Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 151

“It’s not yours, it’s mine.”

 

Zephyto’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Iris’s questioning words. The ring fit Zephyto’s ring finger like a glove, too tightly to be hers.

 

If it wasn’t really hers in the first place, what was the point of putting it on his ring finger?

 

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, her racing breath finally calming.

 

Taking a deep breath, her chest heaving, Iris looked straight at Zephyto.

 

“So when you get back, make sure you give it to me.”

 

“…….”

 

“By all means, and then we can talk about everything we haven’t said to each other.”

 

The desperation in her voice reminded him of his prayers to keep Iris alive in the past, and now he understood why she was handing him this ring.

 

Zephyto looked at Iris with a nonchalant face. She gave him a look that said she had nothing to fear, but her trembling eyes could not hide her true feelings.

 

‘How did she know about the secret trip and come this far?’

 

‘Behind her was the Duke of Elter, or was it Ragnar?’

 

‘What was Iris thinking when she appeared before him?’

 

Zephyto extended his left hand in the air and examined the ring closely. The white ring glistened with a sheen, even though it was still early morning.

 

He lowered his arm, clenching his fist slightly. Then, without a word of farewell, he turned and walked back to his seat.

 

All his attention was on Iris behind him, but he tried to remain calm.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Zephyto’s low, resonant voice rang out in the early morning air. Mounting his horse, he led his knights and set off toward Telene.

 

In the lead, Zephyr rode with only one eye on the road ahead. All the answers, he believed, lay ahead.

 

* * *

 

Arriving at a campsite near Telene, Zephyto paused to catch his breath. He looked out over the peaceful view of Telene from the mountains below and was deep in thought. Elita waited silently at his right, escorting him.

 

His fingers on the reins moved regularly, then stopped.

 

He turned around and surveyed the knights. They were of varying builds, and their faces were a mishmash of gaunt features. To a stranger, one might wonder if they were truly a select group of Imperial Knights.

 

But they were all knights that Elita had painstakingly selected. They had worked hand in hand with Zephyto for so long that their faces were familiar to him; they had followed him here, trusting only him.

 

Elita’s orange eyes sparkled unusually brightly today. She carefully parted her lips.

 

“You’ve decided?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

He tightened his grip on the reins, studying each of the knights’ faces in the wilderness.

 

“I assume you were briefed before you came here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

They shook their heads, answering tersely, without any change in expression.

 

“If this ends in failure, you will be traitors. Think twice before you take another step. Those who wish to return now may go. I will not resent or hold you back.”

 

“…….”

 

“…Anyone?”

 

He asked again, his voice strong, but no one moved, and Elita gave a small smile at the sight.

Satisfied that the knights had their hearts in the right place, he looked at Telene once more. The hard, wiry bones bobbed up and down once.

 

“We will not follow the Empire’s orders. We will not raid Telene, and we will not kill the king. Our goal now is to negotiate with the king.”

 

“…….”

 

“If the negotiations are successful, if all the facts are revealed… the guilty party will be summarily executed. Only myself and Elita will enter Telene. The rest of you will wait in the field until the signal is given, just as we practiced in the Empire. Is that understood?”

 

“Yes, sir, we understand.”

 

“Then, take your places.”

 

The knights answered in a military tone of voice and quickly dispersed to find their places. As if their practiced words weren’t a lie, they disappeared without a trace.

 

Once he was sure they were gone, Zephyto led his horse in the direction of Telene.

 

He reached the capital less than half an hour after descending from the mountains. Seeing the people of Telene so energized in the morning made the war seem completely irrelevant here. 

 

He walked on, hoping that this peace would last.

 

His request to the king was granted more quickly than he expected. King Willis welcomed Zephyto, whether he knew the situation or not. He stared at the hot tea in front of him.

 

“How did you enjoy your visit to Lake Bates? It’s one of Telene’s few boasts.”

 

At Willis’s question, Zephyto tilted his head in silence. He looked rather young for a king of a nation.

 

Willis’s question illustrated how he had risen to the position of king so quickly. Zephyto’s lips curled into a slight smile. He answered the question in a relaxed manner.

 

“Yes, it was beautiful.”

 

“Did you come to see the lake alone today?”

 

“No, I was told I had something else to show off.”

 

“So, did you come to see the Fletcher River?”

 

“Isn’t Fletcher already too famous? The place I’m going to is just off the beaten path.”

 

In his words, Willis’s light green eyes colored with wonder. Zephyto relaxed his grip on the handle of his teacup.

 

“Hmm…, it’s embarrassing that I, a king, don’t know of such a place, so perhaps you could tell me where it is?”

 

“Of course, it’s a slave black market beneath the capital. It’s said to be the size of some provinces. Would you like to take a look?”

 

As soon as Willis heard the word black market, his face crumpled like a sheet of paper. He was not at all ready to hear about the place from Zephyto’s mouth.

 

“It must be quite troublesome for His Majesty that you know where it is as soon as you hear it. Not something he’d want publicized.”

 

“…….”

 

The king’s jaw clenched as he gauged Zephyto’s intentions.

 

He clasped his hands together and leaned his upper body toward the king. Willis stared down at him, unable to step back.

 

“There will be war.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“That there will be war with the Empire because your Majesty hasn’t caught this one slave market.”

 

Willis took a small step backward, a puzzled look on his face. Zephyto smiled sweetly and explained once more to help him understand. Willis still looked at him in disbelief.

 

Raising his upper body, Zephyto leaned back against the couch and waved at the air. Elita, who had been waiting behind him, pulled a few papers from her bosom.

 

Zephyto set them down on the desk with a nonchalant touch. Willis scrutinized the papers.

 

“This is all…”

 

“Does His Majesty know what is being made in the slave market right now?”

 

“What?”

 

“Weapons that would blow up a tele or two. It’s the real reason the black market exists, and the Empire wants to use it to start a war.”

 

“So the crown prince traveled all the way here himself to…”

 

“Yes, to raid Telene.”

 

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned chilly. The Telene knights approached Zephyto slowly, their hands on their hilts.

 

Zephyto looked as relaxed as if he had just gone for a morning walk. He shrugged his shoulders and glared at Willis.

 

“Relax,” he said, “if I were going to swoop in, I would have slit your throat in a heartbeat. I’m just here to make you an offer.”

 

“What kind of offer are you talking about?”

 

“Let me take this job. I’ll clean every inch of the basement on your behalf, and all you need to do is provide the people to do it.”

 

Willis’s eyes narrowed at his words. It was as if he was trying to discern whether Zephyto’s words were true or not.

 

But after a moment, there was a faint desperation in his eyes.

 

“Now, dealing with the Underground doesn’t make the war go away, does it?”

 

“It will disappear. Because the man who messed with Telene and the man who’s leading the war are the same man: my brother, and I intend to take him down with my own hands.”

 

He looked down at the tea before him and gripped the handle, savoring its aroma before taking a sip.

 

Warmth filled his mouth. Zephyto smiled slightly, remembering someone who resembled that warmth.

 

Willis, on the other hand, rubbed his temples as if his head was aching from a situation that was becoming more troublesome by the minute.

 

“I don’t suppose you’re going to be happy with any price.”

 

“What I want is simple. That you leave this job entirely to me, and that I unofficially help you on your way to the Empire.”

 

Willis snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Zephyto. There was an intelligent gleam in his eyes.

 

“You seem a little…different, perhaps because we were so young and it’s been so long since we spoke.”

 

“I have something… I want to protect desperately, so I need to be strong, don’t you think?”

 

“Give me some time.”

 

“Okay, but remember. I can’t give you a long time. You’d better not get any foolish ideas that I’m really here alone.”

 

With that, Zephyto set his teacup down on the desk. The tea, once steaming, was now cold.