Episode 54

The warm touch of Theodore’s hand as he wiped the assassin’s blood from my cheek was unmistakable.

‘It must have been obvious that it was fake.’

It seemed that everything was visible up close.

“The criminals will be imprisoned by the Imperial Family, so once you’ve recovered, you can testify as a witness.”

“I will. Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude to Theodore as he led the guards away.

The emperor had left early after his opening address, and once he departed, the remaining royal family members gradually left as well.

Thanks to Theodore, who stayed and oversaw everything, we were able to wrap things up neatly.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Arzen, initially shocked by my blood-soaked appearance, now knew it was fake.

“What on earth happened?”

“I’ll explain. Let’s move to a quieter place.”

I avoided the crowd and led Arzen to a secluded garden in front of the banquet hall.

“Thanks to those two, I managed to stay safe.”

As we walked, I explained everything that had happened to Arzen.

I left out the part about dark magic, as Desar, Peter, and I had agreed to keep it secret.

To summarize, all four assassins were dead.

Two were killed fighting Desar and Peter, and the injured one soon succumbed to his wounds.

The last one, whom we had kept alive, committed suicide.

The Imperial Family would search for the assassins, but they would only find traces of battle and bloodstains.

A dark mage’s death resulted in the immediate disintegration of their body into black ash.

I had told Theodore we lost them, but who knows how much he believed that.

At the far end of the garden, under a tree, I found Desar and Peter.

“Thank you so much, Desar. And you too, Peter.”

Thanks to them, everything went smoothly.

If we had been overwhelmed and fled, Orzen and Marquis Crea would have relentlessly pursued me.

“I didn’t expect Peter to appear suddenly. You said you were going back to your hometown….”

“I even boarded the train. But your words kept echoing in my mind.”

“My words?”

“You told me not to give up.”

I had indeed said that.

“I love the sword. I was moderately satisfied living as a mercenary defending the border, but I realized it was just self-consolation.”

Peter smiled sheepishly.

“I decided to return to join the Imperial Knights, as His Majesty had suggested. I was heading to the banquet hall when I encountered you.”

The Imperial Knights, no less.

“That’s a wise decision, Peter. In my opinion, you might be as strong as, or even stronger than, Cedric Michael, the Captain of the Knights.”

This wasn’t flattery.

Watching Peter take down the assassins was nothing short of monstrous.

It was hard to believe he had been sick.

“Haha, you’re too kind.”

Peter laughed modestly, then spoke again.

“Well, I should head to the Knights now.”

“Alright. Thank you so much for your help today.”

“It’s nothing. Call me whenever you need assistance.”

Peter left.

The pre-banquet ended with the dramatic imprisonment of four nobles.

Nobles with residences near the capital went home and returned the next day for the main banquet, while those from other regions or countries stayed in guest rooms in the capital.

Arzen decided to stay in the capital, and I, since Drenihan was not far from the capital, boarded my carriage.

Of course, I had changed out of the blood-soaked dress.

Theodore had sent a dress through his attendant, which fit me perfectly despite being a rush job.

‘He really is considerate.’

Whether it was ingrained manners or memories from childhood, Theodore wasn’t as bad as he appeared in the original story.

Thinking of him, I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

Sleepiness was creeping in.

“Rest now. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

I nodded at Desar’s words and eventually succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Even upon arriving at the Drenihan estate, Sierra, deeply asleep, did not wake.

Desar, after calling her name several times, eventually picked up her light body.

Despite the late hour, the mansion was brightly lit, indicating that the news from the capital had already reached them.

As Desar carried the sleeping Sierra into the mansion, Thergon and Serkhan rushed to meet them.

“Is Sierra alright?”

“Why is she so limp? Could it be…?”

“Calm down, both of you. The young lady is just very tired and has fallen into a deep sleep.”

She had every reason to be exhausted.

Despite her strong and composed exterior, the life-threatening moments must have been a great shock.

And she had revealed Orzen and his accomplices’ wrongdoings with an air of resolve, as if to settle the matter herself.

Thergon’s aged eyes, filled with the regrets of many years, gazed at his peacefully sleeping granddaughter.

“I regret it. I regret raising Orzen to be such a disgrace. And causing Sierra to face such danger.”

This was the second time.

This time, Orzen would surely be imprisoned and never see the light of day again, but the harm had been done.

“Take Sierra to her room and let her rest comfortably.”

At Thergon’s words, Desar bowed and headed to Sierra’s room on the second floor.

“It’s my fault. Because of my greed, Sierra went through such an ordeal.”

“Don’t say that. Sierra endured everything to protect you.”

The fact that she had even obtained a truth serum in advance showed she was determined to confront those who coveted Serkhan’s position.

“You need to become stronger and be a solid pillar for Sierra.”

“…….”

So that no one can touch her.

Serkhan made that vow.

* * *

I woke up again at the early light of dawn.

“…….”

As I blinked and regained my senses, memories of yesterday flooded back.

“I slept all through the night.”

I vaguely remembered hearing Desar call out to me in my sleep and me mumbling something in response.

[Just five more minutes? I don’t care, I’m sleeping.]

“…….”

Without realizing it, I had whined to Desar the way I usually did to Nella.

“How embarrassing.”

As I sighed deeply, the door opened, and Nella entered.

“Oh, Miss. You’re already awake?”

With Nella’s help, I prepared for the main banquet.

While dressing me, Nella couldn’t contain her indignation.

“I can’t believe I lived in the same house as such wicked people. How could they do that to their own niece….”

“Orzen was someone who would have been content with the title of Viscount. As long as he had money and gambling, his lust for power would have subsided. He must have been swayed by those around him.”

Now that I thought about it, Douglas Estate had lost its master not long after its lord had taken office.

Though a professional manager was in place, Orzen had certainly caused a lot of trouble.

“Miss, the Grand Duke’s son, Lord Karsian, is here. He said he’d wait in the drawing room.”

Though I was to be escorted by him today, it was still early.

“It seems he was very worried about you.”

Nella, who was doing my hair, laughed softly.

Once ready, I went to find Ludwig, who had been waiting for a while.

As I opened the drawing room door and entered, Ludwig approached me in a single stride.

And then…

“Ludwig?”

I was enveloped in his warm embrace.

“I was so worried, I thought I might die.”

His low voice, sounding exhausted, echoed in my ear.

Feeling his body heat and heartbeat, I couldn’t move for a while and just stayed in his arms.