The moment I heard that much, I felt like I knew what was going on.
Closing the documents, I spoke.
“Among the vassals of Duke Cassian, there’s a family skilled in disguise—the Arapels. They also have a connection with a Dark Guild.”
“…… I’ve heard of them. The current head of the family is named Roman, I think.”
“That’s right. However, they’ve sworn allegiance exclusively to Duke Cassian. Even if Roxis is the heir apparent, they wouldn’t follow personal orders without the Duke’s command…”
Like during the incident at the palace.
During the suspicious fire incident, it seemed likely that Roxis acted on his own without our father’s orders.
But the vassals did.
Although they weren’t the main family but rather a branch or a different bloodline, moving them without a special reason was difficult.
“Is there a problem?”
“We need to investigate further. The key is capturing the Arapels hiding in Garnet Palace.”
“I have men attached to all three of them.”
“That may not be enough. Arapels have expertise not only in disguise but also in stealth.”
Uncertainty filled Julion’s eyes. His expression showed a sense of dilemma. Taking a slow breath, I opened my mouth.
“We need to make them show themselves.”
Without a response, Julion stared at me intently.
With a smile, I called for Hemion, who was waiting outside.
“Now that I think about it, Hemion is quite skilled at acting.”
Hemion had done a great job acting like he had lost her memory in front of Liliana.
At my words, Julion’s eyes lit up as if he realized something.
“No way…….”
“You called, Your Highness?”
Interrupting Julion, Hemion entered. Smiling at Hemion’s puzzled expression, I spoke,
“Hemion, you’ll recover your memories tomorrow.”
“…What?”
The reason Roxis set fire to the Imperial Palace was because of Hemion. However, he couldn’t achieve his goal and had to withdraw.
If he had killed a physician and left someone disguised as them, the target would have been only Hemion.
Until now, it seemed like they were observing Hemion, given that she had lost her memory.
But what if she regains her memory?
To confirm if it’s real or not, Arapel would undoubtedly make a move.
In any form.
“You’ll act confused as if you’re regaining your memories in front of the physicians. Can you do that?”
I added an explanation for the bewildered Hemion, who had opened his mouth in confusion. Her olive-green eyes flickered, disappearing and reappearing a few times.
Soon, her eyes widened gradually, filling with astonishment.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The next day, I resumed the lecture about medicines that had been interrupted by the emperor’s seizure incident.
The dining room was crowded with even more people than the previous day.
The increased interest was due to my successful prevention of the emperor’s seizure once again.
“Your Highness, as you instructed, I sprayed disinfectant on everyone entering.”
The dining room’s door closed, and Zenid discreetly approached to report.
To maintain cleanliness when dealing with medicines, I had everyone entering this place sprayed with disinfectant at the door.
For others, it was ordinary disinfectant, but for the three suspected to be Arapel, I used something slightly different.
Similar to the tracking scent used at Countess Rivolain’s, it was a special dye that glowed fluorescently when it came into contact with a specific substance. This way, if they touched anything, we would be able to identify what they had touched.
‘The three of them are here.’
Yesterday, according to Julion, the physician named Zeloy Pian had a negative reaction to my lecture, so he probably wouldn’t attend.
Today, however, he had changed his mind and was standing in the front row.
Beside him, Lionel and Fabrio were bustling around. Even the slightest movement looked suspicious, considering one of them was likely an Arapel.
‘The preliminary work is done.’
Now all that remained was for Hemion to act well in today’s performance.
She’s going to play the part of someone who’s in the middle of making a potion and suddenly grabs her head in confusion.
‘What should I do, Your Highness…! I’m so nervous, I could die!’
Hemion, from an angle invisible to others, made a pleading expression directed at me. Anxiety flickered in her eyes, and even the corners of her mouth trembled slightly.
Finally, I handed her the calming potion I had prepared just in case.
“Here, drink this. It should help you calm down.”
“T-Thank you….”
After gulping down the potion, Hemion tightly clenched her fist and nibbled on her lower lip.
Zenid approached shortly after.
“Your Highness, all other preparations are complete.”
“Then let’s get started.”
And so the lecture about medicine commenced. As announced, I planned to demonstrate the creation of two medicines.
“First, I’m going to make a regenerative ointment. The remarkable effectiveness is due to using a rare herb called Jakeira from the Emerald Lake. Since we can’t use it every time, we’ll use more common herbs for…”
I proceeded to make a regenerative ointment using herbs that the physicians could easily access, with Hemion assisting me.
After about ten minutes, a sharp sound echoed as a small spoon slipped from Hemion’s hand.
All eyes turned to Hemion, and I anxiously asked,
“Did your hand slip?”
Hemion couldn’t answer right away and grabbed her head. Confusion was written all over her face.
“Oh, no… ugh.”
Hemion, grimacing in pain, even let out a small groan.
‘Wow, she’s really doing a great job.’
At this point, it seemed sufficient to instill a sense of suspicion.
“You look sick; let me see.”
I extended my hand toward Hemion. However, he swatted my hand away with a defiant look in her eyes.
The physicians, who were waiting, thinking it was a simple mistake, were now taken aback, alternating glances between me and Hemion.
Some had their jaws drop open in surprise.
‘For a mere maid to swat away the hand of the princess consort is quite problematic.’
I hardened my expression and spoke with a stern tone.
“What do you think you’re doing, Hemion?”
“….I-I’m sorry… very sorry.”
However, anyone could see that Hemion’s apology lacked sincerity. She exhaled loudly, then spoke with a trembling voice.
“I suddenly don’t feel well… I think I need to rest. I’m sorry.”
After saying that, Hemion ran out of the dining room without waiting for my response. Watching her disappearing figure, I deliberately sighed with an expression that seemed angry.
Surveying the physicians, they all looked awkward, unsure of how to react.
The three suspected physicians had faces that were no different from the others.
‘I feel sorry for the other physicians.’
They had come to see the lecture with the intention of enjoying it, but had to witness an uncomfortable scene.
Once everything was resolved, I silently promised myself to teach them a more proper lecture.
“Let’s continue.”
However, now was not the time to reveal emotions, as the situation hadn’t been completely resolved yet.
I called Zenid and continued the lecture.
The three individuals who had been observing the situation from the front row did not leave their seats until the lecture was over.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
That night, a mysterious shadow moved quietly within Garnet Palace.
Avoiding people’s gazes and climbing to the floor where the maids’ quarters were, the shadow roamed until it infiltrated a particular room.
The room was dark.
With the moon covered by clouds, the only available light was the faint starlight shining through the window.
The shadow moved discreetly, wandering around the room, glancing at the bookshelves, searching through drawers, and inspecting the clothes hanging in the wardrobe.
Finally, it stopped in front of the bed.
‘Hemion Martin.’
The shadow turned the blanket upside down, revealing the back of Hemion’s head.
Her chestnut-brown hair cascaded messily over the white sheet.
Facing the wall while lying down made her face barely visible, but the shadow knew well what she looked like.
He’s been hovering around her the whole time.
The innocent young girl began to show signs of awakening.
And…….
‘A hindrance to my master.’
If she seemed to be regaining her memories, the command was clear: eliminate her.
He had been living undercover as a physician, waiting for that day to come, although he didn’t know when it would happen.
It was a good thing to carry out the plan, as he was starting to find it hard to socialize.
—Swoosh.
A sharp object emerged from the man’s pocket with a metallic sound. In the faint starlight, the silver dagger gleamed for a moment.
Without hesitation, the dagger descended vertically toward Hemion’s neck.
