Chapter44
“Lord Drake. Since Her Majesty Yuki has, in effect, seen fit to place Your Lordship under her custody as a prisoner… I fear it now falls to me, presumptuous though it may be, to deliver a most necessary reprimand.”
Having heard Drake’s account, Antonius pressed a hand to his brow, as though already anticipating the headache yet to come.
“Had Your Lordship simply disregarded Mother’s reasoning in that moment and carried her away by force—”
“Nay, hold a moment there. Irina herself said we could never reach the—”
“Could never reach the ‘optimal solution’?” Antonius cut in smoothly.
He exhaled softly.
“Alas, we mortals are creatures forced to live without the privilege of seeing the future. If what lies ahead cannot be known, then the ‘optimal solution’ is merely a conclusion imposed after all has already come to pass.”
A faint sharpness entered his gaze.
“It is not something one peacefully reaches. It is something one wrests into existence through wisdom, resolve, and the desperate expenditure of everything one possesses.”
Antonius, merciless as ever, continued.
“And I must also object to your choice of conspirators. Magira, of all people. Had you instead heeded Mother’s counsel at that stage—and sought reconciliation with Tatsuno then and there—”
Drake lowered his head with a weary grimace. There was simply nothing left to argue.
Seeing the Dragon of Doom finally fall silent, Antonius apparently decided he had bullied him quite enough.
“Lord Drake. Pray raise your head.”
Drake did so cautiously.
Antonius was smiling now—gently.
“To Your Lordship, creatures such as ourselves must surely seem fleeting beyond measure. Little lives that flare brightly for but a moment, then vanish before long.”
Drake offered no objection.
And so Antonius continued without hesitation.
“Yet brief lives are not meaningless ones. While we remain in this world, we struggle, we choose, we exhaust ourselves striving toward what little future we can grasp.”
His voice softened slightly.
“And sometimes… we may still be of use to you.”
Drake’s eyes widened, if only slightly.
With his own hand, Antonius refilled Drake’s teacup with warm liquor-infused tea.
“If ever there comes a time when Your Lordship finds yourself uncertain of what ought to be done, then I ask that you consult me. I shall lend you my counsel as many times as necessary.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“So that this time… Your Lordship may truly seize the optimal solution with your own hands.”
The warmth of the small cup slowly spread through Drake’s palms.
And whenever he emptied it, Antonius quietly filled it again.
“For aiding my mother… and for trying to save her… you have my deepest gratitude.”
Drake shook his head in visible pain.
In the end, it had been his own failure of judgment that cost Irina her life—and left Andronicus behind in suffering.
Antonius did not press the wound further. Instead, he calmly guided the conversation elsewhere.
“When men forget war, their swords rust. When they forget hunger, they neglect their stores. The simple fact that a Dracotyrannus yet exists somewhere in this world… yes, that threat itself is undoubtedly useful.”
His gaze never once left Drake.
“To Imresia. To Tatsuno. And perhaps to this continent entire.”
Then, after the briefest pause:
“And if it is you, Lord Drake… you will keep the devastation to the absolute minimum required.”
“Truly?” Drake asked quietly. “Thou dost not believe I would descend into indiscriminate slaughter?”
The attempted maneuver was so painfully transparent that Antonius could only smile.
“You will, of course, inform Her Majesty Yuki beforehand. Regrettably, this kingdom possesses no armor capable of surviving the thunder of Her Majesty’s wrath.”
Drake’s eyes flickered.
He could already envision the impossible ordeal of persuading that passionate Empress of Dracoserpens.
At length Antonius rose from his seat and returned to his desk, taking up his pen to begin writing letters.
Drake watched him with all the tension of a man awaiting sentence.
Then, quite suddenly, Antonius paused mid-sentence and glanced back over his shoulder with another warm smile.
“I am truly glad that you came to me tonight, Lord Drake. That you entrusted me with your thoughts… and that you spoke to me of my mother.”
For just an instant, Drake could have sworn that smile belonged to Irina.
