BLMLS~15

Chapter 15

Devin never would have imagined that they were listening in on his entire conversation. The behavior of the Emperor and the imperial knights had been completely natural—there had been no hint of acting.

…Is the Emperor working with the culprits?

The image of the Emperor’s pale face as he looked at Anis flashed through his mind.

In truth, Devin hadn’t suspected him at all until today, before the Emperor accused Anis of staging a “self-inflicted scheme.”

Even when Anis, having lost her memories, showed signs of suspicion toward the Emperor, Devin had always thought differently.

The Emperor and Anis had shared a close bond since childhood. And if the Emperor truly wanted to kill Anis, there would be no need for such a complicated setup involving poison and assassins.

He could simply order the imperial knights to kill her. If an explanation was needed, he could fabricate one from among the malicious petitions nobles constantly submitted about Anis.

After hearing the accusation of a “self-staged plot,” Devin had briefly suspected that the Emperor might be involved with the enemies—but after overhearing the imperial knights’ conversation, he once again leaned toward the belief that the Emperor was not the culprit.

Personally, Devin disliked him, but he was still the Emperor. If he wasn’t allied with the enemies, it was better for Anis to keep him on their side. And now, perhaps, he might even listen to Anis.

…Let’s postpone the escape plan.

Devin frowned and looked down at the wound on Anis’s neck. If she was to be shown to others, it would be better not to treat it any further. He didn’t like that he had the ability to erase the injury completely but couldn’t do so.

For the same reason, his own fully healed left arm would also become a problem. People had seen it being pierced. Devin sighed and pulled out the dagger at his waist.

He took out the first-aid kit, applied medicine to Anis’s neck, and carefully bandaged it. He then treated the wound on his own arm in the same way and wrapped it in bandages.

Just as he finished, someone tried to open Anis’s bedroom door—but a startled voice came from outside.

“W-what… why won’t the door open?”

When the door still didn’t budge, they began pounding on it forcefully.

Bang bang bang!

“Count, are you in there?!”

It was the imperial knight Joshua.

Devin stood up, pulled out the greatsword blocking the door, returned it to its scabbard at his waist, and opened the door.

Click.

Seeing him, Joshua seemed to expect Devin to draw his sword immediately and raised both hands in surrender. Once he realized Devin wasn’t attacking, he lowered them and asked:

“Is the Count alright?”

“…Fortunately, it wasn’t a deep wound, so I’ve done emergency treatment for now.”

Joshua, who had seen blood gushing from Anis’s neck, seemed to have feared the worst and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“A physician from the imperial palace has arrived. His Majesty wishes for the Count to be seen by the royal doctor.”

Devin pressed his lips together and stared silently at Joshua. Sensing his caution, Joshua added:

“Wouldn’t it be best to have a specialist treat her injuries first? His Majesty also said he will personally oversee the treatment.”

At the Emperor’s words, Devin nearly let out a bitter laugh—but he barely managed to suppress it.

They should have believed her from the start. If the Emperor hadn’t shouted back then, Anis wouldn’t have ended up in this condition.

At that moment, Devin understood why the Emperor had raised his voice. The Emperor had always been sensitive whenever Devin and Anis seemed even slightly close.

Suppressing his boiling frustration, Devin replied in a calm voice:

“…Understood. Bring them in.”

“Yes, sir. Ah, and the intruders who broke into the estate have all been eliminated! We’ve also deployed additional imperial knights to secure the perimeter, so you are now safe.”

“Thank you.”

After Devin’s reply, Joshua smiled and hurried off somewhere.

Devin watched his back for a moment before closing the door again.

Anis lay quietly asleep on the bed. Confirming her peaceful breathing, Devin checked her forehead for fever. Thanks to the surge of holy power he had poured into her, her condition seemed stable despite the severe wound.

Soon, the sound of many footsteps approached the room. A deep voice rang out from beyond the door.

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

The door opened, and the Emperor entered with a pale face, accompanied by medical staff. Seeing Anis on the bed, he approached with a tense expression.

“…Is Anis alright?”

“Yes. Fortunately, it was not a deep stab wound.”

Devin lowered his gaze, hiding the coldness in his eyes.

The Emperor said nothing even after seeing that Devin had personally treated her. Normally, he would have scolded him for touching a noblewoman without permission or for overstepping boundaries—but he must have acknowledged the urgency of the situation.

Having the handsome Devin as Anis’s escort knight had always been a weakness.

Nobles had repeatedly spread rumors about Anis and her knight, and the Emperor had always been sensitive to them. At times, he had even pressured Anis to dismiss Devin and send him away from the estate.

“Just write a recommendation letter and let him go.”

But Anis had refused, insisting that those spreading rumors were the problem, and had continued to protect Devin’s position.

That is—until Devin learned the truth she had been hiding.

After confirming Anis was safe with his own eyes, the Emperor gestured to the physician he had brought. The doctor and nurses surrounded Anis.

Devin watched them closely, wary of any suspicious movement—but they examined her normally and finished treatment without issue.

“Fortunately, the wound is not deep, and the emergency treatment was appropriate. There is no toxin exposure, and no sign of infection or fever. Regular bandage changes and mild painkillers should be sufficient.”

The Emperor’s physician smiled brightly after confirming Anis’s condition, and only then did the Emperor look relieved and nod.

“Well done.”

The physician then examined Devin’s arm and praised his treatment of the puncture wound.

The Emperor sat beside Anis and exhaled deeply, finally relaxing. He gently took her hand in his.

“…Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness…”

“If there is any chance of fever developing later, I will leave attendants to monitor the Count. I will take my leave now, Your Majesty.”

The physician bowed respectfully and left the room with two nurses remaining behind.

A brief silence fell.

After staring at Anis for a long time, the Emperor finally spoke.

“…So this has been going on since the second day?”

Devin turned his attention from the nurses’ movements and looked at him.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“…Do you have any idea who is trying to kill Anis?”

So now you’re finally listening.

Devin gave a bitter smile.

“We have been too busy defending to investigate the mastermind thoroughly.”

“Does Anis have no suspicions?”

“Lady Anis does not seem to have any particular leads.”

Having lost her memories, Anis was unable to identify a culprit. But since she did not want the Emperor to know about her memory loss, Devin did not mention it.

“I see.”

The Emperor’s eyes burned with anger toward the unknown enemy.

Then, decisively, he said:

“This is too dangerous. We must move Anis to the imperial palace immediately.”