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CHAPTER 04
Your Highness, Please Be My Husband
The shout that filled the entire hall froze everyone in place.
“Unnatural death” referred to a death whose cause was unknown. In other words, if the Crown Prince had died from an illness, it would have been called a natural death—but labeling it “unnatural” strongly implied foul play.
Of course, it was true that the Crown Prince had been frail, but there had been no recent reports of illness. If anything, he had seemed to be getting healthier.
If it was murder, then anyone could be the culprit. It could be a servant, nobles in the hall, or even the Emperor and Empress themselves.
That was the Imperial Palace. Everyone who lived there had to consider such possibilities.
“Say it again… What did you say happened to our Crown Prince… my son Hebram…?”
The Empress—Empress of the Empire—rose from her seat, trembling as if in shock. She looked as if she might collapse at any moment. Was that what a mother’s love looked like?
Serena watched the scene without emotion. Everything was unfolding exactly as in the novel. Of everyone in the hall, she was the only one still calm.
She knew how this would proceed.
The Crown Prince would die, leaving no heir to the throne, and that would be where the story truly began.
The protagonists were the two grand dukes of the Empire—Valter Duke and Hilstein Duke—along with the princess of the Kingdom of Seiren, taken as a political hostage.
They would struggle over the imperial throne, amid love and ruthless power struggles.
In the end, the victor would be Valter Duke, chosen by the princess. He would gain both love and the throne. A perfect protagonist—and the winner of the story.
“Only death awaits the loser.”
Watching the chaotic hall, Serena murmured so quietly only she could hear.
Eventually, the defeated Hilstein Duke would meet a tragic end—suicide. That was the memory that had flowed into her ten years ago.
She could not remember every detail of the book, but the major events and structure had firmly rooted themselves in her mind over the past decade.
“You will be punished for lying!!”
The Emperor’s roar shook the ground, pulling Serena out of her thoughts. She turned her gaze to the trembling knight.
“This is… turning out to be more complicated than expected.”
A voice whispered close to her ear.
Lucas had leaned in without her noticing. Serena gently pushed him away. Even if no one seemed to be watching, one could never be sure—eyes and ears were everywhere.
He stepped back obediently, as if acknowledging his mistake.
Everything unfolded quickly.
The once festive hall filled with fear. This was no minor prince—it was the Crown Prince. The scale was entirely different.
The Empress, nearly unconscious, was escorted out. The Emperor followed, his crimson cloak sweeping behind him.
“No one is allowed to leave.”
After the Emperor and Empress departed, imperial knights sealed every exit. No one could leave until the cause was determined, as everyone in the palace was now a suspect.
“Hm, how long can they really keep us here?”
“Luke.”
Serena stopped Lucas, who seemed almost amused by the situation. He quickly composed himself.
He was right—there was no way they could detain so many nobles indefinitely.
An hour had already passed since the Emperor left the hall. They might already have found the cause. Poison or blade wounds would leave traces.
But contrary to expectations, even after two hours, no explanation came.
As nobles began to lose patience, a servant finally entered.
“His Majesty the Emperor commands all of you to return home carefully.”
With those words, the knights opened the doors. Though complaining, the nobles hurried out. Serena left with Lucas escorting her.
“Tired?”
“Yes.”
Serena had little stamina, and the day’s debutante event had already exhausted her.
She boarded Lucas’s carriage, leaving the chaos behind.
“I’ve already informed them to send you to the ducal estate.”
“What about you?”
“I should at least formally visit and offer condolences to my aunt.”
Serena nodded. The current Empress belonged to the Avenne family—Lucas’s sister. The Crown Prince was her nephew. With his sudden unnatural death, a formal visit was required.
“Alright, I’ll go first.”
“Be careful on your way.”
Lucas watched her reluctantly, as if unwilling to part. Serena smiled slightly and gently touched his cheek before stepping into the carriage.
“Don’t worry about me. Go on.”
He briefly held her hand, then released it. It was as if he was afraid she might break.
The carriage departed.
“Two hours without finding the cause…”
Serena leaned back against the soft seat.
“I didn’t expect them to move so quickly. And so thoroughly.”
The Crown Prince’s death was supposed to mark the beginning of the novel, but the timing had changed.
It should have happened at the end of summer, caused by poisoning.
But Serena had intervened—she had met someone in secret.
“Seems they acted faster than expected…”
That meeting had accelerated the Crown Prince’s death.
This incident had been a gamble. Whether it succeeded or failed did not matter much—it was only the beginning. The letter sent to Lucas had been the more important experiment.
Still, success meant useful data.
Serena tapped her red lips lightly with her finger and smiled.
“By now… they’ve probably received the letter.”
Meanwhile
“Duke, if we keep dragging this out, it will only weaken our position!”
“But a direct assault would cost us too many troops!”
Diego closed his eyes and sighed as his subordinates argued noisily in the tent.
With his sigh, the room fell silent.
“We are not solving anything by fighting among ourselves. We’ve sent scouts—wait a little longer.”
He stood and ended the meeting.
“Meeting dismissed. Everyone, return and prepare.”
The officers left. Only Diego and his aide, Eiden remained.
“You know both sides have valid points, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Diego entered his tent—and paused.
On the map table lay a luxurious envelope.
It didn’t belong in a battlefield.
“What is this?”
He inspected it carefully, then opened it. Inside was a blank sheet of paper.
He lit a candle.
“To the God of War.”
As the flame touched the paper, writing slowly appeared.
“Due to circumstances, I cannot reveal my identity…”
The letter contained strategic intelligence about the war:
- The river between both armies—the Hiegel River—had significantly shallowed due to upstream blockage.
- The Seiren Kingdom’s guardians would lose their power during a lunar eclipse when they covered their eyes and sealed their mouths—an opportunity to strike.
- A traitor within the kingdom was meeting an unknown contact near the river at midnight.
“If you act on this, victory will be yours.”
Whether to trust it or not was up to him.
The letter was signed:
“Flower of Silver.”
“Ha…”
A deep sigh escaped Diego’s lips.
He burned the letter immediately.
Even if it were a prank, he could not risk it reaching his troops.
“But… it can be verified.”
Reports already confirmed changes in the river’s depth and flow.
He stepped on the ashes to extinguish the flame.
“Soon, it will be the hour when the moon is highest.”
Who exactly was this “Flower of Silver”?
He fastened his sword and headed toward the river, ordering that no one be allowed to enter his tent in his absence.
