Swoosh–
Droplets fell steadily from the ends of navy blue hair. After passing over a straight forehead and elegant eyebrows, they precariously gathered at the tip of a prominent nose.
Some that rolled down the firm jawline thoroughly soaked the collar of his formal suit. Hugo stared blankly at the stream of water gushing from the faucet while leaning on the sink with his hands.
Looking at the surface of the water with its vigorously forming bubbles, the events in Aurasion seemed like a dream.
A terrible nightmare. But the cold stream of water flowing over his skin reminded him that it was not a dream.
The time spent in the inner chamber was less than two hours. However, the muscles around his neck, which were complaining of stiffness, indicated that they had been in a considerable state of tension. The throbbing headache and constricted feeling inside induced nausea, but his instinct as a duke maintained his dignity.
'Pardon?'
Hugo, recalling the conversation in the inner chamber, wiped his wet eyes and mouth with his hand. It was only bitter that he had become a body that couldn't even vomit for the sake of dignity.
'What do you mean?'
After turning off the faucet valve, he raised his head and took out a handkerchief from his inner pocket with a composed expression. The mirror fully reflected the interior of the imperial palace's bathroom, gleaming with gold and marble.
'Did you keep a cat?'
Amidst the dazzling background that stabbed at his optic nerves, a wet man stood pitifully.
He began to meticulously wipe his moisture-laden face with the handkerchief. The pitifulness that could only respond with a question had put on the duke's skin again by the time he had wiped away most of the moisture.
「Hmm, I did.」
Though his appearance improved somewhat after neatly brushing back his hair, his sunken eyes were as cloudy as a steamed-up window. They even looked emotionless. Fortunately, it was a blessing that he had been able to hide his quietly seething inner self in front of the Emperor.
'I didn't know you kept animals.'
「I keep them often. The problem is I get bored.」
The moment he heard his lord's voice responding to his words that differentiated by saying 'animals,' Hugo had to feel the strange current tightly pulling across the table. Meanwhile, the Emperor continued to stroke the head and forearm of the servant sitting beside him as if nothing was wrong. The servant naturally surrendered his body to the absolute one's affection. It was bizarre behavior, as if he had really become an animal.
As he watched silently, the Emperor gestured to another servant as if telling him to withdraw with the imperial order. Afterward, he raised his golden cup, took a sip, and murmured in a voice mixed with laughter:
「It seems to be doing well.」
Hugo did not answer that remark. The irreverent silence continued for a long time. As the other showed interest in the faction's banquet scheduled for the afternoon, the topic naturally flowed in that direction.
The uncomfortable dining setting, like swallowing human flesh, continued for about another hour. As soon as he escaped from the labyrinth that constricted his breathing, the place Hugo sought was a bathroom far away from the inner chamber.
"..."
The duke's exterior, having finished tidying up, had regained its straightness and dignity, though not as much as when he had left the mansion. Hugo firmly closed his mouth, which was about to let out a sigh. This was still inside the palace. He had to maintain his masked appearance at least until he went outside.
He turned and briefly sat on the wide marble countertop. With his long legs extended diagonally, he put the handkerchief back into his inner pocket. Fine blood vessels were visible in his sharp eyes that stared into space.
'What are you trying to tell me?'
All the gold in the inner chamber reminded him of one person. Though he wanted to deny it, it was a fact that someone as quick-witted as the Emperor had said could not be ignored. The boys generally resembled the colors Leonardo possessed.
But the Emperor never took back those he had discarded. Inferring his psychology, it was probably because it would interfere with the politics of fear he had solidly built over decades. Taking back a person who had been cast out for rebelling against the Empire would lighten the weight of 'sin.' The meager hope that one could be forgiven no matter what they did would undermine discipline.
Therefore, His august Majesty the Emperor would not seek Leonardo for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Outwardly.
He possessed the meticulousness to keep only those who showed loyalty by obediently chewing and swallowing even human flesh. Therefore, he would not forgive a war hero who had disobeyed the Empire's orders. That was the rule and natural order of this country, of the Emperor.
But what was this unpleasantly matchless uneasiness? Had Leonardo caught his eye while collecting gold, or had he gathered those resembling Leonardo from the beginning?
'Is he warning against my actions to restore his honor? Or is he revealing his remaining possessiveness for the one he cast out in front of me?'
Either way, the situation wasn't good. It would have been better if he had warned him outright, but it was problematic that he always hid his true intentions as if telling him to guess, while being certain about execution. Hugo, who had been tightening his tie to the point of discomfort, suddenly recalled the cigarette case of someone he had left at the mansion.
"I should have brought it."
Though he had quit for various reasons more than ten years ago, there were times when he craved the acrid and refreshing smoke in moments when his chest felt completely blocked. Probably in situations like now. Leonardo's cigarettes had particularly spicy and strong smoke; perhaps they needed to be strong to forget difficult situations.
Hugo, biting his lips firmly, recalled the scent of his cigarettes and briefly checked his watch. 2 PM. Though there was still time, he needed to depart soon to arrive at the banquet hall on time.
Having organized his various thoughts, he slowly raised his body that had been leaning against the stone slab.
If he returned to the mansion, even late, after completing his scheduled activities, he planned to search for traces of Leonardo today. Though he had promised not to look for him, this was different. He intended to dig into the past, not the present.
After briefly organizing his plan in his mind, he hurriedly stepped out of the bathroom. However, the moment he took his first step into the corridor, he couldn't help but pause at the sight of the person he encountered.
"You've come out."
Chaud, the Emperor's servant, greeted him kindly. His position at the edge of the corridor suggested he had been waiting for quite some time.
Hugo, who had instantly stiffened his lips, looked down at him with a cold gaze. Having just witnessed bizarre scenes inside that couldn't be spoken of outside, it was natural that hostility was felt in the duke's expression upon facing the light wheat-colored hair.
It was a chilly gaze enough to make tension settle on Chaud's upturned face.
"What is it?"
"Ah... if I've displeased you, I apologize. Please forgive me. Since you didn't come out even though the audience had ended, your attendant asked me to check on you."
Chaud bowed his head with a flustered tone. As the Emperor's servant, he would rarely face such naked aversion. Especially from the Duke of Agrizendro, who was the head of the pro-emperor faction.
When the light wheat-colored hair entered his field of vision again, the discomfort he had just managed to suppress began to creep back. However, Hugo exhaled a low breath and deliberately regained his composure.
"...I see. I apologize. I'll be going now."
"I'll escort you to the exit."
"I'm sufficient on my own."
"Due to recent changes in the internal structure, it won't be easy for you to find your way. If it's not an imposition, I would like to escort you."
The servant's answer was polite but firm. In fact, it made no sense to leave a distinguished guest alone, and the palace was a space solely for the imperial family. In a place where threats must always be kept in check, visitors would never be allowed to wander around freely.
Hugo deliberately avoided looking at Chaud's face as he indicated the direction with his palm. He could only nod reluctantly.
"This way, please."
He crossed the inner palace where brilliant light entered once again. He busily followed behind the servant, using the guards standing at regular intervals as landmarks.
On the other hand, while watching Chaud's left shoulder visible diagonally, he briefly fell into doubt about whether his arm was uncomfortable too. It didn't last long. Soon after, a massive indoor garden with an open ceiling appeared.
The garden, spread out beyond the windows beside the corridor, had soil thoroughly dug up like the central garden that had greeted him when he first entered the palace.
Hugo stared blankly at the red soil that had invaded even the marble floor. Chaud occasionally noticed his gaze but didn't add any additional comments this time.
He merely gave a light bow to two workers and a guard bringing seedlings from the opposite side. Following the guard's instructions, the workers put down the seedlings and bowed their heads as the duke passed through the corridor.
Hugo paid no attention to them. He only increased his walking speed to leave quickly.
It was after passing about four steps beyond the workers that he felt another sense of discomfort.
"..."
He suddenly stopped in his tracks while walking briskly. With carpet laid on the floor, no shoe sounds were heard. Only Chaud, who had been mindful of his presence, turned around and casually asked:
"Is something the matter?"
By then, the workers and the guard were already moving away with the seedlings to the opposite side. Hugo reflexively took a step forward, then uncharacteristically stared at their backs with a blank expression for a while.
The workers turned a corner and entered the garden. There, seedlings of the same kind they had been carrying were being planted in order. It wasn't just one or two. If there was something questionable, it was that the fresh scent of the seedlings he had just passed by was somehow familiar.
'This smell...'
Hugo stared blankly at the sunlit garden for a moment, then raised his head to follow the gold that had permeated throughout the inner palace with his eyes. Along with that, he unconsciously focused on the subtle scent spread in the air. The complex visual and olfactory sensations brought confusion to Hugo's perception from both sides.
Finally, after taking a small breath, he turned to the waiting Chaud and asked quietly:
"Do you know the name of those seedlings?"
The servant seemed puzzled but answered kindly as always:
"They are Lambus tree seedlings. Since it's a tree that only grows naturally in special highland environments, you probably haven't seen it often."
Hugo's firmly closed lips moved slightly. In his mind flashed the chilling characters he had witnessed in the Commander's office on the rainy day of the funeral.
It was probably the characters he had seen in Kenis Weber's memo.
B's cigarettes are a mix of Lambus leaves and Brukneel cigars.
It seems he still smokes the same thing.