Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 384

“Huh? What is it? What’s going on?”Princess Rieta tried to quickly lift her head, but Llewellyn firmly pressed it down again, trapping her in his arms.

“I’m sorry. Please stay still.”

That was all he could do now.

“…”

Violetta’s body slowly collapsed and fell onto the damp mud. Victor just looked down at her with sad eyes.

The bright red blood pouring from the Consort’s heart began to dye the surroundings.

Louis, who had been blankly staring, muttered.

“Mother…? Brother?”

The Queen pretended to fall and tied Duke Middleton’s feet, and the Consort took advantage of this opportunity to try to kill the Crown Prince.

But an arrow flying from the forest took the Consort’s life in an instant.

Even though he clearly saw everything with his own eyes, he still didn’t understand it properly.

Louis looked at Victor with blank eyes.

The Crown Prince, as if he could no longer shed any tears, simply stared at the Queen with empty eyes.

“…Mother.”

A cracked voice came from his throat.

“Did I do something terribly wrong? Or did Mother still resent Father?”

Somehow, the voice sounded as if it were wandering through empty air.

The Queen, who had been pushed away by the Duke, just sat down in the mud and bowed her head.

After a while, Queen Liliana slowly raised her head.

“…It was simply for the sake of a new era, Crown Prince.”

Her eyes didn’t waver an inch.

Even though she had just conspired with the Consort to kill her own son, she showed no remorse.

“A new era.”

Victor muttered in vain.

“Mother. Did that new era seem so hopeful and beautiful that you risked your son’s life?

He looked as if he had lost his life while standing.

“Or was it just that you wanted to insult Father and take out your anger by killing me under the pretext of a new era? Did you hate the royal family that imprisoned you in the palace so much? Aunt, who has never once coveted power…”

“…”

“Was she so infatuated with God Chernion that she suddenly changed her mind?”

Llewellyn simply bit his lip and held Rieta tightly so that she could not see this gruesome sight.

“… Was this the new era you dreamed of, Mother?”

The Queen, who had been listening quietly, slowly began to speak.

“…This would never have happened if either Your Highness or His Majesty had shown even the slightest interest in the lives of the common people.”

Still, there was no wavering in her voice.

“If you had paid more attention to others and treated them as fellow human beings, things might have turned out very differently.”

Even though Violetta had just been shot and killed by an arrow right before her eyes, she didn’t seem to feel even the slightest sense of danger.

“Lord Luce, His Majesty, and even you, my son… all of you were equally indifferent.”

She simply gazed at her son with cold eyes that held neither lingering resentment nor even the faintest trace of blame.

“Then I have no choice but to entrust myself to the one who listens to my wishes.”

“I see. I was careless…”

Victor, who had been reciting along with her words, let out a bitter laugh.

“That is a wise statement. Indeed, that is the fault of both myself and His Majesty.”

His empty eyes turned towards the Queen.

Elf archers who had been hiding throughout the forest began to appear one by one.

Salem also stood among the archers, quietly looking at Victor with a pitying expression.

“…But, Mother.”

Victor spoke slowly.

“If you had any wishes, you should have told me at least once… Lord Luce was far away, but I was always by your side. Maybe I could have fulfilled your wishes.”

Victor, who had clenched his fist tightly once, soon relaxed all the tension from his body.

“Even if it meant fighting against Father, I might have been able to help Mother leave the palace and live freely.”

His shoulders slumped.

“Why didn’t you just slap me? You should have said that you were stuck in this stuffy palace because of me, so take responsibility for it.”

But it was all in vain.

The Kingdom has already been turned upside down, and the King and the Consort lost their lives.

He knew best that he was not a son who would dare to go against the King’s will.

Because he was a man who couldn’t resolve the misunderstanding with his uncle, he dragged Prince Llewellyn and Arendt into the Kingdom.

“What do I do now…”

Victor couldn’t bear the sorrow and buried his face in his hands.

“How am I supposed to face my two younger siblings when you both treat me like this…?”

In the end, the tears that he had been holding back began to fall drop by drop.

Victor was betrayed by his beloved mother, and Louis and Rieta, who knew nothing about it, lost both their parents in an instant.

“…”

Louis looked at Violetta, who had fallen, with a bewildered look on his face, and at the dagger her body was clutching tightly.

That fact drove Victor crazy with agony.

It would have been more comfortable if he had just died here.

‘Obviously this is my responsibility, but…’

It was a simple trap.

He gave the mastermind one chance to kill Victor.

Since Victor had already taken control of the palace, it was difficult for the mastermind to move freely.

And while following the underground waterways, there would be no choice but to quietly follow Llewellyn’s lead.

Having spent their entire lives in the palace, it would be impossible for them to navigate the complex waterways without the guidance of an explorer.

If so, Arendt’s explanation was that the only time the enemy could target Victor was the moment they left the palace and exited the waterway.

“And knowing that they were accused of regicide, if they joined the Caerleon Empire’s faction, it will be even harder for them to find another opportunity afterward. Since they have betrayed Lord Luce, they likely wouldn’t want to enter the territory of the Holy Empire either.”

Arendt’s calm voice lingered in his ears as he continued his explanation.

“If they succeed in killing His Highness, Duke Middleton might return to their side to protect the royal bloodline… It wouldn’t be surprising. The Duke is loyal to the royal family, after all. Of course, it’s not certain, I’m merely speaking of a possibility. Since Prince Llewellyn is accompanying them, they might refrain from making reckless moves.”

And the Queen and the Consort fell right into his trap.

The bait was none other than Victor.

Arendt von Eckhart asked again and again:

Was he really sure he could handle this?

Arendt himself even suggested that he would disguise himself as Victor and join them.

But Victor refused.

It was because he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

That it was all a misunderstanding, that there was someone else who had harmed the King, and that all those he loved were innocent.

This was the price.

“…Brother. I’m truly sorry, but this area is still dangerous.”

Llewellyn, who had been watching quietly, spoke up. The elf warriors approached cautiously, subdued the Queen, and dragged her to her feet.

Llewellyn gently urged Victor on.

“First, I will take you to a safe place. Let’s go. Prince Louis, please take care of the Princess.”

“…Yes.”

Although his face looked like it might collapse at any moment, Louis nodded calmly.

Llewellyn, who had handed Rieta over to Louis, carefully grabbed Victor’s shoulder.

“Brother, you have to go.”

“…Yes. Prince Llewellyn. I’m sorry.”

Only then did Victor slowly nod his head. As he turned around to follow Llewellyn, his eyes suddenly met Louis’.

Louis quickly averted his gaze and hugged Rieta tightly so that she could not see her mother’s body.

“I will go first.”

Louis quickly left first.

Victor, who had been staring blankly at his back, spoke.

“Prince Llewellyn. Did I do something wrong?”

“…No.”

Llewellyn paused for a moment before answering.

“You have done nothing wrong, brother.”

But his voice didn’t seem to reach Victor.

Victor didn’t respond at all and began to stagger forward.

Victor’s role was over, as he had uncovered the dark secret hidden within the royal family.

Now it was time for him to take a brief exit from the distorted stage.

“…I guess this is how it turned out.”

Roger, who had been silent for a while, began to speak.

Ain, who had been standing next to him like a shadow, bowed his head.

“It appears that the attempt to take control of the Lucain Kingdom has failed.”

“Haa… Was it a mistake to leave it to Jin?”

Roger let out a short sigh.

But he couldn’t really blame Jin. It certainly wasn’t a bad start.

Starting with the ordinary civilians who formed the foundation of the kingdom, they are gradually turned into darkness.

Using their past failures as a stepping stone, they calmly swallowed up the Lucain Kingdom.

Jin, who was excitedly boasting that even the Queen and Consort had surrendered, was very excited that success was just around the corner.

‘The King ultimately never surrendered, but…’

With the Queen’s cooperation, the King was able to be turned into a ghoul, so Roger was also looking at the situation quite positively.

If there had been no other changes, the entire Lucain Kingdom could have soon become a stronghold of the Chernion religion.

‘Perhaps it was from the moment the prince of the Everan Kingdom entered the realm.’

Roger’s eyes darkened.

Roger was on edge when he heard that Prince Llewellyn had been sighted within the Lucain Kingdom.

In addition, an attack occurred inside the palace that they had not planned.

From then on, he had a feeling that something was wrong…

He let his guard down for a moment upon confirming that Arendt von Eckhart, considered the most dangerous individual, was staying in the Caerleon Empire.

Besides, for some reason, it seemed like Lord Lexion was with Prince Llewellyn.

‘I was complacent.’

Normally, he should have been overwhelmed with anger, but Roger instead felt his mind growing calm.

There was nothing he could do about a board that was already broken.

And the wise leader who serves the beautiful darkness seemed to have already prepared another plan long ago.

Roger lowered his gaze.

A small note was held preciously on his hand that had a rosary wrapped around it like a bracelet.

Ain, who discovered it, asked cautiously.

“Is it a message from Lord Nikephoros?”

“Yes.”

Roger answered calmly.

“Get ready, Ain. Contact Jin too. It seems like Lord Nikephoros has already finished his preparations.”

It was a deployment order. Ain’s face hardened.

“I will carry out the order.”

Roger said firmly.

“We will definitely seize the kingdom.”

If possible, he intended to deliver the kingdom intact, along with the people’s trust and faith, into the hands of Lord Chernion.

However, now that things had come to this, there was no need to show mercy beyond what was necessary.