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Chapter 36
“…This can’t be.”
It had only been less than ten minutes.
How could it happen in such a short time—!
“I apologize, Your Ladyship.”
Howard, the Commander-in-Chief, who had rushed over after receiving the report, bowed deeply. I let out a hollow breath as I looked down at the man lying on the floor.
Xavier Persher, who had been alive until I arrived at the palace.
‘He’s really… dead?’
Just like that, so senselessly?
The blood-soaked corpse looked extremely gruesome at first glance, but the shock was so overwhelming that even that sight barely registered in my mind.
And it wasn’t just him. The palace knights guarding inside and outside the prison had also been found as cold corpses.
It was obvious that someone had forcibly broken into the prison and killed Xavier.
There was no other way to explain this situation. And the person responsible was definitely one individual.
‘Frombel has made a move.’
He had already been waiting for the right moment—the briefest lapse in the knights’ vigilance.
An assassin had slipped through a tiny opening, killed the two knights in one swift move, and finished Xavier off. That was the only plausible explanation.
But still, in broad daylight like this… killing elite knights and assassinating a prisoner in a palace filled with eyes and ears?
This was beyond mere audacity.
‘He’s openly defying the palace.’
Furthermore, it showed that even the Emperor’s personal knights were essentially powerless.
“Aria.”
At that moment, my line of sight was suddenly blocked.
I tilted my head without realizing it and saw Mathias turning his body, pulling me into his embrace.
“That’s not something you want to see.”
“…Thank you.”
Perhaps because the shock was still fresh, I felt a faint gratitude for Mathias’ considerate gesture.
While leaning quietly against his broad chest, the sound of hurried footsteps reached us from afar.
“Your Majesty!”
Howard, who had recognized him first, quickly bowed. Other nearby knights also dropped to one knee in haste to show their respects.
Of course, I was just as startled.
‘Th-the Emperor?’
I quickly pushed Mathias aside and bowed my head. Normally, I would have lowered my upper body completely as etiquette required, but in my injured state, that was a bit difficult.
Mathias hastily supported me. I gave him a grateful glance, and the Emperor had already approached, his brow furrowed.
A middle-aged Emperor who seemed rather seasoned, he pressed his hand to his forehead as he looked at those cruelly fallen on the ground.
“Damn. It’s quite a mess.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“We apologize!”
The knights all apologized in unison, taking full responsibility for failing in their duty to protect the prisoner.
But the Emperor waved them off with a gesture.
“We’ll consider your punishment later. Right now, there are more urgent matters.”
I agreed with him. While this incident was shocking, we couldn’t afford to remain in panic.
“You must be Lady Renesty.”
“…I pay my respects to the light of the Empire.”
As I tried to bow slightly, the Emperor waved his hand, signaling me not to.
“The greeting is sufficient. You’ve done well just to come here.”
“Oh, no.”
I shook my head quickly, and the Emperor gave a faint smile.
“Though the situation is unfortunate, it’s rather fortunate in another sense.”
He glanced at the cold corpses with a sidelong look.
“I had much I wanted to discuss with you anyway.”
In various ways.
He looked at me again, speaking quietly.
“Let’s move somewhere else first.”
The Emperor led us to the guest reception room of the main palace.
‘As expected.’
The palace truly was different. I quietly let out a breath, unable to compare this majestic interior to the noble houses I had seen.
The quality of the carpet, the lavish paintings covering walls and ceiling, and the statues crafted by artisans scattered around.
I couldn’t take my eyes off a single thing.
“Sit here.”
The Emperor, already seated, pointed to the adjacent sofa.
I glanced at Mathias. He seemed unwilling to sit, standing stiffly on the floor.
I tugged at his sleeve discreetly.
Feeling it, Mathias flinched slightly.
Naturally, I moved toward the sofa, signaling him to take the seat next to me. If he were merely a guard, I might have hesitated. But Mathias was here to assist me… even if it wasn’t strictly necessary, he had come to stay by my side.
‘I can’t have him standing all the time.’
At my silent signal, Mathias hesitated for a moment, then sat close beside me.
“Ahem.”
Perhaps noticing us, the Emperor cleared his throat.
“First, allow me to apologize for this incident. I should have overseen things properly, but events went awry unintentionally.”
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“I had planned to summon you anyway. I didn’t expect we’d meet under such circumstances.”
I quickly shook my head. The Emperor had done everything he could. He had sent knights to catch them and ensured no outsider could approach during the investigation.
There were also numerous knights stationed nearby, not just at the entrance.
How such a gap occurred, I had no idea.
“The fault lies with whoever tried to destroy the evidence.”
Who would attempt an assassination in broad daylight? Neither the Emperor nor I could have imagined Xavier being attacked in that brief instant.
Yet the Emperor, as if carrying deep responsibility, slowly lowered his head.
“I should have anticipated this situation and prepared for it.”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh, troubled. I seized the moment to cautiously share my opinion.
“I suspect this may have been an inside job.”
Or perhaps the perpetrator was disguised.
“Likely. If it were a suspicious outsider, we would have already apprehended them.”
In fact, that was the more troubling aspect.
An external enemy would have been obvious, but an internal spy would be difficult to identify.
“Do you have any guesses, Ladyship?”
“…No.”
All I could be sure of was that Frombel was involved; I had no idea who carried out the attack.
The Emperor nodded in understanding at my answer.
“First, we’ll investigate everyone working nearby: the knights, attendants, and staff.”
I cautiously spoke up.
“Wouldn’t it be better to first see if there were any witnesses rather than immediately looking for the culprit?”
“Because they may have left the palace?”
The Emperor immediately understood my point. I nodded slightly.
“That, and all the servants are working right now.”
I had heard palace regulations were strict. During work hours, moving elsewhere without reason was prohibited.
“I thought we could first question those who weren’t at their posts at the time.”
“Hmm.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at my suggestion, then after a brief pause, nodded in agreement.
“Have them report immediately.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“No need. This is only proper.”
The Emperor’s brow furrowed slightly. This matter had clearly been quite shocking.
At that moment:
“Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.
