Jacqueline covered his face. He was sobbing with his body trembling, and he couldn’t stop crying at the emotions that had taken over him.

“… I am sorry. I am really sorry. I never thought that Count London was someone who worked so hard for us. No, I never thought of it. Everyone called him a traitor, and so I thought the same.”

Born into a commoner family, Jacqueline lived a life not different from others. Rather than planning for the future, their immediate life was a priority, and as they lived like that, making a family and taking the burden of the kids turned into all of their life. It was a reality that wasn’t nice.

Knowing that the reality wouldn’t change despite thinking about it, he only felt more dissatisfied with his life. So he became narrow-minded, and his vision began to turn less. The success stories of other people turned into something far from reality.

“Euk, what am I supposed to do now? Please tell me, I am not sure what to do. Even after doing such a thing, it is difficult for me to accept this situation.”

He was a commoner. He became the hero of Redford by chance, but he wasn’t able to lead the people because he was special. It was because the people sympathized with Jacqueline because they were the same. The target that was used was Jacquline, but honestly, anyone could have taken on that role.

His face was stained with tears. After checking the reality with Roman Dmitry, Jacqueline’s face distorted as the world he knew collapsed. As an ordinary person who lived a repeated life, he didn’t have the experience to accept the series of events.

He felt lost. He sobbed and cried, not caring how the people looked at him. Silence began to descend, and the people couldn’t say anything. They neither blamed Jacqueline nor comforted him because they were no different from him.

They projected themselves onto Jacqueline and eventually left the judgment of the situation to Roman Dmitry, who said,

“Jacqueline, you have your own story. The riot that attacked the mansion wasn’t for personal gain, and you, who robbed the gold coins, distributed them to the people, proving what you took up arms for. But…”

Schwing.

The sword was lifted. Despite how shocked people were, he pointed his sword at Jacqueline’s throat.

“There is no reason that can be an excuse for your actions. You incited and attacked the carriage of Count London, killing innocent soldiers. They also had families. Even if you raised a riot for your family because of your misunderstanding, the soldiers’ families lost their sons and fathers. What do you think you will pay them back with? Even if you cry, those who died cannot come back.”

He looked at the people. This wasn’t about Jacqueline. The opponent might be Jacqueline, but Roman Dmitry was saying that to all who participated in the riot.

“The water has been spilled. In order for Redford to avoid repeating the same thing, the responsibility for the actions that you took cannot be simply considered a mistake and pardoned. You are not the ‘Hero of Redford.’ Jacqueline, you are a murderer who committed murder by mistake and will be held accountable.”

Jacqueline closed his eyes tightly. He was ready to accept his death. His body was trembling, and it proved he was human, but the blood of the Count on his hands was true.

Because of his one mistake, a person who had devoted his life to helping the kingdom almost died. If he had hit the Count a little harder, the man would have never gotten up. He was the enemy here. He did what his real enemy wouldn’t do.

“Citizens of Redford, listen up. Remember what happened today. Jacqueline is not a hero of Redford but will remain as one who accepted his death for his sins. Later, when you make the same mistake, think of him. There is no one to take your place for your wrong actions.”

At that moment…

Flash.

The sword was swung.

A man who was too normal to be called a hero—just like that, Jacqueline fell with blood flowing.

At that time, Count London led the troops to the Royal Palace. He didn’t want the bloodshed to throw the nation into chaos, but there was no other way.

‘The people’s anger had reached its peak. Right now, it is just about attacking me, a noble, but if the core of the problem isn’t solved, it will be hard to predict what chaos will happen in the future. After all, the future of the Redford Kingdom will be at stake. Someone must take up arms and bring the King down.’

Even while walking, his mind felt so messed up. Currently, he had agreed to overthrow the King, but Roman Dmitry wanted him to usurp the throne, and that was a different matter.

The King had a Prince who was concerned for the kingdom. When he thought of the Prince, who spoke about rebelling for the nation, he wondered if following Roman’s words was right.

Under the same sky, the blood of the royal family would not be different. If they wanted to destroy the King and claim the throne, they had to take the life of the Prince.

‘For what am I rebelling for?’

A single purpose. If one soberly judged reality, the Prince didn’t fit the role. In a turbulent world, someone was needed to sort out the chaotic situation, but the years have proven that the Prince wasn’t that great.

He also asked the Count to start the rebellion. It was like admitting that he didn’t have the strength to do it despite knowing that the King was in the wrong.

So from the choices that were given, he knew what he had to do. The moment he stormed into the palace with weapons, from then on, his hesitation would ruin everything.

‘I am sorry, Prince.’

The choice should belong to a leader. For those who followed him, Count London would not be shaken.

“Knight Commander.”

“Yes.”

“The moment we enter the palace, we will ask to have a talk. If the Royal Knights, who follow the King, act hostile towards us, then without hesitation, bring down the head of the Royal Knight’s Commander and subdue their troops at once. Keep that in mind. In the end, this is a fight that will decide Redford’s fate. If we cannot achieve results in the process, Redford will fall into destruction.”

“…I understand.”

The Knight Commander looked confused. The Knights of London and the Royal Knights were close friends, but he didn’t show any hesitation at the order of the Count.

It was something he had hoped for. Looking at the Count and his devotion to the people, the people who knew him wondered if things would be different if this man were the King of Redford.

Finally, they reached the Royal Palace. However, the guard opened the door like he was waiting for them.

“Please go inside.”

Beyond their gaze were the Royal Knights, and when they saw Count London, they all knelt down.

“The Royal Knights of Redford protect the royal family. We know that it is treason to oppose the King, but we made the decision to set things right for the nation. We will close our eyes and ears this time. So get what you want. Do what you need to for the nation—for Redford.”

Count London’s decision—those from the London family weren’t the only ones who wanted it.

The people in the Royal Palace—they heard about the stories. People called Count London a traitor, but the contents of the information that reached the palace were different.

The hope of Redford. In the face of a financial downturn, Count London devoted himself to the nation to the point where the vast fortune he earned was exhausted.

It was a move that couldn’t be compared to that of a King. Unlike the King, who was gambling these days and enjoying himself with women, Count London took the job of the King.

And so, the door opened. Despite knowing the meaning of the Royal Sword’s existence and knowing that a single disregard would reduce its value, the Royal Knight Commander turned a blind eye.

Even though he couldn’t join the rebellion, he decided this was the right move for the kingdom to prevent as much bloodshed as possible and make Count London take the throne.

And thanks to this, Count London was able to cross the path safely. He walked down the long corridor, which he always used whenever he reported to the King, and the armed troops followed him.

Today, how would it be remembered? Some would call him a traitor who caused a rebellion, but history’s record didn’t matter.

A man called a traitor. For Count London, the priority had always been Redford. No matter what he was called, he did what he thought was right.

Creak.

The door opened. When the knights of the family opened the way, Count London stepped into the King’s space with a hard expression.

At that moment, Count London’s face was stained with shock.

He looked at the throne that he had always looked up to.

The King of Redford, with his head dropped, had a pale face.

A pale face and blood dripping from his mouth. The King was dead. It was an unacceptable piece of information, and Count London found a suicide note left by the King.

[Count London, after hearing that you were attacked, I couldn’t hold back the anger towards myself because the chaos was caused by me. And despite knowing that you were loyal to our nation, anger rose over the days I ignored it.]

It was strange. The content of the will was different from what people thought of the King.

[Actually, I wanted to live valiantly. People say the death of my children was an accident, but behind it was a group of evil people who threatened the safety of Redford. It wasn’t enough that they killed my eldest son. They even killed my daughter, and one day they sent me a letter. Their threat was that from that point on, if I didn’t gamble each day and live a spoiled life, my remaining son would be killed. Actually, my second child had been poisoned before. You might not know this because I continued to feed him the antidote they had given each time, and each time I acted for the nation, one of my family members would die.]

The hidden truth. There was information in the will that even Count London hadn’t known about.

[I am an incompetent King. I didn’t fulfill my duty as a King or as the father of my children. I just acted selfishly. But now I know that it shouldn’t have been like that. If I became greedier in order to protect my children, many people in Redford would lose their lives. Count London, you are the leader that Redford needs. If I step down from the throne, the nation will gain stability under your leadership. Don’t get my blood on your hands. I will take my own life so that the evil people will no longer threaten me. So, I ask for this nation that I had destroyed to be saved.]

“… What the hell is this?”

His hand holding the note trembled. Count London gritted his teeth and read the last words.

[Lastly, I hope you don’t force the life out of the Prince. After all, he is a child with not much left around him.]

That was it. Count London held the will. It was the same. Just as Jacqueline didn’t know the truth about him, he didn’t know the truth about the King.

It felt so irresponsible. Even if he died like this, the wrongdoings committed by the King wouldn’t disappear. However, as Count London, there was something he had to do.

“Find the Prince right now! You must let him know about this.”

In his remaining life, even if that time was short, Count London wanted the Prince to know the truth about the King who was accused by the people.

Even if he was incompetent, the King had been a father to him.