WMT | Chapter 22

They were the ones suspected of being connected to King Riendell.

There’s no way the prince would know their names. Jessen didn’t write their names in the documents.

From the start, the attackers didn’t know about those nobles, so there was no way they could write about them in the statements.

“It’s not out of consideration for the nobles of Summer, is it? Is it to hide King Riendell’s involvement as much as possible?”

“D-Duke, Your Grace! To this person, Your Grace…”

“I didn’t tell him.”

The duke looked at the prince. Feeling the gaze, the prince spoke.

“I’ve known for a while that they are connected to King Riendell.”

“How did you know?”

Theodore asked.

It was a question Jessen also wanted to ask.

Prince Wissmia was someone unrelated to politics. He didn’t attend political meetings and rarely showed up at official events. Judging by how King Jeremiah treated the prince, it didn’t seem like he taught him statecraft properly.

The prince answered while flipping through the documents.

“I saw.”

“Saw what?”

“The nobles who came up to the capital. I recognized those who were living beyond their means. I heard their spending has increased recently.”

“Can you see such things?”

The duke asked in surprise.

“Unlike the duke, I have a lot of free time. I watched the guests visiting the royal castle.”

“Impressive.”

The duke genuinely admired him. However, Jessen couldn’t feel the same.

“Wait a minute. You just knew by watching? There must have been something more suspicious! It’s not unusual for nobles entering the royal castle to be dressed up…”

“It is unusual.”

“Excuse me?”

“Those people don’t need to impress the king, they don’t have children of marriageable age, and they’ve been having financial issues for the past few years.”

The prince flipped through the documents again.

‘Is he answering while reading that?’

Jessen doubted his eyes.

“Why didn’t you suspect me? It’s easier to assume I bribed them to use them in the war.” The duke asked.

Jessen nodded in agreement. The prince put down the documents he finished reading and looked at the duke.

“Because you didn’t.”

“Yes. It wasn’t me.”

Theodore nodded.

That wasn’t an answer! Jessen couldn’t hold back his frustration and interrupted again.

“Why did you think it was King Riendell?”

“Because they didn’t attend the wedding.”

‘Was that so?’

Jessen had been paying attention to who attended but hadn’t cared about those who didn’t.

The prince explained to the duke.

“The original date for the attack was probably the wedding day.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because it would benefit King Riendell. Weren’t you curious why the king wanted an alliance with the Summer royal family? It’s not the first time he wanted to kill the duke, but it was the first time he pushed for the duke’s marriage.”

“Are you saying he wanted the duke to die married to the Summer royal family?” Jessen asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh! In that case, King Riendell could blame the Summer royal family… and take credit for the duke’s achievements!”

The long-standing mystery was solved. Jessen stared at Prince Wissmia in amazement.

The prince who tried to run away with his lover had an eerily excellent strategic insight.

Could someone like this really have attempted something like eloping for love?

“If the wedding reception was held at the night banquet hall, the attack would have happened as planned… If three nobles were cooperating inside, the duke wouldn’t have had a way to escape.”

The prince explained.

“But since the attack date was moved up, the plan failed, and the nobles didn’t know how to act. According to their instructions, they should have acted on the wedding day, but they couldn’t handle the duke who thwarted the attack. They probably couldn’t attend the wedding, whether to avoid responsibility or out of fear.”

“Why was the attack date moved?”

Jessen participated in the conversation more eagerly than anyone else.

The prince made a displeased face for a moment before speaking.

“…It’s rare for plans made from afar to go as planned.”

“But this was an attack where timing was crucial… Well… I suppose it’s possible. A golem—something unimaginable—appeared. That crazy King Riendell…”

Jessen gritted his teeth. Then, without realizing it, he cursed the king as he would in front of knights.

He thought the prince might be surprised. But the prince didn’t care.

“Not interrogating those people was indeed because of King Riendell.”

“That’s right.”

The duke acknowledged. This time, Jessen didn’t stop him.

“Then I’ll catch them. As long as we handle it without questioning King Riendell, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“When you say you’ll catch them…”

“I mean I’ll deal with them appropriately. It’s not the Palatine royal family’s business for the prince of Summer to punish Summer’s nobles. Unlike the duke, I’m not lenient, and I must repay the grudge I received. The duke wasn’t the only one whose life was threatened back then.”

Jessen felt a sense of relief. How could this prince say such excellent things?

If his superior repaid even half of what he received, his cardiovascular system would be in much better condition now.

“And this will also help the duke.”

“Help me?”

The duke laughed.

“Yes. It’s about enriching the treasury of Summer.”

‘Confiscating the nobles’ assets!’

Jessen’s heart raced with excitement.

Yes. Summer is now the duke’s land. Filling Summer’s treasury is the same as filling the duke’s pockets.

However, regardless of how much he liked the prince’s words, the duke would refuse.

The duke was a loyal knight. He would never go against the king he swore allegiance to.

It was when Jessen was calming down again.

“Shall we do that?”

The duke answered.

“…?”

Jessen looked at the duke in confusion. And he witnessed the duke kissing the back of Prince Wissmia’s hand.

“Do as you wish. Didn’t I promise? That I’d give you the right to use me.”

The duke said with a silent laugh.

Jessen couldn’t close his mouth.

‘They say love changes people.’

He hesitated as he left the bedroom. Neither of the couple paid him any attention. It seemed they didn’t even notice him…

The fact that one of them was the duke made this an incredible event.

── .✦

Contrary to Jessen’s thoughts, the person involved wasn’t at ease.

‘A warning, perhaps.’

Wiss thought as he withdrew his hand from Theodore’s.

Seeing Theodore talk about the right to use him, it seemed he wanted to give him a hint.

It didn’t matter. What was important was that the alliance was still intact.

By spending the first night together, Theodore expressed his intention not to break the alliance. He even taught Wiss how to control his pheromones, allowing him to go out.

If it weren’t for him, Wiss wouldn’t have had trouble with pheromones in the first place…

“Oh, Wiss. On such a good day, instead of spending time with the duke, you came to see me. I was feeling lonely, thinking I had let you go. I wonder how lonely I’ll be when you really leave for Palatine…”

King Jeremiah welcomed Wiss. Empty liquor bottles were scattered around him.

“It seems you’ve had too much to drink.”

“How considerate. Don’t worry. I haven’t drunk that much.”

King Jeremiah tried to hug Wiss but staggered. Normally, Wiss would have pretended not to notice—but this time, he supported him. There was a promise he needed to extract from him.

“You should take care of your health, especially at times like this.”

“Indeed. I must stay healthy until I see my grandchildren.”

The king nodded.

Wiss held back his curses.

“Yes. You should. I heard from the cleric that your health has deteriorated significantly recently. It must be because of the stress you’ve been under. I’m sorry for adding to your worries.”

“For you to worry about me, perhaps… they say a child matures once they’re married…”

The king sniffled. Wiss gritted his teeth.

“The cleric said you need rest.”

“Where does a king who rules a country find time to rest? Now that your wedding—a national event—is over, I must return to my regular duties.”

That’s what Wiss was trying to prevent.

‘If I leave it to this bastard, it’ll be a disaster.’

King Jeremiah resembled Jeremy not only in appearance but also in personality. Wiss wondered if descendants really needed to resemble him so much.

Jeremy had a personality that couldn’t make decisions. When someone with that personality rose to a position of decision-making, something remarkable happened: no one respected him.

“What? Meeting records? Why would Your Highness need those…”

“I didn’t know I needed permission to read something.”

“I-I’m sorry! That’s not what I meant!”

Wiss used his royal authority to access and read the records of recent state meetings. Just going through the past three months was enough to raise his blood pressure.

The nobles and officials had been dividing the king’s authority among themselves, and King Jeremiah felt no sense of urgency or concern over the situation.

All the king did was listen to the agenda presented and say, “Do it that way.”

“No. What you need to do is rest. Who is the owner of the kingdom?”

”…Wouldn’t it be the king?”

“Who is the most noble person in the kingdom?”

“I-it’s me.”

The king replied, pushed by Wiss’s firm tone. Wiss nodded.

“Since you are the very Summer itself, if you were to collapse, the whole country would be drenched in tears. Go and rest. I’ve prepared a separate palace for you.”

“My goodness…”

King Jeremiah was moved.

“Despite all the hardships… You thinking of me like this makes all my fatigue disappear.”

‘Stop talking nonsense.’

“Rest until the cleric acknowledges that you are healthy enough to handle state affairs. I will take care of this place.”

“Oh, my kind and dear son. But is it really okay…”

“It is.”

“R-really? Can I really go?”

“Yes.”

Wiss received the king’s seal and left the office.

The guard was impressed.

“Isn’t this treason?”

“Shut up.”

All the pieces were gathered.