The loud echo slaps Cenric back to reality. He takes long breaths to calm himself down, with his lips trembling as he holds his urge to cry. Ilze, noticing Cenric’s silence, wants to ask what happened, but she realizes the possibility that he is talking to Vrakh, so she decides to be quiet and intently observe Cenric.

‘You’re on the right track, Itri. Your objective is still the same. I won’t let you back to the capital.’

‘But-’

‘No buts, kid. There has to be some sacrifices for a greater cause.’

‘He’s not a bad man, you know.’

‘You sure? Don’t be so quick to judge, kid.’

‘So, you’re not saving him?’

‘We go with our plan. End of discussion.’

Cenric’s quivering lips tremble even more, and he starts to sob quietly. While it is true that he is not close to the King, he sees that the man is not treating him badly, per se. He simply does not care, unlike the Queen who resents him and whom he resents in return. He asks himself, does he really have to abandon the possibility of saving the King? Does he have to live with the thought that someone, whom he might have saved, died because he did not act when he knew it was possible? 

Such thought is easily wiped out by his own conclusion, that he does not know exactly whether the King is still alive or not. The first dream he had before the celebration, which marked the beginning of all the bad things that happened, starts to recur in his mind. 

‘If it is truly Nicola, he'll wipe out everyone. He works to perfection.’

Realizing that, he fails to cry in silence. He does not know what Vrakh has planned, but imagining Nicola as his real opponent makes him lose confidence. He knows Nicola – once he makes a move, he commits. Going back to the capital might only result in nothing. 

‘He’s right,’ Cenric thinks to himself, finally understanding why Vrakh insisted he not go back to the capital. His sobbing becomes louder and noticeable to Ilze, who asks, “Itri? What happened? You okay?”

Cenric abruptly turns to Ilze, his face no longer able to hide his tears, now crying louder, prompting Ilze to ask, “What? What’s wrong?”

Rather than answering Ilze, Cenric wipes his tears. He knows that crying will only hinder their journey, especially since they should be sleeping by now. He forces a smile that actually does not look like one. Still sobbing, he replies, “Nope. Nothing. Let’s go to sleep. It will be better if we arrive in the East as soon as possible.”

***

A cunning smile blooms as the King reads the decree in front of him. The thought of his own brother trying to scapegoat Cenric already angers him, and the fact that his brother managed to rally a few powerful aristocrats to support his idea replacing Cenric with Atreus added the fuel to the fire. Furthermore, Atreus is in a very good relationship with Cenric, which is now seen as a mere act for the King, and this disappoints him. 

‘This would end it all. Such a brat, he’s a century too young to do this to me.’

The King signs the decree in passion, then gives the decree to Nicola, who has been standing beside him with a glum face, and says, “Release this in an hour.”

“Your Majesty, we do not really have the proof that Lord Lance is behind all of this,” says Nicola, seeing the terrifying decree he is holding. It is the second decree regarding the execution of a royal family he has been holding in that week. The worse, it contains two people: Lord Lance and his wife.

“Then, are you saying Cenric is truly behind this matter? That brat? He is not that sly. We have known him all along, that he is not much different from Daniil. Besides, I don’t blame you, if that worries you, Nicola. Everyone wants to become a king, sure. I bet he has a bit inside him, and then Lance, through Atreus, used that on him. Besides, we can’t lose our messenger-to-be. If the Land Lord abandons us, we’re doomed, maybe more than what we are seeing right now.”

Nicola bows deeply, then says, “I understand, Your Majesty. May I ask one more thing?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“What about Cenric’s decree, Your Majesty?”

“That’s the surprise, Nicola. Do that one, I’ll revoke it after he gets back. Ah, right. After the execution is done, release a decree to take Adela in.”

Hearing the last name mentioned surprises Nicola. Adela, the younger sister of Atreus, is rarely mentioned as she rarely goes out from the Ivor Household despite having a very beautiful face. She is mostly staying at home, and nobody is daring enough to take her as a wife due to her chronic illness which made her sensitive to sunlight, prone to collapse in crowds. 

“Why the surprise, Nicola? She’s twenty already, and no one wants to take her as a wife. I’ll marry her to Cenric.”

Nicola regains his composure, shakes his head lightly, then says, “It is unexpected to hear from Your Majesty. You were so ruthless to your traitors back then.”

“I can’t let the bloodline cease, yet having Atreus to the throne feels wrong. So, after releasing that one, write the next about Cenric and Adela. I’ll release it in two days. Gotta let those aristocrats rest a night after Lance is gone. When all of this is done and Erhard is back with Atreus, we’ll have a deal with Atreus.”

Nicola nods, then says, “I understand, Your Majesty. Consider it done according to the timing you wish.”

The King nods, smiling widely with satisfaction, as Nicola leaves the room and his face turns glum.