Chapter 3: Betrayal (I)
"My God!" When Mertina opened the door and saw Rezard, she froze in shock. "What happened?"
"It's… complicated." Rezard's face was pale, and blood was still seeping from his shoulder. "Let me in first."
"Of course." Mertina quickly helped him inside. "If you need treatment, I can call a priest."
"No!" Rezard grabbed her wrist. "My whereabouts cannot be exposed. I'm not even sure whether their people are still inside the academy."
"Their people? Who?" Mertina frowned.
"The ones who want to kill me," Rezard replied flatly.
"Someone wants to kill you? And possibly from our academy?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Tell me everything."
Rezard spent more than ten minutes recounting what had happened. During that time, Mertina listened carefully while cleaning and bandaging his wound with gauze.
"So," she said slowly, "Professor Ando was bribed to murder you. You killed him in self-defense. And you suspect the mastermind is from Astoria."
"Yes."
"Rezard, this involves the academy. I'll speak to my mother. She'll protect you."
"No." Rezard's tone was firm.
He knew very well that if he sought refuge under Queen Kalena now, he would be safe in the short term. But he would also be monitored and lose his freedom. If Prince Jack Fried truly seized the throne back home, he would hold legal authority. At that point, Rezard could easily be labeled a criminal. Would Queen Kalena risk diplomatic tension over him?
More importantly, entrusting his fate to a politician went against everything Rezard believed.
"Rezard," Mertina said sharply, "you don't even trust my mother?"
"She is the Queen first. Your mother second," Rezard replied quietly. "I don't trust politicians. Especially now."
Silence filled the room.
"…Maybe I shouldn't have come," Rezard said at last, standing up. "Sorry for disturbing you. I'll leave."
"Wait." Mertina stopped him. "If you don't trust me, why come here at all?"
Rezard did not turn around.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't know where else to go. But you were the first person I thought of."
Mertina looked at him for a long moment before sighing.
"…Then how do you want me to help?"
"Thank you," Rezard said softly. "Bring my sister here first."
"Wait for me," she said, pulling on a cloak before leaving the room.
Rezard was left alone.
Outwardly, he sat still. Inwardly, his thoughts churned.
Mertina was the most powerful person he could turn to within Frensberg. But power did not equal loyalty. He could not see her heart.
Looking across the entire academy, the only person he was certain would stand by him was his sister, Angela. Yet she was in no better position than he was. She could barely protect herself.
If Mertina returned not with Angela, but with soldiers to arrest him, there would be no escape.
But he had no better choice.
Half an hour passed.
To Rezard, it felt like centuries.
At last, the door opened.
Mertina returned.
And she was not alone.
"Brother!" Angela rushed to his side. "You're injured! Is it serious?"
Rezard barely responded. His eyes were fixed on the third figure in the room.
The newcomer wore a hood pulled low, face hidden, as if after a long journey.
"I only meant to bring Angela," Mertina explained. "But I met an unexpected visitor on the way. I think you'll want to see her."
The hood was slowly lowered.
Long black hair fell over elegant shoulders. A beautiful face emerged beneath it.
"Ekaterina?" Rezard's eyes widened. "You… why are you here?"
He had never expected to see his fiancée—Ekaterina Klim, who should have been in Astoria—standing before him now.
"Thank goodness," Ekaterina said, her voice filled with relief. Though travel-worn and visibly tired, her beauty remained striking. "Rezard, you're safe. I've been worried the entire way."
"What's happening in Astoria?" Rezard asked urgently. That was the question that mattered most.
"It was the Second Prince, Jack Fried," Ekaterina said gravely. "He launched a coup. The old king died, but Jack Fried sealed the palace and suppressed the news. He executed the Crown Prince and seized control of the royal city. Now he controls more than seventy percent of Astoria."
Rezard's expression darkened.
"My father commands heavy troops," she continued. "For now, he has resisted. He sent me to find you and bring you back. If you remain here, Jack Fried will not let you live."
"Why didn't my family come? How are they?" Rezard's voice was low and tense.
Ekaterina hesitated.
"Rezard… you must prepare yourself."
His heart sank.
"Jack Fried secured the capital first. His first move was to eliminate the Prince's faction." Her voice softened. "Your family… except for you and Angela… there is no one left."
Rezard closed his eyes.
So his worst suspicion had been correct.
He had never considered himself deeply attached to his family. His father had treated him like a political asset. His mother had seen him as the family's greatest bargaining chip. His siblings were strangers at best.
Yet blood was blood.
No one could hear that their entire family had been slaughtered and remain untouched.
His hands trembled slightly.
For the first time, he realized that perhaps he had not been as indifferent as he believed.
The Carles family was gone.
What filled his heart now was not sorrow.
It was rage.