Chapter 100

Did my brother give Hugh two contradictory orders?

No, but it’s impossible that my brother would order the elimination of Sir Sil...

But the moment I asked, Hugh held his breath.

Was he shaken?

"Answer me."

I pressed on.

...A brief silence followed, and Hugh exhaled.

He looked back at me with calm eyes.

Then, he put his answer into words.

"---I received two strict orders from Prince Serius. One was after he met Sir Berks. To protect Sir Berks, he said."

And Hugh had faithfully kept that order.

The other, he continued.

"From the former Prince Serius."

The former... brother...?

"To marry a man and have the heir come from a sister. If I ever seemed to be following the same path as the previous kings, I was to stop it at all costs. I was never to let the Prince realize what I was trying to do. ---That was the strict order I received."

My brother would say such a thing...?

"Did you not resist the order?"

"Are you asking about my feelings? We knights do not prioritize our personal feelings. Even if someone is so hated that I want to kill them, I will protect them if it is my lord's command. And even if someone is loved, I will kill them."

But, Hugh, didn’t you create a barrier between you and Sir Sil to avoid getting too involved?

"Personally, I do not dislike Sir Berks. However, his existence contradicted the wishes of the former Prince Serius."

"So, you were to eliminate Sir Sil?"

"That would have been the most appropriate course of action?"

"You were really going to kill him?"

Hugh, in the cell, lowered his eyes.

"Even if it succeeded, I thought it was inevitable."

So, you didn’t care if it failed?

...No. Did you want it to fail?

Among the two contradictory orders, Hugh followed the one he wanted to... I don’t think he was lying.

But, can I take his words at face value?

...Something feels off.

If Hugh... Yes, that’s it. If Hugh followed my brother’s orders, he would definitely try to make it succeed. It was a strict order, after all.

Yet, he didn’t seem to care whether eliminating Sir Sil succeeded or not?

In other words, whether it succeeded or failed, it didn’t matter to him. Why?

In fact, Sir Sil survived by a hair. It was certainly a matter of luck and chance. But, it could also be said that it stopped just short of Sir Sil losing his life, making it seem like Hugh was serious. He left room for Sir Sil to be saved.

Was there Hugh’s will in that?

And, whether it succeeded or failed, it didn’t change anything for Hugh. Beyond the orders, there was something else for Hugh...

"What was your own purpose?"

Perhaps, for my brother.

"If it succeeded, I would have carried out the former Prince Serius’s order. Even if it failed— the future would change. If my betrayal made Prince Serius question himself, then—"

But—

"However, you didn’t want the current brother to know about the order you received from the former brother, did you?"

Probably because if he knew it was due to his own order, my brother would be shocked.

"---It’s something he has forgotten."

And, Hugh continued.

"Do you need to know the circumstances of a criminal? What matters is what they have done."

"Hugh"

A certainty began to form in my mind.

"---In reality, you intended to end it with death, whether it succeeded or failed."

You tried to have Clifford kill you.

Without giving a reason.

So, when you had to speak, you mixed lies and truths to create a false motive.

In a public place, surrounded by many soldiers. To make it the truth.

Now, I think Hugh believes that only we are speaking the truth here, in this dim, dark underground cell.

"The ringleader is dead, and the distinction between the potential enemies within and those who are not has been made. What more could be desired?"

What was woven was the ideal ending that Hugh couldn’t fully achieve.

"---You won’t be by my brother’s side."

"Even without me, Nathan and Derek will support Prince Serius."

"So, that’s what you wanted?"

"Yes."

But, Hugh.

"---Brother"

I stepped back and called out to the figure standing far away.

Hugh looked in that direction from the cell. The iron chains moved.

Footsteps approached, tap-tap.

"Did you hear our conversation?"

"...Yes."

In the light of the torch, my brother’s figure, dyed orange, emerged.

My brother stood before the cell.

Alone, without any guards.

Not out of recklessness, but intentionally.

"Hugh"

With a voice that wasn’t loud, my brother quietly called out to Hugh.

"..."

Resigned, Hugh closed his eyes.

Eventually—

He knelt before my brother, addressing him as Prince Serius.

"Do you have anything to say?"

My brother repeated the question he had asked in the office.

Hugh lifted his head.

"Unwavering loyalty to you. ---However"

Then, he slowly bowed his head.

"---Please, administer the just punishment to the traitor."