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Chapter : 08
With her face hidden beneath a robe, Zenaida rode toward the Imperial Palace.
Unlike the warmth of the day, the midnight air was bitterly cold. Goosebumps rose along her skin, but the chill also helped her think more clearly.
The deadline was only two days away, so there was no denying the pressure—but the situation itself was not the worst possible. Dalton was officially staying in the Imperial Palace as a trainee.
His actual treatment wasn’t especially good, but the fact that he belonged to the palace worked in their favor.
Because if it was the Imperial Palace, Zenaida could come and go as she pleased.
‘The Emperor still trusts me.’
Becoming the Grand Duchess had been entirely the Emperor’s scheme.
That meant it wouldn’t be strange for her to visit the palace secretly.
If Dalton had been living in an outlying region and she had needed to go there instead, it would only have aroused the Emperor’s suspicion.
Even though it was the Grand Duke’s residence, there were more of the Emperor’s people there.
Recalling the suspicious gazes she had felt while staying at the estate, Zenaida stared straight ahead.
The scenery rushed past her.
What stood clearly in her sight was the tightly closed castle gate. As she reached the entrance, the guards standing watch approached her.
“Hey. Turn back immediately.”
“I’ve come to see His Majesty the Emperor.”
Zenaida removed her hood and took out an identification token from within her robes. It was something Felix had personally bestowed upon her, telling her to use it whenever necessary.
Upon seeing the token, the guards immediately snapped to attention and saluted.
“O–Our apologies! We failed to recognize Lady Zenaida. Please forgive us!”
Zenaida looked at the two of them blankly, feeling an inexplicable irritation as she spoke.
“It’s fine. Go about your duties.”
After ending the exchange curtly, she passed them at a brisk pace. Only after she had gone far enough that they were no longer visible did she slow her steps.
A question surfaced in her mind.
‘Why was I irritated?’
After thinking for a moment, Zenaida soon realized the reason.
She had seen herself in them.
Just as they had instantly changed their attitude out of servility once they recognized her status, she too was heading here to bow low before the Emperor.
‘No. I can’t.’
She was still inside the capital.
As long as she hadn’t fully left it, earning the Emperor’s displeasure would bring her nothing good. Every action, every word—even her breathing—had to be careful.
The emotions buried deep inside her slowly rose to the surface, and her hands trembled faintly.
Zenaida pretended not to notice and quickened her pace once more.
After safely entering the Imperial Palace, the first place Zenaida went was the Emperor’s office.
She slipped inside without making a sound, suppressing both her footsteps and the noise of the door.
The interior was dark. Only the desk where Felix sat was softly illuminated by flickering candlelight.
The silence, an unaware target, and the dagger hidden in her robes—it felt as though someone were whispering to her to kill the Emperor right then and there.
‘If it weren’t for you and the Pope…’
I wouldn’t have met Kaiden—but I wouldn’t have killed him either.
Forgetting her original purpose, Zenaida unconsciously reached into her robes. She gently wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the blade, which had warmed to her body temperature.
She could feel her heartbeat pounding at her fingertips.
Yet the tips of her fingers and toes were cold, as if blood could no longer reach them.
At that moment, Felix’s gentle voice broke the silence.
“What brings you here at such a late hour?”
Hearing his voice, Zenaida quickly regained her composure.
In any case, she couldn’t kill Felix here and now. He was a man blessed by God.
That was why he could afford to be so carelessly unguarded.
Zenaida swallowed a useless breath and slowly approached him.
His face, spread with a full smile, was kindness itself.
Had she not regressed, she might have easily fallen for that expression.
Clenching the flesh of her palm as if to tear it, Zenaida straightened her back.
She was far more natural now than when she had first entered the audience chamber after regressing.
Careful not to let her voice tremble, she answered.
“I have something to report, so I took the liberty of coming despite the discourtesy.”
Felix feigned surprise and asked back,
“For you to do that, it must be quite urgent. Very well—what is it?”
At his question, Zenaida spoke without the slightest hesitation.
“Please stop the assassination of Kaiden.”
Her visit to the palace was, in truth, solely to meet Dalton.
But she couldn’t come to the palace without a reason.
So she gambled—
Creating a justification to enter the palace while also stopping the assassination attempt on Kaiden.
At her blunt answer, the smile vanished from Felix’s face. He placed the quill he had been holding into the ink bottle and asked,
“Why?”
All courtesy, warmth, and kindness had disappeared, leaving only a bleak tone.
Noticing the change in his voice, Zenaida swallowed dryly.
Felix usually wore the mask of a benevolent Emperor, smiling pleasantly—but when his temper was touched, he revealed his true nature.
Just like now.
This was a warning, right before his wrath.
But she hadn’t spoken without anticipating this. She had a justification that could convince him.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Zenaida began.
“He rose to the position of Grand Duke by Your Majesty’s grace. Whether he wishes it or not, he is a member of the imperial family. If he were to die in an unsavory incident, it would damage not only Your Majesty’s reputation, but that of the imperial house as a whole. I am concerned about that.”
What Felix valued most was his own reputation—and the authority of the imperial family.
He wouldn’t want those things sullied by Kaiden’s disgraceful death.
To him, Kaiden was no more than dust on the roadside.
She delivered the final blow.
“I will bear the stain of that filthy blood myself. So please, Your Majesty, place your trust in me.”
She subtly flattered the Emperor and concluded with a declaration of loyalty.
Like a knight swearing fealty, she knelt on one knee, bent her right arm, and lowered her head.
Because of the darkness, she couldn’t see the floor clearly.
She endured in silence, waiting for Felix to respond.
After a brief stillness, Felix’s hearty laughter echoed above her head—but the ominous air did not fade.
“Raise your head, Sir Zenaida.”
As she lifted her gaze, Felix snapped his fingers.
Snap.
With the crisp sound, a magic stone glowed, flooding the room with light. At the same time, his low, serious voice followed.
“So did you kill all the assassins?”
Unable to lift her head fully, Zenaida kept her eyes fixed on the floor.
Unbothered, he continued one-sidedly.
“Without my permission.”
Sensing the danger in the air, Zenaida replied calmly.
“Do you not trust me?”
At her question, Felix grabbed her chin and lifted it.
She was pulled up helplessly, unable to resist.
It wasn’t that she lacked strength—the power and immortal body of the man before her rendered her powerless.
The Emperor twisted one corner of his mouth in mockery.
“You spent time with Kaiden as a child, didn’t you?”
“…!”
“So how am I supposed to trust you? If the Pope hadn’t recommended you, I would never have married you to Kaiden.”
Her meeting with Kaiden had been in childhood.
She had known him for less than a year, but she had devoted nearly twenty years of loyalty to the Emperor and the Pope.
‘He just wants an excuse to pick at me.’
Zenaida struggled to keep her gaze lowered.
“Helping Kaiden like this.”
Her heartbeat grew louder, like a drum.
“Please grant me just one more chance.”
She looked at the Emperor again—begging, but not pitiful; desperate, but controlled.
She still had to be useful to Felix.
The brief silence felt like an eternity.
At last, the iron-sealed lips opened.
“Who do you think ordered poison to be applied to your blade?”
Though the question was abrupt, Zenaida immediately understood both its intent and its answer.
“…Was it Your Majesty who ordered the poison applied to my sword?”
Felix answered—and finished with a threat.
“Yes. I’ll be watching your actions from now on. You’d better do well. Otherwise, you will die.”
Hearing his warning, Zenaida carefully concealed her emotions and replied with difficulty.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Having secured a reason for entering the palace, Zenaida headed straight for the training grounds after meeting the Emperor.
Though it was the dead of night and most were asleep, she knew Dalton stayed at the training grounds late.
He always went to bed later and woke earlier than others, dedicating himself to private training.
Knowing this, Zenaida had personally taken Dalton on as her squire and taught him everything she knew.
As if to meet her expectations, he followed her teachings diligently.
“Dalton.”
“Ah—Lady Zenaida!”
He must have been finishing the rest of his training as usual; his entire body was drenched in sweat. Startled, Dalton set down his sword and hurried over.
“What brings you here?”
She lifted the corners of her lips and replied gently.
“Did I startle you?”
“To be honest, very much so. It’s surprising enough that someone who left the palace is here—and at this hour… Did something happen?”
Sincere concern filled Dalton’s eyes. Most likely, he was thinking it had something to do with the Grand Duke.
Given the bad rumors and the cold image of the Grand Duke, he probably thought something had happened to Zenaida.
Anyone meeting him for the first time would think the same. Even setting rumors aside, Dalton’s first meeting with him hadn’t been pleasant.
Zenaida lightly denied it, maintaining her smile.
“No, nothing like that. I just came because there’s something I’d like to propose.”
“A proposal?”
There was no guarantee Dalton would accept.
After hesitating and wetting her lips a few times, Zenaida asked,
“I want to hire you as my personal guard knight. What do you think?”
