Going back in time a bit, after listening to my explanation in detail, Hemion, with a worried expression, asked,
“So, am I going to be the bait or something?”
“That’s right.”
As I nodded in agreement, Hemion’s face became even more worried.
Nonchalantly, Julion commented from the side,
“We’ll appoint a proxy for a while; there’s no need to worry about any danger.”
“A proxy…?”
Hemion raised an eyebrow, expressing her confusion.
While I shared a similar thought with Julion, I wondered if there was indeed someone with a physique similar to Hemion’s who could protect themselves.
When I inquired about it, Julion smirked and whispered, “Argon.”
Before Julion’s words could sink in, a shadow lurking to guard him emerged menacingly.
In the blink of an eye, the figure, who was too small for a knight, silently awaited Julion’s command.
“Starting tonight, you will act as Hemion Martin. Wear a wig and sleep in Hemion’s bed.”
“As you command.”
The knight called Argon, replied sharply, and moved closer to Hemion.
“Oh, what is this…!”
“I want to see what style of hair you have so I can get a wig similar to your hair. Do not be frightened, my lady.”
As Hemion took a surprised step back, Argon approached even closer and examined her hair.
Argon had brown hair similar to Hemion’s, and their physique was so alike that one could easily mistake Argon for a woman at first glance.
“Argon is probably the knight in our ranks who resembles Hemion Martin the most. Rest assured, he is among the top in the imperial knight order, and his skills are unmatched.”
Among the Imperial Knights, and especially among the direct knights who secretly escorted Julion, his skills ranked among the best. He must have had to work harder than the others, given his small size, but it was impressive.
“I’ll see you tonight, then.”
Having finished his business, Argon left with a concise remark, disappearing from sight.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The clash of swords echoed through the darkness as steel met steel.
Amidst the metallic clash, there was a sensation of something hard being blocked rather than soft flesh.
The nighttime intruder, who thought Hemion Martin was asleep, was startled when the blanket was suddenly thrown at him.
Hemion, who he assumed to be sleeping, opened her eyes sharply and stared back at him.
‘Wait, Hemion Martin has green eyes…!’
The eyes staring back at him were hazel. As he recognized this, a thin silver glint flickered.
The intruder swiftly withdrew, but his forehead was narrowly grazed.
Among the scattered crimson hair, Argon, who had been lying there, rose to his feet.
“So, it’s you, Fabrio Tuken.”
Argon sheathed his sword, never taking his eyes off the intruder.
Although the intruder dodged to minimize the impact, the sword cut his forehead slightly. Yet no blood flowed, revealing that the skin was artificial, not real.
Stepping onto the floor, Argon spoke.
“No, I misspoke. You’re not Fabrio Tuken; you’re an… Arapel, pretending to be Fabrio Tuken.”
The intruder swallowed hard as he looked at Argon, who calmly revealed his true identity.
‘Good grief, was this a trap?’
It seemed that Hemion Martin was nowhere to be found in this place.
Thinking he had successfully blended in as ‘Fabrio Tuken’ without suspicion, he let his guard down.
‘First, I need to escape.’
He had to reach Roxis and convey the current situation. Whether Hemion had genuinely regained his memories or was pretending, both scenarios were crucial.
If Hemion hadn’t lost her memories from the beginning, it meant everything was part of Rohiriel’s scheme.
This information needed to be shared.
The intruder, hastily making a decision, tried to leap out the window.
But with Argon not just standing by, a loud commotion ensued.
Swords slashed through walls and smashed the bookshelves. Argon’s wig had long since fallen to the ground.
With the chaos, it was only a matter of time before the other knights who had been waiting nearby arrived.
“Shit!”
The intruder let out a short cry and tried to shove something into his mouth.
It was the poison they always carried to commit suicide in the worst-case scenario.
“Stupid.”
“Keugh!”
But he was stopped by Argon. With a firm grip around the intruder’s throat, they lost consciousness and fell backwards.
“My God, everything’s in shambles.”
Rohiriel entered the room, startled by the sound. Meeting her wide blue eyes, Argon sheathed his sword.
“It’s done.”
“Good work.”
Julion appeared next. He glanced impassively at the fallen intruder.
“Lock him in the dungeon for now. We’ll deal with the interrogation slowly after daybreak.”
With that, the intruder was dragged to the underground prison.
“Rohiriel.”
As things settled, Julion turned and called Rohiriel.
She wore nothing but a thin negligee.
He blinked, mesmerized, speechless for a moment at the sight of her body in such a revealing garment.
“Why are you just looking at me?”
“You…… didn’t have to come out in such a hurry.”
Julion, regaining his composure, draped a shawl over Rohiriel’s shoulders, unsure when he picked it up.
Lately, Julion has been spending nights in Garnet Palace to capture the spy. Seeing Rohiriel hastily going out, he followed, bringing the shawl along.
“Quickly go back to sleep. I’ll be back in shortly.”
“What? No, I still have something to say.”
“Isn’t your attire too thin? You might feel cold.”
“Who says it’s cold in the summer?”
Rohiriel looked at Julion incredulously.
However, Julion firmly guided Rohiriel away from Hemion’s room, pushing her into her bedroom.
Thunk! Closing the bedroom door, Julion took a moment to catch his breath. The pounding sensation starting near his heart flowed through his veins, sending shivers throughout his body.
Feeling weak, he leaned his head against the door and let out a long, thin breath. Feeling the cool touch of the door, his body gradually cooled down.
After calming himself for a short while, Julion returned to the scene. Then he took out the vial Rohiriel had given him.
‘If I spray this, it would show the color,’
Julion planned to spray it in every nook and cranny of Fabrio Tuken’s room.
This way, he could pinpoint the location where important items were hidden.
He might find their secret hiding place or the secret messages he had exchanged with Roxis.
Using what he found to mislead Roxis while posing as Arapel was Rohiriel’s ultimate goal.
‘She’s truly frightening.’
As time passed, he gradually learned how thorough Rohiriel’s personality was.
She never did anything carelessly and didn’t dismiss anything lightly.
Before initiating any action, she always prepared thoroughly, planned meticulously, and calculated every possibility.
If that’s the case, then she must have had a plan in place after bringing down Cassian.
His steps grew heavier at the thought of it.
Julion made an unspoken promise to himself that he would make sure that Rohiriel stayed, no matter what.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Fabrio Tuken was officially marked as on a short vacation.
Perhaps if there were other spies in the palace, it would eventually be revealed to Roxis.
After all, Julion had been sending Roxis letters pretending to be Fabrio.
At the same time, I’m told he’s been interrogating and gathering information in the underground prison.
“Your Highness, are you going to the Imperial Library again today?”
Hemion asked while tidying up my bed.
Recently, I have been living as if I resided in the Imperial Library. This was to thoroughly prepare and perfect the treatment plan for the Emperor.
Of course, all this would be useful only if my assumptions were correct, but still, reinforcing the plan was a good thing.
Every morning, I also visited Tishrit Palace to check on the Emperor’s condition.
While the Empress warmly welcomed me, the shadows on her face were impossible to conceal.
“Rohiriel, don’t push yourself too hard.”
Julion came to the imperial library with a hearty meal.
Rumors about the Crown Prince and Princess having lunch in the garden in front of the library had spread throughout the entire palace.
On a calm day, after three days of tranquility had passed, I found myself in the midst of a sluggish afternoon, struggling with poor concentration and a series of yawns.
“Your Highness!”
A messenger from Tishrit Palace hurriedly came to the pharmacy where I was for a particular experiment.
Before he could catch his breath, he urgently delivered the news.
“His, His Majesty has passed away─!”
Hemion, who was with me, dropped the glass bottle she was holding in surprise. The glass shattered with a clatter, but no one paid it any attention.
I put down the medicine I was making and picked up my medical bag.
“Let’s go.”
Finally, it was the ‘day’ I had been waiting for.
Thank you for the wonderful translation!❤️🔥