Silent Witch

Book 14: Chapter 16: Abandon

On the carriage ride back, Isaac gazed absentmindedly out the window, thinking about a certain girl.

The strange girl who appeared wherever he went.

Shy, timid, and bashful, but when it came to numbers, her eyes changed color.

She didn't seem like an assassin or a bodyguard, so Isaac didn't pry too deeply into her true identity. Instead, he enjoyed observing her.

And gradually, he began to feel affection for her.

Her meek demeanor, how she quickly blamed herself, and how she apologized after every other sentenceit reminded him of the young Felix. Whenever that happened, Isaac couldn't help but want to reach out and care for her.

What was Monica thinking each time he reached out to her?

Her excessively thin body, the old scars on her back. Her fearful behavior around others' gazes.

It wasn't hard to imagine the hardships she must have endured after her father was executed.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at the dormitory. Even after returning to his room late at night, Isaac couldn't sleep.

He made some perfunctory response to the concerned Willdean, then lay in bed, lost in thought.

Isaac Walker was the kind of person who could eliminate any obstacle for his goal. He had resolved himself to that when he cremated an important person's remains with his own hands.

If he adhered to that resolutionthen Monica Norton, who seemed to have realized the truth, should be eliminated.

And yet, Isaac didn't feel the slightest urge to do anything about Monica.

He had noticed that Bridget was shocked when Felix and he switched places. But Isaac felt no pain.

Eliane and Cyril admired the princely Felix Ark Riddil. Even though Isaac knew he was deceiving them, he felt no guilt.

He could be as ruthless as needed to preserve Felix Ark Riddil's name. But when he thought of Monica, his blood froze, and his innards felt as heavy as if he had swallowed a lump of lead.

How should he face Monica from now on?

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn't find an answer. Before he knew it, morning had arrived.

Ah, he probably hadn't spent a sleepless night like this since the night he cremated the real Felix's remains with his own hands.

That night, even as he wished the morning would never come, he had stared unblinkingly as the curtains grew brighter.

"Your Highness?"

"What is it, Willdean?"

"No, it's nothing."

Willdean, in his butler attire helping Isaac dress, seemed to want to say something but closed his mouth. Once Isaac was ready, Willdean stood by the wall.

Isaac sat on the sofa, vacantly gazing at the chessboard he had left out.

Back then Monica had been staring intently at the pawn outside the board. He wondered how that pawn had looked to her then.

Without touching any pieces on the board, Isaac blankly stared at the chessboard.

It was a day off today, but in the morning, there was a meet-and-greet with the new student council candidates. As the current student council president, he had to make an appearance.

Still, he hadn't figured out how to face Monica Until the very last minute, he sat glaring at the chessboard.

"Shall we get going soon?"

"Yeah, I know Let's go."

Willdean bowed, then transformed from a human shape into a lizard, slithering into Isaac's pocket.

Confirming that Willdean was completely out of sight, Isaac left the room.

Since it was a day off, there weren't many people in the entrance hall. But just then, Cyril's shouting voice came from the opposite directionthe junior students' rooms.

Looking that way, Isaac saw Cyril dragging Glenn along at a brisk pace.

"Honestly, how long are you going to sleep in! I told you there's a meet-and-greet with the new and old student councils today!"

"But we didn't have to do it on a day off, did we Ugh, sleepy"

Letting out a big yawn, Glenn had Cyril mercilessly twist his ear.

"Owowow!" Glenn let out a shriek, his hair still mussed from sleep. He had probably forgotten about the meet-and-greet and was indulging in his usual laziness when Cyril came to rouse him.

"Good morning, you two."

When Isaac called out, Cyril straightened his back and greeted him.

"Good morning, Your Highness!"

"Ah, mornin' Prez. Were you almost late too, Prez? Overslept?"

At Glenn's words, Cyril shot him a piercing glare.

"Don't lump His Highness together with you, Glenn Dudley. If you keep sleeping in, I'll shove ice down your mouth."

"Uuuu"

Still seeming sleepy, Glenn was unfazed by Cyril's scolding, leisurely kneading his own cheeks.

As Isaac watched their exchange with an inexplicably amused feeling, the entrance hall's outer door opened.

At this hour, someone coming from outside? Maybe a student returning from being out?

With a perplexed look, Isaac turned aroundand his eyes widened slightly. Cyril and Glenn, too, had surprised expressions.

Entering through the doorway one after another were soldiers in armor. The crest engraved on their armor was different from that of the academy's security troops. Those were soldiers from the royal castle.

The Serendia Academy was an institution under the influence of the Duke of Crockford. Even the king couldn't easily interfere. Allowing armed soldiers into the dorms was unprecedented.

Among the soldiers, a man who seemed to be their captain strode straight toward Isaac.

Isaac met the captain's gaze with a cold, intimidating look.

"Are you aware that this is a sacred place of learning that shelters noble children? State your affiliation and name, for barging in armed like this."

Despite Isaac's chilling aura that could intimidate

even a big man, the captain showed no sign of faltering. Instead, he raised his voice resoundingly.

"You, the imposter who conspired with the former Seven Sages' Jeweled Magician Emanuel Darwin and deceived us by posing as Prince Felix Ark Riddil! For the crime of attempting to overthrow the state, I hereby place you under arrest to be taken to the royal castle. You can make all the excuses you want there!"

Cyril reacted faster than anyone to these words.

"His Highness is an imposter!? Don't be ridiculous, have your eyes checked!!"

"Makes no sense to me! That's our Prez, plain as day!"

Glenn echoed Cyril's raised voice.

But the soldiers paid no heed to Cyril and Glenn.

"What a pity for you, the imposter prince. Your co-conspirator Emanuel Darwin couldn't bear his guilty conscience and committed suicide. His dying confession revealed everything, including that you're an imperial magician!"

Even in this situation, Isaac's head automatically tried to analyze things calmly instead of getting flustered.

If Emanuel had truly committed suicide, it would be strange for his dying confession to state that Isaac was an imperial spy. So either someone was taking advantage of Emanuel's suicide, or Emanuel was murdered.

Isaac asked in a calm tone,

"Is the Duke of Crockford aware of this?"

"Of course. The Duke was deeply grieved to learn that his precious grandson had been killed."

Upon hearing those words, Isaac became certain.

This soldier was working for the Duke.

And Isaac had been abandoned by the Duke.

I had anticipated that one day, the Duke would abandon me but this is too soon.

The swap between Felix and Isaac was a meticulously planned scheme that took immense time, money, and effort.

Isaac hadn't expected to discard it so easily.

Ah, so that's why the Duke brought Prince Albert into the fold.

When the plan to make the Second Prince the king and control the nation from the shadows failed, the Third Prince Albert was kept as an insurance policy.

The Duke of Crockford likely intended to support the Third Prince and maneuver to make Albert the king. And the Third Prince's mother, Princess Phyllis, probably approved of this too.

It wouldn't be too difficult to fabricate a story about the Second Prince being an imposter exposed by the Third Prince, and rally support for the Third Prince.

Even his elaborate scheme of swapping places could be discarded without hesitation if needed That cold pragmatism was the Duke of Crockford's terrifying quality, Isaac realized anew.

"Come now!!"

Two soldiers moved to apprehend Isaac from either side. Cyril's face paled as he shouted,

"Your Highness!"

Almost reflexively moving to intervene, Cyril stopped when Isaac calmly shook his head.

"Cyril."

Cyril waited for "Felix's" command to scatter these insolent soldiers.

"I leave the student council to you."

With only those words, Isaac boarded the prisoner transport carriage along with the soldiers detaining him.

This was my retribution.

To his own surprise, Isaac's heart was serene.