Chapter 83

– Snap.

Evelina stared unfocused at the long rifles pointed at her in unison.

As Kaiden pulled her arm to hide her behind his back, Evelina only then came to her senses.

“Put the gun down right now.”

“But, Your Majesty…! It’s dangerous!”

“Get away from Queen Evelina!”

One of the two guards said. She looked around her wondering where Ianathas was. But Ianathas was nowhere to be seen. She saw the familiar knights’ outfits yet she couldn’t find anyone she could trust.

“Is there a bullet in your ear? Didn’t you hear me say put the gun down?”

When Kaiden spoke with an intimidating voice, the knights panicked and could not lower their guns or point them properly. Then Kaiden pulled out the sword of the nearest knight and said.

“Disobeying orders is punishable by death. Do you want an immediate disposition?”

Then the knights slowly lowered their muzzles.

“You have to get away from the Queen. It turns out that it was the Marquis of Logias who was targeting Your Majesty.”

“It must have been turned upside down.”

“But the circumstances…!”

“Shut up. It’s not him. It’s not.”

After saying that, Kaiden grabbed Evelina’s hand and led her.

Evelina was still very feverish. It looked like she was about to collapse. She stumbled after him, unable to stop her thoughts in her chilled head.

Her father could be accused of being the culprit.

At the thought of that, her body trembled with fear.

Why was this happening?

Why at a time like this?

She felt resentful that this had happened at a time when she had less than a week left to send her adoptive parents to another country.

She was afraid nonetheless.

She didn’t know if this could pass safely.

“Lina.”

She was lost in her thoughts, staring blankly at the floor.

“Lina. Evelina.”

She forgot how preoccupied she was and had stopped walking.

“Lina!”

“Ah…”

Realizing that she was crying on her floor, Kaiden looked right at her and said.

“It will be fine.”

“Kaiden…”

“When I say no, I mean no. So don’t worry.”

“But my, my father, is really not guilty of anything…”

“Yes, I know.”

She couldn’t tell if it was true. Even his sincerity.

“I believe in Lina.”

Evelina looked at Kaiden, relieved by his words. Then he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hand.

“Lina, you are hurt. So, you need to get treatment and rest.”

At his words, she nodded her head.

He was holding her while walking. She headed for the bedroom in the imperial palace that she was so familiar with.

~~~~

“You must execute the Marquis of Logias.”

Kaiden sighed as he looked at the minister advising me as soon as he returned from washing.

“Can’t you see I’m getting treated right now?”

“Your last wound opened up.”

He put Evelina in his bedroom so that she could be treated comfortably, and he, himself, came to his office and was being treated.

The name of the person who advised him was Duke Ruskun of Weimar. He was the one who bet all his life that Kaiden would become emperor.

He was a comrade and close friend who traveled to various battlefields as a mercenary with Kaiden.

“Don’t frame him without proof. Especially if it’s because of me that you hate the Marquis. Avoid personal feelings.”

Duke Ruskun of Weimar said with a calm expression at Kaiden’s words.

“There are no personal feelings. The only private feeling left for me is to hope that Your Majesty will find peace.”

“I have already found peace. Because I got Evelina back.”

“… .”

“As for stability, everything will be resolved by the time Lina gives birth to my child.”

Kaiden glared at the doctor who was removing the cloth from his waist and meticulously cleaning the open wound. The doctor pretended not to notice Kaiden’s gaze, stopped the bleeding and finished it off with disinfection.

“Do you think there will be no evidence?”

“If there is, get rid of it. I have no intention of accepting the evidence you will present.”

Ruskun Weimar sighed.

“I am always on your side. That’s why it’s like this.”

Kaiden sighed when he asked for credit.

The duke did not execute any suspicious people while searching for him but captured them all. According to the nature of the original duke, he would have been judged coldly and executed summarily after receiving only a confession.

However, it was not because it was the Marquis of Logias, who was pointed out as the instigator of this incident. Duke Ruskun had seen Kaiden’s behavior towards Evelina several times.

“I know.”

When Kaiden spoke as if acknowledging his contribution, Ruskun sighed and said,

“I think it’s fortunate that Your Majesty has someone he cares about so much. I, more than anyone else, wish for Your Majesty to be stable, have children, and live happily.”

“…”

“But this is just what I said earlier, and it’s already out of hand.”

Kaiden glared at the doctor who, without anesthesia, brought a heated needle and tried to stitch the wound back up. Then he sighed.

“What kind of proof is it?”

“The document where Princess Elsius instigated the Marquis of Logias has been found.”

“Bring it.”

Duke Weimar, who brought the evidence as is, handed it to Kaiden right away.

Kaiden quickly checked and crumpled up the paper.

“I’m glad that’s the only one. That’s all there is. Other ministers are already gnashing their teeth to dethrone Queen Evelina and execute the Marquis of Logias.”

“…”

“You should have dealt with the Marquis during the Revolution in the first place.”

At Ruskun’s words, Kaiden clenched his fist. He ignored all objections from his ministers and left the Marquis of Logias by his side. Only then did he think it would help Evelina.

However, most of those loyal to Kaiden in the imperial palace now were people he had known on the battlefield. Among them, only the able-bodied were seated in key positions.

That’s why they hated the Marquis of Logias so much. The Marquis tried to kill Kaiden over and over again, and at the same time, he would kill them as flies.

Until Kaiden became emperor, his most formidable enemy was the Marquis of Logias rather than the second prince, Ashes.

He was kept alive because the emperor said that he would not marry anyone other than Evelina.

It was for this reason that he did not appoint Evelina as his empress right away. He originally intended to welcome Evelina as his empress. However, the compromise with the ministers was a waste of time. Because if she really had a baby, he was going to make her empress, whether it was a daughter or a son.

Some lost their entire family to the Marquis of Logias.

Waiting for their fury to subside in joy of their revolution, its the reason why Kaiden made her his queen.

“Aside from this, what other evidence do you have?”

“We have already secured several documents. And the situation that moved the military. And the testimonies of the spies planted by us all agree.”

“…”

“And not one or two people have seen the Marquis of Logias personally leading the knights to search the hunting grounds. There were over 50 casualties.”

“Has anyone seen him kill himself?”*

*TN: As in him doing it himself, not killing himself

“There are over 100 eyewitnesses alone.”

It had already become something that could not be covered. They were vassals who would even risk their lives at his word, but they wouldn’t just let this go.

“If Your Majesty covers this, it will be covered. We have already given our lives to His Majesty.”

“… .”

“But some people may resolve their grudges differently.”

That was the problem. Privately killing the Marquis of Logias, or poisoning Evelina. They could be targeted that way.

“It could be a trap.”

“There’s already too much evidence to be a setup. Pelos is dead, Your Majesty.”

Pelos was a count who was loyal to Kaiden. Who worked in the archives?

“And many people have seen the Marquis of Logias kill Pelos as an example.”

“How did he die?”

“He was dragged around with a rope around his neck… It is said that the cervical spine has broken.”

“Are you sure Marquis Logias did that?”

“Yes.”

Kaiden clenched his clenched fist harder at the firm answer. Soon, the nails dug into the callus palms and began to bleed.

“This cannot be covered, Your Majesty. Rather, execute the Marquis of Logias.”

“Then what about Evelina?”

“The Queen will understand.”

Kaiden became more frustrated by Ruskun’s cold words.

~~~~

“Hahaha.”

Evelina awoke in amazement at someone entering her bedroom.

“Oh, are you up now?”

What was in front of me was the young love of Baroness Elias, who was working as her maid.

“Who dares to come in?”

Evelina realized that she was wearing a thin negligee and covered herself with a sheet and said,

“Hey, do you think you’re in a position to talk to me like that now?”

“…get out.”

“Don’t you wonder what happened to your father?”

Evelina opened her eyes wide at the words of Baroness Elias.

“Your father tried to revolt. in conspiracy with Elsius.”

“…”

“The princess made a fuss about not being the empress and was thrown into an underground prison.”

Evelina was trembling at the voice of Baroness Elias, forgetting to breathe.

“What about your father?”

“…you were a spy.”

“Hahaha. Is that important?”

Evelina knew that Baroness Elias was a spy for Princess Elsius. She knew this was because she had a grudge against her family, but she couldn’t even understand this attitude.

She looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but she looked very ecstatic. Like a man who has achieved his long-cherished desire. She felt like she was obsessed with happiness.

“The ministers are ordering your father to be executed.”

“What?”

“In no time, there will be the end of the great Marquis of Logias.”

Evelina clenched her seat.

“Lies. Your Majesty… You believe in my family..”

Evelina spoke like a madman. Then, laughing at her, Baroness Elias opened her mouth.

“Your father will be executed. In the square, very miserable and harrowing. Then he will cut off his head and hang it at the gate.”