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“Brother! Let me come with you.”
“I never said to not follow me.” Rashid said without turning around to his brothers following behind. He usually had wide strides but walking the lake’s forest route felt like a long and tough journey.
Rashid seemed to have no difficulty in his journey. On the other hand, Tenon was gasping as he barely caught up to his elder brother.
“I ordered the dog to be obedient towards the Duchess, so there shouldn’t be any issues. It’s a clever and obedient dog after all.”
“Does that mean that the ones that have been following behind and barring their teeth at me were brainless?” Rashid chuckled and turned around as he walked on the rustling leaves. He could be a comfortable person as long as he was around people he trusted.
But the world had never seen him in this light. There were countless whose eyes shone brightly while they knelt down before him, swearing their allegiance to him. Amongst them were both the bravest and the nobles.
It wasn’t because Rashid was unreliable as the Emperor. On the contrary, ever since Rashid took over the throne, he had never dared to take a breath before the nobles.
But like in most eras and empires, the Emperor was just purely an existence on its own. An existence that one would love to stab on their back at least once.
Such people had always been following both his father and predecessors like fate.
Traditionally, appeasing them would require going through either marriage or a purge, and obviously Rashid chose to…
“Well, there’s no one else in particular to kill recently anyway.”
“Your Highness.”
His crimson red eyes filled with slight disappointment turned clear in a long while as if they had been filled with blood.
It was for a particular reason that Rashid did not harbor any sense of betrayal towards them. Since he enjoyed killing them off as well.
“…Peyton, has the magical beast’s descendant harmed any humans until now?”
However, it was different this time round. If it had disobeyed his orders, Rashid could strongly suppress its nature regardless of its species. A strong anxiety accompanied as that should never happen.
“Of course, there was no such instance when commanded by its sworn master. It would only do that towards its enemies.”
“What about towards animals?”
“Um…” Tenon shook his head when he realized who Rashid was referring to.
The dog might not seem to harm the Duchess’s daughter, but there was no way of guaranteeing either.
“If it did happen, the Duchess would have sent an urgent message. Even so, it was better than harming the Duchess herself…”
“No, it can’t happen.”
Tenon was stunned.
“Nothing can happen to both of them.” Rashid frowned as he finished, feeling more repulsive than ever. Why did he agree to her request in the first place? It was the first in his life that he wanted to turn back time. His footsteps hastened, giving no care as to whether his brothers were catching up.
“Oh my, Your Highness!”
If it wasn’t for someone who stood in his path abruptly.
“What’s the matter, Lady?”
—
“Your Highness must be out for a morning walk.” Lania curtsied, as she greeted Rashid.
Lania wasn’t as elaborately dolled up as compared to when she was at the banquet, but her soft white dress still emphasized her innocence as she walked by the lake.
“I didn’t know that Your Highness would be out here…”
“I’m asking you what’s the matter.”
“…Ah, since the Palladium Lake is under our family’s estate,” Lania blushed as she continued to speak, but Rashid placed a palm to his forehead, as if he had a headache.
Of course, his actions suited the early morning walk atmosphere, making Lania blush even more.
“Whenever the former Empress came, I would accompany her on her walks. I never expected to see Your Highness out here at this hour.”
Lania’s voice, which seemed to be both shy and reminiscing the past, was soon moistened and lightly sobbing.
Indeed. Strictly speaking, the forest road that Rashid was walking on now, was the Duchess’s estate. Thus, there was no problem with her being there.
“I come by here quite often, albeit not on a daily basis. It’s good to reminisce about the memories I had with the former Empress, and also forget the worries I had in my mind after walking around the lake once.”
“You must have quite a bit of worries then?”
“Ah, since I have quite heavy responsibilities on my shoulders….” Lania swallowed a bitter laugh as she kept her head down when Rashid showed interest in her.