Chapter 19
by iantheGenoa’s vision was becoming blurry. In his exhausted state, having neither eaten nor slept, he clutched the map tightly in one hand as he crawled and crawled through the passage.
“Please, Mel, please……”
Genoa called out his beloved slave’s name as if invoking a goddess of fortune. He fell into the illusion that as long as he kept her name on his lips, the luck she had brought him would continue forever.
“Mel is up there. Mel is struggling to save me. So I can survive. I can survive……”
He would make it out of this place alive. Because Mel was up there, making efforts for him. Just thinking about this fact allowed Genoa to escape, if only briefly, from this suffocating terror.
My goddess, my salvation, my slave.
Mel.
Genoa maintained his tension by thinking of the exit that was gradually getting closer. He knew that the moment relief came, strength would leave his entire body.
“Ah.”
Light was leaking in from the end of the dark passage. It wasn’t the artificial light illuminating the basement, but light with a warm feeling. Pure hope and joy appeared on Genoa’s face.
“Please come back alive. I’ll be waiting, I definitely will……”
He could finally answer Mel’s voice that he had recalled throughout this damned basement. When he got out, Mel would be waiting for him. Genoa wanted first to embrace her and feel her warmth. Only after embracing her warm, living body would he be able to sleep without worry.
“This is it.”
Genoa squeezed his body out of the passage and looked around.
The familiar basement corridor, and before his eyes, a door made of iron bars. The light was coming from beyond this. Genoa unfolded the map in his hand. Though parts of the map were obscured by blood, according to the location, this was the right place.
“This is……”
The door with iron bars had a lock on it. A key was needed. But looking around, there was no place where a key might be hidden.
At that moment, when he looked back at the passage he had crawled out from, smoke was faintly leaking from it.
“……!”
It was a close call. The passage Genoa had crawled through was now inaccessible. And the fact that smoke had started entering the passage meant that a trap had been activated somewhere again.
Anxiety surged as he found himself blocked with the escape route right in front of him. So he couldn’t open that door until he found the key.
Genoa turned around and looked at the far end of the corridor. The end of the corridor, seemingly engulfed in darkness, felt ominous enough that he didn’t want to walk back there. He felt that if he went back there, he might never escape from this place.
‘What happened to that guy and the seventh……?’
Genoa recalled how quiet the basement had been throughout his crawl through the passage. If there were truly only three of them left, everyone would know that making noise to reveal one’s position would be foolish.
But even so, if there had been friction between his brother who went to kill the seventh, some faint sound should have been heard.
“Either they haven’t met yet, or……”
They might have joined hands.
Genoa’s face hardened at this thought.
Among those remaining in this competition, anyone could see that Genoa was the most outstanding. No brother could face him alone. But two together was a different story.
“Damn it.”
Genoa cursed and quickly thought.
If the remaining two had formed an alliance and were looking for him, going back into that corridor now would be dangerous. He was very tired, having only crawled through passages to safely move to the exit after getting the map. Moreover, the only weapon he had now was a single dagger.
“……”
After pondering for a moment, Genoa firmed his resolve and stood in front of the door. He took out the dagger from inside his clothes, cut off the end of his pants, and firmly tied it to his hand.
“As quickly as possible, at the most vulnerable point……”
Clang!
The sound of striking the lock with the dagger handle resonated loudly throughout the previously quiet basement. When he strongly hit the joint part of the lock, it cracked. Genoa accomplished what would be impossible for a normal person as if it were natural.
But the cloth securing the dagger to Genoa’s hand turned red. His palm had been torn from the strong impact.
However, Genoa had no time to care about such things and hurriedly threw away the broken lock and opened the door. Before the two people who had located Genoa’s position from this sound could follow.
‘I just need to get out first. Hurry……’
His heart grew urgent. He ran following the light. He tripped over his own feet and fell, but Genoa gritted his teeth and got up.
The exit was visible ahead. A few green forest leaves had fallen inside. Even in his hurried run, Genoa stepped on each of them as he advanced.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
The forest wind tickled Genoa’s hair. Fresh air seeped deep into his lungs with each breath. Genoa closed his eyes and sat down on the spot. Then, fumbling, he felt the soil with his palms and lay down, rubbing his cheek against it.
It was nature. Not something artificially created, but land imbued with natural life. When the peculiar fishy yet savory smell of soil stimulated his sense of smell, Genoa could finally realize.
‘I made it out.’
He had finally escaped from that cursed basement.
Over Genoa’s head, as he kept his face buried in the ground just breathing, a low voice immersed in ecstasy descended.
“……Finally out, I see.”
Just hearing the voice made his teeth grind. Genoa gripped the dagger again with his torn, throbbing palm.
“Duke Ivanstein has come to greet me.”
“A father wants to witness the moment his son is born.”
Which son could look at his father with such murderous eyes, as if he would tear him apart at any moment? Genoa thought this as he rose to his feet.
He was the man who had survived that place and become the master of the family. He was also the one who had conducted the same test, despite knowing better than anyone how hellish that place was, having experienced the testing ground firsthand.
“How could you do something like this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This damn Ivanstein family. How could you have conducted this madness generation after generation?”
I’ll kill you if you don’t answer properly. Genoa’s hardened gaze said as much.
His tightly strung nerves made it difficult to control his murderous intent. If provoked even slightly, Genoa intended to lunge at Lionel Ivanstein and cut off his father’s windpipe. It was meaningless to talk about blood ties when the blood on the dagger in his hand also belonged to his own flesh and blood.
“Now that you’ve qualified, I can tell you……
Lionel Ivanstein raised his hand to stroke his beard and tilted his head to the side.
“But first, I think we need to deal with the little rat that followed you out.”
“……!”
As soon as Genoa heard those words, he quickly rolled to the side. Thud, a sharp sword pierced the ground where Genoa had just been standing.
“Ha, hahahahaha! I made it out, I made it out!”
The seventh. He was coming out of the basement with a limping gait, dripping blood that had not yet dried. He glanced at Genoa and then smiled palely at Lionel Ivanstein.
“The test was always about surviving alone, not about who escaped first.”
“……”
The corner of Lionel Ivanstein’s mouth rose with interest.
“If you can manage that.”
He stepped back a couple of paces with an amused face. His attitude suggested he would enjoy watching the two brothers fight.
Genoa pulled the sword out of the ground and thought. How should he gouge out those eyes filled with nothing but interest to satisfy this anger?
“……Did you kill the other one?”
“Ah, yes, he went easily thanks to you.”
The seventh took out another sword from his clothes, pointed it at Genoa, and continued.
“Since you openly revealed the exit. The excited fool immediately showed me his back.”
“You used cowardly tactics. I thought that wasn’t your style.”
“Is there anyone who maintains their character in that cursed place? Even you……”
The seventh carefully looked Genoa up and down. Then, curling the corner of his mouth into a smile, he said:
“You’ve developed quite a human face. I’ve never seen such a frightened expression on you before?”
“Frightened?”
Genoa curled up one corner of his mouth.
“Of course I’m in a hurry. I need to deal with you quickly and then behead Lionel Ivanstein next.”
“Ha! You madman.”
The seventh’s gaze shifted to Lionel Ivanstein, who was watching them with interested eyes beyond Genoa’s back. He looked like someone who just wanted this boring test to end soon. A man who would erase from his mind the very existence of whoever fell and breathed their last here.
The seventh gritted his teeth, took his eyes off Lionel Ivanstein, and looked at Genoa.
“But you know what? I want to try that too.”
“I won’t yield.”
“Then I have no choice.”
He nodded his head toward Genoa.
“Would you mind attacking first? As you’ve seen, I injured my leg.”
“Fine.”
Clang!
The sound of clashing blades rang out loudly. Blood from an unknown source splattered, and with just a few exchanges, both men were stained red all over. The fishy smell was overwhelming.
Lionel Ivanstein giggled as he smelled the blood of his own flesh and blood.
“I never expected to experience such luck. Seeing it directly before my eyes gives me a special feeling.”
He spoke as if unaware that Genoa and the seventh were engaged in a life-or-death duel. There was no reply. Only their swords became sharper against each other.
“I too once was like that. Pointing swords at my brothers, stabbing them, cutting them down.”
Lionel started rambling about stories no one wanted to hear. His voice sounded as if he was enjoying entertainment while immersed in past memories.
“……Would you please shut up?”
The seventh barely blocked Genoa’s sword and shouted at Lionel through gritted teeth.
“Ah, yes, I understand that feeling well too. Shall I give you one piece of advice as someone who’s been through this before?”
“Not needed.”
“It would be better to focus more on the opponent in front of you. Don’t think about filling your mind with other things, focus on surviving.”
“I said shut up!”
Veins bulged in the seventh’s neck. His bloodshot eyes momentarily turned toward his hateful father.
“Ugh!”
Genoa never missed that opening. A deep red line was carved into the seventh’s neck. He quickly stepped back and pressed the wound firmly with his hand. Thick blood flowed between his fingers. It was a fatal wound.
Seeing this, Lionel laughed, splitting his lips.
“You should have heeded the advice of someone with experience.”
“……”
At the bright voice that seemed cheerful, even Genoa narrowed his brows and lowered his sword. Taking advantage of that moment, the seventh sat down on the spot and struggled to breathe.
“Fuck, really……. I came this far……”
The seventh still glared at Lionel with bloodshot eyes. His murderous intent was now directed at his father rather than Genoa.
Lionel, who had been looking at Genoa, the victor of this duel, turned to look at the seventh due to that fierce murderous intent.
“You’ve let go of life.”
“……Can’t you see my wound? I’ll die soon, so I might as well lash out before I die.”
Staggering, the seventh stuck his sword into the ground and used it to support himself as he rose.
“I’ve had enough of tasting my brothers’ blood, so dying after tasting my father’s wouldn’t be such a bad life.”
“Oho.”
Lionel responded as if interested. The seventh staggered forward.
Genoa didn’t interfere. He knew that the seventh was no longer targeting him.
A knight standing behind Lionel stepped forward to stop the seventh. Lionel clicked his tongue lightly and said to the knights:
“If he wants to try that before dying, I should at least let him make the effort.”
“But……”
“I didn’t say it was okay.”
“Understood.”
Lionel not only pushed the knights back but sent them far away. Then, looking at the seventh who was approaching with difficult steps, he said:
“I once harbored the same feelings as you. That once I got out, once I survived, I would first kill the bastard who threw me into that cursed place……”
“Then how could you do it?”
“Do what?”
“How could you not kill him and instead inherit the family to play the role of Duke Ivanstein!”
When the seventh shouted, dark blood gushed from his mouth. Seeing this, Lionel answered without blinking an eye:
“Because Ivanstein was worth it.”
“I don’t understand.”
This time Genoa spoke in response to Lionel’s words.
“Among the three ducal families in this country, only Ivanstein conducts this damned test. Is merely being the king’s lapdog worth all this?”
“Well said, Genoa.”
Lionel happily called his name in response to Genoa’s question.
Genoa Ivanstein—the name already proclaimed as the heir to the Ivanstein ducal house. Lionel declared the rightful bearer of that name.
The seventh wiped the blood from his mouth and said:
“I guess being a dog suited you enough to abandon this hatred. Because you’re a son of a bitch.”
“Haha!”
Lionel threw his head back and laughed loudly. When he straightened his head again, his eyes were shining white with madness.
“Have you ever wondered why Ivanstein absolutely follows the king’s orders? I did too.”
“……”
Genoa and the seventh exchanged glances.
Why had only the Ivanstein ducal family chosen their heir so meticulously, even conducting such a cruel test? What qualities were needed to lead the Ivanstein ducal family?
This question was one that all children of Ivanstein pondered until just before entering the testing ground. But Lionel Ivanstein had insisted that this answer could only be known by becoming the victor of the test.
“What if I told you that the Duke of Ivanstein could hold everything in this country in his hands….. How would that sound? If he could have even the king in his grasp, and even if the country fell and the royal family was executed, the family would remain and could seize the next nation to be built?”
“What does that……”
“Ivanstein doesn’t need to defy the king’s orders, because every word that comes from the king’s mouth is Ivanstein’s will.”
The seventh gaped blankly. He wasn’t even aware that saliva and blood were dripping. His eyes had been trembling aimlessly at some point.
Lionel continued:
“The history of the Ivanstein ducal family predates Raon, and even any country that existed and disappeared before it. The family secret that makes this possible can be obtained when you become the Duke of Ivanstein.”
“……!”
“Hatred, you see, easily disappears in the face of the enormous power that will be in my grasp. That’s how all previous Dukes of Ivanstein have been, and so was I.”
Lionel stared directly at another emotion filling the seventh’s eyes.
“And you two will be exactly the same.”
The seventh’s sword suddenly flew toward Genoa. Caught off guard, Genoa twisted his body to avoid it but inevitably sacrificed one shoulder.
“You……”
Genoa gritted his teeth and grabbed the sword embedded in his shoulder. The arm connected to that shoulder wouldn’t move.
“You believe that?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
“You’re going to die anyway.”
“Would a family with such a deep history lack the technology to heal a wound like this?”
The seventh kept spitting out the dark blood filling his mouth. The shadow of death already covered his face, but his eyes, gleaming with greed, shone clearly.
“The name Genoa, I should take it. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“Greed only hastens death.”
Genoa pulled out the sword stuck in his shoulder. Blood spurted out like a fountain. He pressed the wound firmly with pieces of clothing to stop the bleeding while glaring at the seventh.
“Besides, you didn’t wield your weapon but threw it away. Your judgment has become clouded to the point where you couldn’t calculate what would happen if you missed.”
The seventh walked toward Genoa one step at a time despite his words. Approaching recklessly with sinister eyes, he now seemed numb to reason. He’s going to die soon. It wasn’t difficult to judge. Genoa looked at Lionel, who was observing the situation.
‘He knew that guy was about to die and deliberately told him.’
The moment the seventh accepted death, regret flashed across Lionel’s face. He wanted to enjoy more. He wanted to enjoy watching with his own eyes the frenzied fight for the position of heir, for possession of the Ivanstein ducal family.
“If I kill you, they’ll save me. They’ll have to save me……”
The seventh, now right in front of him, reached out to Genoa. Lionel Ivanstein’s eyes flashed with light. Seeing this, Genoa coldly said:
“I won’t kill him while you’re watching. So get lost.”
“Ah, what a pity.”
Stepping back one pace to distance himself from the seventh, he truly seemed to be stalling for time. Lionel sighed with genuine regret.
“Then I’ll be waiting, Genoa.”
Like a merciful father granting his son’s request, Lionel called his name and turned around. A hollow sigh escaped between Genoa’s lips as he stared until Lionel’s retreating figure disappeared. Then he thrust his sword into the seventh’s neck in one swift motion.
“……!”
The neck split open with a crack. The seventh, whose judgment was already clouded from excessive blood loss, fell backward with eyes wide open, unable to even scream. He died so pitifully.
That’s when it happened.
“Huk!”
In this space where not even an ant should exist, someone gasped. Genoa’s eyes gleamed coldly as he looked toward the source of the sound. It came from the bushes.
“Little rat……”
Dragging his sword on the ground, Genoa walked toward the bushes. The foliage grew up to Genoa’s eye level. He didn’t know who had been watching like a little rat, but he had no intention of letting them live. Just as he raised his sword to forcefully cut away the bushes—
“Young master!”
From far away, Bane was running urgently toward him. With a face distorted by emotion, he fell face-first to the ground but fumbled to get up and continued running. He hadn’t even changed out of his clothes that were covered in dried blood. He looked as if he had been injured from falling while running here.
“You passed, you passed the test!”
Bane’s face, as he approached Genoa, was streaked with tears.
Compared to before he was dragged into the testing grounds, Genoa’s sunken cheeks and the dark fatigue around his eyes revealed how hard he had struggled in there.
For the first time, a peaceful smile appeared at the corner of Genoa’s mouth.
“Are you hurt?”
When Genoa glanced at Bane’s blood-stained clothes and asked, Bane’s face, which had been immersed in emotion, stiffened slightly.
“This isn’t my blood……”
Bane moved his lips but then firmly closed his mouth. He had no idea how to explain this news to Genoa.
“Never mind that. Did any of my other brothers come out besides me?”
At Genoa’s question, Bane looked at the dead seventh.
“No. You’re the first, young master.”
At Bane’s answer, the shadow on Genoa’s face deepened.
“Then how was Lionel Ivanstein waiting for me at this exit?”
“Did you encounter the Duke?”
“Yes. It’s strange that he came all the way out here. How would he know when the test would end……”
No one knew when the successor test would end. It was difficult for those outside to predict when and how lives would be lost until only one survivor remained, since they couldn’t know the situation inside.
Even the current Duke Ivanstein, Lionel, had walked into the mansion covered in blood after surviving the testing grounds, announcing his own victory. The previous Dukes of Ivanstein had done the same.
To wait at the testing grounds as if to greet the successor would be difficult without miraculous timing. Moreover, Lionel Ivanstein was accompanied by armed ducal knights.
“Did something happen at the mansion?”
At Genoa’s speculation, Bane’s eyes widened.
“Well……”
Bane deliberately pushed away the vivid image of Mel that appeared in his mind. That terrible sight of her small body continuously bleeding.
“Someone stole something important from the family and ran away, so the knights and the Duke were searching the entire mansion.”
“Ah.”
Genoa’s eyes flashed. He turned his head toward the bushes he had been about to check.
“Is it this little rat?”
Having momentarily forgotten about the rat’s existence while facing Bane, Genoa now cut through the bushes with his sword without hesitation.
“……”
But there was no one in the bushes, and no presence could be felt. Only traces of someone having vomited remained.
“Seems like a fast-footed little rat.”
Genoa clicked his tongue in disappointment. Facing Bane made him finally realize that he was no longer in the basement. Because of that, he deeply regretted forgetting about the little rat even for a moment.
How could the nerves he had kept taut throughout his struggle in the basement unravel so pathetically? Genoa sighed deeply and asked Bane:
“Was there anyone else around here?”
“……No, there wasn’t.”
Only after hearing that answer did Genoa finally sit down and catch his breath. Without the rat or Lionel, with only Bane and himself present, his body, which had been pushed to its limits, collapsed from relief.
Genoa’s face instantly turned pale. Bane knelt before Genoa with a sobbing voice.
“You really, really went through so much. I absolutely, absolutely believed you would return, young master.”
Genoa smiled weakly at Bane, who seemed happier than the survivor himself. Seeing him reminded Genoa of someone who would be even happier.
If she were to face Genoa, wouldn’t she faint from joy? Thinking of the face that would surely brighten upon seeing him, Genoa’s throat tightened and stung.
“Where’s Mel?”
The question burst out more urgently and anxiously than Genoa had expected.
“……”
But Bane, who had seemed like he would immediately guide him to Mel with a smile, couldn’t answer. Genoa, who had no patience for the urgency of his question, narrowed his brows and pressed:
“Why can’t you answer? She’s not sulking because I took too long to come out, is she?”
Genoa showed Bane the blood-soaked map from his pocket and continued:
“Saying I took too long even after she gave me this.”
Genoa’s face was full of longing. He rose with his weakened body and said to Bane:
“I want to see Mel, that child. I think I need to see her to truly feel that I’ve escaped that cursed place.”
Only after saying it aloud did Genoa understand why he became anxious just thinking about Mel. He needed to see her. It felt like only by facing that child, who had also survived and returned from that cursed basement, could he truly prove that he had survived.
“……”
But Bane couldn’t bring himself to speak. He deliberately changed the subject.
“Before that, we must first inform the mansion of your survival. That way……”
“So they can finish off any of my brothers who might still be breathing in there.”
“That’s right.”
Seeing that Genoa somewhat agreed, Bane hurriedly approached the dead seventh.
“How should we handle this corpse?”
“Bury him properly. Better than being thrown somewhere to be torn apart by beasts.”
Genoa said this as he staggered toward the mansion. It seemed he had postponed seeing Mel for the moment.
“……Haah.”
Watching his retreating figure, Bane felt a tightness in one corner of his heart.
How should he break this news? Did Mel really escape this mansion alive? Or did she die?
“You asked something too difficult of me, Madam.”
Bane’s face twisted miserably as he recalled the woman who had screamed as if being torn apart while holding a child who barely clung to life, whose body seemed drained of all blood.
This would be the last time. Following his heart like this would truly be the last time. He would forget. He would definitely forget. If he followed his master who would devour everything of Ivanstein one by one, forgetting one woman would become easier.
“Young… Master……”
The face of the child who searched and searched for her master, knowing it might be her last words—that too.
* * *
Genoa’s face hardened terribly as he moved away from Bane toward the mansion.
“Mel……”
Something had definitely happened to that child. Bane would only keep his mouth so stubbornly shut for a reason. While Genoa’s loyal servant read his master’s mood well, Genoa could just as easily guess Bane’s thoughts just by looking at his face.
The map of the basement in his hand, someone who had stolen something important and fled, Lionel Ivanstein personally searching the garden.
‘It was you.’
Mel was in danger. Perhaps she was in the worst situation that couldn’t be fully explained by just saying she was in danger. Genoa’s legs gradually gained strength as he walked. The veins in his hand holding the sword bulged darkly again.
He saw Lionel Ivanstein’s back in the distance. He was looking around, examining traces that might remain somewhere in the garden.
‘He’s still searching.’
Genoa approached him silently. His gaze caught the sword dangling at Lionel’s waist. Though sheathed, it had dried blood on the outside. It meant he had wielded the sword himself, not a knight.
Lionel’s sword was the family head’s sword, one that valued worth over function. It was a treasure of high historical value, rarely used to avoid staining it with blood. For him to wield such a sword himself, the situation must have been urgent.
Genoa’s reason seemed to snap as he guessed who Lionel was looking for. He rushed at Lionel in one breath, drew the sword from his waist, and pointed it at his neck.
“……!”
In that split second of ambush, Lionel Ivanstein had no time to react and exposed his vital point to Genoa. However, Lionel remained calm and turned around nonchalantly.
“I see you’ve dealt with the seventh.”
“Are you ready to die now?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? Hatred is powerless before the power you will hold.”
The gaze that looked at him as if he were praiseworthy was disgusting. Suppressing that disgust, Genoa smiled gently.
“I know I’ll become like that too. But how can I believe your words?”
“What do you mean?”
“You might have lied to try to save your life, shocked by the unexpected encounter with an heir who just crawled out of the testing grounds.”
Genoa shrugged and pushed the sword closer to his neck. The sharp blade broke the skin, and warm blood flowed down the blade, transmitted through the sensitive nerves of his palm.
Genoa felt nauseated that Lionel’s skin could be wounded with such little force and that his blood was also red.
“Do you have proof that Ivanstein can have everything?”
“……”
Lionel smiled, disregarding the blood flowing from his neck.
“Of course. There’s a historical record containing all of Ivanstein’s history. It records everything from before this country was established, and even before that—how we managed whenever those bastards on the throne went mad.”
Lionel Ivanstein looked quite excited. It could be because the succession issue, which could be considered Ivanstein’s biggest headache, was finally resolved, or perhaps he was intoxicated by the smell of blood he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“The current king is an addict. The princes are the same.”
This was something Genoa would naturally learn once he inherited the family, but Lionel continued in a kind tone, as if imitating a caring father.
“Without the drug we provide, they gradually lose their will, become beasts faithful only to their instincts, and eventually return to their true nature as drooling dogs.”
“……!”
Genoa’s eyes widened. Lionel, who had been staring at his face, nodded as if Genoa’s reaction was natural.
“Only those who accept this fact and are ready to become Ivanstein’s dog can sit on the next throne. How convenient is that?”
“Are you saying the royal family knows what they’re addicted to?”
“Of course. In fact, giving the drug to the prince who will become the next king is the only duty the throne has.”
“Ha.”
Genoa exhaled in disbelief.
“Everyone thinks Ivanstein is just a duke, yet the king willingly acts as this family’s dog…… Surely some have refused to give this drug to their children?”
“Ah, of course there were. Then, respecting their wishes, we didn’t provide the drug.”
“If they didn’t get the drug…… they went mad.”
Lionel nodded with a big laugh.
“In the end, they say he opened his child’s mouth himself and put in the last dose. To fulfill his duty and receive a new supply.”
Genoa’s face twisted in disgust.
Whether it was Ivanstein holding horrific succession trials generation after generation to obtain one outstanding heir, or the royal family who were addicted to drugs themselves yet passed that addiction to their children.
In Genoa’s eyes, they were the same.
“How convenient this is. This country will be led by Ivanstein, while the nobles think the king holds power. The king simply needs to glorify himself by wielding Ivanstein’s will as his own from the throne.”
“……”
“It’s not a bad deal for the royal family either.”
Genoa’s arm holding the sword trembled. Though he was enduring with mental strength, his body had reached its limit. What he needed now was rest.
“So, do you still want to kill me?”
Lionel asked Genoa. He glanced at the family head’s sword pointed at his neck. It was the same sword he had once pointed at his own father. Ivanstein’s history always repeated itself.
The family’s heirs, unable to overcome their hatred for the father who pushed them into that terrible basement, struggle to survive with thoughts of killing him, and end up standing here like this. And then,
“I’m not a fool. After hearing all this, I wouldn’t kill you.”
The sword pointed at his neck was withdrawn. The corners of Lionel’s mouth rose as if they might tear.
‘Ivanstein has always made the same choice.’
The Ivanstein ducal family would continue like this again.
“To handle the Ivanstein family, you’ll need to discard all human emotions. You’ll need the luck that fate provides, and sometimes you must know how to flee according to your instincts in crisis situations.”
The ruthlessness to kill one’s own siblings, the vileness to use any means necessary to survive, the luck needed when even a brilliant mind cannot avoid danger, and instincts sharpened for survival.
The Ivanstein succession test always produced just one person with all these qualities.
“You’ve prepared well to continue the family line while the succession test was being held, right?”
At Genoa’s question, Lionel laughed pleasantly.
Genoa, as the child Lionel had most expected, accepted his fate quickly. Unlike Lionel himself, who had only calmed down after venting his anger by turning the entire mansion into a sea of blood. Lionel was thoroughly pleased with Genoa, who maintained his rationality until the end.
“Of course. Nothing is more important than continuing this family’s glory.”
“Glory, yes. We must continue it.”
“We, I like that. You truly are my son.”
Lionel and Genoa looked at each other and smiled.
“Let’s go, there are many things you need to do from now on.”
“But it seems a little rat has sneaked into the mansion. I don’t want to leave anything bothersome at this important time.”
“Ah, the knights are searching, so it will be caught soon.”
Lionel’s gaze turned cold as he scanned the empty space. Suppressing his displeasure, he looked back at Genoa and said:
“By the way, you noticed well.”
“The ignorant one would be stupid. You go ahead first, I want to savor this victory a bit more.”
“Haha, do that. Let’s have dinner together at the mansion today.”
Lionel patted Genoa’s shoulder with his large hand, then turned and headed toward the mansion. After watching his retreating figure for a long time, Genoa raised his lowered sword again. Then he slashed through the bushes right beside him.
“Huk!”
He met the eyes of a terrified boy about Genoa’s age. The boy’s head was damp with sweat. His clothes, a mess of dirt and leaves, were torn in places, and there were traces of vomit on his sleeve.
The little rat that Genoa had missed during his duel with the seventh was here.
“If you breathe like that, you’ll be discovered, little rat.”
Genoa placed his sword against the boy’s neck with a cold smile.
Genoa had sensed the boy hiding nearby even before his conversation with Lionel. If he hadn’t deliberately provoked Lionel’s interest to focus all his attention on himself, the boy would have been discovered immediately.
“But you, for a rat……”
Genoa looked the boy up and down. Even in disarray, he could tell the quality of the clothing was excellent.
Perhaps a child from a noble family who had visited the mansion and got lost? If so, it might be quite unfair, but the timing was bad. Since this little rat had heard everything he discussed with Lionel, Genoa had to kill him.
The boy seemed to know this too, as tears began to well up in his eyes while Genoa trailed off.
“Sa-save me. If you spare me, I’ll never reveal what happened today. I, I promise, on the royal family’s honor…… hup!”
The boy covered his mouth. His habitual oath had easily revealed his identity to his opponent.
“Ah, so you’re a prince.”
Genoa smiled, his eyes curving. Between his narrowed eyes, his purple irises gleamed coldly.
“Since you’ve heard everything, I’ll speak comfortably.”
“Th-that’s, that’s fine……”
“How do you expect to survive acting so stupidly?”
“……”
“It’s clear you’ll die if your royal identity is discovered. Since you heard Ivanstein’s secret. Yet how could you make such a stupid slip of the tongue?”
At Genoa’s criticism, the boy could only tremble without saying anything. The boy could sense an inexplicable disappointment crossing Genoa’s face.
The boy also had survival instincts. He felt that if he disappointed Genoa, that blade would pierce his neck without hesitation. Just as Genoa had cut his brother’s neck before his eyes.
“I-I am First Prince Rihast de Raon! I-Ivanstein makes kings of those who accept this country’s truth, right? I’ll, I’ll accept it! I’ll take the drug without resistance from now on! I’ll do everything Ivanstein says!”
He was desperate to survive. Now on his knees, he crawled forward and clutched Genoa’s trouser leg.
“So please spare me, please! I’ll be a king who never defies Ivanstein……”
Genoa found this situation interesting. The face of the trembling boy before him was truly pitiful and desperate. This must be the kind of king material Ivanstein wanted, Genoa thought dispassionately.
Fearful, obedient, and unable to maintain dignity in the face of survival. And the greed that occasionally showed through that desperation clearly indicated he had imagined himself as king, even if just as Ivanstein’s puppet.
“Haha.”
Genoa laughed softly. While he didn’t like the excessive obedience, he did appreciate the greed reflected in those eyes.
“Can you really become the king I want?”
“Y-yes!”
Rihast, the boy and prince, nodded repeatedly. Hope of survival filled his entire face. Just as Lionel had looked at Genoa, Genoa looked at Rihast the same way and said:
“I want a king who will hold Ivanstein ducal family’s leash.”
Not understanding what that meant, Rihast just blinked. Seeing this expressed on his face, Genoa clicked his tongue. Rihast feared he might kill him out of disappointment.
“I-I can do it. I can do it!”
Without knowing what Genoa truly wanted, Rihast kept nodding. At this, Genoa smiled gently.
“Before that, there’s something I want to ask……”
“Wh-what is it?”
“Are you what the knights are looking for now?”
At Genoa’s question, Rihast’s mind raced.
Duke Lionel Ivanstein didn’t know that Rihast was in the mansion. According to plan, Rihast should have visited the Ivanstein ducal residence yesterday and returned to the royal palace. But out of curiosity about the Ivanstein mansion, known to be larger than the royal palace since long ago, he had sent his attendant back to the palace pretending to be him and remained here alone.
Rihast had intended to look around the mansion interior secretly and then return, but everything began to go wrong when he got lost in the western garden. He sensed something was amiss when the mansion suddenly became noisy, with people rushing outside and searching for something with murderous eyes.
“Find it! Find it and kill it no matter what!”
“The family treasure has been stolen! The Duke cut it with his sword, so it couldn’t have gone far!”
“Search everywhere! Shoot anything that moves, even if it’s just an ant.”
“The Duke ordered to kill even outsiders, not just that slave girl, in case anyone saw anything. The Duke will handle the aftermath himself.”
The Ivanstein knights began killing everyone remaining in the mansion, including servants and outside workers. The reason was that a thief had entered the mansion, and they didn’t know what the thief might have seen while stealing the item.
After witnessing this madness, Rihast had no choice but to hide deeper in the western garden. Even though he was a prince, he felt he would be killed if caught in this scene of maniacal slaughter.
“I’m asking if it’s you.”
Genoa urged Rihast, who was hesitating to answer. Snapping out of his thoughts, he unconsciously nodded.
“Y-yes……”
“Ah.”
Genoa’s eyes darkened.
‘Is this wrong?’
Having accidentally lied, Rihast anxiously bit his lip.
“So it’s not Mel, then why did Bane……”
Genoa muttered something.
Rihast perked up his ears to understand the meaning, but when Genoa’s gaze, which had been wandering in the air, fixed on him again, he froze.
“You.”
“……!”
Rihast straightened his posture. Genoa, seeming to have realized something, had a completely different atmosphere than before. Genoa curled his lips into a smile, which was chilling.
“I don’t care what you stole from here. Rather, I hope you take it and make it into an excellent leash to put around Ivanstein’s neck someday.”
“……”
“I like greedy people, you see. I like those with the desire to devour everything, never satisfied with what they have.”
Rihast nodded hesitantly. He had long given up trying to understand the meaning of these incomprehensible words. Genoa seemed satisfied that he had at least that much perception.
“So I want an emperor who will thoroughly place me and Ivanstein under his feet and treat us like dogs.”
“……Em-emperor?”
“Yes.”
Rihast showed exactly the reaction Genoa wanted, being enticed by the word “emperor.” That foolish greed would have quite a good influence on the empire Genoa would lead in the future.
“The Ivanstein I lead will turn Raon into an empire. This has been the long-cherished wish that generations of Ivanstein dukes have continuously attempted.”
“……!”
“I intend to fulfill the Ivanstein ducal family’s long-cherished wish and glory with my own hands and place it all in the emperor’s hands. Every single bit of it, without leaving anything behind.”
A madness similar to Lionel Ivanstein’s appeared on Genoa’s face. His eyes burned with anger, and hatred he hadn’t managed to erase surged within him.
“But Ivanstein will lose everything without anyone knowing. I plan to make real the disgrace of being the king’s dog that they brought upon themselves. Just thinking about it makes my body tremble……”
“……!”
Rihast felt goosebumps all over his body at that insane way of thinking. Genoa Ivanstein was now saying that he himself would become the emperor’s dog.
Was the behavior during his conversation with Lionel, when he acted as if he would become this country’s ruler, merely thorough acting?
“My hatred will disappear before the enormous power that will be in my hands? Ha, hahahahahaha. That’s not even funny.”
Genoa took one step closer to Rihast. Unconsciously, Rihast retreated step by step. But when Genoa frowned, he froze, unable to move further.
“Run straight in the direction behind me without looking back. There will be a dog hole through which you can escape this mansion.”
“……!”
“You’ll have to crawl out like a dog. But think that if you can get out of here, you can get your hands on everyone who made you crawl. Then it will be quite worth it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Genoa grabbed the back of Rihast’s neck and threw him forward forcefully. Tumbling forward, Rihast put strength in his feet, kicked off the ground, and ran.
I’m alive. I’m alive! He kept muttering this as he fled. Seeing how pathetic that retreating figure was, Genoa clicked his tongue with a not entirely satisfied expression.
“I wonder if that one will really be able to hold Ivanstein’s leash.”
But if Prince Rihast de Raon was the thief who stole the family treasure, Genoa hoped it would be the Ivanstein historical records. He found it suspicious that Lionel mentioned the historical records but only rambled about them verbally without showing them to him directly.
“……”
Genoa looked at the family head’s sword in his hand. Lionel Ivanstein’s blood and someone else’s dried blood still mingled and flowed on the blade.
Rihast, who had just disappeared, didn’t have any sword wounds. Then who had Lionel cut?
‘A prince wouldn’t be running around alone like that, did his subordinate die?’
Judging by how terrified he looked, he might have witnessed his subordinate being killed.
Genoa barely managed to piece together his thoughts with his foggy, exhausted mind. In truth, he was precariously supporting his body, which could collapse and faint at any moment without being strange at all.
“Young master!”
Bane, who had disposed of the seventh’s corpse and followed Genoa, called out to him urgently as he approached. Looking at Genoa holding the family head’s sword, Bane asked in shock:
“Did you meet the Duke?!”
“Yes. I also saw the little rat who stole the family treasure.”
“What?”
“Rihast de Raon. Did you know the First Prince was hiding in the mansion?”
Bane looked bewildered. Why would the First Prince be in the mansion, especially at this moment?
“Rihast de Raon should have returned after visiting the mansion yesterday, so why……”
“It seems he wandered around out of curiosity and even touched the family treasure. I don’t know how he could have done it.”
Genoa pressed his palm against his eyes, which were closing from fatigue, as he spoke.
“……”
Genoa was mistaken now. He thought the ducal knights were searching the mansion for Rihast de Raon.
Bane hesitated whether to tell Genoa that the knights were actually looking for Mel. However, the fact that Genoa, who had the ability to notice this error, hadn’t thought this far meant he was very exhausted.
He had also suffered a sword wound through his shoulder, so treatment was urgent. In this situation, if he heard that something had happened to Mel, Genoa would likely do anything without even thinking about taking care of himself.
‘Just for a moment, can’t I deceive him just for a while? Just until he recovers his body, until then…!’
Just as Bane made up his mind and opened his mouth, Genoa threw the family head’s sword in his hand in front of Bane and spoke first.
“I’ll make you my sword. Start training from today.”
“…..Young master, this……!”
“From now on, I’ll become the head of Ivanstein. Since I’ve personally bestowed this sword to you, you’ll be treated as my person from now on. You understand what this means, right?”
At Genoa’s words, Bane swallowed and looked at the family head’s sword that had fallen to the ground.
“First, take control of the Ivanstein ducal knights. Cut off Lionel Ivanstein’s military power first.”
“……Yes.”
Bane answered heavily as he gripped the family head’s sword. Greater hardships than the testing grounds would unfold before Genoa.
In such a situation, Bane couldn’t tell if it was right for Genoa to know whose blood was on this sword.
* * *
“When I later questioned Bane about that child’s whereabouts, he told me that in fact, as soon as the test began, the child fled in haste and died.”
“……”
“At that time, my feelings were……”
Genoa stroked the outer wall of the hut with his palm as if recalling the distant past. Just like how he used to gently stroke Mel’s hair back then.
“For me, that child was proof of my survival, in itself.”
Throughout his time in the basement, Genoa imagined Mel’s face, who would have crawled in the same space, in the same place as him. The existence of Mel, who must have frequented that place countless times, transformed into a belief that he too could get out like Mel.
“So after that child died and was forever trapped here, I too still haven’t left that place.”
“Then your insomnia is……”
Mel trailed off with a devastating feeling. Genoa still hadn’t left that place. Genoa was still in the basement of the Ivanstein ducal family.
Even to the question that couldn’t be completed, Genoa nodded and answered on behalf of Mel, who found it difficult to speak.
“When I close my eyes, I return there again. To that place where I thrust a sword into my brother’s neck and must avoid traps that crush my legs and force my mouth open……”
“How could such……”
Tears began to well up in Mel’s eyes.
“Some days I was the one caught in that trap, some days it was that child, and some days it was my brother. So I couldn’t sleep……”
Suddenly, Mel embraced Genoa’s neck. Genoa blinked, instinctively holding her in his arms. Hugging him with all her might, Mel said with a tear-soaked voice:
“You’re standing right here in front of me.”
“……That’s right, Princess.”
Genoa smiled and patted the princess who was tightly holding him, as if trying to pull him out of that place.
“I wonder if it’s because you resemble that child. That I can sleep comfortably by your side……”
“……!”
“It was truly amazing. That I could sleep like that without even dreaming.”
Mel froze while in Genoa’s arms. A thought crossed her mind.
Genoa seemed to think he could sleep because the princess resembled the slave Mel, but in reality, Mel was that very person.
Could it be that he had instinctively recognized her? Thinking this, her mind suddenly became complicated. Her stomach churned, and her chest felt tight with an emotion she couldn’t define.
“You truly pulled me out of that place. Finally, finally I could get out.”
Genoa’s voice trembled with emotion.
“I will never repeat Ivanstein’s history. I promise you, Princess.”
The history of the Ivanstein ducal family would be cut off by him. So that no one would know that Ivanstein was this country’s master, forever.
The history that started from that country that disappeared hundreds of years ago and continued under the name of Ivanstein to the Raon Empire, Genoa intended to tear it apart and have it trampled forever under the imperial family’s feet.
“So please, please don’t run away from me. I beg you.”
“……!”
At Genoa’s plea, Mel gritted her teeth. She couldn’t answer. But as if it didn’t matter, Genoa embraced Mel even more strongly.
“I’ll make sure this family doesn’t feel terrible, at least to you, Princess.”
This was close to a pledge. Unlike Mel, who had witnessed all the horrors of the Ivanstein ducal family and fled, he was determined not to let go of the princess. Genoa had become more persistent than back then. So he had no intention of repeating the same mistake twice.
“You can look forward to the engagement ceremony.”
Genoa smiled as he stroked the tear-soaked cheek of the princess in his arms.
* * *
[Duke Ivanstein has shown a step back in his power struggle with the emperor. He has moved up his engagement ceremony with the Reibritton Princess ahead of the event welcoming the Reibritton royal family.
With this, the nobles of the Raon Empire no longer have to participate in the gamble of deciding which event to attend, betting their family’s fate.
However, the emperor has surprised everyone by expressing his intention to attend Duke Ivanstein’s engagement ceremony. Was the confrontation with Duke Ivanstein simply a difference of opinion?
If you want to confirm this, you’ll have to eagerly await the Ivanstein ducal family’s invitation that will arrive at the mansion starting today.]
“It seems it will be a grand engagement ceremony.”
Rowse put down the imperial social gazette she had been reading. Reading the gazette in the bumpy carriage made her feel unwell, so she couldn’t bring herself to read the next page. This was why she had pleaded not to go, but her husband Adelian was truly cold-hearted.
“If not you, my wife, I have no one else I can entrust this to. It’s an important time, so you must cooperate.”
His tone of asking was gentle, but his face revealed an undisguisable annoyance. Since the last time, Rowse couldn’t shake the feeling that she had lost her husband’s trust, however slightly.
‘……Come to think of it, the way Lady Peruis looked at His Highness in Peruis County was not ordinary.’
Unlike the Count who showed anxious signs throughout their stay in the county, the Count’s daughter had carefully managed the royal family’s household and became a companion to the unstable king. Even when Adelian highly praised the Count’s daughter, Rowse hadn’t thought much of it.
But seeing Adelian’s subtly changed demeanor after her return from the empire made her feel increasingly anxious. As the crown princess, and as the future queen of Reibritton, she had only shown impeccable behavior, but perhaps her tantrum out of fear that day had been a mistake.
“Haah.”
Rowse sighed deeply and looked at the woman who was staring at the imperial social gazette as if licking it with her eyes.
If she helped finish this task well, Adelian would also realize that Rowse was the one who suited Reibritton. Trying to think this way, Rowse opened her mouth.
“We’ll arrive soon, shouldn’t you take care of yourself? Put down the gazette and get some rest.”
“How can I sleep when I’m not tired? You said you stayed up all night before your engagement ceremony too.”
“Haah, Amelia. Your situation is a bit different, isn’t it?”
Rowse sighed deeply and looked at Amelia, the real princess of Reibritton.
Glancing at Rowse with sulky eyes before turning back to the gazette, Amelia seemed to have lost some weight from her recent hardships but was still dazzlingly beautiful. Just like that worthless slave who wore the princess’s mask at Viscount Roland’s residence that day.
“By the way, sister, has that wench really not gained any weight? How annoying, thanks to that I couldn’t even eat what I wanted properly, what is this?”
Amelia clutched her hungry stomach and complained.
Throughout her escape, Adelian had not allowed her the special dishes made by the royal chef that she had missed. He said they needed to match her figure with the fake princess in the empire. If she gained weight and Duke Ivanstein noticed, all their plans would be ruined.
“You should have told her to gain some weight when you met her before! Why should I adjust to that worthless thing when she should be adjusting to me……”
“I told you, didn’t I? She threatened to kill herself if anything went wrong. Being of lowly birth, she would give up her life so easily.”
“That wench dies easily? Ahahaha!”
Amelia laughed loudly, mocking Rowse.
“That wench struggled so hard to live. Even after being beaten to within an inch of her life, she desperately crawled and put bread crumbs I had stepped on into her mouth.”
Amelia’s eyes gleamed cruelly as she recalled that time.
“Besides, she cares so terribly for her mother…… As long as she believes her mother is in my hands, she absolutely can’t die alone. Sister, don’t you know anything?”
“……Still, you never know.”
“Ah, instead of worrying about such useless things, find me the social gazette with information about the engagement dress. I need to know the designer’s name.”
“Haah.”
Seeing Amelia, who seemed to have no thoughts, Rowse quietly sighed. Wondering if this would really end well, she looked out the carriage window.
In the distance, the grand and magnificent gate of the Ivanstein ducal residence, as enormous as its scale, began to appear.
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