In the Main Duchy
Zack and Zach knelt in front of the Archduke with their heads down while the pressure in the room started to feel heavier.
The Archduke's zaen pressure was getting stronger the longer he stared at them.
"You're telling me the youngest agreed?"
"Yes, Father."
The twins said at the same time.
Honestly, they did not expect to be sent back right after arriving. They thought they would stay a few days at the Exiled Mansion like maybe mess around a little bit.
But instead, the youngest told them to leave after saying he would take the Academy test.
And so here they were, back at the Main Duchy.
'What's going on with the youngest?'
The twins both thought the same thing.
Seven Hart had never acted like that before. Every time they visited, he would look like a scared little thing as he would flinch or totally avoid their gaze.
That was the normal Seven.
But this time… he stared straight at them.
He should not have changed that much no matter how different he became.
But before they could think too much about it, the Archduke said nothing more and waved his hand. The knights standing along the hall moved and signaled them to leave.
Step. Step.
Thud.
Once the throne room doors shut behind them, silence filled the air.
Or at least, until the Archduke suddenly let out a booming laugh.
"HAHAHHAHA!!"
It was not a normal laugh. It was the kind of deep laugh that made the walls shake a little.
A laugh full of power that if the place were a battlefield, that alone would be enough to lower the enemy's morale.
Then, just as quickly, he stopped.
Snap.
He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Swoosh.
A figure appeared from the shadows and dropped to one knee where the twins had been moments ago. The person wore a half-mask shaped like a wolf's face.
The Archduke did not say anything but just looked at the figure.
"I heard everything, Archduke."
The masked figure said.
"The youngest also asked me to convey his request for your presence."
The Archduke narrowed his eyes.
"...You?"
"Yes. He knew I was there the whole time."
"..."
That got a small reaction as the Archduke nodded.
Though it was not in agreement, but more like... thinking.
Only two people in the world were supposed to know about the 'Abaddon' which was a force that he had personally trained.
Himself and Eden.
No one else.
'The youngest knows about it…?'
He thought.
Taap. Ttap. Tapp.
He tapped his fingers against the armrest repeatedly.
He was just about to dismiss the figure when the masked man lifted his head.
"The youngest opened his first Zaen Gate."
"...On his own?"
"Eden helped—"
The masked figure stopped talking right away as Zaen blasted through the throne room like a wave.
"Granted."
The Archduke said coldly.
"Prepare to depart. Immediately."
***
In the Exiled Mansion
A maid sat in a corner of the washroom with knees pulled to her chest and was sobbing quietly.
Her light gray hair was tied in twin ponytails, but it was messy and soaked with sweat and tears.
Beside her was a mop and a bucket filled with bloody water.
"N-No… "
She whispered over and over that she was now barely able to speak.
"P-Please…"
Tears streamed down her face as she curled into herself.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…
"Young Lord…
"Please don't leave me…"
***
In the Exiled Mansion
Creak.
The door creaked open as Seven stepped inside his room.
But as he did, the first thing he noticed was the state of his room right now.
He did not have enough time to clean it earlier as the twins arrived, but he frowned.
After all, the floor gleamed a little like it had just been wiped down. The curtains were fixed. The sheets on the bed were freshly folded.
"..."
He stood still for a second.
But after a while, he took a few steps forward.
Step.
Even the rug was replaced by a new one with the same design.
He turned to the side and opened the window to let some air in. The air smelled like soap from whatever was used to scrub the walls.
Tap. Tapp. Taapp.
He tapped the window.
"…Iria."
The name left his lips without thinking.
She was the only one who could have cleaned all this up given that no one else entered this room except for her. It was also the fact that she was the only servant present within the exiled mansion.
Which meant she saw the blood.
"If she…"
If she really saw all that… she probably panicked and cleaned everything in a rush.
And now…
Hff…
With a deep breath, he leaned against the desk.
"The poison…
"She might be thinking I found out by now,,,"
It would definitely be what someone would say as the reason he took that pill in the first place to flush it all out.
The toxins.
The poison.
He thought that Iria probably thought he figured it out and used the red pill to deal with it.
To deal with the daily doses of poisons she puts in his food, tea, and the chant she disguised as a healing spell.
Though in all honesty, as a reader, he already knew about it.
But not the original Seven Hart, in which took the poison without any doubts and thus resulted in his poor health condition.
"...Maybe she's scared by now and crying somewhere thinking I will punish her."
He chuckled.
In the first place, that would be the obvious reaction of Iria.
Creak.
He pulled the chair back and sat down.
For some reason, he did not feel angry.
He did not feel betrayed either.
He was just…
…Tired.
"Fudge."
His eyes flicked to the closed door.
"...I'll deal with it later."
He decided that he would let her think whatever she wants for now.
Instead, he stood up and walked over to the corner of the wall to grab the wooden sword right beside the bucket of water, that, for some reason, was untouched by blood.
And as usual, he ignored it.
He planted his feet shoulder-width apart with left foot forward and right foot back.
He bent his knees slightly and raised the wooden sword in front of him.
For now, he just needed to focus on building stamina.
The Academy entrance test was not going to be easy, and with the Archduke probably already planning to visit him, he needed to be ready for both.
"Fudge."
He, at least, needed to withstand the Zaen that would exude from the Archduke's body as described in the novel.
Even if just a little.