Raul caught Tom in his arms just before he collapsed onto the hallway floor. The boy was taller and far bulkier than Raul, so the moment he embraced him, his own body teetered sideways—but he held on with his frail arms. Not because he had strength to spare, but from sheer willpower to make sure Tom wouldn’t be hurt.

“…Butler…”

Tom called out to Raul weakly as he slowly closed his eyes. A greenish bruise had already formed across his drowsy throat. If Raul had been even a moment later, Tom would’ve suffocated, his neck snapped, dead on the spot.

Raul’s blood ran cold in the blink of an eye, his spine prickling with dread at the horrifying accident that had just occurred. And all at once, the reality of his situation hit him with brutal clarity.

What in the world have I done!

His vision blurred with panic. But it was already too late to undo anything. No—that wasn’t quite true. It wasn’t too late… He was just terrified of the path that remained.

“Haa…”

A long sigh escaped Raul’s thin, wrinkled lips.

“Butler! What happened?!”

As he sat there paralyzed, unsure of what to do next, a passing servant happened to spot them and rushed over in alarm. It was Eric, the gardener who had been Tom’s friend since childhood.

“Tom! Who the hell did this?!”

It was only as he approached that Eric recognized the person collapsed with his head on Raul’s knee as Tom. His face turned pale. Then, when he saw the dark bruise wrapped around Tom’s throat, his expression twisted with fury.

“Could you carry Tom to the infirmary?”

Raul asked in a weak voice. Eric didn’t even answer—he immediately hoisted Tom onto his back. Maybe because he was used to hauling heavy logs and bags of soil, he did it with little effort. Tom’s limp limbs dangled downward as Eric adjusted his grip, trying to keep him from slipping.

“Butler, are you all right?”

Eric asked, glancing at Raul, who was still slumped on the ground. From where he stood, Raul’s complexion looked worse than Tom’s. Tom might have collapsed, but it was Raul who looked like a corpse.

“I’m fine. Just get Tom there quickly.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll send someone right away. Please hang on!”

Eric shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted down the corridor with surprising speed, considering he had a grown man on his back. That gave Raul a small measure of relief.

Raul braced his hands against the floor, trying to push himself up. But there was no feeling in his legs.

The paralysis that had begun when he shattered the communication orb had already reached his knees.

“Hah…”

He let out a hollow, bitter laugh. There was something empty—and oddly liberating—about it.

He began crawling into the open room. Since it was working hours, the hallway was mercifully empty. Even if someone came to help now, there was no one who could cure him.

For a brief moment, he thought of the mage, Gerard. But he shook his head.

What right do I have?

Maybe dying here, completely paralyzed, was the best possible outcome for everyone.

Shards of the crystal orb lay scattered across the floor like glass razors. A sharp, acrid stench filled the room—not the kind associated with magical communication, but something much more caustic. Raul instinctively wrinkled his nose and began coughing.

“Cough! Cough!”

His throat stung and tickled. After several fits of coughing, he finally managed to crawl onto the sofa and sit upright. He could no longer feel anything up to his thighs.

Raul opened the notebook he had left on the table. He picked up his quill and began writing his will.

—I colluded with Archmage Telior and leaked information about Wintfall. I believed it was the right path for Wintfall’s future, but I was a fool. There is a hidden compartment beneath the bottom of the second drawer in my desk. Inside is a notebook containing the records of all my correspondence with Telior.

Please feed my body to the monsters.

To Tom, I wish to offer my deepest apolo—

Thud.

But Raul never finished. The strength drained from his hands, and the quill dropped from his fingers. Soon, even breathing would become difficult.

He leaned back into the sofa and slowly closed his eyes. It was time to bring his sinful life to an end. But then—

“Old man, don’t die just yet.”

Gerard suddenly appeared in front of him, grinning. He grabbed Raul’s jaw and forced a yellow liquid into his mouth. The sickly-sweet fluid slid down his throat and lit his body on fire with agony. Raul’s eyes flew open.

“Hah! Urgh!”

His whole body trembled violently. Through the haze of pain, he barely managed to lift his head—and locked eyes with Estella, who was silently watching him.

That was the last thing Raul saw before losing consciousness.

Estella had brought Gerard, thinking if nothing else, let’s try saving him, but even Gerard couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own eyes.

“The Archmage… did this…?”

Gerard had never gotten along with the other mages in the tower, but he had always considered the Archmage a man worthy of respect. A life devoted to the empire couldn’t be described as anything short of noble and selfless.

“Wait… those monsters last time too?”

Deep in thought, Gerard suddenly recalled something and turned to Estella, his expression suspicious.

Estella gave a small nod in place of an answer.

“No way. Maybe someone else—”

“It was the Archmage. If you’re not sure, ask Raul later.”

A hard-to-express sense of betrayal swept over Gerard. Estella watched as he raked his fingers through his already messy hair, visibly tormented.

Is this how kids feel when they find out Santa’s presents came from their parents all along?

Gerard paced the parlor muttering, this makes no sense, over and over. Only after a long time did he finally sit on the sofa, pressing his palms over his head.

“I thought this household was the only mess…”

“The whole empire’s a mess. Disappointed?”

Estella taunted him lightly. Gerard snapped his heterochromatic eyes open and shot back in a sharp voice.

“What do you know about how I feel?!”

“Nothing.”

Estella leaned back in the sofa and replied indifferently.

“You could’ve at least lied and said you did!”

“Why would I?”

“You are seriously—!”

“Stop whining. We’ve got work to do.”

“Wow… You are honestly the most—!”

“The most what?”

“…Forget it.”

Gerard flinched under Estella’s ice-cold glare and quickly dropped his gaze, lips jutting out in a pout. He could easily blast her into the next kingdom with magic. He even knew a massive secret about her. And yet, for some reason, every time he stood in front of Estella, he felt completely outmatched. It was absurd.

“Gah!”

Raul jolted awake, gasping like a man who had been underwater for far too long.

“Gasp, gasp!”

What’s happening?

His head was spinning like someone had grabbed it and shaken it violently. He felt nauseated, his guts twisting in knots as he curled into a ball in pain.

“You’re finally awake?”

It was Estella’s voice.

Raul, still panting, lifted his head to meet her gaze. Her eyes were cool and unflinching—she knew everything. His strength drained away.

“…You saved me.”

His voice came out ragged and broken. The cloying sweetness of that liquid still lingered in his mouth. He could feel it sticking to his lips.

Raul wiggled his toes. Thankfully, the paralysis had fully receded.

With difficulty, he sat up. One might have expected Estella to tell him to rest, but she simply watched in silence until he sat upright.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Saving you doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.”

The moment he was upright, Estella spoke the very words Raul had anticipated. It felt like a block of ice dropped into his chest, but he remained silent.

“I’ll accept whatever punishment you decide.”

“I read your will.”

“….”

It was something he had written in a rush, expecting death. The normally neat handwriting was scrawled and messy. In truth, Raul couldn’t even remember what he’d written. All he felt now was guilt and regret.

“If you knew you’d regret it, why do it?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“So you decided the Cardeine family couldn’t handle Wintfall?”

“…Yes.”

His voice was heavy with defeat. Perhaps, at the time, he truly believed he was doing it for Wintfall. But a noble goal never justifies treacherous means.

“I haven’t told Father yet.”

“…Why not?”

Raul asked, holding onto a sliver of hope.

“If you truly regret it, pay your dues through work. And once you’ve paid it all, leave Wintfall.”

He wanted so badly to ask—couldn’t he stay? But the words wouldn’t come. He simply nodded.

“I’m giving you more time only because you didn’t betray us for personal gain. And I’m not keeping you here because I forgive you.”

“Miss… Please, just let me die. I don’t deserve to live.”

“You’re mistaken. The moment you betrayed this house, you lost even the right to die. So don’t die without permission.”

Estella was cold.

But the moment Raul heard her firm voice, the lingering anxiety inside him melted away like snow. She would become a great leader of Wintfall.

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Don’t tell Father. You don’t deserve that either. I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“And keep contacting Telior.”

“…Excuse me?”

Raul thought he misheard. But as he saw Estella’s steady gaze, he understood exactly what she meant.

“You want me to feed him false information.”

“Correct.”

“But I already destroyed the orb. There’s no way to contact him anymore.”

The moment Raul saw the smoke from the orb strangling Tom, he had thrown it to the ground. It shattered into countless pieces. And he’d collapsed before he could even gather the shards.

“Don’t worry. Gerard repaired it perfectly.”

Estella pulled out the pristine orb and handed it to him like a shackle, her smile cold as frost.

“But the moment that toxin paralyzed me, he must’ve realized I betrayed him.”

“But everything’s back to normal. Say you dropped it by accident and it cracked. That’s why the paralysis only started and then stopped.”

“…Understood.”

Raul took the orb with both hands. It was the size of a hen’s egg, but it felt as heavy as a boulder.

“If Telior asks, say you were startled because Tom was eavesdropping in the hallway. You stood up too quickly and dropped it. And tell him Tom died.”

“Tom… died?”

Tears streamed down the wrinkles of Raul’s face as he repeated the words.

Chapter 148

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