The Crown Prince’s birthday party had a heavier atmosphere than ever before.
“Did you hear the rumors? They say an evil spirit appeared in the palace.”
“They say it’s still roaming around.”
“If we’re not careful, could we be cursed too?”
“I’ve heard the Empress has already fallen victim to the spirit.”
The Emperor, who sat on the raised platform, glancing at the crowd, curled his lips in disdain. They were whispering in low voices, thinking he couldn’t hear them, but they carelessly failed to cover their mouths.
“So, does that mean the Emperor, who’s been rumored to be bewitched by the Empress lately, is also…?”
The Emperor memorized the faces of those who mentioned him and the Empress. It wasn’t just these few who were openly insulting the royal family in the midst of the party.
He wanted to arrest and punish every single one of them, but there were too many. Doing so might spark rumors of a sudden massacre, making it seem as though the cursed, mad Emperor had truly lost his mind.
For now, it was wiser to focus on catching the culprit who had released the evil spirit into the palace, rather than wasting time and resources on such matters.
Whoever was responsible for this would not escape the gallows once caught.
The Emperor ground his teeth in frustration, furious and humiliated by the fact that someone had dared to challenge and threaten his authority.
“It’s supposed to be a joyous day, but no one seems to be enjoying themselves,” the Empress said in a deliberately cheerful voice, addressing her ladies-in-waiting, having noticed the Emperor’s foul mood.
What’s so joyous about today? the Emperor thought as he glared at her, but the Empress pretended not to notice.
“At least during the party, people should relax and have fun,” she added.
The ladies-in-waiting brightened at her words. Britia, too, looked expectantly at the Empress and Emperor, gauging their reactions.
“Britia, since there’s someone waiting for you, you should go to them,” the Empress said, nodding toward Sig, who was waiting below the platform. The Emperor frowned as Britia hurriedly descended to meet him, her thanks barely out of her mouth.
He wasn’t pleased with the Empress for sending someone who wasn’t even her lady-in-waiting, nor with Britia for happily complying with the order. The Empress noticed his displeasure and turned to face him.
“Do you have another complaint against me?” the Emperor asked sharply, his irritation evident.
“If there’s an issue, don’t just glare at me. Speak your mind.”
“There’s no issue with Your Majesty,” the Empress replied, sighing and turning her head away, causing the Emperor’s heart to drop for a moment. Even though she said there was no issue, it was clear she was harboring some resentment toward him.
“If there’s an issue, it must be with me,” he muttered.
“…So you finally admit you’re a troublesome woman?” The Emperor knew he should ask what was bothering her, but instead, his words came out wrong.
“Most of my sorrow has always been because of Your Majesty,” the Empress said, glaring at him with a fierce look that made the Emperor swallow dryly. The word “sorrow” struck him like a blow to the back of the head.
“But what I’m feeling now isn’t entirely Your Majesty’s fault.”
“There’s no way I’m the cause. Haven’t I been treating you well lately?” The Emperor’s eyes wavered, but his voice remained proud and confident, which only made the Empress frown.
“So you’re saying it’s not me?”
“……”
“How am I supposed to know if you don’t speak?”
Pressed by the Emperor’s persistence, the Empress finally revealed the feelings she had been holding in for some time.
“I feel a bit of sadness because I realize that both Sig and the Crown Prince will soon be getting married.”
But the Emperor couldn’t understand why that would be a problem or why it would make her feel sad.
“Aren’t you the one who’s been most eager for them to get married?”
The Empress had always been proud of the once small and cute children who had grown up to the point of getting married. Yet, she couldn’t quite explain the hollow feeling that accompanied that pride.
“Why are you feeling depressed?”
The Empress felt troubled, realizing that her husband couldn’t empathize with her at all.
If he could understand even a little of her feelings as a fellow parent, it would have been comforting. But this man, who seemed to lack any warmth, only thought she was being strange.
Her expression darkened.
“Your Majesty, have you ever seen a heath field?”
There was no point wasting time on something useless. The Empress decided to change the subject.
“In my homeland, you could see them everywhere.”
She gazed into the distance, as if recalling the landscape.
“I saw a heath field even on my way here before our wedding, but I never thought I would miss that sight so much.”
The fields had been beautiful, but she hadn’t realized just how beautiful they were at the time. The Emperor had never allowed her to return to her homeland, so that had truly been the last time.
“Why are you bringing this up?”
“I just happened to think of that scenery this morning and wanted to ask.”
The Emperor clenched his fist.
She had promised not to mention divorce, but was she now using this as an excuse to talk about wanting to return home, and then never come back? How would that be any different from a divorce?
“If you want to see those flowers so badly, go ahead.”
“Would you really let me go?”
Her voice rose with a hint of expectation, and the Emperor gritted his teeth.
“No.”
The Empress sighed at his firm refusal.
She had only asked to visit her homeland for a short while. Why was he so adamantly against it? It was harsh to never allow her to return after their marriage. Already feeling distressed, the Empress now felt even more sorrowful.
* * *
Although the Empress had given her permission for Britia to enjoy the party, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Instead, she was intensely searching for Brian in the party hall. However, no matter how hard she looked, there was no sign of him.
“Did he not attend the party?”
Britia muttered to herself, and the vice-captain behind her shook his head.
“A messenger said they saw him. The party hasn’t even officially started yet, so he must be nearby.”
Britia stepped outside the hall, eagerly searching for Brian’s messy brown hair.
Maybe he had tidied up his curly, unruly hair for the party. Could that be why she couldn’t find him? Britia began to scrutinize the guests more carefully.
The vice-captain followed behind her with a complicated expression. He knew that she was looking for Brian solely to threaten him. But even if she found him, could she really go through with it?
As for himself, he was a man seasoned in the arts of threats and negotiations. He knew how to provoke and intimidate his opponent with words and then coax them with subtle persuasion.
He glanced at Sig. Though not a man of many words, Sig had a presence that could pressure anyone by sheer force of will. He could instill a fear that made one feel they would die if they didn’t speak.
But what about Britia?
At a glance, she didn’t seem intimidating or resolute; rather, she appeared soft and gentle.
The vice-captain believed that when intimidating someone, the first thing to discard was any sympathy or pity for the target. One had to be cunning and ruthless when breaking someone down.
However, he didn’t think Britia was capable of that.
She was a kind person who empathized easily with others’ pain. Even if she attempted to intimidate someone, she would likely falter if she saw them suffering, and end up feeling troubled herself. That’s just the kind of person Britia was.
“Who did you say was the most suspicious?”
Unaware of the vice-captain’s thoughts, Britia asked with a determined expression.
“The Duchess Robley, the Grand Duke Camelon, and Raiders.”
“Raiders too?”
Britia looked at the vice-captain in surprise.
“You think it’s just an act that he likes the Count Slanford, and that he actually wants to kill him?”
“Brian seems to be devoted to Slanford, so I have my doubts as well.”
But it could also be an act to avoid suspicion.
“Yet, he’s feigning ignorance and refuses to speak. He only insists that he’s innocent, without showing any strong desire to find the mastermind behind it all.”
In fact, it seemed more like he was trying to hide the identity of whoever was behind it.
The mention of it being an act made Britia pause to think. The vice-captain’s words made sense, but while Brian might fabricate stories, she doubted he could fake his reactions entirely.
“That doesn’t seem likely.”
Britia shook her head.
“Britia, you need to disarm him first.”
Sig, who had been silently searching for Brian, suddenly spoke. Britia was puzzled by the sudden mention of disarming while they were discussing potential suspects.
“Once you’ve disarmed him, it’s easier to target him.”
Sig added to explain, but Britia still couldn’t grasp what he was talking about.
“Disarm?”
“Yes. So, you should first disarm him and render him powerless.”
“What My lord means is that finding Flu’s whereabouts is more urgent than identifying the mastermind.”
The vice-captain, unable to bear it anymore, looked at Sig with frustration and explained.
“Whoever is behind this, wherever or whenever they plan to start a war, it’ll be difficult without Flu.”
The mention of war made Britia flinch.
“If it’s Flu, it could set the entire palace and the capital ablaze in an instant.”
Sig spoke as usual, but to Britia, his voice sounded unusually low and ominous.
“So, the first information we need to extract from Brian is Flu’s location. I understand.”
Britia slowly nodded, trying to calm herself down. But her heart continued to race.
Having narrowly escaped death twice, her anger had made her volunteer to intimidate him, but now she felt anxious.
How exactly was she supposed to scare him? Even if she threatened him like she did with Crave, saying she would beat him up, Brian would probably just scoff. After all, he claimed not to know anything—what if he really didn’t know?
She had fundamental doubts. But at this point, she couldn’t back out. At the very least, she had to meet Brian in person, talk to him, and judge for herself whether he truly knew nothing.
“Rutherford!”
Just then, as Britia barely managed to calm herself, she heard Harty’s sharp voice from somewhere. A moment later, there were screams from Kyla and the shouts of several others.
In an instant, Britia exchanged a glance with Sig and ran toward the sound. She found Brian, whom she had been searching for, in a corner of the garden that had been opened to the party guests, but the situation was far from normal.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Harty shouted at Rutherford, who was holding Brian and breathing heavily. Brian was clutching his nose, with blood dripping down from it.
