Chapter 121

Perhaps startled by the sudden political shift, it took some time for the various palace departments to enter the inner palace. The tense atmosphere made nobles who were at the lower ranks of the noble faction, centrists, or those loyal to the emperor, nervous. In contrast, the high-ranking members of the noble faction appeared composed, even a little smug.

As they entered the audience hall, Aivert received a note from a Royden family member who had arrived through a secret passage.

[Sir Latine Modilac and Chancellor Ameris are on standby near the Imperial Palace.]

“They’re together?”

Rodella held up two fingers to the person who delivered the note, who then wrote on a separate piece of paper.

[They judged that coming together would be safest.]

It seemed that Latine had also spoken with Ameris. Of course, with the political climate so unpredictable, being next to Sir Latine was probably the safest place for Ameris. Rodella smiled faintly. Ameris must have been thrilled.

“…”

The feeling was so vivid she had to bow her head, a memory of being held in someone’s arms while riding a horse overlapping with the present moment.

‘Focus, Rodella.’

As she let out a short breath, the heavy doors of the audience hall slammed shut. With the exception of Marquis Shuan, whose eyes were now covered, the three of them began to look down into the hall through a small hole.

* * *

Duke Benerix, contrary to his true feelings, wore a deeply somber expression. It was a look of resolve, as if to say that since the emperor had passed, he was the only remaining heir, and only he could restore order to the faltering empire.

“Is everyone here?” he asked, his voice cutting through the heavy silence of the audience hall.

“Some of you may have heard, and some may not, but I have grave news. Today, His Majesty was killed at the hands of assassins.”

Shock spread among the nobles who had been working in their respective palace departments. Controlled by the knights, they had been largely uninformed about the events outside.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Where is His Majesty?!”

“Does this have something to do with the knights who came earlier…?”

Amid the murmuring, Duke Benerix spoke. “His Majesty is now at rest in the North Tower.” His face was grave. “We moved him to the North Tower for protection, but the assassins still attacked him, even blowing up the stairs he would have used to escape.”

“Where could they have come from?!”

“What were the Royal Guards and the Imperial Palace Guards doing?!”

Before the people who were shouting in disbelief, Duke Benerix stomped his foot.

“Those very guards and knights were the traitors! They opened the way for the assassins! Even the assassin who first attacked His Majesty and me was able to because they provided a path!” he cried out with a heartbroken expression.

The murmuring among the crowd grew louder.

“We don’t know where the assassins’ den is, but the last place they headed to was the Chancellor’s residence.”

At Duke Benerix’s words, even the murmuring stopped.

“And Chancellor Ameris is not answering our calls. Not only that, but the Red Knights we sent to her residence have also lost contact.”

“Then…”

The faces of the palace officials were incredulous. Given the situation, it seemed as though Chancellor Ameris had sent the assassins. Of course, she might have been able to persuade the guards and knights, but why would she? Was she not a prominent pillar of the pro-emperor faction?

“We also can’t help but be suspicious of Duke Royden, who is not here. We summoned him and the Azure Knights when the incident occurred in the Imperial Palace, but they have not come.”

“It was well known that he and His Majesty were not on good terms.”

“I thought things had gotten a little better recently…”

The murmuring began to spread again.

“Therefore, we plan to thoroughly search the Chancellor’s residence and the Royden family estate for any suspicious findings,” Duke Benerix said with a sigh. “I hope there is nothing suspicious about either of them. They were pillars of the empire…”

Just as he spoke with seemingly genuine regret, a part of the audience hall ceiling fell down with a loud thud, a decorative piece with a vent hole.

“W-what is that?!”

As the surprised nobles scattered in a panic, a person bound in ropes was lowered from the ceiling.

“?”

It was none other than Marquis Shuan, tied up.

“Huh?”

People stared at him blankly, then followed the rope with their eyes. If a person was being lowered so slowly, someone must be holding the rope, right? As everyone’s attention was fixed on the ceiling, Marquis Shuan, who had been descending with a nervous expression, fell to the floor. And right next to him, someone else jumped down.

“The Emperor arrives.”

It was Aivert, holding the emperor, who looked thoroughly annoyed as they jumped down. He set the emperor down on the floor and then looked up at the ceiling.

“Gasp!”

“His, His Majesty?”

The nobles in the room, mostly from the palace departments, couldn’t possibly fail to recognize the emperor just because his clothes were a little different. The emperor, dressed in black like an assassin, looked straight at them.

—Clink!

At that moment, a chain suddenly gleamed and appeared from the ceiling. The end of the chain connected to Aivert was attached to the ceiling above.

—Thud!

Rodella lightly jumped down from the ceiling.

Aivert, as if he had become a different person from how he treated the emperor or Marquis Shuan, gently caught her and set her down. By then, only silence filled the audience hall.

‘Wait, if they were up there, doesn’t that mean His Majesty heard everything?’

‘No, before that, His Majesty is alive, so what was Duke Benerix talking about?’

As people’s eyes darted back and forth, the emperor spoke. “I heard a rumor that I had passed away, Uncle.”

Duke Benerix’s expression was pure shock. “H-how…?” It wasn’t an act. He was genuinely surprised. He had confirmed the death, hadn’t he?

“You wailed so mournfully about my death, but now that I’m back, you don’t seem happy,” the emperor said.

Duke Benerix opened and closed his mouth before speaking. “Your Majesty, you were, you were surely…”

“‘Dead’?” Aivert cut him off. He pointed toward the tower. “When you sent an assassin with an artifact powerful enough to completely destroy the North Tower’s staircase, you should have been prepared for the body to be unidentifiable.” He had just confirmed that the “emperor’s body” Duke Benerix had seen was, in fact, the assassin’s.

“Artifacts? What are you talking about? No, what is all this?” one of the nobles finally asked.

Aivert then looked down at Shuan. “We brought a witness, so let him explain.”

At that, Marquis Shuan trembled and began to speak. “This, this is Duke Benerix’s rebellion. Duke Benerix is the one who sent the assassin.”

“What are you saying?! Don’t say such things to mislead His Majesty!” Duke Benerix snapped.

Marquis Shuan seemed afraid when he met the duke’s gaze, but he must have realized that Aivert’s fist was closer. He opened his mouth again.

“Duke Benerix sent the assassin! He planned to seize control of the Imperial Palace and the empire once a signal came that the emperor was dead in the North Tower!”

And so began Marquis Shuan’s confession, which would turn the tables on everything.