From then on, for several months, Cain and Cedric were good partners and the worst of colleagues.

It was not just fistfights, there were several times when the atmosphere of the meeting reached an extreme point.

However, the preparations were steadily made.

“Cedric, the people of the Rose faction will all move by train.”

“If a large number of people flow into the capital and their whereabouts become unclear, the Queen’s side will notice.”

“That’s right. That’s why we will use the test-run train.”

“A test-run train…?”

“We plan to report to the Queen that we are testing a train with a new engine. The test run is scheduled to fail, and we won’t disclose it until we find the problem.”

“So you mean, you’ll put the revolutionaries on that train?”

Cain lightly nodded his head.

“And we plan to have them live on the train. Until the day of the event.”

“It’ll solve the transportation and accommodation problems at once. Since it’s a test run, there will be no passenger confirmation or passenger list creation.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Cedric’s lips. It had been a very long time.

“How is the weapon supply situation?”

When Cedric asked, Cain looked at Vincent.

“It’s proceeding without a hitch. The hunting festival is coming up soon, isn’t it? We’re bringing them in to prepare for the hunting festival, and there’s always a reason to attach.”

Cedric thought anew that it was a stroke of luck to have joined hands with Cain.

At the same time, he realized how reckless the Rose faction’s leadership had been in trying to carry out the event without massive capital and a well-organized structure.

“If there’s nothing more to check, I’ll leave now.”

Vincent gathered the documents he had given to Cain and Cedric. Since security was thorough, the used materials were immediately disposed of.

“Good work.”

Vincent left, receiving Cedric’s greeting.

Only Cedric and Cain were left in the room. The two often stayed alone after the meeting to have a drink.

They rarely conversed. Of course, there were exceptions, like today.

“No news from Jane?”

Cain asked in a nonchalant tone. As the official meeting ended, Cain and Cedric spoke casually. As they shared more and more drinks together, they somehow became friends of sorts.

Cedric felt an undisguisable impatience in his words.

“As if there would be.”

Cedric openly showed his disappointment.

How many years had he and she known each other? It was disappointing that she left without consulting him before leaving, and that she hadn’t contacted him at all after leaving.

Cain chuckled.

Cedric shouldn’t be disappointed in Jane. Didn’t he receive a letter from her when she was leaving?

On the other hand, he, who had been her husband, had received nothing.

As time passed, he felt that he was the only one abandoned by Jane.

At first, he was disappointed and sad. But now, he calmly accepted and acknowledged that fact.

‘It’s because I was that bad to you.’

Cain lifted his glass to fill the empty feeling. Clang, Cedric clinked his glass against Cain’s. Cain’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Are you pitying me?”

“Who’s pitying whom? You’re not in a position to be pitied. You have money and power, don’t you?”

Everyone had the same thought as Cedric. That’s why Cain couldn’t show weakness to anyone.

He had to be a Hastings anytime, anywhere.

Even though he was the same human being and sometimes got tired and found it difficult.

Jane was Cain’s only resting place. Only she treated him as an equal human being.

“But you’ll lose that soon, too.”

Cedric finished his words, putting down the glass to his mouth. Cedric, who had put down the glass, hesitated and asked.

“Will you really be okay? Even now… if you pull out, I can protect you in case of an emergency.”

“That won’t happen.”

“What won’t?”

“The situation where we fail.”

“You’re overflowing with confidence.”

Cain put a cigar in his hand and stood up. He straightened his back. Even though he must have been very drunk, there was no disarray in his posture.

Cedric looked up at him. As their eyes met, Cain chuckled.

“I’m a Hastings, after all. There’s no failure for the Hastings.”

Cain was like a big mountain. The cigar in his hand looked like a sword punishing villains.

His confidence sometimes seemed like arrogance. But from that arrogance came belief.

The belief that if you followed him, everything would be solved.

‘Is this Cain’s power?’

It was possible not because he was a Hastings, but because he was Cain.

‘The man Jane loved was not Hastings, but Cain.’

Cedric had no choice but to acknowledge Cain.

* * *

Cain wandered the streets and returned to the Somnium mansion after midnight.

“I will escort you to your room.”

At the attendant’s words, Cain shook his head. He ordered them not to follow and moved his steps.

Where he went was Jane’s bedroom.

As soon as he opened the door, Cain took a deep breath. Jane’s scent had long since disappeared, but just inhaling the air of the place where she had stayed made him breathe easier.

Cain leaned against Jane’s bed, pushing the papers scattered on the floor with his feet.

The room that Jane had tidily cleaned up was now full of all sorts of things.

To Cain, the neat room felt like Jane, who had left without a trace of lingering attachment, so he moved mementos one by one.

At first, it was paintings. He removed the cloth Jane had put over Oswald’s paintings and brought his paintings to lean against the wall.

Surrounded by Oswald’s paintings, every night, Cain recalled his time with Jane.

Her smiling in front of Oswald’s paintings, her poking his side and signaling to go somewhere else, and her finally covering Oswald’s paintings with a cloth.

When his thoughts reached there, he couldn’t help but drink.

Bottles of alcohol increased one by one in the room.

The floor was covered with first editions of Vierstadt.

Cain recited and read Jane’s voice reciting poetry, and tore the books. In the spirit of dedicating poems to her.

Each time, a corner of Cain’s heart was also torn.

Page by page, piece by piece.

The day the first edition of Vierstadt was completely disassembled, Cain cried for the first time.

He wailed so loudly that the Somnium mansion’s attendants couldn’t help but know.

That was the last time.

He knew well that he didn’t even have the right to cry, as the one who had ruined her life. So Cain didn’t cry anymore.

But tears didn’t only flow through the eyes.

Cain cried in his heart all the time. Until his emotions were completely dry, until they were eventually devastated.

On Jane’s bed lay the dress she had worn. The dress, which had been thoroughly cleaned by the diligent attendants, didn’t smell like her, but Cain fell asleep with his nose buried in that dress. Even that was a light sleep.

Cain’s life was becoming more and more desolate.

The boundaries of the day became blurred. If he stayed in Jane’s room, morning would come at some point. Cain’s time had stopped, but the sun set and rose without fail.

Nothing changed except for Cain.

“Your Grace, are you awake?”

Nathan, who had knocked and entered, flinched. Cain, who was leaning against the bed with his head down, looked like a corpse.

Nathan ran over and grabbed Cain’s shoulder.

“Your Grace, are you alright? Your Grace!”

Cain’s eyebrows, which had been shaking with Nathan’s touch, twitched minutely.

“I’m not dead.”

Cain’s voice came out torn in ten thousand pieces.

“Ah!”

Nathan, who had let go of Cain with a sigh, sat back. He closed his eyes tightly, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Such words!”

Nathan almost yelled at Cain. Nathan managed to lower his voice.

“Drink this, Your Grace. It would be better to wash up and go downstairs. The young master will be worried.”

Nathan called out to Glenn, who was standing outside. While ordering to draw water in Jane’s bathroom, Cain stood up.

“You’re a capable assistant.”

“Don’t praise me.”

Although Nathan had longed for Cain’s praise, he didn’t like the praise he received from him now. It was as if he were a person settling his affairs before dying.

“Even if I say it nicely, you don’t like it. I’ll just scold you to my heart’s content.”

Cain’s light jokes were nice.

These days, Cain was too heavy. When a person becomes heavy, they sink into depression. When he becomes depressed, the entire Hastings becomes gloomy.

“Yes, that’s what I wanted.”

Nathan answered half-heartedly. Cain chuckled and headed to the bathroom. In the meantime, he staggered as if he was going to fall.

“Your Grace!”

Nathan ran over and grabbed him. Cain gasped, tightly grasping Nathan’s arm.

It was hard to breathe. His organs were twisting, and his head was spinning.

“Doctor, call a doctor!”

Nathan shouted at Glenn. With that sound, Cain lost consciousness.

* * *

Cain opened his eyes at the feeling of someone tightly holding his finger. Joseph’s face, which was covered in tears, filled his vision.

“Fa-Father, are you conscious?”

The guilt of worrying the child overwhelmed Cain.

“Were you very worried?”

Cain held the child’s small hand. Joseph nodded his head up and down, then shook it from side to side.

“I was worried, no, I wasn’t. Ah, I knew you’d wake up because you’re strong, Father.”

Cain inwardly scoffed at the child’s sincerity.

That may have been the case in the past, but not now. He was a weak person without Jane.

But he had to be strong in front of the child. Cain stroked Joseph’s head and leaned on his arm to sit up.

“You should rest more.”

Nathan stopped Cain.

“It’s fine. How long did I sleep?”

“Two hours.”

It was the longest time he had slept recently.

His body still felt like a thousand pounds and his head was dizzy, but Cain didn’t hesitate.

“Proceed with the schedule as planned.”

“I understand. Oh, while you were asleep, a letter arrived from the palace. It’s a letter from Her Majesty.”

Nathan held out a letter with a golden ribbon.

Cain opened the letter on the spot. After reading the letter in an instant, Cain frowned.

“The old raccoon has finally gone crazy.”