Double agent
Asion’s face, which had been searching every nook and cranny of his body and every pocket, suddenly turned pale.
Even while his pupils were shaking in all directions, his body was frozen stiff and he could not even dare to properly respond to his master’s call.
“Asion. Don’t tell me…”
“…..”
“Asion.”
“…..”
“Asion!”
Asion, who had raised his head at Herhan’s sharp call, began to creak like a man made of logs.
“It’s not true.”
“What are you saying out of the blue that it’s not true?”
“It’s just….not true. No matter what, it’s not!”
“…..”
“Absolutely not, I didn’t lose it. Yes. That’s right. It’s definitely in my office somewhere.”
Herhan frowned in irritation and grabbed Asion’s arm.
‘I’m screwed. I clearly had it in my pocket, but why isn’t it there? When did it disappear? I can’t even guess where I lost it. Oh no…. Am I dreaming right now?’
As Herrhan clenched his teeth, a furious groan seeped through the gap between them, his anger amplifying as he clearly heard the desperate cries from Asion’s mind.
Asion then realized that Herhan had read his mind and quickly acknowledged the situation.
Of course, acknowledging the situation did not mean responding calmly and wisely.
“Uh, what should I do? What should I do? Your Majesty? What should I do! Where on earth is it?…Where should I look! Aaaah. What if I lost it?!”
Asion began to panic.
He clung to his master’s hands tightly and even cried.
Who should truly be crying here?
Herrhan coldly shook off Asion’s hands.
Riela was approaching, and he couldn’t waste time conspiring with Asion like that.
“What should you do? You have to find it.”
“But…”
“Find it.”
“…..”
“If you don’t want to be the first Imperial Guard Captain in history to be executed by an emperor, find it.”
* * *
From that moment, the Emperor’s Guard Captain, Asion, suddenly stopped all his duties and began wandering around the palace like a ghost.
“Captain, is this about the disappearance of Loriell Igdnis? If so, we’re already devoting every effort to the search…”
“No, it’s okay.”
Asion scoured every corner of the palace where his feet could take him.
From his office to the sandy courtyard in front of the barracks, he turned over every grain of sand and even swept through the dust in the carpet seams of the emperor’s inner room.
But nowhere could he find the Queen’s Sun ring.
In the first place, it wasn’t worth going through that much trouble to find it.
The Queen’s Sun was a magnificent jewel that sparkled and looked magnificent even when viewed from a few meters away. If it had been dropped somewhere, someone would have surely picked it up.
‘I’m screwed. Really.’
Asion, who sensed his own fate, went to find Jess.
Jess was caring for the unconscious El in the special care ward in the barracks.
“Jess.”
“Why? I’m busy.”
“I ask that you take good care of his Majesty from now on.”
“What?”
Jess raised his head towards Asion, furrowing his brow.
“What the hell are you talking about, crawling in here with your screwed-up face?”
Asion silently tapped Jess on the shoulder and turned around weakly.
‘I’m going to miss your sharp tongue a lot, too.’
* * *
“What is this, Asion?”
“This is a letter of resignation, Your Majesty.”
That evening, while Riella was away for a moment, Asion came to secretly visit Herhan and his face was pale, as if he had lost his soul.
“I deeply regret my sins and will step down on my own—”
—Creek
Before Asion could finish speaking, the resignation letter he had handed over was torn to pieces along with the envelope.
Asion bit his lips as he watched the pieces of paper scattering like snowflakes.
“Asion. Do you think I’ll let you go because of something like this?”
Herhan’s warm words made Asion’s mind flash back to the troubles he had been going through.
“Your Majesty…”
A sob welled up in Asion’s throat.
Even though he made such a huge mistake, his master would not abandon him.
As Asion was moved to think that his whole life of loyalty had not been in vain, Herhan opened his mouth again.
“I will never let you go until you find the Queen’s Sun. Asion, you know that even after you die, you will not be able to go to the grave. So instead of handing me an envelope like this, search the palace one more time.”
“……”
Asion, who had been weeping with emotion, now began to shed tears of despair.
Jess, who happened to be entering the office at that moment, frowned at the sight of the two people and approached them.
“Your Majesty. What are you doing?”
“I’m wondering how much longer I should keep Asion alive.”
Jess clicked his tongue at his master, who was staring intently at Asion and calmly approached.
“You should bully this kid later. You need to focus on something else first.”
Only then did Asion and Herhan realize what news Jess had brought.
“El Weiss has awakened.”
* * *
“Your Majesty, please.….”
Before entering the ward, Jess blocked Herhan’s path once again.
It was no longer surprising; this was the tenth or so time Jess had pleaded with him along the way.
Herhan answered self-mockingly, keeping his gaze sharp.
“Don’t worry. I won’t touch El. If I was going to kill him, I would have done so a long time ago.”
Finally, Jess nodded, perhaps because it was an answer he could accept, and stepped away from the door.
Herhan turned to El, who was lying motionless like a corpse.
The long wound under El’s chin from Herrhan’s strike had yet to heal and was still red. Jess had mentioned it would remain a scar for the rest of his life.
“Do you remember what I said, El Weiss?”
“Well, you’ve said a lot.”
Herhan sneered at El’s clear answer even though he was unable to move properly.
Herhan had ordered Jess to treat El, but never to use any anesthetics or painkillers.
Surely, the man had suffered unimaginable pain for days, but his persistence was unyielding.
“I said that I would kill you after I had used you.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“Since you also promised me that you would die by my hand someday, I think we can now see that we understand each other.”
The corners of El’s mouth went up bitterly.
“What should I do?”
‘Yeah. We’re not close enough to be friends or anything.’
Herhan got straight to the point.
“Tomorrow, you’ll be released. So go back.”
“Huh? Go back where….?”
El finally lifted his gaze, which had been aimlessly wandering, to meet the emperor’s.
“Return to those who controlled you. Those who seek the revival of the Federation.”
“….!”
“Go back and be their loyal dog again.”
“Your Majesty, what do you want from me?”
El shivered as he watched Herhan’s lips rise wickedly without answering.
* * *
The next day, late at night.
As scheduled, El came out of the palace.
He put on a splint under his clothes and swallowed a handful of painkillers. He covered up the red wound under his chin with white powder.
Although taking each step was painful, El gritted his teeth and pretended to walk normally.
Fortunately or unfortunately, as soon as he exited the palace gate and entered the first alley, a carriage came and stopped in front of El.
Judging from the fact that they came out to meet him so suddenly, it seemed that the Federation was equally anxious.
“El.”
A familiar old voice leaked out through the crack in the carriage window.
Elle climbed onto the carriage obediently.
“Your Highness, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you—”
Plak–!
A creepy friction noise filled the carriage.
El’s head turned to the side.
With half of his face still burning from the slap, El only had one thought in his mind.
‘At least it was my right cheek. If it had been my left, they might have noticed the scar the emperor left.’
“You have betrayed our alliance and crawled out! El!”
“I have never betrayed you, Your Highness.”
“Don’t lie to me! I know you and your family are under the royal family’s protection. And yet you say you didn’t betray us?”
Looking straight ahead, El saw the old duke’s eyes glint fiercely in the dark.
His clenched fist twitched as if ready to strike again.
Getting beaten wasn’t an issue, but if he lose consciousness, it’s a big deal.
El continued speaking quickly.
“As you know, it was all a plan to gain the Emperor’s trust.”
“What?”
“You may have heard about the woman named Loriell Igdnis who caused quite a stir in the imperial palace some time ago. I was the one who helped in her arrest.”
The old gentleman’s eyes became dim.
It meant that he was wavering.
“With my current position, I have limited ability to find descendants hiding within the imperial palace. That’s why I thought I should get to the emperor’s side.”
“……”
“For the past few days, I’ve assisted in investigating the Igdnis family. That’s the reason the imperial family has been protecting my family during that time.”
“Don’t try to trick me, El. We’ve seen the internal investigation documents as well. We know you were arrested under suspicion of kidnapping Riella Blinite.”
The old gentleman scolded him in a stern voice, but El didn’t flinch. Rather, it was the response he had been waiting for.
“You must not have had access to the ‘real internal documents’. The kidnapping incident was something planned by the Emperor’s side to catch the person who was trying to kill the Emperor. Pretending to kidnap Riella Blinite was part of the plan to ambush Loriel, who was plotting to poison the emperor.”
“There’s no way I could believe such a ridiculous statement.…!”
“If I really tried to kidnap Riella Blinite, how would I be alive now?”
El handed the old man a document sealed with a leather strap.
“Would you believe this?”
It was a personal letter written by the emperor himself.
The article praises the achievements of El Weiss, who made a brilliant contribution to catching the poisoner.
It was very clear evidence, written in the Emperor’s own handwriting and clearly stamped with the Emperor’s seal.
“This…this is truly…from the emperor, so does that mean you have really gained the Emperor’s trust?”
El nodded.
Then, El recalled the end of the conversation he had with the emperor yesterday.
“Go and be their loyal dog. And of course, when you’re done, don’t forget to return to your ‘real master’ who holds your leash.”
‘The real master who holds your leash.’ That word refers to the emperor.
“Are you asking me to act as a double agent?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s difficult. The Federation won’t easily let go of their suspicions about me or the Ambassador.”
“That’s not my concern.”
Even though El hesitated, the Emperor only made his voice more harsh. As if to make it clear that this is not a request, but an order, an irresistible sentence imposed on he who deserves to die.
“It doesn’t matter how difficult it is. Even if you fail along the way and die by their hands, it doesn’t matter. Whether you cut off your own wrist in front of them or lick their boots, that’s your problem to figure out.”
“…..”
“I just need to protect Riella.”
‘Protect Riella’, Was that the reason why he had no choice but to accept the emperor’s order to risk his life?
Because there was no other way to remove their suspicions of Riella?
“I thought Riella Blinite was the descendant. Isn’t that why you tried to kidnap her and were caught?”
The old duke’s question interrupted El’s thoughts.
El lifted his head straight up in front of him and spoke.
“You misunderstood. Riella Blinite is not a descendant.”
“Well, It’s hard to take your word at face value.”
The old man extended his hand.
The rough, wrinkled skin brushed against El’s reddened cheek, still burning from the earlier slap.
“You have been such a smart kid since you were little. But with that cleverness comes cunning. You hide your true feelings and lie at every opportunity.”
El chuckled, controlling his chattering teeth.
“If you find it hard to believe me, don’t believe me.”
“What?”
“There is also a way for the Duke to check it himself.”
The old man furrowed his brow at El’s provocation.
Facing those intense eyes, El recalled the Emperor’s last words to him.
“I’ll write you a personal letter, just in case. But if they refuse to drop their suspicions about Riella, then feel free to drag them before me.”
* * *
Thank you for the update