May Every Wound Be Fatal - Chapter 16.2
The words were far too absurd. No, it was not just absurd, it was utterly ridiculous.
“King Bailion did not die of a chronic illness. He was poisoned by Leonard Dazbel.”
…Could he really be joking about something like that? In this situation, that man?
Reyna was left speechless.
Meanwhile, Lyman continued speaking.
“King Talion, who was reported to have been killed by Dochioins, was also assassinated by Leonard Dazbel. Leonard placed the blame on the Dochioins for his own crimes.”
Reyna, dumbfounded, moved her lips repeatedly before managing to reply.
“…Sir Lyman. Do you realize what you have just said?”
Lyman calmly added an explanation.
“It was necessary to have a pretext to occupy Dochioins territory. Their lands were rich with iron. After a long massacre, Leonard Dazbel claimed all that iron for himself.”
It was a story completely different from what she had known.
But Reyna could not say a word.
She did not feel that Lyman was insulting her with lies. Instead, a deep instinct told her that something had gone wrong long ago.
“You asked when there were Dochioins in the castle, Your Highness.”
“……”
“I am a Dochioin.”
Reyna suddenly frowned.
No matter how she looked at Lyman, he did not resemble a Dochioin. He had fair skin, black hair, and gray eyes.
Lyman seemed to notice her confusion and spoke.
“My father was a Dochioin. He was killed by one of Leonard Dazbel’s knights.”
Reyna’s lips parted in shock.
“I hate the Dazbels.”
“……”
Reyna instinctively stepped back.
Then Lyman returned to his role as a loyal knight.
“But I will give my life to protect Your Highness.”
Reyna struggled to understand as she spoke.
“…Why?”
“That is the king’s command.”
Lyman then bowed slightly and requested.
“Please do not kill any innocent Dochioins.”
‘Again.’
Reyna often felt foolish after the fall of the Dazbel family.
She knew too little. And the truths were far uglier than she could have imagined. Suddenly, she felt that they might ultimately kill her.
Reyna moved her eyes and scanned her surroundings.
The gazes that had been on her scattered hurriedly.
It was only then that she realized that those looks had no trace of contempt. Something she had never experienced in her life.
‘Since when have they been watching me like that?’
For a while, time seemed to stand still as Reyna whispered in a cracked voice.
“…Leave. All of you leave at once.”
***
In the middle of the night, someone opened the door to the imprisoned queen’s bedroom.
Thud. The door closed, and Reyna, startled from her light sleep, opened her eyes.
The footsteps were familiar, but for a moment, she thought.
It might not be him, but an intruder seeking vengeance against me.
Her nerves tensed, and her entire body stiffened. The footsteps grew closer, and she even forgot to breathe.
Soon, one side of the bed shifted.
Yet nothing happened.
Reyna kept her tension while breathing quietly. She sensed the familiar scent and presence.
It was Elizer.
Strangely, relief washed over her, and the stiffness in her body melted.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Reyna felt that Elizer lingered longer than usual.
He still did not speak. He only quietly watched her sleeping form.
Reyna unconsciously parted her lips but stopped herself.
“….”
She felt that there was no need to ask Elizer anything.
At that time, Reyna suspected that her father was far more cruel than she had imagined. Her imagination, however, had its limits.
Reyna did not disbelieve Lyman’s words, but she feared that what he said was not the end.
The world she had known had already shattered. The name Dazbel had become a source of shame. Or rather, it had been shameful from the beginning, and she had not realized it.
Then Elizer seemed ready to leave.
She was afraid to be alone. Reyna almost reached out to him but quickly regained her composure and pretended to remain asleep.
After Elizer left, Reyna could not fall back asleep.
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