NOVEL NEXT chapter 100
Najima, unaware of my reaction, continued speaking with Meisa.
“If it’s Al-Fatih, that’s where Raihan al-Hamed was, right?”
She nodded at Meisa’s question.
“Yes. After he passed, his brother Jarwal took over the fief. I heard Raihan al-Hamed had a son, but he’s been absent for some time due to illness.”
So that’s what they were talking about.
I swallowed dryly and listened as Meisa added,
“And didn’t Jarwal’s son fall ill recently as well? Both the rightful heir and the regent’s son—such unfortunate health issues among those meant to carry on the line.”
“Oh no, Meisa. It wasn’t illness for his son—it was an accident.”
“An accident?”
The nurse also widened her eyes. My heart clenched with fear as I watched them. Najima hesitated a moment, then spoke.
“I heard a madman broke into the manor. He killed more than ten people—servants, the son’s friends, everyone. The lord’s son was so badly injured he can’t even leave his bed, and now he can’t inherit.”
“My goodness.”
Meisa covered her mouth and sighed softly at Najima’s hushed revelation. Najima shook her head and sighed.
“Both Jarwal and his wife are in shock. Well, no wonder—they loved the city so much, and now they’ve been holed up for months.”
“Good heavens. And the culprit—what happened? How many were there?”
The nurse asked, but Meisa quickly shot a glance and signaled her to let it go. But Najima shook her head with a wry smile.
“They still haven’t caught him. Actually, I heard it from Shadia yesterday—she said the Prime Minister met with Jarwal about it.”
“My, my.”
Meisa clicked her tongue and asked,
“Jarwal must be furious. He had only one son, right?”
“That’s all I know,” Najima laughed and drew a line in the air. “I’ve said too much already.”
She glanced at me and startled.
“Yohan? Are you all right?”
Najima asked in concern. Meisa also looked down at me. I struggled to speak.
“Me? What about me?”
“Yes—did something happen?”
Her mix of curiosity and concern snapped me back. I blinked rapidly and looked around; even the nurse was staring. Just then Rikal jumped onto my lap. I lowered my gaze to pet him, pretending all was well.
“I—no, I’m just… tired. Please don’t mind me.”
My hand trembled as I stroked Rikal. The words I’d heard swirled in my mind. After swallowing hard, I forced my mouth open.
“I… um. If someone kills people, what happens to them?”
A cold silence fell. Meisa’s eyes widened, Najima frowned, and the nurse blinked at me.
“Why would you ask that?” Najima said gently, softer than usual. I [N O V E L I G H T] couldn’t tell if she was testing me or soothing me, but I gathered myself and spoke carefully.
“When you said a madman killed more than ten people… what happens then? Is it death by execution?”
“Oh…”
Najima gave a wry smile of understanding, and Meisa’s expression softened.
“You really don’t need to know, Yohan.”
Though Meisa’s tone was kind, it offered no comfort. Najima nodded in agreement—and then told me what I wanted to know.
“Of course they’re executed. Murder is an unforgivable crime.”
She shook her head at the thought of ten victims, and I forced my voice down to ask again.
“Even if it’s royalty…?”
My voice trailed off. Meisa adopted a stern tone.
“Yohan, that’s a rude question.”
I flinched, humiliated. Realizing I’d crossed a line, my head spun. I knelt reflexively to beg forgiveness, but Najima reached out to stop me.
“It’s okay. We know you didn’t mean anything by it. But be careful when speaking of royalty.”
She touched her second finger to her lips in a hush. I bowed my head quickly.
“I’m sorry for my presumption. Please forgive me….”
“I forgive you, Yohan—just this once.”
She smiled warmly. Then:
“To answer, even royalty cannot escape punishment for murder. Under the law, a royal loses rank and is punished if they kill three or more people. No royal has ever been executed, because royals don’t kill people themselves.”
“But there are plenty they could kill—and sometimes they command suicide,” Meisa added reluctantly. Both women nodded, then Najima changed the subject.
“Enough of this heavy talk. I came to invite you to lunch—I fear I’ve talked your ear off. May God forgive my careless lips.”
She offered a brief prayer and turned to Meisa.
“I have something to discuss—may we step outside?”
The nurse sensed the cue, bowed, and left. I followed, leaving Rikal behind by Meisa’s arrangement. As I stood to go, Meisa called after me.
“Yohan, get some sun in the garden. It’ll do you good.”
“Oh, yes.”
I answered dazedly and closed the door. The nurse in the corridor took out her phone and sent a message. I hesitated, then walked down the nearly empty hallway toward the royal gardens. The sky was crystal clear as the rains ended. In the palace’s center, a vast fountain gushed. I thought of the night Asgail had stood here lost in thought and went to that spot, but only saw the palace across the way.
What was he thinking then?
I sank to the fountain’s edge, enjoying the cool spray and echoing splash. A sigh escaped me, and I closed my eyes against dizziness.
“He’s been away for illness for some time,” Najima’s words echoed. Then Kamar’s warning:
“Someone betrayed him, and Uncle found out—how would he know?”
It had been so long that my memories were hazy. But I remembered Uncle urging me to flee—if they discovered I was an omega, they’d come for me.
Everyone believes I’m ill and can’t appear in public.
And now, naturally, Uncle is regent.
…They could have taken everything from me from the start.
A hollow ache grew in my chest. If Uncle had declared himself head of the family, I would have accepted. I was too young then, incapable.
He didn’t have to go that far.
My mind was in turmoil, my heart pained. Yet I thought of Kamar’s devotion and nearly wept.
Even royalty is executed if they kill three or more, Najima said. The Crown Prince wasn’t exempt. If he still had his memory, he would never have killed anyone himself.
But it’s done.
They said over ten died. How many who saw Kamar’s face were slain? How many survived?
If it becomes known Kamar killed more than ten, then Kamar—
Will be executed.
Lost in that thought, I suddenly noticed a shadow overhead. I looked up in shock to see a towering man in black suit leaning over me.
“What are you doing here?”
A quiet voice echoed. I stared up at Asgail’s distant face, eyes wide and body frozen. He frowned at my trembling form, then bent down.
“…!”
Startled, I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut. A moment later I felt weightlessness again. I heard a click of his tongue. Warily, I cracked one eye open—and there he was, holding me in one arm. I sat astride his arm as when he once carried me after gathering fruit. I looked down at him, wide-eyed, and he muttered:
“A leaf might be heavier than you, yet here you are….”
I didn’t catch the rest. He strode swiftly back into the palace, and I clung to him in stunned silence. He led me into the spacious reception room.
The attendants at the door hurried open it for him, and he entered without pause. The door closed behind us, and I blinked in bewilderment. When he stopped, a full spread of food had already been laid out. He placed me gently on the floor and, noticing my surprise, sat beside me and spoke:
“Eat—everything.”