Chapter 56

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Chapter 56

“No matter how much you admire the Emperor, how can you do something so reckless!”

Andre rubbed his forehead with an anguished expression.

‘He’s a great actor….’

As I was watching, it was as if this was a one-man show.

“…Please, forgive me, Your Majesty. It is my fault for not being able to crack down on my sister’s heart even though I knew her.”

Saying so, Andre quickly shook his head before continuing.

“It is an uncontrolled sin.”

Declan tapped the armrest with his finger as he listened.

“Before we came here, my sister had admired His Majesty. I shouldn’t have told the story of my visit to the Empire…”

He then glanced out with a bizarrely anguished face.

“If I had known this would happen, I would not have brought her… It’s my fault.”

He reacted smoothly as if he had anticipated this situation in advance.

“Then, how are you going to bear that sin?”

“I have no intention of denying the sins I have committed. I will leave the Princess’ punishment in His Majesty’s hands.”

‘…So, he’s going to pass all these faults on to Stella.’

My fists were clenched at the sight.

“Even though she’s the Princess, we will not protest at all.”

Andre continued to emphasize that Stella was the Princess. It was obvious that that way, the value of the sacrifice they gave to the Empire would increase.

“Does that mean it’s okay to kill the Princess?”

When Declan clenched his chin indifferently to the question, Andre answered with a very sad expression on her face.

“Before personal relationships, the safety of the Kingdom comes first.”

Stella was white as if she was about to collapse at any moment.

“Please, show mercy so that the peace treaty is not broken.”

When Andre put his forehead on the floor, the members of the delegation fell on their faces and begged for mercy.

Stella wept silently with a resigned face.

“The play ends here.”

“Yes?”

Bewildered by the dull tone, Andre asked back.

“Was the Emperor of the Burgundy Empire so foolish?”

Nonetheless, Declan straightened his posture and froze his intestines.

“What, what are you talking about?”

Andre asked with difficulty raising his head.

“You must have thought I didn’t know that you were behind all this.”

At that, he received Declan’s cold gaze and trembled.

“The Princess who trembled without even meeting my eyes fell in love with me…?”

“That’s because Stella is timid…”

“Then, what is this?”

Declan shook the folded paper.

“The sleeping pill that put my knights to sleep.”

When he opened the paper, fine powder flew into the air. Perhaps, this was unexpected, Andre’s face was wrinkled.

“…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know this, you don’t know that. What does the Crown Prince of Ielro know?”

Andre’s neck twitched at the insulting remark.

“I found it at the quarters of the Ielro delegation, so stop making useless excuses.”

“It’s a setup! Stella, that child lied to live.”

All he did was blame Stella until the end.

“Your Majesty, are you still listening to such nonsense?” Unable to bear it, I intervened and blocked his view.

“Don’t look at something dirty like that.”

“Now is not the time to play around!”

“I’m not joking. I was worried about you.”

The gentle gaze that was directed at me embraced murderous energy again.

“Noah, bring him.”

At that instruction, Noah and his knights brought a servant. His face was unrecognizable, and he was unable to walk.

One of the delegations’ eyes shook violently at the sudden appearance.

“I, I was last, last…”

The servant, who had confessed to his crime, stuttered and sweated profusely.

“Your Majesty, spare your energy. Even if you wait all day like that, you won’t be able to hear everything.”

Declan sighed and clicked his tongue, pulling back his energy.

“Keep talking.”

“Uh, last night I put some medicine on the drink to deliver to the knights on the night shift.”

“Who made you do it?”

The servant raised his head and looked around the delegation twice before pointing out a certain person. He was a person who was bewildered when he saw the servant just before.

“It’s him. He paid me and asked me to do the work.”

Andre bit his lip when asked if he would still deny it.

“Is it Count Eppel?”

Count Eppel’s eyes widened, not knowing that Declan remembered his name.

“Did you use that servant and waited together in the Crown Prince’s room to see the results?”

At those words, Andrew opened his mouth as if he had seen a ghost.

“You must be wondering. How did I know all this?”

Looking at me and smiling faintly, I gazed back at him and smiled triumphantly. Last night, as soon as we caught Stella, I headed to the detached palace where the delegation was staying.

‘I knew it.’

I learned all this while following the servant who ran to tell that Stella had been taken away.

‘I am the secret escort that boasts an iron wall defense.’

So, don’t mess with me.

“Did you think you could hide from my eyes and ears in the Imperial Palace?”

The faces of the delegation, including Duke Heather, changed horribly.

“Forgive me. We just wanted to give your majesty a present.” Andre, who had rolled his eyes anxiously here and there, fell down again.

“Your Majesty, don’t you know? There were no weapons in the child’s body.”

Declan’s eyebrows narrowed more and more at the sound of nonsense that followed. Normally, I would have acted quickly, though I stayed still because I was angry with his atrocities.

He had the perfect cause.

“That child is the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom, and she is also a noble person. We thought she was enough as a gift for Your Majesty.”

“Aren’t you going to dominate me by occupying the seat next to me?”

An urgent excuse followed the cold voice.

“Absolutely not! She’s a gift we gave without asking for a seat.”

…Just play with Stella and throw her away, that was what he meant.

‘He doesn’t know what Declan thought of his sister?’

As expected, Declan’s lips were wildly twisted before he opened his mouth, “All Ielro delegation must be jailed for injuring the knights of the Empire, trespassing the main palace, deceiving, and attempting to assassinate the emperor.”

“Save me, save me. Your Majesty!”

Andre struggled not to be dragged by the knights. Except for Duke Heather, who gave up everything, the rest of the delegation also cried out for help.

“Beg for your life only from your king.”

My eyes kept moving to the back of Stella, who was caught by the knights in a frenzy.

“Mason.”

Mason, who was standing near, came closer.

“Send a letter to King Ielro, and if he wants to save the lives of his children and his servants, fulfill all my requirements.”

“Understood.”

Shortly thereafter, a personal letter arrived from King Ielro. Referring to the Crown Prince and Duke Heather, he promised to give the Empire whatever it wanted.

‘There is not a single word about Stella…’

The Empire was going to demand unconditional cooperation from Ielro’s Great Temple and a certain amount of tribute every year.

With the cancellation of the peace agreement, of course.

‘Why would he do such a thing?’

Since this was clearly Ielro’s fault, I couldn’t ask him to let them go unconditionally.

‘Anyway, Stella is back safely, so is she lucky?’

Knock, knock—

Mason entered with a knock.

“Your Majesty, Princess Stella begs to see you again.”

“I have nothing more to see with a sinner.”

“It was so earnestly requested…”

Unlike Mason, who always handled things rationally, he hesitated and trailed the end of his words.

‘Why is he doing that? Could it be that the two of them even met each other in the meantime…?’

Is it still the original male and female leads?

“Have you met in person?”

Declan must have thought something was wrong.

“That is why, in order to inform King Ielro of the exact circumstances of the incident, we interrogated the people involved again.”

Even in the original story, Mason felt sorry for Stella and was helping her. Used and abandoned by her family, and in prison and weeping, who wouldn’t want to help?

“Do not bring private feelings into state affairs. It’s unlike you.”

Mason’s face darkened as if he had stabbed in the spot.

“…She is someone who will return to Ielro soon. Can’t you meet once?”

Mason bowed his head deeply at the answer that did not come back.

“Please.”

I was a little surprised because I didn’t know that the Mason would bow his head.

‘It looks like Stella has asked for it very earnestly.’

Suddenly, I remembered the figure of her clinging to Declan to save her life.

‘She would die the moment she returned.’

My mind was confused because her appearance was unlike anything else but someone who was desperately struggling to live. However, if I asked for her to stay here, I was afraid it would be like the original.

“Why do I have to see the intruder in my bedroom?”

“That was not the will of the Princess.”

“Should I look at the sinner’s situation?”

Mason flapped his lips as if to say something more, though he quickly bit his lips.

‘Oh, really, he shouldn’t be weak-hearted.’

As a reader who cheered for Stella to be happy, it was not easy to turn a blind eye.

‘You bastard Andre…!’

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