BLMLS~13

Chapter 13

The moment I saw the Emperor’s cold attitude, I didn’t feel wronged—I only grew calm.

Silence settled in the kitchen. The imperial knights held their breath, watching our exchange and gauging my reaction. But I simply let out a small sigh and smiled at the Emperor.

“If that is what Your Majesty believes, then so be it.”

There was no point in getting angry. As I smiled and answered him like that, everyone looked taken aback by my reaction. Even the Emperor flinched slightly.

At that moment, Lanna suddenly screamed and cut into the conversation.

“No, Your Majesty! It’s not some staged act! My lady is truly being threatened by assassination attempts!”

She shouted this and pulled out all the silver utensils that had changed color from poison in the dishwashing basin—silver rods, silver needles, silver spoons—and thrust them toward the imperial knights.

Seeing them, the Emperor’s face hardened again, but I was more startled by Lanna holding them out.

“Lanna, your hand…”

When I saw her arm up close, red and blotchy as if burned, I felt my heart drop.

“Don’t tell me… you washed dishes with your bare hands?”

“Yes…”

Lanna answered in a shrinking voice, embarrassed as I looked at her arm. The poison had been strong enough to discolor silver in an instant. Even with running water, she had washed poisoned utensils with her bare hands.

I naturally pulled Lanna’s arm closer, pretending to examine it, while discreetly taking the evidence from her hands.

“Let’s treat your hand first. Devin, we need to take Lanna to a doctor.”

I slipped the discolored silver utensils I had taken into my skirt pocket and turned to Devin. Since there was no servant in the estate to fetch a physician, we would have to go ourselves.

“Take the maid to a doctor?”

The Emperor interrupted, looking as though he had just heard something absurd. I replied calmly.

“She was injured by poison, so she needs treatment quickly.”

“And why would the Count go with her? Moreover, according to the Count, isn’t she a maid who tampered with evidence?”

A brief silence fell between us. The Emperor seemed displeased that his fiancée was personally taking care of a “common” maid.

He really thinks I’m just some useless piece of property.

I swallowed my rising anger and answered calmly.

“Even if I was almost killed, that can be proven by more than just a cup, and an injured person must be treated.”

“So you intend to personally escort a maid who destroyed assassination evidence?”

“Didn’t you just say it was a staged act?”

At my retort, the Emperor looked flustered, but I pretended not to notice.

What mattered was treating Lanna quickly—and getting the Emperor out of here as soon as possible.

And tonight, I’ll pack my things and run away.

“‘The Emperor’s fiancée personally tending to a maid,’ hm…”

The Emperor muttered irritably. Then, glaring at me, he gave an order to his aide.

“Call the imperial physician.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The aide answered faithfully, but I quickly intervened.

“No, we will handle our own affairs. I believe I have kept the busy Emperor here long enough.”

I smiled politely while looking at him.

In reality, I couldn’t trust him with Lanna.

So go back to the palace already. I don’t even want to see you.

The Emperor shot me a sharp look again, clearly displeased.

“…You still suspect me, don’t you?”

“Pardon?”

Where did that logic come from? I frowned.

“Count, do you think I am trying to kill you?”

He asked this in disbelief, and I was equally dumbfounded.

“Your Majesty, didn’t you just say it was a staged act?”

“Do you think I’ve known you for so few years? That expression of yours is clearly sulking!”

His tone sounded almost like he was scolding someone close to him, and something in me flared up.

Since when were you acting familiar?

But I still kept my polite smile and replied softly.

“I don’t understand what you are talking about.”

“If you have evidence, bring it. Don’t go around suspecting people.”

The Emperor spoke irritably, and I muttered internally for him to go to hell.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now.”

As I turned to leave with Lanna, the Emperor raised his voice.

“So you’re saying the Count’s maid and knight are lying to the Emperor?”

I stopped and turned back. The Emperor stared at me coldly.

“Then I will arrest them. How dare they lie to the Emperor.”

I frowned deeply.

Why is he acting like this?

A thought crossed my mind. Lanna and Devin were my only remaining allies. Was he trying to eliminate them? To cut away everyone loyal to me?

But I couldn’t let the protagonists be taken away like this.

What should I do?

Should I give him part of the evidence?

As tension hung between us, a faint bell suddenly rang from beyond the open kitchen door.

Ding—ding—

Ding—ding—

Ding—ding—

It was the signal that intruders had entered the estate. Judging by the sound, a large number of people had broken in from multiple directions.

I instinctively turned to Devin.

Now that I thought about it, hadn’t he locked all the estate’s traps earlier, worried the Emperor might be attacked?

When our eyes met, Devin looked grave. He quickly approached and whispered.

“…There are many.”

As he said, the bells rang more and more chaotically throughout the estate.

“What is that sound?”

The Emperor frowned as the noise continued from all directions. The imperial knights also looked around in confusion.

“Oh, it must be a neighbor’s dog playing in the garden and hitting the bells.”

At my casual explanation, the Emperor gave me a look as if I were speaking nonsense again.

I also narrowed my eyes, suspecting that the Emperor himself might have disabled the traps and sent assassins.

There was a possibility. I smiled lightly.

“Understood. Your Majesty, please wait here. I’ll go retrieve the evidence I’ve collected.”

As I spoke, I grabbed Lanna and Devin by the arms, signaling them to move upstairs quickly.

“Wait.”

The Emperor stopped me.

“Is there a need to take a patient along to retrieve evidence?”

Sensing something was wrong, he gestured for Lanna to come to him. I frowned.

Before I could object, Lanna spoke first.

“My lady, I will stay here. Please go ahead.”

Understanding the urgency, she pushed me away and chose to remain by the Emperor’s side. As I tried to respond, Devin spoke.

“Let’s move, Lady Anis.”

For the first time, Devin’s voice sounded clearly tense. The situation must be urgent.

With no choice, I left Lanna with the Emperor and followed Devin upstairs.

The Emperor watched us as we ascended to the second floor. Pretending nothing was wrong, we moved up—then,

CRASH!

A loud crash echoed as assassins broke through the windows into the reception hall.

Startled, I froze.

They’re already here?

Without triggering the traps, they had managed to infiltrate quickly.

Devin, who had been walking ahead, stopped. Through the second-floor windows, black-clad assassins wearing masks flooded in, swarming both sides of the stairs.

Seeing the mass of intruders pouring in simultaneously from the first and second-floor windows, both the Emperor and the imperial knights widened their eyes in shock.