The Audience Day event opened with much interest from the imperial people. Following the charity auction, the audience event was held in a public place.
The people cheered loudly. As the emperor and empress showed their faces relatively often, favorability seemed to have increased strangely.
As Ian and I entered the platform, cheers poured out. Bitterly, it was not directed at the Duke of Bledel’s daughter, Empress Lethenia.
It was a warm welcome to Emperor Cassel, who always strived for the people against the Duke.
It was a bigger crowd than I thought. The event was eagerly anticipated, even by those in the provinces who were not often in touch with news from the capital.
This is because Ian, the emperor, recruited participants at the same rate in each region for the effectiveness of the day.
To prevent any potential foul play, imperial officials were dispatched to ensure that the nobles’ influence didn’t extend to the event.
Thanks to this, the Imperial people had high expectations for the audience day. I glanced over at Ian.
‘It’s still the same.’
As expected, the love potion still didn’t work. There was clearly some underlying issue.
I was looking forward to the return of the Falcon Mercenary Corps.
Lethenia’s emotions were now active inside, as if she really wanted to burst out.
I suppressed it by secretly recalling Theo. One of the ways to calm the emotions that bothered me was to remind me of my memories of him.
A wry smile crept onto my face in this ironic situation.
I chuckled bitterly at the irony of trying to clear my mind of Theo, but still needing to think of him.
A few days ago, Theo had received a summons and had briefly left the capital with Erita. Before that, Theo had sent a message to the Empress’ palace.
The issue of state marriage is a story that the princess brought up without her father’s permission, and she promised to return quietly after this tour.
He also mentioned that I shouldn’t worry about the state marriage, as Delua had no interest in it
It was meticulous, as if I were a person who knew I was worried.
He also seemed to have heard ridiculous rumors about the political marriage between him and the Princess of Delua. There was no hint of any tender feelings for Erita in the message.
The heavy worries that had weighed on my mind seemed to lighten a bit.
Could it be that the stubborn princess had simply made a fuss on her own, not realizing the consequences? A strange sense of relief and disappointment washed over me.
However, Ian’s response was unclear. He seemed to take Erita’s words seriously. Above all, there was something on my mind.
<He can’t be by your side if you keep doing this.>
<…….>
<Because the more you do this, the more angrier you make me.>
I had a strange conviction. He was concerned about me, or rather, about Lethenia.
‘Could it be that he still has feelings for Lethenia?’
The suspicion that had been buried deep in my heart was slowly expanding. Certainly, considering Ian’s behavior so far, he didn’t seem to hate Letenia as much as I thought. It was just that the size of his feelings for her wasn’t significant enough to disrupt the original work. After all, he ultimately chose Roseatein as his Empress and had never shown any sincere feelings for Lethenia.
I turned my head again and looked to the side. He was staring straight ahead with vacant eyes.
He had a more emaciated face than ever. The Duke of Bledel recently returned and was putting his foot in everything Ian was doing.
That will make him more nervous. However, what is surprising is that Duke Bledel did not oppose the audience day event as much.
Audience Day was an event to publicly accuse the nobles of their evil deeds. Like the charity auction, it was obvious that the Duke’s supporters were bleeding more than the emperor’s.
Because of this, I was concerned about whether the event would proceed smoothly, but surprisingly, Duke Bledel had only shown some discomfort and had not put up significant resistance.
They were each watching each other carefully, uncertain about what to expect.
In any case, I only hope that this event, which received great attention from the people of the Empire, will be held safely. Ian would likely feel the same.
I absentmindedly turned my head in another direction.
On one side of the venue, attendants checked the participants’ faces and portraits several times, reconfirming their identity and asking simple questions. There was also a procedure involving magical detection stones to ensure that no one possessed dangerous items. Participants had to go through a very difficult process as it was a meeting between the emperor and the empress at a close distance.
It was a precautionary measure to prevent any unfortunate incidents before the event began.
“Ella Hellington.”
The person called stepped forward, surrounded by Imperial Guards. She was an elderly woman with a bent back and snow-white hair. As she approached the Emperor and Empress, her head hung low, and her entire body quivered like a wisp of willow in the wind.
“Don’t worry, talk comfortably.”
I spoke to a woman named Ella in the gentlest tone possible. In response, she took a deep breath and began her story.
××××××××××××××××××××××
“…After that incident, they forcibly took my son to prison when he raised objections.”
A long sob of frustration followed. The scribe wrote down Ella’s words..
She belonged to a small territory called Martego at the northern end of Asha.
The Lord had been collecting unauthorized taxes from the local residents and fined those whose names were missing from the records.
Additional fines were imposed again in the name of failure to pay the fine within the deadline. Then, if there was nothing more to take away, they took away their children and sold them abroad.
Those who resisted were brutally tortured and driven to their deaths.
Ella’s son was also tortured and died of aftereffects. As I listened, the horrifying details made my face grow increasingly heated.
The frail-looking elderly woman was tearfully recounting her long-standing grievances, and those who gathered to watch couldn’t help but express their sighs and curses. Ella’s story was not unique; other participants had similar situations.
In the capital, things were somewhat less severe, but in the provinces, the nobility’s atrocities exceeded expectations and occurred openly.
Emperor Ian listened quietly to their stories and offered brief words of encouragement each time. Each time, the people’s faces noticeably brightened.
××××××××××××××××××××××
It was getting dark before I knew it. These stories were so complicated that they didn’t end in just a few words.
Ian did not dare interrupt them, even when they went beyond the allotted time, so it took longer than expected.
I felt heavy fatigue because I had been sitting in the same position for a long time. In contrast, Ian seemed accustomed to such occasions, sitting as motionless as a statue, as usual.
Finally, the sound of naming the last participant reached our ears. The seemingly endless audience day was nearing its end.
“Maser Calikin.”
It was a young man who seemed to have just come of age. A man named Maser Calikin had a thin body and fluffy light brown hair as if he were about to collapse.
He was also shaking his head down as if he was very nervous standing here where everyone was watching. Ian said to him.
“It’s all right, raise your head.”
But he didn’t raise his head. Did he get too nervous and stiff?
I also spoke to him in a soft tone.
“Don’t be too nervous. I’ll give you time, so take your time and think about what you want to say.”
As I finished speaking, he slowly lifted his head. Dark brown eyes, similar in color to his hair, stared straight at me.
But this man’s face was not unfamiliar. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him closely.
This guy is…
‘James Caron.’
The realization hit me like a sudden storm. Masar Calikin, the man who bore a striking resemblance to James Caron, was once a slave and a spy for Duke Bledel.
Despite looking so similar, they had different hair and eye colors, leaving my mind in disarray.
Could he be a long-lost twin brother, separated when they were children? My confusion must have been evident because Ian shot me a quick glance.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the man who resembled James.
In that moment, an eerie gleam flickered in the eyes of the man who looked like James Caron. He moved his mouth as if he were muttering something.
Then, something small and stone-like slipped from his clenched fist, hovering in mid-air. The object floated, suspended in thin air.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a sharp weapon and, with ferocious momentum, it flew directly toward me.
Screams erupted from the crowd as chaos ensued. It was a split-second moment.
Instinctively, I tightly shut my eyes. A short span of time passed. Strangely, I felt no pain.
It was still noisy around. I opened my eyes gently. Someone was standing in my way.
“Ian!”
Suddenly, he collapsed, losing consciousness. Blood sprayed in all directions.
I couldn’t believe my eyes even though I saw it. Ian had been struck by a blade.
In my place. The shock was paralyzing, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“Your Majesty!”
In an instant, it was a mess. People shrieked in horror.
The attendants rushed to support the Emperor. The guards pointed their weapons at Masar Calikin’s throat.
But Masar Calikin collapsed, vomiting blood. A knight pressed his fingers against Masar Calikin’s throat.
He died instantly. The dead Maser Calikin’s hair slowly turned green.
