[V6C4] Pure White Yearning, Tinged with Guilt

Isaac was indirectly responsible for the death of Monica’s father.

If Monica had revealed Isaac’s true identity, she could have restored her father’s honor. Yet she chose not to do so.

All for the sake of saving a friend. One who had hung out with her for a single night.

In order to save Isaac, Monica relinquished her right to revenge and the chance to redeem her father. How much pressure must she have felt when making that decision?

——Despite Monica’s aversion to negotiations, she even made a deal with the Empire.

Isaac stood shocked, as if struck hard on the head. Meanwhile, Yuan simply shrugged his shoulders.

“The Silent Witch fulfilled her promise to us, but then the impostor started visiting her rather often. Unsettling, right?”

It made sense for the Empire to keep tabs on the Silent Witch. They had been doing it for a while.

Once they identified her Sazandol residence… they noticed a certain man visiting her.

“If the impostor prince is seducing the Silent Witch and manipulating her into starting a war… Well, we can’t simply keep quiet anymore, right?”

Isaac felt as if he might burst into laughter.

Him, seducing Monica! Unfortunately, his master wouldn’t be easily swayed by seduction. Swallowing his true feelings, Isaac contemplated his response.

Despite the turmoil in his heart, his mind remained remarkably sharp.

“The greatest concern for your master, the Black Lion Emperor… would be whether Ridill desires war with the Empire or not, right? The Empire is currently in disarray, with internal troubles to the extent that they can’t afford a war with Ridill. There have been three unsuccessful coup attempts this year alone.”

Yuan showed no signs of agitation at Isaac’s words, but Heidi, despite not revealing it on her face, exuded a sense of unease.

The coup attempts hadn’t been made public, so Isaac’s knowledge of them likely surprised her.

The current emperor was rumored to have assassinated the previous one in order to take the throne, so it’s only natural that many held a grudge against him.

As a result, the Empire faced numerous internal and external enemies, with constant battles against other nations and foreign tribes in the south and east.

In essence, the Empire couldn’t afford to wage war against Ridill right now. On the contrary…

“I’m aware of the talks of a marriage proposal between the Black Lion Emperor’s younger sister and our country’s Crown Prince. The Empire desires assistance from Ridill, and the Black Lion Emperor might be suspecting that I will interfere with that, yes?”

Suppressing all his emotions, Isaac lowered the gun.

Then, with the gentle smile of the Second Prince plastered on his face, he conveyed his intentions.

“Rest assured. I do not desire war, and I lack the power to incite the people.”

“The first half is true, the second is a lie. You could easily incite anyone you want, am I wrong?”

“You give me too much credit.”

Nero muttered under his breath, “Man, what a lie.”

(Please be quiet when we are discussing serious matters, I beg you.)

With that thought in the corner of his mind, Isaac directed a calm smile at Yuan.

“I am genuinely delighted to have established a connection with the esteemed Black Lion Emperor. Although I have already retired from the public stage, feel free to reach out to me anytime if you ever find yourself in need.”

Isaac maintained a friendly demeanor as the Second Prince, so Yuan placed a hand on his chest and bowed accordingly.

“…I will convey that to our master, Prince Felix.”

“I’m glad to see you are quick on the uptake. Oh, just one more thing.”

Isaac raised the gun and pointed it at Yuan again.

The expression vanished from his refined face. He stared right into Yuan’s azure eyes, identical to his own, with dark fury.

Then, he gave Yuan an order. Not as the Second Prince, but as his servant Isaac Walker.

“Never use that face again.”

Rather than succumbing to Isaac’s pressure, Yuan simply brushed his hands against his cheeks.

“Oh no. But isn’t it such a wonderful face?”

“I’ve been itching to pull the trigger for a while now.”

Every morning, when Isaac looked into the mirror, the first thing he did was confirm his face. He needed to ensure that he could maintain the gentle prince-like smile that Felix always wished for.

But now, the man in front of him was twisting that face into something detestable, the complete opposite of the kind prince who Isaac admired. Could there be any other worse humiliation?

Upon sensing Isaac’s genuine anger, Yuan playfully laughed with a “Oh dear, how scary,” and manipulated his face again.

His face warped and twisted before returning to the plain face of the unremarkable man from earlier. Surely, this wasn’t his true face either.

How would it feel to change faces so easily?

As Isaac pondered that in the back of his mind, Yuan spoke again.

“Hey, Mr. Impostor. This is just my curiosity speaking, but…”

“What is it?”

“If I told you I could revert your face to its original state… What would you do?”

A foolish question that didn’t require any thought.

Even if Isaac were to regain his original face, he couldn’t redo his life.

“Discarding this face would mean abandoning all responsibility and running away. I would never forgive myself for doing such a thing, regardless of what anyone else might think.”

Until the day he died, Isaac would continue to live bearing the name of Felix. This was his only option. His life no longer belonged to himself.

＊　＊　＊

After concluding the conversation with the impostor Second Prince, Yuan and Heidi boarded their hidden carriage, then began their return trip to the Empire.

Due to the late hour and poor visibility, they were forced to drive the carriage at a slow pace.

Leaving the driving to Heidi, Yuan sat next to her, resting his cheek on his raised knee, lost in thought.

Being discovered by that impostor was quite a heavy blow. Yuan’s pride as a spy was in tatters.

…However, there were some gains to be had.

(He has more information than we anticipated, which means he has his own intelligence agents. A dangerous man to make enemies with.)

The most frightening outcome would be if the impostor prince and the Silent Witch joined forces.

The impostor prince’s information network and charisma, combined with the combat power of the Silent Witch… Honestly, they were not opponents you could make enemies of.

It was necessary to keep an eye on the impostor prince’s movements in the future. If possible, Yuan would like to have a hold on his weaknesses.

When he played the role of the Second Prince, the man’s acting was so flawless to the point that it left a spy like Yuan in awe.

However, there were cracks in his mask.

The Silent Witch and the real Prince Felix——those were the cracks. Finding such cracks made Yuan want to jam his fingers in and pry them open.

Yuan and Heidi, too, were people who had discarded their own faces.

They had struggled for dear life in a place akin to rock bottom… It was only by discarding their old faces that they obtained their current positions.

(I don’t know the circumstances behind that impostor discarding his face…)

He, too, probably saw despair within the depths of that darkness. His circumstances were likely nothing to scoff at.

Even so, Yuan’s heart held no empathy or sympathy for him.

The darkness Yuan saw and the darkness the impostor saw were different, making any comparison meaningless.

＊　＊　＊

Even after Yuan and Heidi departed, Isaac simply stood there.

He absentmindedly looked up at the sky, finding it covered in thick clouds and absent of stars.

Instead, something white appeared in the sky. Snow.

“Ugh, it’s cold… hey, Sparkles, let’s head back before I go into hibernation again.”

Nero complained while rubbing his arms.

Without responding, Isaac lowered his gaze from the sky to his feet.

He was getting covered in the silently falling white snow. It fell against his thick, golden hair and vibrant crimson suit.

Feelings of admiration and guilt towards Monica were dominating his chest.

“Two years ago, you knew that Monica made a deal with the Empire, right?”

“Hm? Ah, something like that happened, yeah.”

“…Do you think Monica resents me?”

“How should I know? Ask her yourself.”

A valid point. However, that wouldn’t be easy.

Every time Isaac learned of the things Monica did for him, the affection burned stronger in his chest, and simultaneously, he became acutely aware of the weight of his sins.

His feelings swelled stronger day by day. In the not-so-distant future, they will surely become overwhelming.

As the downcast Isaac stood still, Nero spoke casually with a tone of indifference.

“If it was the Monica who had just arrived at the Academy, she might have easily sided with the Empire. She never cared about her position in the Seven Sages. In fact, she always said her mission was impossible and she wanted to go home.”

“…I can imagine it.”

Isaac gave a weak nod in agreement, and Nero continued.

“But deciding to help you was something Monica chose for herself… even if it meant making enemies of many. I didn’t really care, but Monica decided to do it.”

How much courage did that decision require from the timid Monica?

Her small frame was burdened with so much unwanted responsibility——Still, Monica had smiled at Isaac and extended a helping hand.

Isaac turned his back to Nero, brushed off the snow from his hair, and covered his eyes with his hand.

As Isaac remained still for a while, Nero circled around to his front with cat-like agility.

“Oh, you’re crying. You’re actually crying.”

What a truly unpleasant dragon.

“…Can you keep what happened today a secret from Monica?”

“My charge will be roasted chicken, fried fish dumplings, and plenty of alcohol.”

Isaac lowered the hand covering his eyes and muttered with a tearful smile, “Pretty cheap, huh.”

The snow continued falling with increasing intensity. Would it be snowing in Sazandol tonight too?

Finally taking a step forward, Isaac made a silent wish that Monica wouldn’t be feeling cold today.

The area around his feet was a slushy mix of the white of snow and the brown of the soil, as if reflecting his own heart.

View the latest chapters at seeker142.github.io