PLOM Chapter 156 – Moonlight Novels

That’s hard.

Summon Andert Fager? That was an impossible demand.

“Why do you hesitate?”

Well, because I am Andert Fager.

“That will put my younger brother in a difficult position. Please give us some time, Your Majesty. That kid is not yet ready to appear again in the world…”

“Is it because of Raphael Zenail?”

I shut my mouth again.

“Is it Duke Zenail’s doing? Use Count Vladiev as bait to lure out Princess Natasha? Is that why the rumors of you being the hero, Andert Fager’s sister spread everywhere?”

The Emperor coughed briefly and warned in a harsh tone.

“I will allow him to meet Natasha, as he wishes. But you cannot come, Viscount Weatherwoods. Bring Count Vladiev in front of me.”

The Emperor slowly rose with the support of his servant and stood in front of the door.

“You asked for time, so I will give you two days. If the letter is not ready by then, your brother will be asked to come collect his sister’s corpse from the palace.”

After the chilling warning, the emperor left the dining room through an inside door.

The only one sitting in the room that the Emperor and his servants left was cold grilled lamb and a woman blankly sitting at the table. Me.

I think about 10 minutes passed like that? I got up from my seat and pushed the door of the dining room.

But the door wouldn’t open.

Bang, bang!

The door that the Emperor had used was the same. Even when I struck it with considerable force, the door didn’t budge. As if it was magic. I did think it was absurd that the emperor was enjoying his meals in such a small room that didn’t fit his station.

‘He planned to imprison me here from the beginning.’

What could I do about this situation?

‘I need to get out, maybe not right this second. But I have to.’

I couldn’t trust the Emperor. I didn’t know what his purpose was, but I didn’t have an ounce of trust in him, considering the fact that he’d threatened and imprisoned me.

In fact, being imprisoned wasn’t the most important fact. The problem was that this could disrupt my future plans.

‘It’s good that I have a reason to stay in the palace. But it’s useless if I can’t go outside of the room.’

Let’s wait for now. Maybe the emperor will stop by again before he sleeps.

However, no matter how long I waited, I didn’t hear any movement near the room. It felt like an hour had passed, but based on experience, the actual time was probably three times longer. So, it was highly likely that about three hours had passed.

The moment I started thinking about whether I should use the letter that the maid gave me.

Rattle.

I heard the sound of the doorknob turning from the entrance I’d come from.

“Emperor?”

That cunning man, his patience was shorter than he looked! It seemed like the perfect opportunity, but the person who actually came in through the door wasn’t who I’d expected.

“I came because I smelled the aroma of grilled lamb at this time of the night.”

His blue hair shimmered subtly under the chandelier. He was dressed in a light black silk robe-gown, as if he was a noble in his bedroom, unusually laid-back.

“Did you plan to enjoy all this food by yourself? You’re so greedy.”

Rue closed the door and took a seat in the chair I’d been sitting in. Then, grabbing the fork I’d used with his hands, he flashed a mischievous smile.

“You look pretty today, Daisy. Your beauty is too much for that dying, sickly man.”

Rue stabbed the cold lamb on the plate and tasted it, then crumpled his brow.

“This is disgustingly tasteless.”

I often think this to myself.

Maybe Rue was born for me?

Otherwise, he could not appear like a prince everytime I was in a crisis. If Rue wasn’t born for me, then the heavens must’ve made a mistake.

But even if it’s a mistake, it’s okay. Then our relationship would be a fateful encounter that defies destiny. Fate becomes valuable the moment it changes. Like the Emperor said, ‘Only when one obtains unjust power can they guard against it.’

Sitting next to Rue, who was wiping his mouth with a napkin, I praised him with the most serious attitude I’d ever had in my life.

“Rue is the best.”

Rue affirmed as casually as always.

“I know.”

“Even royal dishes can’t compare to the dishes you make.”

“Of course. For that matter, these lack taste.”

I got back to my feet, stretching.

“Hmm! Alright, shall we get going now?”

“You’ve memorized the map perfectly, right?”

“Yeah. It’s my specialty.”

I used to memorize maps until I was sick on the battlefield. Thanks to that, I had a good grasp of the geography of the southern part of the empire.

“What’s the name of the operation?”

Operation name? I didn’t think about that.

“<Operation: Too Many Carrots in the Garnish>.”

“That’s average. You shouldn’t be picky.”

Dinner with the Emperor.

Now, to explain, this dinner was merely a secondary objective. The most important task was to locate the possible experiment lab that might be within the palace and extract Mephisto’s heart.

‘If I stir up trouble in the house, eventually the owner, Natasha, will have to appear.’

Anyway, checking Natasha’s condition was essential, even for the sake of my survival. Only then could I clearly determine whether I’d take the relic that the swordmaster had nicely or steal it.

We carefully headed out of the dining room.

The first destination was a secret path in the warehouse at the back of the palace. The passage was so narrow that it was difficult for the two of us to enter together.

I whispered while hiding in the shadows next to the back door.

“Rue, I’ll check this side alone and come out…”

“Check and come out?”

Oops. I involuntarily stopped my breath. Because an unfamiliar question suddenly popped up.

A shiver ran down my back, and even without turning my head, it felt like I could see the face of the person behind me. The owner of this voice was definitely…

“…Hello?”

“You shouldn’t be saying hello.”

Raphael.

“It’s strange. You should be having dinner with His Majesty the Emperor at this time. Why are you here?”

His cold gaze pierced my skin like an arrow. The indifferent expression on his face, ignoring my greeting and asking about my business, was like a stranger.

I was in a dilemma.

Of all people, why did I have to run into Raphael, who was blocking my view? I turned my head and looked at Rue. His radiant smile was so dazzling that it was almost blinding. It was a smile that showed he was ready to kill the opponent the moment he got permission.

“Should I destroy the evidence?”

No, not that.

‘…Wait a minute.’

Wasn’t this actually an opportunity?

A chance to work together with a human weapon armed with real combat experience. I quickly revealed the truth.

“That scoundrel imprisoned me.”

Raphael’s expression hardened.

“Imprisoned?”

“He said he’d show Natasha if I brought Andert, but then he suddenly locked me alone in the dining room and disappeared. He threatened to turn me into a corpse if I refused.”

Raphael’s gaze still held deep suspicion. Can’t this bastard trust his comrade’s words?

“It’s not a lie. I swear on my remaining lifespan.”

“….”

“Why do you keep looking at me like that? I’m telling you, it’s the truth.”

“…I’ve said this before, but you need to be more serious when you talk about such important things.”

“I’m always serious. You also stayed in the Imperial Palace considering such a possibility, didn’t you?”

Raphael, who was thinking deeply, let out a heavy sigh.

“I’d thought of it, but I hadn’t expected the Emperor to get involved so directly. Anyway… go back to Midwinterre first. I’ll handle this matter on my own-”

“What are you talking about? This is just the beginning. It’s fortunate that we met. Help me, Raphael. I need to find the bio-experiment lab in the palace.”

As soon as my words landed, I heard two people questioning at the same time.

“A bio-experiment lab? What on earth are you talking about?”

“Why do we need to do that?”

Rue and Raphael’s gazes clashed in the air.

A cold sweat ran down my back. Fortunately, their staring contest didn’t last long. Raphael was the first to break eye contact and reject my proposal.

“…I don’t know where you got this strange information, but it’s pointless. There’s nothing in the palace. We thoroughly searched this area under the pretext of the hunting competition, but found no traces. It’s highly likely that the devils were transported from outside using magic.”

It’s not that I didn’t have such doubts.

When I was forced to learn the structure of the Imperial Palace by the head maid, I felt a slight flaw in her logic.

“Raphael must have thoroughly examined the area around the Imperial Palace. The fact that he hasn’t found the laboratory yet could mean that the laboratory is not in the Imperial Palace, right?”

“It’s impossible for an outsider to check the entire Imperial Palace. Only the Imperial family knows the secret passage of the Imperial Palace, and the only surviving members of the current generation of the royal family are His Majesty the Emperor, Natasha, myself, and the Crown Prince.”

“What do you mean only? Are the rest dead?”

“Yes. Our generation had an unusually large number of siblings. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the position of the heir to the throne changed three times. From an early age, we were caught up in the power struggle among the adults, unable to bring ourselves to harm each other. After the bloody war, the number of dead brothers far exceeded the number of surviving ones. In fact, it’s close to luck that brother Ashernik and I are still alive. I managed to live by running away from the Palace.”

“….”

“So, coincidentally, after I concealed my identity, the only ones left who know the secret passage of the Imperial Palace are the Emperor and Natasha.”

Instead of giving a long explanation, I showed Raphael the letter the head maid had given me.

“Check it out.”

Without hesitation, Raphael quickly read through the letter after tearing the envelope.

“….Anastasia Millorg Penrotta? Is this really from Princess Anastasia?”

“That’s our head maid.”

Raphael slowly raised his head and stared at me with a distorted expression. It was a look that said, ‘What nonsense is that?’

“Since the situation is complicated, just accept it roughly. The main point is that this information comes from the royal family, so it’s not useless false information. If you have a brain, you should move with me. Do you understand?”

Now it’s time to persuade our frustrated wizard.

“And Rue, we need to move together with Raphael to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. I’m in a position where I need to find Natasha, and he has power. There are knights throughout the palace who share his will. We will be able to move more comfortably in many ways.”

“I see. But is it really that bad?”

“Sorry.”

Raphael, who crumpled the letter, gave me a glare.

“Why are you making that decision on your own?”

Was it because I was caught up in a busy situation? I felt a surge of irritation.

“Who am I to make the decision? If you don’t like it, don’t interfere and just stay here quietly and count the stars or something. Or We could settle it fairly and squarely right here.”

As I prepared to draw my sword (I reached for my pearl earring), Raphael slowly lowered his head and sighed again.

“Fine. Whatever it is, it would be more convenient for me to personally confirm it with my own eyes. I will accept your proposal, so lead the way to the laboratory, Andert. No… Daisy Weatherwoods.”

Do you guys remember back when Rue picked up Daisy in a carriage when they were heading to Westwinterre and she asked him if he liked her and Rue started talking about how he was born just for her and bla bla bla and she asked him to stop teasing her with the cheesiness?

My girl fell hard.