Chapter 163: Vicious Ruthlessness
First Prince Eno was marrying a princess from a neighboring country, and the wedding was quite grand. Even the long-ill emperor made a strenuous appearance at the event.
In significant royal occasions—births, weddings, and deaths—one of the cardinals from the temple presided over the ceremonies, reflecting the royal family’s respect for divine authority.
For millennia, religious power had always overshadowed royal authority.
Thus, on this grand wedding day, First Prince Eno, faced with Cardinal Peruth, could only lower his proud head, bend down, and kiss the back of his hand in greeting.
“Your presence has brought the light’s favor to my wedding. I am deeply grateful, and may the light endure forever.”
Eno respectfully bowed his head, voicing his thanks and praises while secretly thinking:
Damn this hypocritical cardinal. He looks pious and loyal, but behind the scenes, he probably disregards the doctrine of chastity and is likely even more debauched than himself.
If given the chance, he would certainly play with this cardinal’s beloved lover.
“The sun will forever shine upon the earth, and God will bless His faithful and their children.”
The First Prince listened absentmindedly to the formalities, and when he lifted his head to meet the cardinal’s gaze, his eyes flickered with a momentary sense of guilt.
All the nobles knew that Cardinal Peruth was generous and mild-mannered, always graciously pointing out solutions to those who sought help. No one had ever seen him angry.
He seemed elevated, as though the love of God resided within him, capable of forgiving all with a smile.
But for a brief moment, the First Prince felt as though he appeared in those amber eyes, like a small insect trapped in amber.
That subtle feeling of discomfort caused his mind to wander for a moment. The ceremonial officer presented the holy water, and the cardinal, robed in his long vestments, personally handed it to him.
The holy water was actually a potion of light magic from the temple, refracting a clear golden hue under the sunlight.
Eno took it and drank it all in one gulp, feeling the discomfort from a sleepless night and the emptiness in his body vanish.
The wedding proceeded smoothly. After the cleansing with holy water, the cardinal was to read from the sacred text and then bestow his blessings upon the newlyweds.
Eno knelt on the cushion, with the cardinal’s gold-trimmed robes before him. Glancing backward, among the nobles witnessing the ceremony, he saw a certain black-haired baron.
The baron was calmly staring in this direction.
The cardinal, standing before him, recited the final line with a solemn and gentle tone: “…God has not departed; He forever shines upon the world with the bright sun, dispelling the darkness.”
Eno stood up in his heavy ceremonial attire, ready to receive the cardinal’s next magical blessing, which would purify the impurities within his body.
A bright light erupted around him, and Eno sank into a brief, warm comfort.
But this comfort suddenly became unbearable, as if warm water had turned into scalding oil, pouring into every corner of his body.
Under the gaze of all the nobles and ceremonial officers, the First Prince, who was receiving the cardinal’s blessing, let out a sudden, harsh, and painful scream.
Dark magical energy surged from his body, opposing the cardinal’s light magic. The two forces clashed, and in the blink of an eye, the First Prince’s body was torn apart.
The nearby princess stood frozen in shock, staring at the blood staining her white wedding gown. She suddenly let out a piercing scream.
The scene descended into chaos. The ceremonial officers, attendants, and even the distant guards had no idea what to do. The nobles, like the princess, recoiled in terror.
No one knew what had happened. The emperor, who had barely managed to attend the ceremony thanks to the light magic potion, nearly fainted, swaying as he was helped to his feet by his attendants.
Amid the turmoil, only the cardinal remained unmoved. Standing on the platform where the wedding was being officiated, he declared, “I never expected the First Prince to be a heretic.”
With this statement, no one dared to question the esteemed cardinal. After all, everyone had seen with their own eyes the dark magic emanating from the First Prince’s body.
Such a powerful force clearly indicated that the First Prince had been secretly practicing it for a long time; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so intense.
But this potent dark magic, when met by one of the most powerful light magic users, the cardinal, became a source of torment for the First Prince.
His body was ravaged by the clash of the two forces, leaving him barely alive, unable even to speak in his own defense.
Even after the cardinal withdrew his hand, the First Prince collapsed to the ground like a heap of mud, only his head still gasping for breath.
The emperor turned away, unable to bear the sight, coughing violently.
Amid the shocked murmurs, the cardinal pressed, “As a prince of the Glory Empire, a potential heir to the throne, to be revealed as a heretic after hiding for so long—is this a challenge to the Holy Temple?”
The emperor, despite his grief over losing his son, coughed and replied, “The royal family has always been devout followers of the God of Light, crowned by the Pope. Perhaps Eno… perhaps this is a misunderstanding… cough, cough!”
Marquis Morton, drenched in sweat, stepped forward and shouted, “Your Excellency, there must be some misunderstanding! Eno could never be a heretic, nor could he know any dark magic. Someone must be behind this. Please, Your Excellency, investigate thoroughly!”
Cardinal Peruth remained calm, gently asking in return, “Is Marquis Morton suggesting that I misidentified the traces of dark magic on the First Prince?”
Morton was struck speechless. No matter how approachable or gentle the cardinal appeared, it didn’t change the fact that he was one of the few Saint-level magicians in existence.
The unspoken pressure overwhelmed him, leaving him unable to say another word.
He still wanted to save the First Prince, but the emperor had already understood the situation.
“Cough, cough! Your Excellency could never be mistaken. Regardless of the circumstances, Eno was found to have come into contact with dark magic, and that is his crime. Whatever the temple decides, I… cough, cough… have no objections.”
The emperor had been gravely ill for years, kept alive only by the magic potions provided by the temple. He had no desire to anger a cardinal of the Holy Temple of Light.
“I trust in Your Majesty’s pious faith,” Peruth said, a smile reappearing on his face. He then solemnly, and with undeniable authority, announced, “Heretics shall be purified by the burning light of the sun.”
And so, with his last breath barely clinging to life, First Prince Eno was burned to ashes on the platform.
Just hours earlier, he had been full of vigor, unparalleled in nobility, enjoying the highest privileges and adulation of the empire. Anything he wanted was his for the taking, and no one dared refuse him.
But now, his name was about to be erased as a stain from the royal lineage, and no one dared to collect even the ashes on the platform.
No one could have predicted that such a grand wedding would end so abruptly. Most were still in shock, unable to process what had transpired.
As the cardinal descended from the wedding platform, his white robes swept over the fine black ashes.
Yu Mo stood among the nobles, watching as the cardinal walked past with a faint, displeased smile, not sparing him even a glance or any extra attention.
Once the cardinal left, the scene erupted into complete chaos.
However, none of it had anything to do with someone as insignificant as Baron Cecil. Soon, they left the palace by carriage and returned to their estate.
…
In the carriage, his stepmother, Lady Cecil, repeatedly muttered in distress, “It was terrifying, just terrifying!”
“Oh heavens, how could something so dreadful happen?”
Charli was also visibly shaken. She likely truly believed that the First Prince had been a heretical follower of the Moon. Worried, she stole glances at her brother’s expression.
“Charli, don’t be anxious. This has nothing to do with us,” Yu Mo said calmly.
Understanding his subtle reassurance, Charli finally let out a relieved sigh.
Yu Mo, however, wasn’t as relaxed. Today, he had come to realize another side of that villainous cardinal.
Beneath his outward demeanor of composure and gentleness, and behind his cold restraint, lay the chaotic nature often associated with the moon’s negative aspects—madness.
Yu Mo had no doubt that Peruth had staged the entire spectacle of the First Prince being burned as a heretic before everyone, all because of a tentative move.
This seemingly endlessly tolerant cardinal struck with vicious ruthlessness when pushed to his limit.
Yu Mo was certain that Peruth hadn’t believed his vague hints about the marks on his neck, yet he had still chosen to kill the First Prince.
And, on top of that, he was angry with him.
That wasn’t a good sign, but Yu Mo found it somewhat intriguing.
They hadn’t spent much time together, yet Peruth’s desire to control and possess him was unexpectedly intense.
Perhaps some punishment awaited him from the cardinal?
Yu Mo waited. But several days passed, and there was no reaction from the cardinal at all.
…
One evening while resting at the estate, Yu Mo saw the cardinal in the garden through the window of the balcony.
He stood beneath a wall of roses, gazing at the fragrant white flowers.
When the cardinal noticed him, he smiled in the same way he always had and said, “Have you been busy lately, Eloren? I didn’t invite you or make any requests, and you didn’t take the initiative to see me at all.”
Yu Mo was silent, confused by the tone of complaint that seemed more fitting between lovers.
“I thought I’d give Your Excellency some time alone to calm your emotions, so I refrained from disturbing you,” Yu Mo replied.
Peruth sighed, “You speak more beautifully than I do when I lie, but in reality, you knew I was angry and still left me alone, ignoring me.”
Yu Mo was again speechless.
He wasn’t quite used to the cardinal’s vaguely reproachful tone, which felt like thick, sticky honey—sweet in an unsettling, unclear way.
In his prediction, the cardinal should have been giving him a much harsher warning. That’s the kind of person he thought Peruth was.
Noticing the slight frown and surprise on Yu Mo’s face, Peruth’s eyes gleamed with genuine, sly amusement.
“Eloren, I’ve been thinking for a few days… are you perhaps displeased with me?”
With his hands behind his back, Peruth looked harmless and handsome under the moonlight, shifting from a high-ranking cardinal to a young man secretly meeting a lover in the night.
His honey-colored eyes sparkled with apology. “Are you upset with how conservative I’ve been?”
Yu Mo, still absorbed in his dark analysis of the cardinal’s dangerous side, couldn’t keep up with his thoughts.
“Since we first met, our contact has been limited to kisses on the forehead and some minor physical contact. I didn’t respond to your earlier advances—are you dissatisfied with that?”
Peruth’s hand touched the fading red marks on Yu Mo’s neck as he softly asked, “Was this your way of reminding or warning me?”
…?
Was it because Yu Mo didn’t truly follow the moon that he couldn’t understand Peruth? Or was it because Peruth possessed both the powers of the moon and the sun, leading to his perplexing, unpredictable thought patterns?
It was rare for Yu Mo to encounter someone he couldn’t figure out.
“Of course not,” Yu Mo replied, gazing at him with a complex expression. “Don’t you think the First Prince’s death was more like a warning from you to me?”
Peruth looked surprised. “That was my apology to you. How could you think otherwise, Eloren?”
He sighed with a hint of sorrow. “Eloren, most of the time, I really don’t understand you at all.”
Then, his tone shifted. “Do you think that only physical intimacy can bring us to an understanding on a deeper, spiritual level?”
Yu Mo, who had already recognized Peruth’s fondness for playful talk, responded calmly, “Maybe.”
