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Chapter : 06 Everyone, You’re All Being Deceived Right Now
Everything was dyed in a chilling shade of red.
Even the fountain, which had gleamed brilliantly with gold and marble.
Even the beautiful scenery of the garden, filled with the fragrance of flowers.
Nothing else caught my eye.
All because of one person.
A man whose presence was overwhelming, even from afar.
A moment ago, a life had vanished so fleetingly. Yet, no one who had witnessed the scene even let out the slightest whimper.
Everyone stared at him as if mesmerized.
And the man, receiving all those countless gazes, remained expressionless.
He pulled the sword out of the enemy’s chest and wiped off the blood.
As if brushing away a stray insect, he remained utterly composed.
“Eek!” The surrounding maids gasped and froze in place.
Then, the blue eyes that had been coldly staring down the enemy moved slowly.
“Ah.”
Our eyes met.
They were tragically beautiful eyes.
In that instant, his gaze flickered slightly.
He glanced at me briefly, then sheathed his sword and started walking toward me.
Wait—he’s coming this way?
By the time I snapped out of it,
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
He was already standing before me.
“Sorry for the late greeting.”
With a charming mid-low voice, he bowed.
“I am Leonard Hilbert, Commander of the Royal Guard.”
“…!”
The moment I heard that name, my gaze wavered.
Leonard?
He… Leonard Hilbert?
At the same time, his name vividly resurfaced in my mind.
Why did I ever forget him?
This novel had more than one male lead besides the official protagonist, Jerome.
And among them, Leonard was as famous as Emperor Jerome. Perhaps even more so.
― He’s a master who conquered the empire with his swordsmanship alone. His personality is incredibly loyal and polite…
My friend, who had introduced me to this book, had always praised him whenever he appeared.
But it wasn’t just because he was handsome or the highly skilled Commander of the Royal Guard that people were excited about him.
It’s because…
In other words, Leonard Hilbert’s true identity—
“Your Majesty?”
A voice calling me pulled me from my thoughts.
Leonard was looking at me with a curious expression.
Apparently, I had unconsciously worn a serious expression.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing. But….”
I subtly averted his gaze and changed the topic.
“What exactly happened just now?”
Two people had suddenly fallen from the sky.
And unintentionally, I had witnessed their fierce fight from the front row.
Of course, it was a bit one-sided to even call it a fight.
“They were suspicious intruders trying to sneak near the Empress’s quarters. I subdued them while handling the situation.”
“There were intruders in the Empress’s quarters?”
The Empress’s quarters was where the heroine, Faye, stayed.
Did this happen in the original story?
I thought carefully, but nothing came to mind.
“This is serious. Was anyone injured?”
“Fortunately, no one suffered significant harm.”
I involuntarily glanced toward the fountain at his words.
The fountain was utterly destroyed.
The intruder lay sprawled atop it.
Leonard followed my gaze and let out a small sigh.
“Ah… that.”
He spoke in an awkward tone.
“I would have preferred they surrendered quietly, but they resisted so stubbornly that I had no choice but to subdue them rather forcefully.”
Subdue?
That seemed pretty violent to call it mere subduing.
It looked like he had subdued them permanently.
“I apologize for showing you such an unpleasant sight, Your Majesty.”
His voice was calm and serious.
At any other time, I would have just thought of him as an incredibly loyal knight.
But I knew the truth about this man.
It was then.
“Commander!”
A panicked shout came from the rear garden entrance.
Knights, covered in dust, stood with hands on their sword hilts.
It was clear something bad was happening.
Leonard spoke politely.
“Your Majesty, may I leave now to attend to this matter?”
“Of course. It’s better to handle urgent matters first.”
“Thank you.”
He gave a brief nod of thanks and led the knights away at a brisk pace.
I watched him for a moment.
I never expected to meet him here.
It was an unexpectedly shocking encounter.
While I was processing the situation, the maids called me.
“Your Majesty?”
“Is there some other matter?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I shook my head.
“Let’s go as well.”
But despite my words, I couldn’t take my eyes off his departing figure.
“…Leonard.”
I murmured his name quietly, silently vowing.
Never.
I must never cross paths with him again.
The next day.
“I heard good news on the way here today!”
Maria returned after briefly sending out the tea.
One of the maids tilted her head.
“Good news?”
“It seems they caught all the culprits.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful.”
“How did they even get in?”
“They disguised themselves as merchants delivering kitchen supplies.”
“My goodness!”
The maids gasped.
“The guards must have been tight. How did they manage to get in?”
Countess Chloe asked calmly.
“There were so many people coming and going, preparing for the upcoming banquet. They slipped in during that chaos, I suppose.”
“What on earth are these people doing?”
“Well… that part is unclear.”
“Why? What happened?”
Another maid urged.
“When they interrogated the captured intruders, surprisingly, none of them had tongues.”
“Oh my!”
“How could that happen?!”
“So it seems difficult to identify their backers or motives properly…”
Maria scratched her head.
“I’m still scared. What if they appeared at the Empress’s quarters instead of the consort’s?”
“Oh my, indeed. It’s a miracle nothing worse happened.”
As in many novels, these were probably people jealous of the heroine, Faye.
I used to feel sorry for the heroine whenever she got into dangerous situations.
But not now.
Sorry? What nonsense.
I thought of Faye’s dual nature.
Why had she acted that way?
I couldn’t understand.
The maids’ assessments of Faye, which differed from the original story, also lingered in my mind.
“Still…”
Maria’s voice softened.
“Wasn’t Sir Leonard amazing?”
“Oh, absolutely. I honestly thought my heart would stop.”
“Much more impressive than the rumors. How does he subdue enemies so quickly?”
The maids’ eyes sparkled.
“No wonder he’s so popular. Even young ladies, no, noblewomen are drawn to him, right?”
There are so many letters and gifts sent to him.
Some even try to climb the palace walls just to meet him.
The maids continued to gush over his popularity.
“But he doesn’t even glance at anyone.”
“That’s because Sir Leonard knows only swordsmanship; he’s a pure man.”
“Exactly, that’s why he’s even more impressive. Truly an idol of knights!”
Indeed, his swift subduing of enemies was undeniably cool.
But…
He’s a pure man who knows only swordsmanship?
Knowing the original story, that assessment was absurd.
If only they knew who he really was, they’d be shocked.
Everyone, you’re all being deceived!
A voice in my mind echoed.
I had been so focused on Jerome and Faye, the main characters, that I had forgotten about him.
From Helena’s perspective, the most dangerous person to avoid was Jerome.
But in terms of the entire story, it was someone else.
Perhaps someone even more dangerous than Jerome: Leonard.
The maids, unaware of this, chatted excitedly.
“Finally meeting the famous Sir Leonard… I’ve only heard of him before, never in person.”
“Same here. He hardly ever appears even at official events.”
“Right, there must be many who dream of seeing him in person.”
What, is he the palace’s unicorn?
A person that rare to see?
Well, if I had encountered him more often, I might have realized his presence sooner.
Well, at least it doesn’t concern me directly, so that’s a relief.
I sipped the tea Maria brought, trying to look calm.
He was dangerous, but as long as I didn’t meet him, it was fine.
I vowed once more:
I would never cross paths with him again.
Luckily, at this point, there was no direct connection between Helena and Leonard.
Jerome and Faye were already enough to give me headaches. If Leonard got involved too…
Ugh, just imagining it was mentally exhausting.
In the original story, Helena and Leonard did have some connection.
Near the climax, the two collaborated in an incredible sequence.
But that was far in the future.
So, no need to worry yet.
I hoped there would be no entanglement with him in the distant future either.
To do that, I’d have to escape the palace first.
Then it happened.
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
Countess Chloe called me.
I tilted my head.
“What is it?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
I wasn’t expecting anyone. Who could it be?
While I pondered, sipping my tea,
“Sir Leonard requested to see Your Majesty.”
Cough, cough!
Who came?
I was caught off guard by the unexpected visitor.
Leonard? Why would he come to see me?
While I hesitated, Countess Chloe smiled gently and offered a formidable suggestion.
“Shall we invite him in?”
