Wicked Husband-Chapter 151 - 150

Leon remained silent for a long moment. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke, his voice heavy with difficulty.

"...Her last letter, you say?"

"You were the last person to visit Eileen Elrod, Your Majesty."

"..."

Arrested on emergency charges of violating narcotics laws, Eileen Elrod was immediately imprisoned. No one came to visit her, a woman whose execution was all but certain.

Her father, fearing any backlash, fled as soon as his daughter was arrested, taking anything of value with him. Her only ally had been Cesare, but with him fully engrossed in the Kalpen campaign, there was no one in the capital to protect Eileen—except Leon.

Before leaving for Kalpen, Cesare had asked Leon to look after her. Yet, in the end, Leon had prioritized Eileen’s wishes and the stability of the Traon imperial family over his brother’s request.

Cesare understood Leon’s decision—it was pragmatic, logical. But understanding didn’t mean acceptance. Both brothers knew that their bond could never return to what it once was. In the heavy silence that followed, Leon lowered his head.

"Follow me."

Leaving the knights behind, Cesare and Leon moved to a more private location. Leon led him to the emperor’s private chambers.

There, Leon pressed a discreet button on one of the posts of the canopy bed. With a soft click, a hidden compartment opened, revealing a small dagger, a pistol, some coins, and a neatly folded piece of paper.

Leon picked up the paper and stood still for a moment. With his back still turned to Cesare, he began to speak.

"...I never intended to hide it."

The faint sound of crumpling paper cut through the tense silence. Leon’s hand had involuntarily tightened its grip.

"I only wanted to wait until your heart had calmed... until then, I thought it best to hold onto it."

Cesare silently observed as the veins on Leon’s hand stood out against his skin. Though the paper was crumpled, it remained intact. Leon took a deep breath and turned to face his brother.

"How did you know there was a letter?"

When Cesare had visited Eileen in prison, there had been no one else present—not a single guard, not even a rat. The prison had held only Leon and Eileen.

Leon’s question carried an unspoken implication. He was asking whether Cesare had placed him under surveillance, whether his twin brother had doubted him. In response, Cesare gave a calm, simple answer.

"Because she wouldn’t have died without leaving me a word."

There had been no surveillance. Cesare didn’t need it to deduce that Leon had withheld Eileen’s letter.

Eileen hadn’t been executed immediately; she’d spent time in prison. Cesare was certain she would have left a message for him in some form. Without the means to bribe or convince the guards, Eileen would have entrusted it to the only visitor she had—Leon.

It was a straightforward deduction, based on years of understanding how Eileen thought.

Leon’s grip on the letter tightened, the sound of the paper threatening to tear filling the air. Cesare, sensing the tension, spoke softly.

"Brother."

Leon’s eyes widened slightly at the familiar address. Cesare extended his hand silently, and after a moment, Leon handed over the letter.

Though Cesare accepted it, he didn’t open the letter immediately. He tucked it carefully into his pocket, offering a faint smile—one twisted with bitterness.

"Don’t forget, we agreed to bear the consequences together."

Leon nodded heavily, the weight of the imperial crown seeming to press down on him even more.

But Cesare did not take the crown from him. Just as Cesare could not lay down his sword, Leon could not abandon his crown.

Leaving the imperial palace, Cesare went directly to the modest brick house. As he had done when reading her journal, he ascended to Eileen’s room on the second floor to read the letter. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The letter was short, written on a single sheet of paper. It took less than a minute to read it.

Yet Cesare held the letter for a long time, rereading it over and over—not because he didn’t understand its contents.

He understood why Leon hadn’t shown it to him earlier. As he read the deeply pressed words again, something inside him snapped. The absurdity of it all overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t contain his laughter. Laughing like a madman, Cesare made his decision.

***

That day, rain fell heavily. Large, relentless raindrops hammered down as every noble in the empire was summoned to the imperial palace by royal decree.

Even those abroad, in the countryside for health reasons or overseeing their estates, were ordered to return. Every noble involved in imperial politics was gathered in one place, with the exception of some provincial lords.

The grand banquet hall, usually reserved for major state events, was filled with nobles, all on edge. The moment they entered the palace, an ominous air had struck them.

The hall was lined with soldiers standing in perfect formation, their expressions as rigid and lifeless as stone statues, their hands clasped behind their backs.

"This feels like we’re being herded into a trap," one noble remarked with a nervous laugh, prompting strained chuckles from others.

While some tried to deflect their unease with humor, others grew increasingly agitated, raising their voices in protest.

"Where is Grand Duke Erzet? I demand an audience with His Imperial Majesty! Hero or not, this arrogance is intolerable!" Duke Farbellini roared, his fury palpable. Around him, other nobles murmured their agreement.

The summoning itself had been strange enough, but the fact that soldiers from the Grand Duke’s personal guard had forcibly escorted them to the palace—almost dragging them in—had only fueled the anger.

Those who resisted had been met with the same cold response: "This is both a royal command and an order from Grand Duke Erzet. Enter the palace and speak to the Grand Duke directly. Refusal will result in the use of force."

And so, all the nobles of the capital found themselves gathered in the imperial palace, their frustration mounting.

"I don’t know what kind of grand proclamation he plans to make, but he’ll pay for this," Duke Farbellini spat, his voice trembling with rage. His words echoed the indignation of the entire room.