real…”
Even Sienna couldn’t hide
her shock. Her eyes widened as she stared at the white-horned beast.
“Marquis Rad, that
creature… Is that horn real?” she asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s
real,” Kuhn replied.
“How did you come by such a
sacred animal? Was it captured in a hunt? I thought they couldn’t be tamed.”
“I didn’t hunt it, Your
Majesty. I found a wounded foal and rescued it. There were no signs of its
parents, and to this day, no other unicorns have been discovered. It might very
well be the last of its kind. Since it was raised by humans, returning it to
the wild would mean its death. I’ve been searching for a worthy owner for it
ever since.”
The crowd listened intently
as Kuhn continued his story.
“A worthy owner?” the
Silver King inquired.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Not
just anyone can care for such a treasure. If someone unfit obtains a valuable
prize, they only become a target for thieves. In some countries on the
continent, unicorns are worshiped as divine creatures. Some might even go to
war for one.”
“And you couldn’t become
its owner?”
Kuhn sighed and shook his
head. “The biggest issue, Your Majesty, is that this creature dislikes men.”
Laughter broke out around
the room.
“That’s why it’s caged.
With its mysterious appearance, people might be tempted to touch it, and that
could lead to accidents. Especially if a man touches it—it would crush a person’s
skull with one blow.”
Several men in the crowd
shuddered, especially those who had been thinking about touching the animal.
“Is it vicious?” someone
asked.
“It’s fine as long as you
don’t touch it without permission. It’s quite intelligent and clearly communicates
its intentions. You can approach and take a closer look,” Kuhn reassured.
Despite the crowd’s
interest, the unicorn remained calm and indifferent, standing proudly in its
cage. As Sienna approached, it snorted softly.
Sienna stood still, locking
eyes with the creature. Its sky-blue eyes gleamed with intelligence far beyond
that of any ordinary beast.
“Oh…” Sienna shivered.
Those eyes weren’t the eyes of a mere animal; they were filled with wisdom and
sentience.
“Open the cage,” she instructed.
“Please be careful,” Kuhn
advised.
“I will. I think it will be
fine.”
At Kuhn’s signal, the lock
on the cage was undone.
Sienna entered the cage
cautiously, not rushing toward the unicorn. She simply extended her hand and
waited.
After a moment, the unicorn
slowly approached. The crowd held its breath as its nose touched Sienna’s hand.
She gently stroked its nose and, emboldened, moved to caress its forehead and
flowing mane.
The unicorn remained calm,
allowing her touch.
“It seems to like you, Your
Majesty,” Kuhn remarked with a smile.
“And I like it as well,”
Sienna responded.
Kuhn smiled wider. “It
seems the unicorn has finally found its master.”
Sienna beamed and wrapped
both arms around the unicorn’s neck. The creature lowered its head slightly in
a gesture of submission.
The crowd was deeply moved.
The process of the legendary sacred beast acknowledging the Silver King as its
master felt like a profoundly special moment. This story would no doubt spread,
embellished with awe and wonder, into a fantastic tale of loyalty and grace.
Count Miller, however,
watched Kuhn closely with a critical gaze.
‘What are you up to,
Marquis Raad? Giving a gift that only elevates the Silver King... Why would you
do such a thing when you’re supposedly on the Iron King’s side?’
The count couldn't
understand why Kuhn, supposedly a close ally of the Iron King, would present
such a gift to the Silver King.
‘Why does His Majesty the
Iron King trust this marquis so blindly?’
Count Miller had long been
wary of Kuhn’s ambiguous loyalties. The marquis rarely attended gatherings of
the Iron King’s inner circle.
‘This cannot continue.’
Miller glanced at the Iron
King, who seemed more interested in admiring the rare beast than in pondering
the significance of the gift. The king didn’t seem to grasp the political
implications.
‘His Majesty should be more
calculating,’ Miller thought, shaking his head.
At first, Miller had
assumed the Iron King was the type to smile outwardly while hiding a sharp
dagger in his heart. However, after spending time in the king’s inner circle,
he had come to realize that the Iron King’s nature was, in fact, gentle and
trusting. His unwavering trust in Marquis Raad was evidence of that.
‘The king needs someone who
can compensate for his shortcomings.’
Miller longed to play that
role himself, but he knew his limitations. The Miller family simply didn’t have
the power. He had once hoped that Marquis Raad would fulfill that role, but it
was clear now that Kuhn had no interest in becoming the Iron King’s key
supporter.
The Iron King needed
someone capable of getting their hands dirty, someone who could serve as the
focal point for the king’s power base.
As Count Miller left the
banquet hall, his face was filled with worry. No suitable candidate came to
mind.
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