My Childhood Friends Are Trying To Kill Me

***

They finally returned to the castle. Kalix was still carrying Lelia on his back.

Lelia didn’t like that she was clinging to Kalix, but she had no way to get down on her own, and she had no shoes either… so she had no choice.

After they arrived at the castle, she went straight to visit her mother and grandfather. A few days ago, she had revealed to her family all of the atrocities the emperor had committed. It’s not that she didn’t consider the impact her grandfather would have… but she couldn’t help it.

If she wanted to protect her mother from Emperor Perseus, her grandfather had to know this too.

That way, she would be able to prevent it from happening again.

Apart from everything else, she thought that everyone had the right to know. Because she was precious to all of them just as her mother was, to others, their precious family.

Her grandfather was greatly shocked and was furious, but he soon regained his composure.

He gave instructions to strictly guard the border of the estate and even assigned an escort knight to her mother.

“Grandfather.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

“How is mother?”

“She seems very fine,” he said.

“That’s good to know.”

“Yeah, you? How are you?”

“I’m okay… grandfather… .”

“You don’t think about yourself and always worry about others.”

Grandfather stroked Lelia’s cheek as if scolding her.

He knew that she was still the little Lelia in his eyes, and she was still a small and delicate child. He wondered when the child had grown so much…

Nevertheless, in his eyes, his granddaughter was a baby. He felt sorry for Lelia, who was pretending to be mature to cover her wounds.

“Now don’t worry. Okay?”

“… Yes, Grandpa.”

“Don’t even say you’re going to the neutral zone.”

“Yes… sorry.”

Lelia pulled her grandfather in her arms for a hug and smiled at him. No matter how hard she tried, she eventually felt like a child in front of her grandfather.

She bowed her head as if she was about to cry.

“No! Father, did you make Lelia cry again?”

At that moment, an angry voice separated the two of them.

Karius came thumping and pulled away Lelia from the Duke of Superion.

“Anyway, my father…! Stop crying, little child!”

“But this child… Have I ever made Lelia cry? You would have! You!”

His grandfather was angry at her childhood memories, but his uncle ignored him.

“You’re so toxic. Isn’t it?”

Karius asked Lelia’s consent with a sullen expression. Seeing this, the Duke of Superion roared with anger.

“Lelia, let’s go. Let your uncle buy you candy. Okay?”

“This old man!”

Her grandfather eventually waved his hand and Lelia burst out laughing before her tears could come out.

***

The atmosphere in the Imperial city was gloomy.

The emperor, who had left for recuperation to recover his health, returned crippled.

The situation was the worst.

The emperor bled too much and lost consciousness.

Fortunately, he was breathing, but he was still unable to wake up.

The empress was the most anxious in that situation.

Her youngest prince, whom she gave birth to, was still too young. For this child to be recognized as her successor, Emperor Perseus had to endure a little more.

If Cedric now inherits the throne, gets married and has children, the throne will be far away forever.

Perseus was still young and healthy, so she wasn’t worried at all…

In addition, damage to Prince Cedric’s reputation was not handled properly.

The empress was so frustrated with it that she couldn’t do anything about it.

Julianna also played a part in it.

“Mother, please save father. Please? The High Priest or anyone else, call them right now! Please…”

“Stop, stop! Julianna!”

Julianna visited the empress 12 times a day and begged her.

She cried and begged, and she cried out for the emperor to be treated as quickly as possible.

“Why did you send my father away in the first place? It was you who forced him to go to recuperation! You made him choose to go that way!”

“…”

She didn’t even cut off the emperor’s arm, and the empress had to listen to Julianna’s resentment against her.

Empress Marianne eventually covered her ears to avoid Julianna’s cry and fled inside the room.

She, too, was in a sensitive situation as her stress reached its peak due to everything happening around recently.

***

Prince Cedric’s expression was serious. In front of him was Damian.

“I can’t believe our father cut off his arm himself. Why the hell did he do that?”

“…”

Cedric didn’t answer Damian’s words.

He had heard from the Emperor’s servants… but he couldn’t understand why he would do that…

Of course, in the beginning, he thought someone was trying to kill the emperor, but that was not the case.

There was no possibility that someone among the knight’s group had betrayed the emperor. Besides, there was no knight superior enough in power to cut off the emperor’s arm.

But there were many doubts.

All Cedric had heard was that the emperor had gone mad and visited the temple.

There must be something else out there, but the emperor’s servants did not open their mouths.

Perhaps before his father lost consciousness, he must have made a firm request.

“Is it possible that Lelia is related to this? Because my father had a very hard time with it…”

“Things like that happen too.”

Damian’s guess was a possibility.

Cedric thought he couldn’t do it, and he stood up.

“Where?”

“I guess I’ll have to dig some more. There must be something more.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll go and comfort Julianna.”

“Okay.”

After Damian went out to meet Julianna, Cedric also decided to do something and left.

Whom he visited were the attendants accompanying the emperor.

They all kept their mouths shut, saying, ‘I have nothing more to tell you.’ He couldn’t get over it for a long time and waited for the emperor to wake up.

***

Duke of Superion.

Late at night, Griffith was sitting on a bench in the corner of the garden.

Romeo, who was walking because he could not sleep, found him.

“… Hey, what are you doing here?”

‘It is so late at night but he hasn’t slept. What is he doing over there?’

Romeo frowned and approached him.

As he got closer, Griffith shuddered and brought his finger to his mouth.

“What.”

“…Lelia might wake up, so be quiet.”

“…What?”

Romeo turned his head to follow Griffith’s chin.

At that moment, an insult came out of nowhere.

“No, you crazy b*****d!”

As he looked in the direction Griffith was pointing, he saw a window, and if his guess was correct, that was Lelia’s room.

This was a kind of blind spot.

You can see the window of Lelia’s room from the side, not the inside.

Of course, it wasn’t a location where you could see the inside of the room, but Romeo was more uncomfortable with that.

He couldn’t even spy on the room, so what was he doing here?

Seeing that the opponent was Griffith, he only looked like he had bad intentions.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a matter of paying for it.

Even when Lelia opened the window in her room, she couldn’t have imagined anyone would be looking at her from this side.

“What are you doing, huh? You perv*rt.”

At Romeo’s words, Griffith wrinkled his eyebrows as if he was saying such an insulting thing.

“Sit down.”

“…Dirty child.”

As Romeo said so, he sat on the side of the bench where Griffith was sitting from afar, as if Griffith was ugly and filthy.

“So what are you doing?”

“…Watch.”

“What surveillance? Are you afraid Lelia will leave this place and run away? Do you think it makes sense?”

Romeo thought it was absurd.

‘Did you hurt your head in shock by failing to make Lelia yours?’

But lately, Griffith has been looking pretty normal.

He looked after Lelia’s mother with utmost sincerity, and he was also kind to Lelia. Of course, that was more suspicious.

Griffith opened his mouth.

“Last time, someone sneaked into Lelia’s room like a mouse.”

“…”

Romeo tilted his head. He didn’t know whom he was talking about.

Oscar? Or Kalix?

“Can’t a suspicious person kidnap Lelia?”

“…Griffith, you are the most suspicious, you…”

Even at Romeo’s words, Griffith didn’t take his eyes off the window. Romeo took a deep breath and asked.

“By the way, will you stay still in the temple?”

“Do not worry. It’s not a job for priests to massage my hands.”

At Griffith’s answer, Romeo nodded his head. The priests were powerless in the face of Griffith’s divine power. He was such a foxy guy that Romeo thought he’d do well.

“Anyway… You thought well. You changed your mind.”

“What?”

“You decided not to force Lelia into glory. So are you… still planning to? You hate temples so much, but there is no need to associate with them.”

This was sincere. Romeo had some sympathy for Griffith.

There were families who couldn’t use Griffith in their home country, and so was the temple.

He also wondered how painful it would be for him, since a guy who doesn’t believe in God has divine power.

So, there was no need to torture himself to catch Lelia with a ridiculous excuse. If he went to the temple, not only Lelia but also he would suffer.

“Well… I think I made a good decision.”

“…Okay?”

At Griffith’s answer, Romeo nodded, puzzled.

The answer was something… it was weird.

“Because Lelia started trusting me again.”

When Griffith answered with a smile, Romeo became even more surprised. Anxiety arose suddenly and he asked,

“…Aren’t you trying to do something weird again?”

“Me? What?”

“I wonder if you are going to brainwash Lelia with another strange idea and force her.”

“…”

He said Lelia had to accept all four of them, so he was telling the story.

Romeo hated Griffith, who pretended not to understand, but he persevered and continued explaining.

“I mean, you said Lelia had to accept all four of us. You promised not to do that.”

“I see.”

Griffith seemed to understand what he was talking about only then. But soon he frowned and said, “But I never promised that?”

“…What?”

“Lelia asked to return to her estate to live and protect her from the emperor. I promised her.”

Griffith said with a somewhat proud expression. His voice and expression were so sweet.

Griffith raised the corners of his lips on his own when he remembered the time when Lelia hugged him and cried as she asked him to do it.

Romeo was stunned.

He thought Griffith had changed his mind. He thought the man had come to his senses now…

“Hey, then you…”

“…”

“You still haven’t changed your plans?”

Romeo asked, startled by Griffith’s crazy plans.

How the hell can a b*****d be like that-

Yep, this b*****d was never sane to begin with.

He ‘pretended’ like that.

***