As soon as I entered the hotel, I received a brief report about what had happened while we were away.
‘Marquis Arzen, to commit such acts and still come looking for me…’
I felt like I wanted to confront my uncle, who had tried to kidnap my child, and make him pay immediately.
Although we were few in number, our group was strong enough to overpower him.
However, doing so would disrupt all my plans.
‘The Marquis would find out that I’m alive.’
But the uncle I knew was persistent; he wouldn’t give up on a target once he set his sight on it.
He would surely try to intimidate a cocky widow who relied solely on a mere knight, aiming to make her sell the mining rights.
When he comes after us, it will be when he has the advantage in terms of numbers or strength.
And the time would likely be early morning while we were asleep.
“What will you do?”
I chuckled at Sardin’s question and replied,
“We need to strike first. Make him a dog chasing after chickens.”
I then addressed the entire group.
“We leave for the capital. Right now.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
In the dead of night when everyone was asleep,
Marquis Arzen urgently surrounded the hotel with mercenaries and the soldiers of Baron Lacne.
‘Hmph, even if they possess some skills, those naive individuals will be unable to manage this many opponents.’
The total number of soldiers mobilized was around a hundred. Marquis Arzen calculated that unless one of them was the Duke of Blant, even the most skilled individual wouldn’t stand a chance against such numbers.
‘And if that girl in the maid’s outfit really is Cornelia…’
He currently bears the stigma of exile due to accusations that his daughter, Medelin, killed Cornelia.
But if it’s revealed that Cornelia is alive?
‘Public opinion would shift in my favor, and many would blame the Emperor for his mistake.’
This could allow him to rise back to the pinnacle of power.
Therefore, he had to capture her. Countess Herde and her maid.
“Everyone, go in.”
Marquis Arzen was shocked by what he saw as he stormed into the hotel.
‘What is this? Why is the manager lying unconscious?’
It wasn’t just the manager. Everyone in the lobby was asleep, sprawled on the floor.
‘What in the world?’
Just then, one of his subordinates, who was searching a corner of the lobby, urgently called out to him.
“Marquis, we found sleeping powder over here!”
Sleeping powder is commonly used as a drug to induce sleep, but sometimes assassins use it in higher concentrations for perfect stealth.
And the scene he was witnessing was clearly not the result of voluntary sleep, but rather something forced.
‘Did they put all these people to sleep? No way…’
Marquis Arzen shouted in a panic.
“Quickly, go to the top floor!”
After sending the swift knights ahead, he hurriedly climbed the stairs.
When he reached the third floor—
“There’s no one here!”
“What is it?”
“There’s no one here!”
Startled by that, the marquis hurried up to the fourth floor.
The sight that met his eyes was an empty room that was not properly organized.
Realizing that they had escaped, the marquis shouted with rage.
“What are you doing? Hurry and chase after the carriage!”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Clunk!
As the carriage shook, Demian slightly furrowed his brow.
I gently patted my child’s head, which was resting on my lap.
‘You’re sleeping so soundly, my baby.’
It would be understandable for my child to whine about being uncomfortable, but he was sound asleep.
‘I wish the carriage would shake a little less.’
At that moment, remarkably, the shaking stopped.
Looking out the window out of curiosity, the faint dawn revealed a landscape still filled with dense foliage, and the road appeared to be an unpaved path.
‘What on earth is happening? It’s as if there aren’t any stones on the road.’
As I pondered this question, I noticed my child furrowing their brow, sensing discomfort from my movements.
“Ugh.”
Looking at my child, who was unable to sleep deeply, I softly whispered a lullaby.
“My precious one, I will be like warm sunlight, always watching over you, both day and night.”
Perhaps because the shaking had lessened? As I sang, I began to feel increasingly drowsy.
I slowly closed my eyes and continued to sing.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Sardin, riding at the rear to match the speed of the carriage, felt something was off.
‘Has the carriage’s shaking stopped?’
Just a moment ago, the carriage had been shaking continuously, but now it was moving smoothly as if it were on a paved road.
‘What on earth is happening?’
As he pondered this question, he soon discovered the cause.
‘Hmm, so that’s the method he’s using.’
Duke Blant was emitting a fine aura, dividing it into several strands.
And that aura was shattering the stones on the ground.
For a moment, Sardin felt an impulse to try replicating it.
However, Sardin quickly shook his head.
‘Just because I try doesn’t mean I can do it the same way. That requires a monstrous level of aura control that I simply don’t have.’
While it was possible for an aura user to emit aura recklessly, such precise control was beyond his current capabilities.
‘If I tried, I might break the carriage’s wheels.’
Though he reluctantly acknowledged Duke Blant’s skill, his mouth felt bitter.
And at the same time, he felt frustrated.
‘I’m the one who should be protecting them.’
It felt as if he had lost his place.
Sardin glared at Duke Blant and clenched his fist tightly.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Mom.”
As I opened my eyes at the sound of calling, I met Demian’s gaze, who was looking up at me.
It seemed that I had dozed off without realizing it as the shaking of the carriage had lessened.
“Demian, why are you calling?”
Instead of answering, Demian raised his little finger and pointed at the window.
I looked out the window absentmindedly and frowned at the dazzling sunlight.
Once I got used to the light, the view outside the carriage came into focus.
‘We’ve finally arrived.’
Well-organized buildings lined up neatly, and the roads were clean and well-maintained.
Not a chaotic thicket, but rows of trees planted at regular intervals.
This was where I was born and raised—the capital.
“Mom, this place somehow looks like our territory.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Demian’s words.
‘Yes, I took a lot of inspiration from the capital when developing our territory.’
After establishing the territory’s foundation, I constructed walls and altered the streets.
In the process, I rebuilt old facilities and repaired residents’ homes.
At that time, I thought I had done well.
But now that I was in the capital, I was starkly realizing how clumsy I had been.
‘Well, initially, it wasn’t even a fair comparison. This is the result of the diligent governance by past emperors, including my grandfather.’
A city as beautiful as a painting, well-maintained and not appearing old, yet it held a history of 4,000 years.
‘However, it was my foolish brother who severed the thread of that long history.’
No matter how stupid Fritz was, this was too much. In less than two years following his throne ascension, Fritz managed to devastate the nation.
‘The purpose of calling me is obvious. He probably wants me to support Fritz. But…’
The image of this city, which had been torn apart and destroyed by the rebels, is still vivid.
‘To prevent the tragedy of that time from repeating, such an ally must not become the emperor.’
After arriving in the capital, I went to a hotel near the palace to freshen up and change my clothes.
“I’ll be going to the palace.”
At that, Demian looked up at me and said,
“Mom, are you going to meet the emperor?”
“Yes.”
“And what about me?”
At that question, I let out a small sigh.
‘I can’t take you with me. There are too many dangers in the palace.’
The mastermind behind the sniper has not been revealed yet, and even the Emperor cannot be completely trusted.
Moreover, I still hadn’t revealed my true identity to Demian.
‘If that happens, he might end up calling Erich “Dad” again.’
For various reasons, I had to go to the palace alone.
I looked at Sardin, Janet, and Erich.
‘Yes, with these three here, Demian will be safe.’
I gently stroked my baby’s hair and said,
“You’re not ready to meet His Majesty the Emperor yet. You’re still not ready.”
“But I’m ready! I’ve washed and dressed up nicely!”
I couldn’t help but smile at those words.
“It’s not just about tidying up your clothes. To meet the Emperor, you need to be well-versed in etiquette. So, make sure to listen to the adults.”
After giving Demian that advice, I looked at those who would remain and said,
“Please take good care of my child.”
“Of course!”
Janet and Sardin responded energetically. Erich didn’t answer but nodded his head.
I turned to Marquis Philippe and said,
“Then, let’s go.”
“Certainly.”
With that, I received his escort and headed towards the palace.
Unaware of what awaited me there.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, the Emperor was having a conversation with Reinhardt.
“Your Majesty, I hear you’ve been unwell lately. Are you alright?”
Over the past few years, Reinhardt had taken it upon himself to be the royal family’s protector, doing anything for the imperial family.
The Emperor had some trust in Reinhardt, but not enough to expose his own weaknesses.
The Emperor, barely containing his cough, replied to Reinhardt.
“Haha, you’re asking something obvious. I am still in good health.”
At that moment, a chamberlain entered and whispered to the emperor.
“Countess Herde has requested an audience.”
Hearing this, the emperor chuckled and said to Reinhardt,
“Reinhardt, it seems you’ll have to leave now that a guest has arrived.”
Reinhardt bowed his head, barely suppressing a smile.
‘Finally, she has arrived. My beloved black swan.’
He then raised his head with a sad expression.
“Your Majesty, please take care of your health. This empire can only remain strong if you are well.”
