Michael looked at Priscilla’s back. A wound was visible on the back.
Michael pressed his lips together and lifted Priscilla up.
“That’s enough for today. You guys, take care of the situation. And Alfred, call the doctor right away.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the knights and Alfred moved quickly, Michael roughly greeted the nobles and left the Emperor’s Palace.
The nobles were also surprised by the sudden accident.
“What the hell is this about?”
“I know. Suddenly the chandelier fell.”
There was chaos in the Emperor’s Palace.
Jestina remained alone and soothed her anger when everyone left.
“You said you would completely crush her, but you only scratched her…”
It was very unpleasant to see the Emperor carrying her out.
Jestina glared at the ceiling.
He seemed to have finished his work and quickly disappeared.
And Jestina moved on, too.
Priscilla wasn’t fully crushed, but just seeing the blood made her feel a little better.
“Next time… I’ll make sure to get rid of you.”
She failed this time, but not next time.
Thanks to that, Priscilla’s installation ceremony ended in a mess.
~~~~
Michael carried Priscilla into her bedroom and laid her on her bed, prompting the doctors to come and treat her.
“Hurry up and treat her!”
Michael waited outside the bedroom for a while because she had to undress.
And he saw Alfred.
“Did you look into it?”
“Yes, as expected, it was Lady Jestina.”
Michael smoothed his chin.
“As expected, she doesn’t go beyond expectations.”
In fact, Michael was expecting something to happen at the ceremony.
Because someone sent a letter to him.
With that information, he knew what Jestina was going to do, and he got defensive.
But he didn’t know that it was a chandelier falling.
So, he was surprised by the chandelier, and Priscilla was surprised when she pushed him away.
Her actions were very bewildering.
At last the doctor came out.
“How’s her condition?”
“Fortunately, it’s a minor scratch. She’ll get better if you apply trauma medication constantly. It’s fortunate that it ended like this.”
“Good work.”
Michael sent the doctor and went into the bedroom.
Priscilla was lying down with a thin face.
“I owe you one.”
“That’s true.”
“Seeing that you’re still alive and speaking, it seems you’ve survived indeed.”
Michael was strangely relieved.
“Uh, but it hurts a little.”
“Don’t overdo it for a while and take a rest.”
Priscilla asked.
“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
Michael’s expression was serious.
Priscilla guessed from his expression alone.
‘You knew.’
Even though she anticipated it, for some reason, she felt uneasy.
Priscilla turned away from him.
Michael was about to say something for a moment, but he soon closed his mouth.
Then he brought it up again.
“I have nothing to say to you. Try to rest.”
Having said that, Michael left the bedroom.
As he went out, Priscilla murmured quietly.
‘You should at least say sorry.’
She sighed automatically.
She wondered what she would want from him in the first place.
Leaving her bedchamber, Michael ordered her knights to guard her, then recalled the person who had sent her letter to him.
Surprisingly, it was Ran, the henchman of Jestina.
Because she delivered the letter to Alfred herself.
It seems like she contemplated her own way of surviving in case something went wrong with Jestina.
“Alfred, quietly call her maid Ran.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
~~~~
When everyone was asleep, Lady Ran came into Michael’s office.
Ran bowed to Michael with a quivering face and shrugged her shoulders.
Michael asked bluntly as he greeted her.
“Why did you write to me?”
“I was afraid. And I wanted to live.”
“You were afraid, and you wanted to live…”
“Jestina has been ruined. Beyond my ability to stop it with my own hands. That’s why I sent a letter to Your Majesty.”
“So you will abandon your master?”
“Because it was not my intention to become Lady Jestina’s lady-in-waiting. I was only dragged in by her money.”
Michael laughed.
Ran knelt down.
“Help me.”
“I truly feel sorry for Jestina. She has no one willing to die for her.”
Ran lay face down and bowed her head.
Michael said.
“There is only one way for you to live. You can say the person who helped with the work of the installation ceremony.”
“I’m not sure, but she has often met Lord Lutein, an imperial knights, recently. I think he might have helped her.”
“Lord Lutein?”
“Yes. He is one of the knights who received a bribe from Lady Jestina.”
“I see. You may go.”
“Then, are you going to save me?”
Michael, who read a glimmer of hope from Ran’s face, smiled and replied.
“I’ll save your life.”
“Go, thank you. Your Majesty.”
“Go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Michael called the captain of the knights the next morning.
“Did you call me? Your Majesty.”
“I’m really disappointed in you.”
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“The imperial knights took bribes. What do you think?”
The words startled the captain of the knights.
“Is that true?”
“Lutein, was it? How dare you deceive me by colluding with the princess of the Concubine Palace? How on earth did you control the situation?”
The captain of the knights knelt on one knee and prostrated himself.
“Kill me! It is a divine mistake.”
“Those who fail to manage will also be punished, but this incident will thoroughly investigate the corruption of the knights. Do you have any objections?”
“…none.”
“Where’s Lutein?”
“He’ll be in the military exercise hall.”
“Catch him.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lutein, who was training in the military exercise hall, was caught by knights led by the captain of the knights.
“Captain, what on earth brings you to me?”
“Shut up, take him away.”
“Captain!”
When Lutein was being taken away, the captain of the imperial knights informed all the knights that they would receive imperial gratitude and those involved in corruption, including himself, would face severe punishment.
Then the knights became nervous.
Lutein was immediately taken to Michael.
Michael came up and drew his sword and pointed it at him.
“It’s very bold to work hand in hand with Jestina.”
“Your Majesty, no. Please believe me.”
“We’ll see if it’s not the case.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Take him away and torture him until he utters the right words.”
At the word torture, Lutein’s eyes were stained with fear.
It was such a terrible place that it was said that if you were taken to the imperial prison and tortured, you would come out barely breathing.
“Your Majesty, I will tell you everything. So please don’t torture me…”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes.”
When he tried to resist, the knights dragged him back in front of Michael once again.
“Well, tell me.”
“I had no choice but to do so at the request of Lady Jestina. She threatened not to leave me alone if I didn’t listen.”
“Since you took a bribe, you must have had no choice but to respond to the threat.”
Lutein could not answer.
“So what did you do?”
“So, I introduced her.”
“To?”
“It’s the secret organization Blacktan.”
“Are you referring to the rogue group that will do anything for money?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So, they must have been paid to do this as well.”
“That’s right.”
“Any evidence?”
“T,there is a document signed by Lady Jestina in the box under the bed in my room.”
Michael ordered the knight with his chin, and the knight rushed out and found the documents in question.
The documents were exactly what Jestina paid Blacktan to remove Priscilla and the details.
Michael smiled brightly when he saw the document.
It was a bright smile as if he had caught a big fish.
“Take him and put him in the imperial prison.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lutein was taken away without a word.
He was just glad he didn’t get tortured.
Shortly thereafter, Michael ordered Alfred to bring Elain.
“How are the preparations for the Bugatti Kingdom, Elain?”
“I’ve already got all the paperwork sorted out, but there’s no single decisive shot.”
“I called because there was a decisive shot.”
Elain’s eyes glistened.
“Jestina has done it.”
“If it’s work, do you mean the chandelier crash?”
“Yes. The person responsible for the plot was Jestina. She commissioned the black organization, Blacktan.”
“A request to Blacktan?”
“Look at this.”
Michael held out the papers, and Elain’s eyes shone.
“If done well, it will result in a perfect picture.”
“Tell me.”
“It is to amend the contents of the document. The victim is Your Majesty, not Lady Priscilla.”
“Since they dared to assassinate the Emperor of a country, the Bugatti Kingdom must pay a price.”
“Of course. Perhaps the Bugatti Kingdom will have no choice but to listen.”
When Elain laughed insidiously, Michael laughed with him.
“Then, shall we proceed now?”
“We must proceed at once.”
Elain was excited and went out with the papers.
After work, Michael went to Priscilla.
She was now living in the Emperor’s Palace.
There was always an imperial doctor waiting at the Emperor’s Palace, so she could finish her treatment quickly.
Entering the bedroom, she was sitting in bed.
She was wearing a light nightgown, but the bandage visible below her neck bothered him greatly.
Thank you 😊