To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

Liv recalled the rumors surrounding Emmett. The saying that he became crueler than anyone else when it involved the Emperor. Each time, Liv truly realized what kind of person Emmett was.

However, it wasn’t that Liv was greatly disappointed in Emmett because of that. The beings constantly surrounding Liv, the gods, had committed unimaginable acts by human standards, so this was nothing in comparison. Yet Emmett hung his head with a dark expression and acknowledged Hayden’s words.

“Yes, I have punished others in the past. So I can say I will imprison him in the dungeons.”

“In the dungeons?”

“The ones in the Lartman Duchy. The knights there have conducted torture training on those who opposed the imperial family.”

Emmett’s voice was low as he calmly stated the facts. Hearing them, Liv felt somewhat taken aback.

No matter what happened, Liv was certain she would continue loving Emmett. But she realized she didn’t know everything about him.

* * *

A few days later, Liv was staring at the window in her room with a bewildered expression.

“What? How did you get here?”

Just like before, Hayden had climbed through Liv’s bedroom window!

As per Emmett’s plan, Hayden had been able to escape from the underground prison with the Duke’s help. His body was still in poor condition from the torture, and if he lingered in the capital again, he might be discovered by the Emperor. So Hayden decided not to remain active in the capital any longer. Then why was he here?

Liv, dressed in her nightgown, bolted upright from her bed and approached Hayden. For once, he raised his hands with a flustered look.

“Miss, could you cover yourself with a blanket?”

Unsure of his reasons, Liv nevertheless followed his request and covered herself with a blanket. Only then did Hayden approach her with a relieved expression.

“There, I have to leave the capital now. I came to bid you farewell before I go. I just have something to tell you.”

Saying that, he plopped down into a chair in front of Liv’s bed, moving as naturally as if it were his own home. Liv noticed his form of address had changed and furrowed her brow as she asked:

“Why are you calling me ‘Miss’ now?”

“Well, I felt like being a bit more respectful towards Liv Hamelsvoort. Isn’t that how nobles address each other?”

“No one really calls me that.”

“Damn, I should’ve learned noble etiquette. Well, nevermind those trivial questions. First, thank you for your help.”

“It was Emmett who did it.”

“If it wasn’t for you, Miss, he wouldn’t have acted.”

Hayden continued, tilting his head stubbornly.

“Though I said that, being imprisoned really wasn’t a pleasant experience. It hindered my plans for revenge…”

Liv found his hatred towards the Emperor strange. She had never hated anyone like that before. Moreover, the fact that he chose to help Liv instead of directly taking revenge on the Emperor he so despised was even stranger.

“Did you really help me because you thought I couldn’t endure the torture?”

Recalling what she had heard from him before, Liv asked, and he answered with an amused expression:

“No, it was actually more complicated than that.”

“How so?”

“I just had complex feelings towards you, Miss…”

He wore a complicated expression, as if recalling something, before slowly opening his mouth.

“…I pitied you.”

“Why?”

“Well, it seems I lost the ability for normal thinking during the divine punishment. Others may not understand, but…”

His eyes seemed to hold a strange melancholy and sense of futility, as if he alone had become enveloped in frozen stillness.

“Anyway, I think I felt pity for you. Yes, that’s the precise feeling.”

“Me?”

“Actually, until now, my proposals for you to join me in bringing down the Emperor were just an excuse. An excuse to approach you. Well, of course I couldn’t actually feel any affection for you, the one who caused me to undergo divine punishment, right? I just wanted to stay by your side and not miss any opportunity that might arise for me to take revenge on you. But somewhere along the way, my thoughts changed.”

Hayden let out a chuckle as he said that. When Liv, unable to comprehend his words, simply blinked, he explained further:

“As I watched you, I started pitying you. I no longer felt like taking revenge. Rather, I wanted to help you, watch over you, protect you. So I made up an excuse to approach you.”

“You wanted to help me because you pitied me?”

“Yes.”

Contrary to his usual demeanor, his brown eyes now held a calm light. With such a composed expression, it occurred to Liv that some women might find him quite decent-looking and be drawn to him.

“I thought a human living without purpose was a pitiable existence.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been living my life under the goal of toppling the Emperor. That was the driving force behind my life, and it allowed me to gain many comrades along the way. But you…”

His gaze fixed on Liv.

“You said you have no purpose at all. That you have to live without doing anything.”

Liv recalled the words she had spoken to him before:

-It helps people if I don’t do anything. It’s better for me to minimize my words and actions, and not form relationships with others. I have to live like that. I have to live like a dead person.

Was that why he felt pity for her?

“Your current life is truly untenable. So I wanted to give you a purpose. And I hoped you could utilize your tremendous power, which is why I wanted you to take an interest in toppling the Emperor alongside me.”

His voice sounded more sincere than ever, leaving Liv flustered that he would open up to this extent when she hadn’t expected it.

“You were the most pitiable being to me.”

Liv pondered Hayden’s words. Had she truly been pitiable?

This was the first time someone had called her pitiable. Not Emmett or Hildegard, but Hayden, whom she had never expected to grow so close.

“Well, I won’t force you to help me, Miss. Just act according to where your heart leads you.”

However, to Liv, that was the more difficult path. Liv had always been accustomed to following the gods’ words rather than taking direct action herself. Expressing her love for Emmett was the only thing she had done of her own will.

As Liv wore a contemplative expression over his words, Hayden rose from his seat and spoke:

“Well, take your time thinking it over. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“You’re coming back tomorrow? I thought you were just bidding farewell today.”

“Yes, but there’s really an important matter to discuss. It’s something your Duke needs to hear as well.”

Leaving those words behind, Hayden exited through the window again, leaving only Liv with a dazed expression remaining in the room.

* * *

“That man visited Liv’s room again last night?”

After hearing the story from Liv, Emmett pursed his lips coldly. His expression seemed somewhat suspicious, as if plotting something.

“He is truly ungrateful. I must have a proper talk with him when we meet this time.”

His face suggested he wanted to do more than just talk, but Liv simply gazed at Emmett with an obedient look. Meanwhile, Hildegard, who had heard the story with them, also wore an uneasy expression.

“I think it’s best not to get too close to such a dangerous person…”

“But he said he had something important to discuss.”

They had been waiting for Hayden in Liv’s room for quite some time when a hand suddenly gripped the window frame from outside.

“You’re all here?”

As soon as Hayden cheerfully jumped down into Liv’s room from the window, Emmett sprang to his feet.

“I clearly told you I wouldn’t stand idly by if you kept invading Liv’s room like this…”

“I came to explain why I hate the Emperor.”

However, Hayden’s ensuing words caused everyone to fall silent. Launching straight into the main topic seemed like he had steeled some resolve.

“It wasn’t just because he annihilated your family, was it?”

When Liv asked that, Hayden answered in a casual tone:

“Why do you think he eliminated our family?”

“Because we were loyal to the previous Gracia imperial line?”

“That was one reason, but… if so, why did he leave the Wolfe family alone while eliminating the Schulze?”

Unable to find an answer to that question, Liv closed her mouth. Hildegard then tentatively raised her hand as if to guess the correct answer and said:

“The Wolfe family lacked something that the Schulze family possessed. So the Wolfe weren’t a threat, but the Schulze were.”

“Oh, very precise, Saintess.”

When Hayden whistled those words, Hildegard’s face flushed, seemingly embarrassed to receive praise from a stranger. Just like before, Hayden naturally took a seat and finally began his explanation:

“Originally, the Gracia family had two vassal families – the Schulze family and the Wolfe family.”

“I knew that much.”

“The Schulze family served as the brains for the Gracias, while the Wolfe family provided the muscle.”

As he seemed to be getting into the main story, Liv focused her attention on his words.

“The two families were like the two wings of the Gracias. To fully cripple them, both wings needed to be broken. But the fact that only one family was annihilated means there was a reason for that…”

He raised the corners of his mouth in a wide grin, but it didn’t seem like a truly joyful smile. His grin harbored a deep darkness Liv could hardly fathom.

“For instance, they may have known a secret they absolutely shouldn’t have known.”