Resetting Lady - Chapter 227

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“A new king forming direct ties with our help—it couldn’t be better than this. And we saved him at the most dangerous moment.”

“Of course. And Lord Sion Electra played his part quite well too.”

“Isella really does have an eye for men.”

I thought he was just a pretty boy. Verdick swallowed his remaining words.

Selina was already showing proper affection for her son-in-law. When Raymond was Isella’s fiancé, she found it awkward and burdensome to even dine together, but Sion, who appropriately flattered her and groveled, seemed to please Selina.

Moreover, he was the main player who truly made a significant contribution this time, so how could she not adore him? Sion had transformed from the daughter’s pretty little toy in the Evans family to a proper golden nugget. Neither Isella nor Selina even mentioned Raymond, the former fiancé.

“Come to think of it, Lord Raymond is… no, it’s nothing.”

“Hmph.”

Verdick, who was deeply involved, had also heard about Raymond’s achievements. Especially from Sion.

But Raymond had refused all rewards. Raymond had even directly asked Prince Louis to refrain from mentioning his achievements. He said he had simply done what was right and only wished to quietly return to his hometown to live.

Several nobles who knew the truth praised Raymond’s nobility, but Verdick seriously breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Thank goodness Isella didn’t marry that fool.’

The Evans family creed was to take three times what you deserved. If you didn’t take money or land, you should at least take honor worth dozens of times more—that was the natural order of the world.

What meaning was there in virtue that no one acknowledged? What honor was there in honor known only to oneself? Such things were illusions. Those who pursued such values were foreign substances that should never be entangled with the Evans family.

“When did they say the coronation was?”

“Next week. We’ll be sitting in the same section as the royals, so we need to dress in the finest.”

“Next week? That’s awfully soon.”

Even though the king had been bedridden and ill for a long time, his body wouldn’t even be cold yet.

“Wouldn’t it be better to avoid overly flashy attire?”

“Verdick, what are you saying to me?”

How dare he tell her to restrain her extravagance. When Selina’s eyes turned triangular, Verdick quickly waved his hands.

“No, but still, if it’s next week… It seems they’ll hold the state funeral after the coronation, and I was worried you might hear complaints if you dress too flashily.”

At Verdick’s words, Selina stopped her menacing expression and clicked her tongue.

“Verdick, you still don’t know? The king is still alive.”

“What?”

* * *

The white-haired old man surrounded by white chrysanthemums lay quietly with his eyes closed in the coffin.

“His breathing has stopped.”

“I know.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest a little, Your Majesty?”

“It’s more comfortable like this. Withdraw.”

“Yes, sir.”

The royal physician bowed his head and withdrew.

Prince Louis spent the night prostrated beside the coffin. His eyes were blackened with tears and fatigue. He had thought that even for Guiz, killing his own father, the current king, would surely be a great burden.

But he had overlooked that someone who could kill his brothers without hesitation would kill even his own father given the chance.

“…Sob.”

Though Guiz was his blood relative, it was difficult to think of him as true family. From the time Louis began learning to speak and walk, he realized that Guiz’s gaze toward him was not kind. From then on, he knew that Guiz would someday kill him.

What Louis felt when looking at him was fear and pity. He had been born to steal Guiz’s position. And Louis expected that if he survived, he would someday be the one to bring Guiz down.

He knew that Count Fankair cared for him quite a bit, but he was a great noble in charge of border defense, and they could meet only a few times a year.

The woman rumored to have given birth to him wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. If she truly was his birth mother, it was a natural reaction to preserve her life, so Louis never sought her out. The knowledge he learned from his tutors made his mind grow too quickly for him to throw tantrums.

“Your Majesty.”

Truly, Louis’s only family was his grandfather, the current king. Louis stroked the old king’s face. It was cold. So this is what happens when people die. Cold lumps of meat. He too would become like this in the future. And Guiz had tried to make him like this today.

“…Father.”

Louis whispered softly.

He had wanted to call him that at least once. Of course, being royalty, it couldn’t be the same secular relationship that other nobles had with their children. Even Count Fankair, who was gentle with Louis, was quite a stern father to his own young children.

The aged king demanded more than normal from Louis. But even so, the king was the only person Louis could consider family. In the end, only royalty could understand royalty.

The time they spent together was far too little. The king had far too much to do in his own right, and so did Louis. Every time they met, the king worried whether Louis would be somewhat complete before he died. And in the end, he died like this.

Look, Your Majesty. Look, Father. I will eventually ascend to the throne.

“…Your Majesty?”

Louis was touching the king’s face when he was startled. That couldn’t be right? The king’s breathing had definitely stopped. But just now, Louis felt breath brushing against his fingertips. It was an illusion. A fantasy created by his own wishes. That Guiz wouldn’t make such a mistake.

“Could it be…”

Louis placed his hand there again. Indeed, no breath could be felt. Louis was about to rise in disappointment when it happened.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

“…Your Majesty?”

“…Water, bring me water. Is no one there? I am thirsty.”

The king spoke in a rough but clear voice. Louis collapsed and then stood up. Then he embraced the king.

“…Louis? What’s the matter… Where is this…? Did I collapse?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Oh my… It’s alright.”

The king was patting Louis when he realized he was lying in a coffin filled with chrysanthemums.

“…What is this? I’m not even dead yet, but this…”

“Your, Your Majesty?”

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Before the current king could finish speaking, a maid who opened the door and entered screamed.

“The, the corpse… no, His Majesty is alive!”

* * *

Guiz slumped down in his room.

Where had it gone wrong? Where had things started to fall apart? The plan had surely been well-made. But where exactly? None of the results had turned out properly.

“Why on earth… why am I…”

Guiz didn’t know how many nobles’ weaknesses Verdick possessed. And even if Verdick knew, he hadn’t cared. Such loan sharks deserved to grovel in the mud.

What he least understood was that the support of the nobles he thought were on his side was infinitely weak.

Hearts that could be bought with gold coins would leave according to profit and loss calculations. And those by Guiz’s side recognized that they too could become victims while watching the primitive violence he exercised.

They all had various perverted tastes, but precisely because of that, they trusted each other even less. The dirtier a person was, the more unreasonably they profited, the more they hoped that while they might act that way, the world and others would not.

Even if they were evil, their opponents should be good and also stupid. Therefore, he didn’t realize that Louis’s young age actually made them choose Louis over Guiz.

“Prince Guize, the king has awakened.”

“…What?”

“Congratulations. You’ve saved your life with this. His Majesty says he cannot bring himself to kill his own child.”

Count Fankair delivered the news to Guiz with sarcasm. Guiz was so dumbfounded by the unexpected news that he was stunned. No matter how things didn’t go his way, how could they fall apart to this extent? How?

“…That can’t be. Surely… with my own hands I confirmed…”

“It would be better not to say more, Prince Guize.”

“I confirmed his breathing had stopped!”

“The medicine must have been defective.”

The count ignored the raging Guiz and left. With this, Guiz was perfectly, completely finished.

The countless silent people were accustomed to the current king. The current king was someone who had been on the throne for about 70 years. Therefore, people found it difficult to imagine anyone other than the current king.

There was no opposition to Guiz not inheriting the throne, but they also didn’t support the too-young Louis becoming king.

Most people who disliked change. Those people would not tolerate Prince Guiz, who had tried to kill the current king, and in reaction to that, they were prepared to trust and follow any choice the current king made.

“Guiz will be exiled to the frontier, and Louis’s coronation will be held. I thought he was too young and have delayed it until now, but I believe no one will object anymore.”

At the current king’s announcement, everyone bowed their heads and agreed.

“Your Majesty’s words are correct.”

A peaceful coronation without opposition was predicted.

* * *

“So it was Priest Dulan who made the medicine after all.”

Raymond was sitting with Karen behind the royal palace garden. It was a garden that looked quiet and peaceful, as if no such commotion had ever occurred. But walls were broken here and there, and remnants of battle remained. Karen picked up a shell casing lying around and fiddled with it as she asked.

“Did you expect Dulan to make fake medicine?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“You can tell just by looking at this guy not being dead.”

Raymond answered while petting the giant dog wagging its tail at him. It looked like a monster but was quite affectionate. When Karen reached out her hand, it immediately growled, which was annoying, so she quickly hid her hand behind her back.

“It’s probably because it’s not used to you yet.”

“I don’t really have much connection with animals.”

“If you’re so concerned about it, how about befriending a hundred dogs and cats next time?”

“I won’t do it, I won’t. Forget about the dogs and give me more explanation.”

As Karen grumbled and went to look at the dog next to Raymond, Raymond tied up the dog and stepped back. Only after Raymond poured water on his hands and wiped them with a handkerchief did Karen go to his side and start walking together.

“I was able to understand by watching him for a long time. Things like the scope of his knowledge… and how far he could go. He always becomes soft-hearted at the end.”

“…Dulan?”

When Karen asked back, Raymond answered with a smile.

“It’s not that he’s kind. It’s because he has a side that can’t even bear the burden. He’s someone who can’t kill others even if he himself stands at the crossroads of death. There’s no way he could remain fine while bearing the burden of killing a king.”

Raymond continued.

“He might think of it as morality or faith himself. Anyway, he has only killed a person once in his entire life.”

Karen could tell who that one time was.

“Me.”

“Yes, at that point he had clear certainty that you would come back to life.”

Dulan was someone who could kill only Karen, if no one else. Even though Karen was the most important person to him.

“That is his most vicious part.”

Raymond finally understood Dulan.

His evil side, his weak side, and even the points he couldn’t bear. He had found the method. What mattered was determination. Raymond stopped walking. And looking into Karen’s eyes, he asked.

“Will you marry me again this time?”

“…This is the second worst proposal. Lord Raymond, at least bring a ring and flowers as basics.”

Of course, she would be angry if that’s all there was. Karen answered lightly and continued walking. But when Raymond didn’t follow, she had no choice but to stop.

“Everything I have is yours.”

“Is there nothing more than such obvious things?”

“Staking everything I have…”

The blonde knight lowered himself and swore to his lady.

“I will bring you death.”

The sun was setting so his face wasn’t clearly visible, and bullet casings were scattered on the floor of the ruined palace. Moreover, both were tired. There was no ring and no flowers.

However, what Raymond promised to give her was truly what she wanted, and no further answer was needed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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